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afghanistan <tsp> defense secretary chuck hagel traveled to afghanistan this weekend , his fourth and last trip to the country as he makes way for his likely replacement , defense secretary nominee ashton carter . cnn traveled with hagel to tactical base gamberi in eastern afghanistan , where the outgoing defense secretary met with troops . hagel is the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as defense secretary . asked by cnn whether it will be a loss for the pentagon to have a defense secretary without combat experience , hagel said he will not judge . that 's not for me to decide , ' hagel said . everybody brings to their positions their own set of experiences and their own strengths . ' hagel : more u.s. troops than planned will remain in afghanistan next year at the end of december , u.s. forces will end their combat role in afghanistan and instead focus on counterterrorism missions and training , advising and assisting afghan troops . the u.s. made a similar investment in iraq , training iraqi security forces that later collapsed as the terror group isis advanced in the country . hagel does not see afghanistan 's security force buckling like in iraq , citing afghanistan 's willingness to sign an agreement allowing a residual american troop presence in the country . they want us here . they want us to help them assist , advise , train , ' hagel said . how we left iraq was totally different . the iraqi government did not want us there . the iraqi people did not want us there . ' nearly 11,000 u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan in the beginning of 2015 . american forces will drop to 5,500 in 2016 and by 2017 the coalition will consolidate to kabul . still , while the u.s. draws down in afghanistan the danger for forces remaining in the country does not . us troops will engage in combat if threatened and will provide air support for afghan units if needed . bottom line is we 've got to realize this is still a war zone , this is still a war , ' hagel said . hagel 's visit comes as the capital city has seen a recent spike in violence . but taliban attacks are down in 2014 when compared to the previous year . hagel said he has confidence in the afghan security forces ability to protect afghanistan from terror by the hands of al qaeda and the taliban . [ there are ] still challenges ahead , but i think every sign is that they can do this , ' hagel said . | hagel said unlike in iraq , afghanistan officials want a continued us troop presence |
afghanistan <tsp> defense secretary chuck hagel traveled to afghanistan this weekend , his fourth and last trip to the country as he makes way for his likely replacement , defense secretary nominee ashton carter . cnn traveled with hagel to tactical base gamberi in eastern afghanistan , where the outgoing defense secretary met with troops . hagel is the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as defense secretary . asked by cnn whether it will be a loss for the pentagon to have a defense secretary without combat experience , hagel said he will not judge . that 's not for me to decide , ' hagel said . everybody brings to their positions their own set of experiences and their own strengths . ' hagel : more u.s. troops than planned will remain in afghanistan next year at the end of december , u.s. forces will end their combat role in afghanistan and instead focus on counterterrorism missions and training , advising and assisting afghan troops . the u.s. made a similar investment in iraq , training iraqi security forces that later collapsed as the terror group isis advanced in the country . hagel does not see afghanistan 's security force buckling like in iraq , citing afghanistan 's willingness to sign an agreement allowing a residual american troop presence in the country . they want us here . they want us to help them assist , advise , train , ' hagel said . how we left iraq was totally different . the iraqi government did not want us there . the iraqi people did not want us there . ' nearly 11,000 u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan in the beginning of 2015 . american forces will drop to 5,500 in 2016 and by 2017 the coalition will consolidate to kabul . still , while the u.s. draws down in afghanistan the danger for forces remaining in the country does not . us troops will engage in combat if threatened and will provide air support for afghan units if needed . bottom line is we 've got to realize this is still a war zone , this is still a war , ' hagel said . hagel 's visit comes as the capital city has seen a recent spike in violence . but taliban attacks are down in 2014 when compared to the previous year . hagel said he has confidence in the afghan security forces ability to protect afghanistan from terror by the hands of al qaeda and the taliban . [ there are ] still challenges ahead , but i think every sign is that they can do this , ' hagel said . | nearly 11,000 u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan in the beginning of 2015 |
the bachelorette <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the bachelorette ' premiered monday night with a tribute to a contestant . eric hill , 31 , died in april from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident after filming the show . he was one of 25 men vying for the heart of bachelorette ' andi dorfman , 26 . at the beginning of monday 's show , host chris harrison offered some kind words about hill , who was an adventurer who documented his goal of visiting every country in 1,200 days on his website , the global odyssey . eric passed away shortly after concluding his filming on this show , ' harrison said . in the coming weeks , you 'll see that eric was a vibrant man . every day , he impressed us with his passion and courageous spirit . he will be greatly missed . and we dedicate this season to him . ' the premiere kicked off season 10 of the series . during the show , hill gifted dorfman with dolls from peru -- the first country he had visited outside of the north american continent . dorfman thanked him and later selected him as one of the bachelors to whom she granted one-on-one time . harrison , who in addition to hosting the show also serves as one of the producers , talked to salon about the difficulty in dealing with hill 's death on the reality show . one of the contestants who left the show died in a tragic accident , ' harrison said . and he was a wonderful man , and very much beloved on the show , a central figure early on before he left , and our decision was quickly made : we have to show what he went through . and also because it affected our cast and our crew , what we went through . so to just cut that out of the show would n't have done justice to anybody , even him . ' | eric hill died after finishing filming the bachelorette ' |
eric hill <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the bachelorette ' premiered monday night with a tribute to a contestant . eric hill , 31 , died in april from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident after filming the show . he was one of 25 men vying for the heart of bachelorette ' andi dorfman , 26 . at the beginning of monday 's show , host chris harrison offered some kind words about hill , who was an adventurer who documented his goal of visiting every country in 1,200 days on his website , the global odyssey . eric passed away shortly after concluding his filming on this show , ' harrison said . in the coming weeks , you 'll see that eric was a vibrant man . every day , he impressed us with his passion and courageous spirit . he will be greatly missed . and we dedicate this season to him . ' the premiere kicked off season 10 of the series . during the show , hill gifted dorfman with dolls from peru -- the first country he had visited outside of the north american continent . dorfman thanked him and later selected him as one of the bachelors to whom she granted one-on-one time . harrison , who in addition to hosting the show also serves as one of the producers , talked to salon about the difficulty in dealing with hill 's death on the reality show . one of the contestants who left the show died in a tragic accident , ' harrison said . and he was a wonderful man , and very much beloved on the show , a central figure early on before he left , and our decision was quickly made : we have to show what he went through . and also because it affected our cast and our crew , what we went through . so to just cut that out of the show would n't have done justice to anybody , even him . ' | eric hill died after finishing filming the bachelorette ' |
robbie prepas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the ambulance sped toward baton rouge , louisiana , from the new orleans airport , overrun with refugees from a drowned city . a mother pregnant with twins screamed from labor pains . robbie prepas , a nurse and midwife who struggles with car sickness , tried to stay focused . the babies were n't going to wait . five minutes into the ride , prepas delivered the first twin with no problem . but then , she saw two feet beginning to emerge -- a breech baby . panic set in . do n't push ! do n't push ! do n't push ! ' today , five years after delivering those twins in the midst of the chaos that katrina wreaked , prepas dwells -- not on the death and destruction that was so well-documented -- but on the life that emerged . she and her team delivered 20 healthy babies amid the storm 's aftermath in a two-week period that changed my life . ' it 's one of those events in america that we should never forget . ' prepas , now 58 , has traveled the world with organizations like save the children and unicef . she went to ghana , namibia and zimbabwe in the 1990s to teach midwives in those african countries how best to deal with emergencies . a year before katrina , she traveled to afghanistan with the centers for disease control and prevention to figure out why so many mothers and babies were dying at a hospital in kabul . as hurricane katrina spun toward the gulf , the urge to help came natural . based out of san diego , prepas was a member of california 's disaster medical assistance team , a group of about 30 physicians , general practitioners , nurses , nurse practitioners and other specialists . they were told to head to louis armstrong international airport , along with teams from oregon and washington . katrina had swept ashore , and the levee had been breached . i had never in my life seen such a disaster as i had in new orleans , ' prepas says . and , believe me , i 've seen the worst of everything . ' at the airport , thousands of people milled about . elderly patients from nursing homes had been dropped off , without medications or even adult diapers . electricity was out , and there was no running water . there were two policemen and two security guards , ' prepas says . there was no organization . we did n't know who to answer to . ... nobody was in charge . ' prepas and the other 89 medical professionals swung into action . they set up three tents at the front of the airport -- green , for walking wounded and pregnant women ; yellow , for slightly more serious conditions ; red , for critical patients . by the end of two weeks , we had screened and triaged more than 20,000 people . ' prepas was stationed in the green tent , and , at one point , was caring for 50 prenatal patients . she was sleeping on a luggage carousel when the first woman in labor arrived . prepas set up a privacy sheet in the tent and prepared a cot . the first baby to be born at the airport was healthy . his name was david , ' she says . on the third day , u.s. military personnel arrived to establish order amid the pandemonium . on that same day , the woman pregnant with twins was brought to the airport . prepas still does n't know how the woman got there . she was 8 centimeters dilated , and she was ready to deliver . ' the woman 's husband and two sons were at the convention center with no idea she was in labor , or where she had gone . all prepas knew was : i had to get her out . ' frantically searching for an ambulance , prepas found a group of paramedics who had driven more than 500 miles from nashville , tennessee . guys , you 've got to drive me to baton rouge , ' prepas barked . now ! ' the paramedics radioed a hospital in baton rouge to let them know they were bringing a woman in labor with twins . the two baby boys had other plans . both boys were delivered en route . the second child , who came out feet first , was discolored . he received oxygen for the next 30 minutes , until they arrived . two more weeks passed before that mother and her babies were reunited with the rest of their family . prepas'time in new orleans affected her profoundly on so many different levels . prepas has curtailed most of her overseas humanitarian missions ; she now flies mostly to places in need within the u.s. -- the quake in haiti being an exception . a member of the white ribbon alliance for safe motherhood , prepas has used the experience to bring attention to rising maternal mortality rates inside the united states , one of the worst in the industrialized world . in 1982 , eight women died per 100,000 live births in the u.s. ; now , the figure has jumped to 17 per 100,000 , largely due to lack of health care for the nation 's poorest women , according to the white ribbon alliance . women are going to have babies out of place , ' especially during disaster , she says . we have to be prepared for that . ' one of the toughest things about her job in new orleans was delivering the babies -- and then walking away . life goes on after an emergency , ' she says . i never stayed in touch with them ... but i think about it all the time . it drives me to keep wanting to do all this stuff . it 's given me a mission in life . ' | robbie prepas focuses not on the destruction of katrina , but the life that emerged |
snowden <tsp> in the world of military strategy , every contingency must be examined , especially the worst-case scenario . lt. gen. michael flynn , the head of the defense intelligence agency , made that clear when he told national public radio in an interview broadcast friday how u.s. officials must plan for the possibility that vladimir putin 's russia has access to american battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker edward snowden . if i 'm concerned about anything , i 'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked , and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case , of course , russia , ' flynn said of the former national security agency contractor who fled to moscow to seek asylum . a hero to some and traitor to others , snowden last year disclosed details of the vast u.s. surveillance network put in place after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks , including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations . flynn said he worried about what else snowden knows , and how russia -- where snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents . he cited intelligence capabilities , operational capabilities , technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information snowden -- and russia -- may have . we really do n't know ' what snowden 's got , flynn said , adding that we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised . ' he added that the intelligence community also must assume that russia either already has the information taken by snowden or is trying to get it , adding that would be very serious . ' because of the possibility , we have to make some judgments , recommendations about ... how to respond to that , ' flynn said . we 're going to be dealing with this for many , many years , ' he noted , saying procedures , techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed . flynn spoke as putin has moved troops into the crimea peninsula of ukraine in a showdown with the united states and its european allies over the former soviet region 's independence . in january , he and director of national intelligence james clapper told the senate intelligence committee that the snowden leaks already caused serious damage to u.s. security . what snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way , way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs , ' clapper said then . as a result , we 've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources , including some shared with us by valued partners . ' terrorists and other adversaries of america were going to school on u.s. intelligence sources'methods and trade craft , and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much , much harder , ' clapper told the committee . snowden claims that he 's won and that his mission is accomplished , ' clapper also noted . if that is so , i call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to u.s . security . ' flynn told the panel that the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow 's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm 's way . ' | snowden is living in russia while he seeks political asylum |
snowden <tsp> in the world of military strategy , every contingency must be examined , especially the worst-case scenario . lt. gen. michael flynn , the head of the defense intelligence agency , made that clear when he told national public radio in an interview broadcast friday how u.s. officials must plan for the possibility that vladimir putin 's russia has access to american battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker edward snowden . if i 'm concerned about anything , i 'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked , and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case , of course , russia , ' flynn said of the former national security agency contractor who fled to moscow to seek asylum . a hero to some and traitor to others , snowden last year disclosed details of the vast u.s. surveillance network put in place after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks , including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations . flynn said he worried about what else snowden knows , and how russia -- where snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents . he cited intelligence capabilities , operational capabilities , technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information snowden -- and russia -- may have . we really do n't know ' what snowden 's got , flynn said , adding that we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised . ' he added that the intelligence community also must assume that russia either already has the information taken by snowden or is trying to get it , adding that would be very serious . ' because of the possibility , we have to make some judgments , recommendations about ... how to respond to that , ' flynn said . we 're going to be dealing with this for many , many years , ' he noted , saying procedures , techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed . flynn spoke as putin has moved troops into the crimea peninsula of ukraine in a showdown with the united states and its european allies over the former soviet region 's independence . in january , he and director of national intelligence james clapper told the senate intelligence committee that the snowden leaks already caused serious damage to u.s. security . what snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way , way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs , ' clapper said then . as a result , we 've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources , including some shared with us by valued partners . ' terrorists and other adversaries of america were going to school on u.s. intelligence sources'methods and trade craft , and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much , much harder , ' clapper told the committee . snowden claims that he 's won and that his mission is accomplished , ' clapper also noted . if that is so , i call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to u.s . security . ' flynn told the panel that the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow 's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm 's way . ' | lt. gen. flynn says classified leaker edward snowden could have military plans |
snowden <tsp> in the world of military strategy , every contingency must be examined , especially the worst-case scenario . lt. gen. michael flynn , the head of the defense intelligence agency , made that clear when he told national public radio in an interview broadcast friday how u.s. officials must plan for the possibility that vladimir putin 's russia has access to american battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker edward snowden . if i 'm concerned about anything , i 'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked , and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case , of course , russia , ' flynn said of the former national security agency contractor who fled to moscow to seek asylum . a hero to some and traitor to others , snowden last year disclosed details of the vast u.s. surveillance network put in place after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks , including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations . flynn said he worried about what else snowden knows , and how russia -- where snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents . he cited intelligence capabilities , operational capabilities , technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information snowden -- and russia -- may have . we really do n't know ' what snowden 's got , flynn said , adding that we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised . ' he added that the intelligence community also must assume that russia either already has the information taken by snowden or is trying to get it , adding that would be very serious . ' because of the possibility , we have to make some judgments , recommendations about ... how to respond to that , ' flynn said . we 're going to be dealing with this for many , many years , ' he noted , saying procedures , techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed . flynn spoke as putin has moved troops into the crimea peninsula of ukraine in a showdown with the united states and its european allies over the former soviet region 's independence . in january , he and director of national intelligence james clapper told the senate intelligence committee that the snowden leaks already caused serious damage to u.s. security . what snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way , way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs , ' clapper said then . as a result , we 've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources , including some shared with us by valued partners . ' terrorists and other adversaries of america were going to school on u.s. intelligence sources'methods and trade craft , and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much , much harder , ' clapper told the committee . snowden claims that he 's won and that his mission is accomplished , ' clapper also noted . if that is so , i call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to u.s . security . ' flynn told the panel that the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow 's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm 's way . ' | flynn : if russia does n't have snowden 's information yet , it 's trying to get it |
flynn <tsp> in the world of military strategy , every contingency must be examined , especially the worst-case scenario . lt. gen. michael flynn , the head of the defense intelligence agency , made that clear when he told national public radio in an interview broadcast friday how u.s. officials must plan for the possibility that vladimir putin 's russia has access to american battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker edward snowden . if i 'm concerned about anything , i 'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked , and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case , of course , russia , ' flynn said of the former national security agency contractor who fled to moscow to seek asylum . a hero to some and traitor to others , snowden last year disclosed details of the vast u.s. surveillance network put in place after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks , including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations . flynn said he worried about what else snowden knows , and how russia -- where snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents . he cited intelligence capabilities , operational capabilities , technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information snowden -- and russia -- may have . we really do n't know ' what snowden 's got , flynn said , adding that we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised . ' he added that the intelligence community also must assume that russia either already has the information taken by snowden or is trying to get it , adding that would be very serious . ' because of the possibility , we have to make some judgments , recommendations about ... how to respond to that , ' flynn said . we 're going to be dealing with this for many , many years , ' he noted , saying procedures , techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed . flynn spoke as putin has moved troops into the crimea peninsula of ukraine in a showdown with the united states and its european allies over the former soviet region 's independence . in january , he and director of national intelligence james clapper told the senate intelligence committee that the snowden leaks already caused serious damage to u.s. security . what snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way , way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs , ' clapper said then . as a result , we 've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources , including some shared with us by valued partners . ' terrorists and other adversaries of america were going to school on u.s. intelligence sources'methods and trade craft , and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much , much harder , ' clapper told the committee . snowden claims that he 's won and that his mission is accomplished , ' clapper also noted . if that is so , i call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to u.s . security . ' flynn told the panel that the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow 's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm 's way . ' | lt. gen. flynn says classified leaker edward snowden could have military plans |
flynn <tsp> in the world of military strategy , every contingency must be examined , especially the worst-case scenario . lt. gen. michael flynn , the head of the defense intelligence agency , made that clear when he told national public radio in an interview broadcast friday how u.s. officials must plan for the possibility that vladimir putin 's russia has access to american battle plans and other secrets possibly taken by classified leaker edward snowden . if i 'm concerned about anything , i 'm concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked , and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries — in this case , of course , russia , ' flynn said of the former national security agency contractor who fled to moscow to seek asylum . a hero to some and traitor to others , snowden last year disclosed details of the vast u.s. surveillance network put in place after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks , including how the government keeps records on billions of phone calls for possible use in terrorism investigations . flynn said he worried about what else snowden knows , and how russia -- where snowden lives now -- may have access to the documents . he cited intelligence capabilities , operational capabilities , technology and weapons systems as potential subjects of so far unpublicized information snowden -- and russia -- may have . we really do n't know ' what snowden 's got , flynn said , adding that we have to assume the worst case and then begin to make some recommendations to our leadership about how do we mitigate some of the risks that may come from what may have been compromised . ' he added that the intelligence community also must assume that russia either already has the information taken by snowden or is trying to get it , adding that would be very serious . ' because of the possibility , we have to make some judgments , recommendations about ... how to respond to that , ' flynn said . we 're going to be dealing with this for many , many years , ' he noted , saying procedures , techniques and tactics currently in use may have to be changed . flynn spoke as putin has moved troops into the crimea peninsula of ukraine in a showdown with the united states and its european allies over the former soviet region 's independence . in january , he and director of national intelligence james clapper told the senate intelligence committee that the snowden leaks already caused serious damage to u.s. security . what snowden has stolen and exposed has gone way , way beyond his professed concerns with so-called domestic surveillance programs , ' clapper said then . as a result , we 've lost critical foreign intelligence collection sources , including some shared with us by valued partners . ' terrorists and other adversaries of america were going to school on u.s. intelligence sources'methods and trade craft , and the insights that they are gaining are making our job much , much harder , ' clapper told the committee . snowden claims that he 's won and that his mission is accomplished , ' clapper also noted . if that is so , i call on him and his accomplices to facilitate the return of the remaining stolen documents that have not yet been exposed to prevent even more damage to u.s . security . ' flynn told the panel that the greatest cost that is unknown today but that we will likely face is the cost of human lives on tomorrow 's battlefield or in some place where we will put our military forces when we ask them to go into harm 's way . ' | flynn : if russia does n't have snowden 's information yet , it 's trying to get it |
jacques <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if you bet on the princess , you win . monaco 's princess gabriella therese marie was born at 5:04 p.m. ( 11:04 a.m . et ) wednesday , beating her brother jacques honore rainier into the waking world by two minutes , the royal family announced on facebook . the twins are the first children born to charlene wittstock , the former south african olympic swimmer who married prince albert ii in 2011 . their birth took place at the princess grace hospital monaco , named after albert 's mother -- and late legendary hollywood actress -- grace kelly . the princess and the children are doing well , ' the royal family said . prince albert had n't been married before , but he did have two children born out of wedlock in 1992 and 2003 . yet it 's the twins born to wittstock who will get first crack at the throne , because monaco law dictates that succession passes , upon death or abdication , to the direct legitimate ( descendant ) of the previous prince . ' and in this case , it would be albert 's son jacques , even though he arrived after his sister . while gabriella will be the second child in the line of succession , ' according to the royal family , jacques is the crown prince ' and receives the title of marquis of baux ( in provence ) . princess gabriella is now known as the countess of carlades ( in auvergne ) . | but prince jacques is next in line for the throne , under monaco law |
china <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- eight female badminton players were disqualified from the olympics on wednesday for trying to lose matches the day before , the badminton world federation announced after a disciplinary hearing . the players from china , south korea and indonesia were accused of playing to lose so they could face easier opponents in future matches , drawing boos from spectators and warnings from match officials tuesday night . all four pairs of players were charged with not doing their best to win a match and abusing or demeaning the sport . the indonesian and south korean pairs appealed the decision , the federation said . but the chinese sporting authorities accepted the decision and the head badminton coach apologized for the players'behavior . the charges result from two lackluster contests in london that angered the watching crowds as the doubles pairs appeared to be serving into the net on purpose . live blog : read live updates on london 2012 the eight players concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament before the final matches of the group stage tuesday night . british sports fans going into the olympic park on wednesday called the scandal shocking ' after seeing parts of the matches on television . it 's not in the spirit of the thing , ' said kevin button of ashford , in kent , just outside london . and it 's so disappointing for the people who came to see it , ' said his wife , tina . it leaves a bit of a sour taste . ' the disqualifications mean the world 's no . 1 pair , wang xiaoli and yu yang of china , are out of the competition . in the first of the tuesday matches under scrutiny , wang and yu played south korea 's jung kyung-eun and kim ha-na in a game in which neither side seemed to be exerting themselves , ' the official olympic news service said . after several serves by both pairs went into the net , the tournament referee , torsten berg , was called to the court , the news service reported , where he warned all four players amid a chorus of boos from the crowd . ' five things to watch for wednesday the south koreans eventually won the repeatedly interrupted match , ' securing first place in their group , according to the news service . but that puts them in the same side of the draw as tian qing and zhao yunlei , a chinese duo who are ranked no . 2 in the world . the second match in question took place about an hour later , pitting south korea 's ha jung-eun and kim min-jung against the indonesians meiliana jauhari and greysia polii . play in that contest was sluggish early on , ' the olympic news service reported , and berg was called onto the court at least twice with the crowd calling for the players to be sent off . ' former badminton player andy goode , who represented team gb at the 1992 olympics and managed the team four years later , said the disqualification was the right call for the sake of the sport . it was a decision they had to make , and they had to make quickly , ' he said . i 've never seen any sporting event , any major event , where two players or two pairs just stood on a court and have n't tried . ' the best photos from the olympics but goode said the kind of tactical play seen tuesday does go on , ' especially in countries where the team ethic is very important . these players , i feel for them a little bit , because this was n't their decision ; their team has told them to lose these games , ' he said . the world champion chinese pair , wang and yu , were going for gold , and this was just part of their journey to get to that gold . ' they probably did n't see anything wrong with what they did because they were focused on the next round and winning medals for their country , he said . goode said he hoped the furor would not have a negative effect on the racket sport longer term , given the swift response by its governing officials . they 've come clean , they 've disqualified them straightaway , they 've done the good thing , because sports like badminton rely on being in the olympic games , ' he said . if the image of badminton is tarnished and they are taken out of the games , the european badminton countries will suffer , because without the funding to get into the olympics , there is hardly a circuit to be able to make enough money to play full time . ' ye shiwen 's'unbelievable'swims are talk of the olympics the chinese olympic delegation fully respects the badminton world federation 's decision to punish ' its athletes , it said in a statement . the actions of yu yang and wang xiaoli on the court have violated olympic principles and the spirit of fair athletic competition . the chinese sports delegation feels saddened , ' it said . the delegation is investigating the chinese players'conduct , it said , and will make appropriate rulings based on the result . ' the head coach of the chinese badminton team , li yongbo , expressed contrition for what had happened . as the head coach , i owe the fans and the chinese an apology , ' he said , according to the state-run news agency xinhua . chinese players failed to demonstrate their fighting spirit of the national team . it 's me to blame . ' the debacle has prompted wide debate on social media , with opinion divided on whether the players were exercising tactical nous within a poorly designed system or were guilty of failing the olympic spirit and bringing the game into disrepute . sebastian coe , the chairman of the london olympic organizing committee , was clear where he stood on the controversy , describing the spectacle as depressing and unacceptable . ' i mean , who wants to sit through something like that ? ' he asked . he predicted that the badminton federation would take the apparent match-throwing really seriously . ' the game of badminton dates back centuries but has been an olympic sport only since 1992 . competition has been dominated by china , indonesia , south korea and denmark , according to the federation . although not widely played in the united states , badminton -- viewed as one of the fastest racket sports -- is popular in many european and asian nations . officialbadminton.com says it is played by 200 million people worldwide and is the national sport of indonesia and singapore . cnn 's jethro mullen and hilary whiteman in hong kong , steven jiang in beijing , and florence davey-attlee and laura smith-spark in london contributed to this report . | players from south korea , china and indonesia are expelled for not trying to win |
south korea <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- eight female badminton players were disqualified from the olympics on wednesday for trying to lose matches the day before , the badminton world federation announced after a disciplinary hearing . the players from china , south korea and indonesia were accused of playing to lose so they could face easier opponents in future matches , drawing boos from spectators and warnings from match officials tuesday night . all four pairs of players were charged with not doing their best to win a match and abusing or demeaning the sport . the indonesian and south korean pairs appealed the decision , the federation said . but the chinese sporting authorities accepted the decision and the head badminton coach apologized for the players'behavior . the charges result from two lackluster contests in london that angered the watching crowds as the doubles pairs appeared to be serving into the net on purpose . live blog : read live updates on london 2012 the eight players concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament before the final matches of the group stage tuesday night . british sports fans going into the olympic park on wednesday called the scandal shocking ' after seeing parts of the matches on television . it 's not in the spirit of the thing , ' said kevin button of ashford , in kent , just outside london . and it 's so disappointing for the people who came to see it , ' said his wife , tina . it leaves a bit of a sour taste . ' the disqualifications mean the world 's no . 1 pair , wang xiaoli and yu yang of china , are out of the competition . in the first of the tuesday matches under scrutiny , wang and yu played south korea 's jung kyung-eun and kim ha-na in a game in which neither side seemed to be exerting themselves , ' the official olympic news service said . after several serves by both pairs went into the net , the tournament referee , torsten berg , was called to the court , the news service reported , where he warned all four players amid a chorus of boos from the crowd . ' five things to watch for wednesday the south koreans eventually won the repeatedly interrupted match , ' securing first place in their group , according to the news service . but that puts them in the same side of the draw as tian qing and zhao yunlei , a chinese duo who are ranked no . 2 in the world . the second match in question took place about an hour later , pitting south korea 's ha jung-eun and kim min-jung against the indonesians meiliana jauhari and greysia polii . play in that contest was sluggish early on , ' the olympic news service reported , and berg was called onto the court at least twice with the crowd calling for the players to be sent off . ' former badminton player andy goode , who represented team gb at the 1992 olympics and managed the team four years later , said the disqualification was the right call for the sake of the sport . it was a decision they had to make , and they had to make quickly , ' he said . i 've never seen any sporting event , any major event , where two players or two pairs just stood on a court and have n't tried . ' the best photos from the olympics but goode said the kind of tactical play seen tuesday does go on , ' especially in countries where the team ethic is very important . these players , i feel for them a little bit , because this was n't their decision ; their team has told them to lose these games , ' he said . the world champion chinese pair , wang and yu , were going for gold , and this was just part of their journey to get to that gold . ' they probably did n't see anything wrong with what they did because they were focused on the next round and winning medals for their country , he said . goode said he hoped the furor would not have a negative effect on the racket sport longer term , given the swift response by its governing officials . they 've come clean , they 've disqualified them straightaway , they 've done the good thing , because sports like badminton rely on being in the olympic games , ' he said . if the image of badminton is tarnished and they are taken out of the games , the european badminton countries will suffer , because without the funding to get into the olympics , there is hardly a circuit to be able to make enough money to play full time . ' ye shiwen 's'unbelievable'swims are talk of the olympics the chinese olympic delegation fully respects the badminton world federation 's decision to punish ' its athletes , it said in a statement . the actions of yu yang and wang xiaoli on the court have violated olympic principles and the spirit of fair athletic competition . the chinese sports delegation feels saddened , ' it said . the delegation is investigating the chinese players'conduct , it said , and will make appropriate rulings based on the result . ' the head coach of the chinese badminton team , li yongbo , expressed contrition for what had happened . as the head coach , i owe the fans and the chinese an apology , ' he said , according to the state-run news agency xinhua . chinese players failed to demonstrate their fighting spirit of the national team . it 's me to blame . ' the debacle has prompted wide debate on social media , with opinion divided on whether the players were exercising tactical nous within a poorly designed system or were guilty of failing the olympic spirit and bringing the game into disrepute . sebastian coe , the chairman of the london olympic organizing committee , was clear where he stood on the controversy , describing the spectacle as depressing and unacceptable . ' i mean , who wants to sit through something like that ? ' he asked . he predicted that the badminton federation would take the apparent match-throwing really seriously . ' the game of badminton dates back centuries but has been an olympic sport only since 1992 . competition has been dominated by china , indonesia , south korea and denmark , according to the federation . although not widely played in the united states , badminton -- viewed as one of the fastest racket sports -- is popular in many european and asian nations . officialbadminton.com says it is played by 200 million people worldwide and is the national sport of indonesia and singapore . cnn 's jethro mullen and hilary whiteman in hong kong , steven jiang in beijing , and florence davey-attlee and laura smith-spark in london contributed to this report . | players from south korea , china and indonesia are expelled for not trying to win |
indonesia <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- eight female badminton players were disqualified from the olympics on wednesday for trying to lose matches the day before , the badminton world federation announced after a disciplinary hearing . the players from china , south korea and indonesia were accused of playing to lose so they could face easier opponents in future matches , drawing boos from spectators and warnings from match officials tuesday night . all four pairs of players were charged with not doing their best to win a match and abusing or demeaning the sport . the indonesian and south korean pairs appealed the decision , the federation said . but the chinese sporting authorities accepted the decision and the head badminton coach apologized for the players'behavior . the charges result from two lackluster contests in london that angered the watching crowds as the doubles pairs appeared to be serving into the net on purpose . live blog : read live updates on london 2012 the eight players concerned had all already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament before the final matches of the group stage tuesday night . british sports fans going into the olympic park on wednesday called the scandal shocking ' after seeing parts of the matches on television . it 's not in the spirit of the thing , ' said kevin button of ashford , in kent , just outside london . and it 's so disappointing for the people who came to see it , ' said his wife , tina . it leaves a bit of a sour taste . ' the disqualifications mean the world 's no . 1 pair , wang xiaoli and yu yang of china , are out of the competition . in the first of the tuesday matches under scrutiny , wang and yu played south korea 's jung kyung-eun and kim ha-na in a game in which neither side seemed to be exerting themselves , ' the official olympic news service said . after several serves by both pairs went into the net , the tournament referee , torsten berg , was called to the court , the news service reported , where he warned all four players amid a chorus of boos from the crowd . ' five things to watch for wednesday the south koreans eventually won the repeatedly interrupted match , ' securing first place in their group , according to the news service . but that puts them in the same side of the draw as tian qing and zhao yunlei , a chinese duo who are ranked no . 2 in the world . the second match in question took place about an hour later , pitting south korea 's ha jung-eun and kim min-jung against the indonesians meiliana jauhari and greysia polii . play in that contest was sluggish early on , ' the olympic news service reported , and berg was called onto the court at least twice with the crowd calling for the players to be sent off . ' former badminton player andy goode , who represented team gb at the 1992 olympics and managed the team four years later , said the disqualification was the right call for the sake of the sport . it was a decision they had to make , and they had to make quickly , ' he said . i 've never seen any sporting event , any major event , where two players or two pairs just stood on a court and have n't tried . ' the best photos from the olympics but goode said the kind of tactical play seen tuesday does go on , ' especially in countries where the team ethic is very important . these players , i feel for them a little bit , because this was n't their decision ; their team has told them to lose these games , ' he said . the world champion chinese pair , wang and yu , were going for gold , and this was just part of their journey to get to that gold . ' they probably did n't see anything wrong with what they did because they were focused on the next round and winning medals for their country , he said . goode said he hoped the furor would not have a negative effect on the racket sport longer term , given the swift response by its governing officials . they 've come clean , they 've disqualified them straightaway , they 've done the good thing , because sports like badminton rely on being in the olympic games , ' he said . if the image of badminton is tarnished and they are taken out of the games , the european badminton countries will suffer , because without the funding to get into the olympics , there is hardly a circuit to be able to make enough money to play full time . ' ye shiwen 's'unbelievable'swims are talk of the olympics the chinese olympic delegation fully respects the badminton world federation 's decision to punish ' its athletes , it said in a statement . the actions of yu yang and wang xiaoli on the court have violated olympic principles and the spirit of fair athletic competition . the chinese sports delegation feels saddened , ' it said . the delegation is investigating the chinese players'conduct , it said , and will make appropriate rulings based on the result . ' the head coach of the chinese badminton team , li yongbo , expressed contrition for what had happened . as the head coach , i owe the fans and the chinese an apology , ' he said , according to the state-run news agency xinhua . chinese players failed to demonstrate their fighting spirit of the national team . it 's me to blame . ' the debacle has prompted wide debate on social media , with opinion divided on whether the players were exercising tactical nous within a poorly designed system or were guilty of failing the olympic spirit and bringing the game into disrepute . sebastian coe , the chairman of the london olympic organizing committee , was clear where he stood on the controversy , describing the spectacle as depressing and unacceptable . ' i mean , who wants to sit through something like that ? ' he asked . he predicted that the badminton federation would take the apparent match-throwing really seriously . ' the game of badminton dates back centuries but has been an olympic sport only since 1992 . competition has been dominated by china , indonesia , south korea and denmark , according to the federation . although not widely played in the united states , badminton -- viewed as one of the fastest racket sports -- is popular in many european and asian nations . officialbadminton.com says it is played by 200 million people worldwide and is the national sport of indonesia and singapore . cnn 's jethro mullen and hilary whiteman in hong kong , steven jiang in beijing , and florence davey-attlee and laura smith-spark in london contributed to this report . | players from south korea , china and indonesia are expelled for not trying to win |
iranian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sounding as much like a western leader as a middle eastern one , iran 's president is denouncing isis in strong terms , but even in firm opposition he 's hardly embracing the u.s.-led military effort intent on destroying the extremist group . hassan rouhani , in an interview with nbc news , characterized isis 's recent beheadings of three western captives are offensive to all people , including muslims like himself . they want to kill humanity and , from the viewpoint of the islamic tenets and culture , killing an innocent person equals the killing of ( all ) humanity , ' rouhani said of isis militants , according to the translation on nbc 's website. ... the killing and beheading of innocent people , in fact , is a matter of shame on them and a matter of concern and sorry for all ... mankind . ' the only relevant thing about the victims is that they were innocent , not their nationalities or religions , according to rouhani . the three killed were british aid worker david haines and american journalists james foley and steven sotloff . sotloff was jewish and had dual citizenship with israel . who can really tolerate to see an innocent person be executed ? ' said the iranian president . it does n't make any difference , from our viewpoint , if the person is muslim , jewish , christian or ( a ) follower of any other religion . it is not important to us ... which nationality he belongs to . ' rouhani 's position on isis is n't entirely new or unexpected . the group is made up of sunni muslims aiming to create a vast caliphate in the region under its strict , distinct version of sharia law . iran consists predominantly of shia muslims , and it could find itself under attack if isis militants move east from iraq into its territory . iran is n't alone in its stance on isis . u.s. president barack obama has been active in his opposition to the group , ordering airstrikes targeting isis in iraq and promising similar air attacks on the group in syria . in his nbc interview , rouhani did not appear supportive or impressed with washington 's plan to form a coalition -- one which he called ridiculous ' -- or its using airstrikes , rather than ground forces , to combat the isis threat . obama , kerry : no u.s. troops to be sent into combat the iranian president asked rhetorically if the united states , by conducting airstrikes but refusing to put its own troops into battle , is afraid of their soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism . ' if they want to use planes and if they want to use unmanned planes , so that nobody is injured from the americans -- is it really possible to fight terrorism without any hardship , without any sacrifice ? ' he added . rouhani then made an apparent allusion to possible airstrikes against isis in syria -- something that u.s. officials would be done without coordinating with the government of president bashar al-assad . washington has backed moderate opposition forces working to oust al-assad ; tehran , meanwhile , is an ally of the embattled syrian leader . maybe it is necessary for airstrikes in some conditions and some circumstances , ' rouhani told nbc 's ann curry . however , airstrikes should take place with the permission of the people of that county and the government of that country . ' ali shamkhani , the secretary of iran 's supreme national security council , told state-run press tv that iran turned down an invite from denmark foreign minister martin lidegaard to join the u.s.-led alliance to fight isis . shamkhani surmised wednesday that one of this coalition 's chief goals is to protect israel and that tehran does n't believe it will be effective . the alliance ... for confronting this terrorist group is an effort to forge safe borders for the zionist regime rather than bring about regional stability and security for the oppressed people of the ( middle east ) , ' he said . | new : iranian official says the coalition 's goal is to protect israel , state news reports |
iranian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sounding as much like a western leader as a middle eastern one , iran 's president is denouncing isis in strong terms , but even in firm opposition he 's hardly embracing the u.s.-led military effort intent on destroying the extremist group . hassan rouhani , in an interview with nbc news , characterized isis 's recent beheadings of three western captives are offensive to all people , including muslims like himself . they want to kill humanity and , from the viewpoint of the islamic tenets and culture , killing an innocent person equals the killing of ( all ) humanity , ' rouhani said of isis militants , according to the translation on nbc 's website. ... the killing and beheading of innocent people , in fact , is a matter of shame on them and a matter of concern and sorry for all ... mankind . ' the only relevant thing about the victims is that they were innocent , not their nationalities or religions , according to rouhani . the three killed were british aid worker david haines and american journalists james foley and steven sotloff . sotloff was jewish and had dual citizenship with israel . who can really tolerate to see an innocent person be executed ? ' said the iranian president . it does n't make any difference , from our viewpoint , if the person is muslim , jewish , christian or ( a ) follower of any other religion . it is not important to us ... which nationality he belongs to . ' rouhani 's position on isis is n't entirely new or unexpected . the group is made up of sunni muslims aiming to create a vast caliphate in the region under its strict , distinct version of sharia law . iran consists predominantly of shia muslims , and it could find itself under attack if isis militants move east from iraq into its territory . iran is n't alone in its stance on isis . u.s. president barack obama has been active in his opposition to the group , ordering airstrikes targeting isis in iraq and promising similar air attacks on the group in syria . in his nbc interview , rouhani did not appear supportive or impressed with washington 's plan to form a coalition -- one which he called ridiculous ' -- or its using airstrikes , rather than ground forces , to combat the isis threat . obama , kerry : no u.s. troops to be sent into combat the iranian president asked rhetorically if the united states , by conducting airstrikes but refusing to put its own troops into battle , is afraid of their soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism . ' if they want to use planes and if they want to use unmanned planes , so that nobody is injured from the americans -- is it really possible to fight terrorism without any hardship , without any sacrifice ? ' he added . rouhani then made an apparent allusion to possible airstrikes against isis in syria -- something that u.s. officials would be done without coordinating with the government of president bashar al-assad . washington has backed moderate opposition forces working to oust al-assad ; tehran , meanwhile , is an ally of the embattled syrian leader . maybe it is necessary for airstrikes in some conditions and some circumstances , ' rouhani told nbc 's ann curry . however , airstrikes should take place with the permission of the people of that county and the government of that country . ' ali shamkhani , the secretary of iran 's supreme national security council , told state-run press tv that iran turned down an invite from denmark foreign minister martin lidegaard to join the u.s.-led alliance to fight isis . shamkhani surmised wednesday that one of this coalition 's chief goals is to protect israel and that tehran does n't believe it will be effective . the alliance ... for confronting this terrorist group is an effort to forge safe borders for the zionist regime rather than bring about regional stability and security for the oppressed people of the ( middle east ) , ' he said . | iranian president hassan rouhani tells nbc that isis'beheadings violate islam |
tucson <tsp> tucson , arizona ( cnn ) -- thousands of people determined to exercise their second amendment rights , ' attended a gun show saturday in tucson , arizona , one week after a well-armed gunman opened fire at a local shopping center , the show 's president said . the mood at the show was somber , said bob templeton of crossroads of the west gun shows . but the two-day event is expected to draw up to nearly 7,000 patrons , rather than the customary 5,000 , templeton said . attendees waited up to 20 minutes to buy tickets saturday morning , he said . we had a moment of silence here at the show , ' templeton said , referring to the deaths of six people and the wounding of 13 others , including u.s. rep. gabrielle giffords , after last saturday 's shooting . donations were being taken at the show to assist victims and families . jared lee loughner , 22 , allegedly carried a knapsack to the shopping center , according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation . he had a semi-automatic handgun , four ammunition magazines and a knife , according to the official . loughner is accused of bringing a glock handgun to the giffords event and opening fire . some critics have questioned whether the gun show was appropriate so soon after the shootings . templeton knows there will be a renewed debate on gun control . it 's going to be a long dialogue on gun control and gun rights , and it will be hard to strike a balance between those two positions , ' he said . responsible firearm ownership means if you are going to have a gun , you should be trained to use it in a responsible way . ' bill schaeffler of tucson , among those at the show saturday , said he knows gun control and high-capacity ammunition magazines will be hot topics . still , he said , people want to protect themselves . there will be more guns owned in this state at the end of this month than at the beginning of the month , ' he told cnn . a member of gun-rights lobbying group said he would probably vote for giffords if she returns to congress . you just have to admire somebody ... who has that kind of perseverance , ' said charles heller , secretary of the arizona citizens defense league . heller argued that a well-armed society is a safer society . being armed is the natural state of man , ' he said . federal law enforcement officials were on site to monitor buyers and sales activity , templeton said . they routinely watch gun shows near the border area to try and curb the flow of guns into mexico . ' templeton told cnn affiliate kgun the massacre had nothing to do with lawful gun ownership . it was about a madman who had an agenda and who committed unspeakable acts of mayhem and violence , ' he said . | gun show held in tucson , arizona , one week after massacre |
houston <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's a case of mistaken identity that reached international proportions . a 14-year-old girl was returned to mexico from texas on wednesday after dna tests showed she 's not related to a woman who claimed the teenager was her daughter . mexican federal police seized alondra luna nuñez on friday in the colonial city of guanajuato , in central mexico , believing she was the daughter of a mexican national living in houston . several videos show the moment the girl was taken out of her middle school . in the footage , alondra appears terrified , screaming at the top of her lungs and desperately trying to free herself from officers who are dragging her out of the building . after a struggle that lasted several minutes , the 14-year-old was put inside a federal police truck that sped away as witnesses , including the teenager 's aunt , watched and recorded . according to mexican authorities , the woman in houston claimed in a 2007 petition that her daughter had been illegally taken to mexico by her biological father without her consent . according to a statement from the mexican foreign ministry , the woman had recently traveled to guanajuato and seen her daughter there . derived on this information ... and in compliance with international law ... the judge in charge of the case asked interpol to intervene to make the girl appear at a hearing in which the court would confirm her identity , ' the statement said . but what happened next puzzled both alondra 's family and mexican public opinion : the teenager was sent to the united states before her identify was positively confirmed . once in houston , and with questions about her identity being raised by the girl 's biological parents , the mexican consulate in that city ordered dna testing . the results confirmed that alondra is not the daughter of the houston woman . i will have my girl at home . we hope she 's ok. we are taking action on the matter , ' alondra 's mother -- susana nuñez -- told milenio television . they stole my child . ' | a girl is seized by authorities who thought she was the daughter of a woman in houston |
alondra luna nuñez <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's a case of mistaken identity that reached international proportions . a 14-year-old girl was returned to mexico from texas on wednesday after dna tests showed she 's not related to a woman who claimed the teenager was her daughter . mexican federal police seized alondra luna nuñez on friday in the colonial city of guanajuato , in central mexico , believing she was the daughter of a mexican national living in houston . several videos show the moment the girl was taken out of her middle school . in the footage , alondra appears terrified , screaming at the top of her lungs and desperately trying to free herself from officers who are dragging her out of the building . after a struggle that lasted several minutes , the 14-year-old was put inside a federal police truck that sped away as witnesses , including the teenager 's aunt , watched and recorded . according to mexican authorities , the woman in houston claimed in a 2007 petition that her daughter had been illegally taken to mexico by her biological father without her consent . according to a statement from the mexican foreign ministry , the woman had recently traveled to guanajuato and seen her daughter there . derived on this information ... and in compliance with international law ... the judge in charge of the case asked interpol to intervene to make the girl appear at a hearing in which the court would confirm her identity , ' the statement said . but what happened next puzzled both alondra 's family and mexican public opinion : the teenager was sent to the united states before her identify was positively confirmed . once in houston , and with questions about her identity being raised by the girl 's biological parents , the mexican consulate in that city ordered dna testing . the results confirmed that alondra is not the daughter of the houston woman . i will have my girl at home . we hope she 's ok. we are taking action on the matter , ' alondra 's mother -- susana nuñez -- told milenio television . they stole my child . ' | the mother of alondra luna nuñez says : they stole my child ' |
haunted house association <tsp> aurora , colorado ( cnn ) -- most businesses would hate to see their customers running out their doors , but in one suburban strip mall near denver , colorado , they are chasing the customers away -- with a chainsaw . we 're'hauntrepreneurs ,'we like to do things that are just a little bit different , ' says kathe walker , who owns four haunted houses in the denver area . it 's really exciting because you know you 've done a good job , ' walker says . if they are running out screaming , then the actors have done their jobs , everybody has had a good time because they want to be scared . that 's why they come . if they 're not scared , they wo n't come back . ' kathe walker -- the capital e is n't a typo , it 's a '60s thing , ' she says -- laughs a lot for a woman in the business of scaring her customers . walker , 59 , runs her haunts with her husband and two grown sons . they spend the rest of the year making props for other haunted houses around the country and they throw a big science fiction convention each spring . despite the tough economy , walker says , business is good . she anticipates a total of 40,000-50,000 visitors , each paying $ 14.95 to get scared . she employs about 175 people for the halloween season . three of her haunts are in unused storefronts in suburban strip malls and a fourth operates out of trailers in a field near a state park . visitors are also asked to contribute a can of food for a local food bank . larry kirchner , president of the haunted house association , says business is booming across the country for seasonal frightfests . the association says there are 2,000 for-profit haunts across the country , plus another 1,000 houses run for charity . around 20 million fright-seekers will pay an average of $ 15 a visit this halloween season , according to the group . that 's a surprising figure to some in these lean economic times . we feel very fortunate , ' walker says . i know that the economy is very scary for a lot of people . the people that we aim the haunted houses at are kids in high school and college , kids that have a lot more disposable income . they 're still living with their parents . we do n't draw a lot of people that are desperate to make their mortgages . ... it 's great date-night stuff . guys love bringing their girlfriends here , they 're holding onto them . it 's fun . ' it 's fun for walker , too . while giving a tour of slaughterhouse gulch , which features a series of movie monsters , she giggles as a cluster of date-night teenagers scream and run from leatherface , the villain from the texas chainsaw massacre ' films . you make some money , obviously that 's why you keep doing it , ' she says . but for the most part we put a lot of money back into the haunted house so we can keep making them bigger and better . ... it can be kind of expensive . you cross your fingers each year hoping people will come . ' walker says she loves the challenge of scaring people . some people come in and they say'oh you ca n't scare me ,' she says . and they all end up running out of here , just terrified . ' so what scares walker ? clowns . i hate clowns . it took me a long time to finally let clowns be in the haunted house . ''scaring people is really fun' walker staffs her haunted houses with teens and 20-somethings who seem to have as much fun as the patrons . in the makeup room , chris parish is getting ready for his first day on the job . he 'll be playing the guy chained in the bathtub from the movie saw . ' today is my first day scheduled , so i actually get to get paid for scaring people , ' he says . scaring people is really fun and it 's something that i love to do . ' halloween is makeup artist michael garvin 's favorite time of year . he was laid off in july and has n't been able to find another job , but during october he works days at a costume shop and nights making up the 35-40 actors who fill two of walker 's haunts . when i was really young i fell in love with halloween and then horror movies , ' he said . i love this . i 'd do this just for the fun of it , but the paycheck at the end of the month is a good thing . ' caity strother is 18 and has had trouble finding a job . it 's her second year working in slaughterhouse gulch , where she specializes in portraying an undead ghoul . i 've filled out probably 50 applications in the last two months and gotten maybe four calls back , ' she said . years of catholic school have given strother a skill that prospective employers have not been impressed by , but she puts it to good use in the haunted house . i get to yell at people in latin , ' she says . | haunted house association says business is booming despite the lean economy |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- i am not a member of any organized political party , ' will rogers once joked . i am a democrat . ' plenty has been written on the current fight for the soul of the republican party . but as president barack obama unofficially rings in the sixth year of his administration with tuesday 's state of the union address , another intriguing struggle may be emerging -- between moderates and progressives on the democratic side . it 's not a divide on a par with the cavernous pre-new deal divisions of rogers'day . not even close . but it is taking on growing importance as democrats , frustrated with unyielding washington gridlock on virtually every major issue , start to look past the current administration . more specifically , as democrats look toward the future , there 's sharp disagreement over whether to stick with a bill clinton-style centrist agenda or embrace the unabashed left-wing populism most notably personified by sen. elizabeth warren of massachusetts and new york mayor bill de blasio . we are seeing a split in the democratic party between self-described progressives and the old guard , ' brown university political scientist wendy schiller told cnn . if you dig deep , you see that these are old dividing lines based on economics , region , and culture . ' policy ramifications aside , more liberal democrats worry that a return to clinton-era centrism will deflate the party 's base . more moderate democrats fear a full embrace of warren- and de blasio-style liberalism will herald a return to the party 's mcgovern-mondale-dukakis era political wilderness . whichever side wins this fight , one thing is already clear : six years after flocking to the banner of obama 's hope and change ' candidacy , a lot of progressives are disappointed in the current democratic administration . it 's a mixed legacy , ' said adam green , head of the progressive change campaign committee , a washington-based liberal group . in some areas , like ending two wars , ( obama 's ) presidency has represented a return to some sanity . but on the core issue of corporate power and a government that fights for the little guy , this administration so far has had a lot of missed opportunities . ' hillary clinton 's iowa problem among other things , green criticized obama for going along with watered down wall street reform ' and a republican version of health care reform . ' susan schorin , a 68-year-old political activist from virginia , told cnn she is particularly disappointed with obama 's willingness to consider changes to social security that could lead to a reduction in future benefits . i feel betrayed , ' said schorin , a member of green 's organization and a volunteer for the obama campaign group organizing for america . obama was so enthusiastic and identified with saving these programs for people who really need them . he was extremely verbal about it . ' obama 's a great man , ' schorin insisted . but he turned his back on me and on all of the people that voted for him on that promise . ' on the other side , the president and vice president of the centrist think tank third way published an op-ed in the wall street journal in december warning that de blasio- and warren-style liberalism would be disastrous for democrats . ' 5 things about new york 's new mayor ' while new yorkers think of their city as the center of the universe , the last time its mayor won a race for governor or senator -- let alone president -- was 1869 , ' they wrote . and what works in midnight-blue massachusetts ... has n't sold on a national level since ( jfk 's election in ) 1960 . ' warren : end'too big to fail' in another dig at warren , they argued that plans to boost social security benefits are exhibit a of this populist political and economic fantasy . ' one week later , warren fired off a letter to the heads of six major banks , pushing them to disclose any contributions the banks may have made to think tanks . shareholders have a right to know how corporate resources are spent , and , even more importantly , policymakers and the public should be aware of your contributions and evaluate the work of the think tanks accordingly , ' she wrote . meanwhile , with obama 's last campaign now well behind him , several left-leaning groups that had previously kept quiet for the sake of the president 's re-election are now echoing green 's criticism and bucking the administration on a number of issues . earlier this month , a coalition of 18 environmental organizations sent the white house a letter warning that obama 's all of the above ' energy strategy -- one that embraces so-called green energy ' and more domestic extraction of traditional fossil fuels -- is unacceptable for those sounding the alarm about climate change . an'all of the above'strategy is a compromise that future generations ca n't afford , ' the letter declared . it increases environmental injustice while it locks in the extraction of fossil fuels that will inevitably lead to a catastrophic climate future . ' liberal groups made their displeasure clear last year when obama considered larry summers -- a key member of bill clinton 's economic team -- to head the federal reserve . obama ultimately went with janet yellen . a number of progressive leaders also pushed back against obama 's proposed airstrikes in syria , and made clear their unhappiness with the recent budget deal that froze spending on key liberal domestic priorities . obama , who originally emerged from the more liberal wing of the democratic party , appears sympathetic at least to the economic populism arguments . in a speech in december to the left-leaning center for american progress , the president made clear that america 's growing wealth disparity would be a focus of his remaining time in office . increasing inequality is most pronounced in our country and it challenges the very essence of who we are as a people , ' he declared . obama says income gap eroding american dream while divided democrats will soon begin their search for a new standard-bearer , political observers warn not to make too much of the differences now bubbling to the surface . both parties have a far greater degree of programmatic consensus than they did 40 or 50 years ago . this is one reason why the parties have polarized and why it is often difficult to achieve bipartisan compromises , ' noted george washington university political scientist john sides . the differences between obama , hillary clinton , warren ( and others ) are mostly at the margins , ' he argued . there is far more agreement than disagreement on the fundamental issues . ' de blasio and the clintons : the ties that bind ? by their nature , political parties are coalitions of mostly like-minded voters and groups , ' johns hopkins university political scientist adam sheingate added . it 's not uncommon for there to be differences on policy issues within the coalition , or a range of opinions on issues that span part of the political spectrum . ' regardless , schiller argued that the financial demands of modern presidential campaigns may ultimately spell defeat for de blasio- and warren-style economic populism . the political war over poverty ' there is a strong voice within the democratic party that believes barack obama has not done enough to protect the average working voter , ' she said . for now elizabeth warren personifies that voice , but when the pressure to raise really big money for 2016 rears its ugly head ( and ) the democrats need to be competitive for wall street money , her voice may very well get drowned out by the pragmatic wing of the party . ' schiller also noted that around the dawn of the last century , the republican party wrestled with a similar split on economic issues . the outcome of that struggle eventually helped fuel decades of dominance for franklin roosevelt 's new deal coalition . history tells us that danger lurks for both the democrats and the republicans if they fail to heal their internal divisions , ' she warned . | obama so far has had a lot of missed opportunities , ' progressive leader says |
li na <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal is closing in on an eighth trophy in nine years at the barcelona open after storming past canada 's milos raonic 6-4 6-0 in the semifinal on saturday . after a four-hour delay for rain , the spaniard was soon behind as the no.5 seed won an early break . but nadal fought back in typically ferocious fashion to take the first set and then overrun raonic in the second to reach his seventh consecutive final since returning to the atptour in february following a knee injury . i think it was my best match of the whole week , ' nadal said , atpworldtour.com reported . he played a fantastic second game on the return . i won the third game , which was very important for the match , because if you are 3-love down against a big server like milos , you 're in big trouble . ' nadal will face compatriot nicolas almagro in the final at the real club de tenis . the no.4 seed had a similarly straightforward semifinal match against philipp kohlschreiber , downing the german 6-2 6-1 . i think i played one of my best matches here in spain . i felt really good all the time during the match . i 'm really happy to be in my first final in barcelona ... almagro said , atpworldtour.com reported . every match i play against ( rafa ) is fantastic . i 'm ready for everything , so we will see what i can do on court . ' it is the 20th time the 27-year-old has reached a world tour final but he has a 0-8 record against nadal -- the most recent defeat coming at the semifinal of the abierto mexicano telcel in february . meanwhile at the wta event in stuttgart , defending champion maria sharapova booked at place in sunday 's final after beating germany 's angelique kerber in three sets 6-3 2-6 7-5 . the 26-year-old russian eventually prevailed in two hours 16 minutes . after being taken the distance by lucie safarova and ana ivanovic in the previous two rounds , sharapova dominated the first set of the semifinal breaking kerber twice . but once again sharapova was pegged back in the second , as the german rallied to take the set comfortably . the deciding third set was a real battle , as the pair shared five breaks -- the last fell to sharapova who broke kerber in the 12th and deciding game . all credit to angelique , she played a great match . i won this tournament last year on the way to the french open so i am really pleased to get back into the final again , ' sharapova said . sharapova will play li na in sunday 's final . the world no.5 from china beat america 's bethanie mattek-sands in straight sets 6-4 6-3 . li was victorious in her last meeting with the russian , winning comfortably , 6-2 6-2 in the semifinal of the australian open . but sharapova holds an 8-5 head-to-head record overall . | maria sharapova will play li na in final of wta event in stuttgart |
census <tsp> ( cnn ) -- by 2050 , minorities will be the majority in america , and the number of residents older than 65 will more than double , according to projections released thursday by the u.s. census bureau . the census bureau looks at 2000 results and assumptions about future childbearing , mortality rates and migration . minorities , classified as those of any race other than non-hispanic , single-race whites , currently constitute about a third of the u.s. population , according to census figures . but by 2042 , they are projected to become the majority , making up more than half the population . by 2050 , 54 percent of the population will be minorities . minority children are projected to reach that milestone even sooner . by 2023 , the bureau said , more than half of all children will be minorities . part of it is a higher fertility rate for some of the minority groups , hispanics in particular , ' said dave waddington , chief of the census bureau 's population projection branch , which issued the report . those groups also tend to be more of the childbearing age . non-hispanic white people tend to be a little bit older . ' the projections are based on census 2000 results and assumptions about future childbearing , mortality rates and net international migration , the bureau said . the group predicted to post the most dramatic gain is the hispanic population . it is projected to nearly triple , from 46.7 million to 132.8 million , from 2008 through 2050 , the bureau said . its share of the total u.s. population is expected to double from 15 to 30 percent . thus , one in three u.s. residents would be hispanic , ' the census bureau said in a news release . the african-american population is projected to increase from 41.1 million to 65.7 million by 2050 , going from 14 percent of the u.s. population to 15 percent . the asian-american population is expected to increase from 15.5 million to 40.6 million , or from 5.1 percent to 9.2 percent of the population . among the remaining races , the bureau said , american indians and alaska natives are projected to increase from 3.9 million to 8.6 million , going from 1.6 percent to 2 percent of the u.s. population . native hawaiian and pacific islanders are expected to more than double , increasing from 1.1 to 2.6 million . in addition , the number of u.s. residents identifying themselves as being of two or more races is projected to more than triple , increasing to 16.2 million from its current 5.2 million , the census bureau said . meanwhile , the non-hispanic white population is not expected to post dramatic gains in the same period . by 2050 , whites are expected to number 203.3 million , slightly increased from the 2008 number of 199.8 million . whites will comprise 46 percent of the u.s. population by 2050 , down from the current level of 66 percent , the bureau said , as the group is projected to lose population in the 2030s and 2040s . by 2030 , all baby boomers will be age 65 and older -- comprising nearly 20 percent of u.s. residents , or one in five americans , the bureau said . by 2050 , the 65-and-older age group will increase to 88.5 million , more than doubling its current number of 38.7 million . meanwhile , the number of those age 85 and older is expected to more than triple , from 5.4 million in 2008 to 19 million by 2050 . non-hispanic whites make up most of the baby boomers , waddington said . they 're in a higher mortality rate ... nonminority groups tend to be older and dying off faster ' instead of reproducing at the rate projected for minorities . obviously , the projections will have very strong policy implications , ' he said -- medical care for an increasingly elderly population , for instance , educational needs for increasing numbers of minority children and economic effects for the labor force . who 's going to do the jobs that are characteristically held right now by certain types of people ? ' waddington said . all those things are subject to change . ' the united states is projected to reach the 400 million population milestone in 2039 , according to bureau projections . by 2050 , the population is expected to be 439 million . of those , 235.7 million are expected to be minorities . as u.s. cities and towns have increasingly become more diverse , census officials knew the day of a majority minority would come , waddington said . and the aging one is sort of simple , ' he added . that 's demography 101 . ' other highlights from the report released thursday : • by 2050 , 62 percent of the nation 's children will be minorities , up from 44 percent today . of those , 39 percent are projected to be hispanic , up from 22 percent in 2008 , and 38 percent are projected to be white , down from 56 percent in 2008 • the percentage of the u.s. population between the ages of 18 and 64 -- the working age ' population -- is projected to decrease to 57 percent in 2050 from 63 percent in 2008 . • the working-age population will become more than 50 percent minority in 2039 , and by 2050 will constitute 55 percent of the population . • by 2050 , the working-age population will be more than 30 percent hispanic , up from 15 percent in 2008 ; 15 percent african-american , up from 13 percent in 2008 ; and 9.6 percent asian , up from 5.3 percent in 2008 . waddington said the timelines are not written in stone . it 's a projection . and things like the baby boom generation could n't be predicted . ' major changes in policy affecting families and children , or a major policy affecting immigration , could have an impact on the expectations , he said . the nation 's undocumented workers -- estimated at 12 million or more -- are included in the projections , waddington said . census data includes all u.s. residents , regardless of their legal status , he said . cnn 's ashley broughton contributed to this report . | census : by 2050 , 54 percent will be other than non-hispanic , single-race whites |
census <tsp> ( cnn ) -- by 2050 , minorities will be the majority in america , and the number of residents older than 65 will more than double , according to projections released thursday by the u.s. census bureau . the census bureau looks at 2000 results and assumptions about future childbearing , mortality rates and migration . minorities , classified as those of any race other than non-hispanic , single-race whites , currently constitute about a third of the u.s. population , according to census figures . but by 2042 , they are projected to become the majority , making up more than half the population . by 2050 , 54 percent of the population will be minorities . minority children are projected to reach that milestone even sooner . by 2023 , the bureau said , more than half of all children will be minorities . part of it is a higher fertility rate for some of the minority groups , hispanics in particular , ' said dave waddington , chief of the census bureau 's population projection branch , which issued the report . those groups also tend to be more of the childbearing age . non-hispanic white people tend to be a little bit older . ' the projections are based on census 2000 results and assumptions about future childbearing , mortality rates and net international migration , the bureau said . the group predicted to post the most dramatic gain is the hispanic population . it is projected to nearly triple , from 46.7 million to 132.8 million , from 2008 through 2050 , the bureau said . its share of the total u.s. population is expected to double from 15 to 30 percent . thus , one in three u.s. residents would be hispanic , ' the census bureau said in a news release . the african-american population is projected to increase from 41.1 million to 65.7 million by 2050 , going from 14 percent of the u.s. population to 15 percent . the asian-american population is expected to increase from 15.5 million to 40.6 million , or from 5.1 percent to 9.2 percent of the population . among the remaining races , the bureau said , american indians and alaska natives are projected to increase from 3.9 million to 8.6 million , going from 1.6 percent to 2 percent of the u.s. population . native hawaiian and pacific islanders are expected to more than double , increasing from 1.1 to 2.6 million . in addition , the number of u.s. residents identifying themselves as being of two or more races is projected to more than triple , increasing to 16.2 million from its current 5.2 million , the census bureau said . meanwhile , the non-hispanic white population is not expected to post dramatic gains in the same period . by 2050 , whites are expected to number 203.3 million , slightly increased from the 2008 number of 199.8 million . whites will comprise 46 percent of the u.s. population by 2050 , down from the current level of 66 percent , the bureau said , as the group is projected to lose population in the 2030s and 2040s . by 2030 , all baby boomers will be age 65 and older -- comprising nearly 20 percent of u.s. residents , or one in five americans , the bureau said . by 2050 , the 65-and-older age group will increase to 88.5 million , more than doubling its current number of 38.7 million . meanwhile , the number of those age 85 and older is expected to more than triple , from 5.4 million in 2008 to 19 million by 2050 . non-hispanic whites make up most of the baby boomers , waddington said . they 're in a higher mortality rate ... nonminority groups tend to be older and dying off faster ' instead of reproducing at the rate projected for minorities . obviously , the projections will have very strong policy implications , ' he said -- medical care for an increasingly elderly population , for instance , educational needs for increasing numbers of minority children and economic effects for the labor force . who 's going to do the jobs that are characteristically held right now by certain types of people ? ' waddington said . all those things are subject to change . ' the united states is projected to reach the 400 million population milestone in 2039 , according to bureau projections . by 2050 , the population is expected to be 439 million . of those , 235.7 million are expected to be minorities . as u.s. cities and towns have increasingly become more diverse , census officials knew the day of a majority minority would come , waddington said . and the aging one is sort of simple , ' he added . that 's demography 101 . ' other highlights from the report released thursday : • by 2050 , 62 percent of the nation 's children will be minorities , up from 44 percent today . of those , 39 percent are projected to be hispanic , up from 22 percent in 2008 , and 38 percent are projected to be white , down from 56 percent in 2008 • the percentage of the u.s. population between the ages of 18 and 64 -- the working age ' population -- is projected to decrease to 57 percent in 2050 from 63 percent in 2008 . • the working-age population will become more than 50 percent minority in 2039 , and by 2050 will constitute 55 percent of the population . • by 2050 , the working-age population will be more than 30 percent hispanic , up from 15 percent in 2008 ; 15 percent african-american , up from 13 percent in 2008 ; and 9.6 percent asian , up from 5.3 percent in 2008 . waddington said the timelines are not written in stone . it 's a projection . and things like the baby boom generation could n't be predicted . ' major changes in policy affecting families and children , or a major policy affecting immigration , could have an impact on the expectations , he said . the nation 's undocumented workers -- estimated at 12 million or more -- are included in the projections , waddington said . census data includes all u.s. residents , regardless of their legal status , he said . cnn 's ashley broughton contributed to this report . | census official says the timelines are not written in stone |
karen pearce <tsp> a 34-year-old man being sought in a woman 's death has been arrested in connection with the killings of two homeless men who were shot three days apart while both were sleeping on sidewalks , atlanta police said friday . aeman lovel presley was in custody , but police were n't providing further details about his arrest , said sgt . greg lyon . presley , of atlanta , also was wanted by police in decatur , georgia , in the fatal shooting saturday night of a 44-year-old woman whose body was found behind an office building , according to police and cnn affiliate wsb . an arrest warrant for presley was issued in the decatur case , decatur police sgt . jennifer ross said friday . we are actively working with multiple agencies at this time and can not provide any further information that may jeopardize ongoing investigations , ' ross said . karen pearce , a hair stylist in marietta , was shot shortly after she left a restaurant in downtown decatur , the affiliate reported . true salon , where pearce worked , said on its facebook page friday that while we are relieved to hear that a suspect is in custody , we are still trying to comprehend this senseless act of violence that took a very special person from our lives . ' presley or his attorneys could n't be immediately reached for comment friday . atlanta police called the shootings of homeless men sinister ' because whoever pulled the trigger was n't expecting to gain from the victims monetarily . a lot of our shootings involve robbery . a lot of our shootings involve someone making good on an old debt or some kind of revenge factor , ' atlanta police detective david quinn told reporters earlier this week . i do n't know why someone would shoot two defenseless men . ' the shootings happened during thanksgiving week , within three days of each other . three days , 3 miles apart in the homeless men case , the first shooting took place november 23 . dorian jenkins , 42 , was fatally shot five times as he slept , wrapped in a blanket , on a sidewalk in downtown atlanta . less than three days later , tommy mims , 64 , did n't show up as normal at a recycling center where he took cans and other scrap metals to sell . mims , known locally as can man ' was found dead under a bridge where he usually slept . his body , also wrapped in a blanket , had seven gunshot wounds . he was killed less than three miles from jenkins . they never came out of the sleep they were already in , ' quinn said . they were n't fleeing , running . they were asleep when they took these rounds . ' telling details police say evidence links the killings of the homeless men . the rounds used in both shootings are fairly distinctive : .45-caliber bullets that , according to quinn , have n't been made since 2010 . they were fired from revolvers , either a taurus judge ' or a smith & wesson governor . ' that reveals another troubling fact . these guns have a capacity of five or six rounds , ' quinn said . but mims , the second victim , had been shot seven times . someone had to reload the gun in order to get seven rounds in him . ' | karen pearce , a hair stylist , was found fatally shot behind a building saturday |
atlanta <tsp> a 34-year-old man being sought in a woman 's death has been arrested in connection with the killings of two homeless men who were shot three days apart while both were sleeping on sidewalks , atlanta police said friday . aeman lovel presley was in custody , but police were n't providing further details about his arrest , said sgt . greg lyon . presley , of atlanta , also was wanted by police in decatur , georgia , in the fatal shooting saturday night of a 44-year-old woman whose body was found behind an office building , according to police and cnn affiliate wsb . an arrest warrant for presley was issued in the decatur case , decatur police sgt . jennifer ross said friday . we are actively working with multiple agencies at this time and can not provide any further information that may jeopardize ongoing investigations , ' ross said . karen pearce , a hair stylist in marietta , was shot shortly after she left a restaurant in downtown decatur , the affiliate reported . true salon , where pearce worked , said on its facebook page friday that while we are relieved to hear that a suspect is in custody , we are still trying to comprehend this senseless act of violence that took a very special person from our lives . ' presley or his attorneys could n't be immediately reached for comment friday . atlanta police called the shootings of homeless men sinister ' because whoever pulled the trigger was n't expecting to gain from the victims monetarily . a lot of our shootings involve robbery . a lot of our shootings involve someone making good on an old debt or some kind of revenge factor , ' atlanta police detective david quinn told reporters earlier this week . i do n't know why someone would shoot two defenseless men . ' the shootings happened during thanksgiving week , within three days of each other . three days , 3 miles apart in the homeless men case , the first shooting took place november 23 . dorian jenkins , 42 , was fatally shot five times as he slept , wrapped in a blanket , on a sidewalk in downtown atlanta . less than three days later , tommy mims , 64 , did n't show up as normal at a recycling center where he took cans and other scrap metals to sell . mims , known locally as can man ' was found dead under a bridge where he usually slept . his body , also wrapped in a blanket , had seven gunshot wounds . he was killed less than three miles from jenkins . they never came out of the sleep they were already in , ' quinn said . they were n't fleeing , running . they were asleep when they took these rounds . ' telling details police say evidence links the killings of the homeless men . the rounds used in both shootings are fairly distinctive : .45-caliber bullets that , according to quinn , have n't been made since 2010 . they were fired from revolvers , either a taurus judge ' or a smith & wesson governor . ' that reveals another troubling fact . these guns have a capacity of five or six rounds , ' quinn said . but mims , the second victim , had been shot seven times . someone had to reload the gun in order to get seven rounds in him . ' | a man held in killing of two atlanta homeless men is linked to third case |
snowden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what do nsa leaker edward snowden and a red panda at the national zoo in washington have in common ? absolutely nothing . except that both mysteriously vanished . and both were the subjects of high-profile searches -- at least for a little while , in the case of the panda . but a little while was all twitter needed to engage in a flurry of jokes , including the creation of several parody accounts for rusty , the red panda . there were a few , tenuous parallels . both are male . both are relatively young -- rusty is 1 , snowden is 30 . and both have connections to china : red pandas are native to southwestern china while snowden recently traveled to hong kong , off southeastern china . ok , perhaps that last one is a bit of a stretch . but social media transcends all boundaries . @ invisibleobama tweeted , somewhere , edward snowden is stroking a red panda laughing at us all . ' @ bcappelbaum posted , since china wo n't hold on to snowden , we 're going to start releasing panda bears . ' first reported missing at 8 a.m. monday , rusty was finally captured around 2:30 p.m. about a mile away from his enclosure , zoo officials posted to facebook . the zoo had tweeted several facts about rusty , warning zoo visitors that he is still a wild animal and would bite if cornered or scared . the search began inside the zoo since red pandas are known to be territorial . for at least a few hours , rusty 's whereabouts proved as intriguing to many as edward snowden 's . snowden made news recently for releasing information about secret surveillance programs conducted by the national security administration . he initially fled to hong kong . russian officials confirmed he had flown to moscow over the weekend . although wikileaks claims to know his exact location , no one else seems sure . his reserved seat aboard a plane to cuba was reportedly empty . the united states has publicly announced it is seeking to extradite snowden on charges of espionage and theft of government property . no such announcement was made regarding rusty . operation rusty : washington engages in another frantic search , ' read the headline to the washington wire post . now putin has a super bowl ring , ed snowden and a red panda , ' tweeted @ micahgrimes . putin has been accused by the owner of the new england patriots of taking his super bowl ring during a visit . although parody accounts have come under fire recently as being unnecessary and lacking humor , @ rustythepanda was undeterred . is there bamboo in ecuador ? ' it asked . its twitter bio also included being a fan of guardian journalist glenn greenwald , who broke the snowden story . greenwald , presumably busy with other things , had not tweeted anything panda-related at the time of this writing . some tweets appeared to confuse red pandas with the black-and-white giant pandas , also called panda bears . red pandas look more like a cross between a raccoon and a small fox . both enjoy a good meal of bamboo , however . this is n't the first escaped zoo animal to inspire an attention-getting parody account . in 2011 @ bronxzooscobra chronicled the seven-day imagined adventures of the escaped snake . that account amassed 187,533 followers and still tweets . in response to rusty 's escape it on monday it posted , i have an alibi ! ' the @ nationalzoo account thanked its fans on twitter and facebook for helping recover rusty . no word if @ barackobama will do the same when snowden is officially located . | rusty is found about a mile from the zoo ; snowden is n't |
snowden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what do nsa leaker edward snowden and a red panda at the national zoo in washington have in common ? absolutely nothing . except that both mysteriously vanished . and both were the subjects of high-profile searches -- at least for a little while , in the case of the panda . but a little while was all twitter needed to engage in a flurry of jokes , including the creation of several parody accounts for rusty , the red panda . there were a few , tenuous parallels . both are male . both are relatively young -- rusty is 1 , snowden is 30 . and both have connections to china : red pandas are native to southwestern china while snowden recently traveled to hong kong , off southeastern china . ok , perhaps that last one is a bit of a stretch . but social media transcends all boundaries . @ invisibleobama tweeted , somewhere , edward snowden is stroking a red panda laughing at us all . ' @ bcappelbaum posted , since china wo n't hold on to snowden , we 're going to start releasing panda bears . ' first reported missing at 8 a.m. monday , rusty was finally captured around 2:30 p.m. about a mile away from his enclosure , zoo officials posted to facebook . the zoo had tweeted several facts about rusty , warning zoo visitors that he is still a wild animal and would bite if cornered or scared . the search began inside the zoo since red pandas are known to be territorial . for at least a few hours , rusty 's whereabouts proved as intriguing to many as edward snowden 's . snowden made news recently for releasing information about secret surveillance programs conducted by the national security administration . he initially fled to hong kong . russian officials confirmed he had flown to moscow over the weekend . although wikileaks claims to know his exact location , no one else seems sure . his reserved seat aboard a plane to cuba was reportedly empty . the united states has publicly announced it is seeking to extradite snowden on charges of espionage and theft of government property . no such announcement was made regarding rusty . operation rusty : washington engages in another frantic search , ' read the headline to the washington wire post . now putin has a super bowl ring , ed snowden and a red panda , ' tweeted @ micahgrimes . putin has been accused by the owner of the new england patriots of taking his super bowl ring during a visit . although parody accounts have come under fire recently as being unnecessary and lacking humor , @ rustythepanda was undeterred . is there bamboo in ecuador ? ' it asked . its twitter bio also included being a fan of guardian journalist glenn greenwald , who broke the snowden story . greenwald , presumably busy with other things , had not tweeted anything panda-related at the time of this writing . some tweets appeared to confuse red pandas with the black-and-white giant pandas , also called panda bears . red pandas look more like a cross between a raccoon and a small fox . both enjoy a good meal of bamboo , however . this is n't the first escaped zoo animal to inspire an attention-getting parody account . in 2011 @ bronxzooscobra chronicled the seven-day imagined adventures of the escaped snake . that account amassed 187,533 followers and still tweets . in response to rusty 's escape it on monday it posted , i have an alibi ! ' the @ nationalzoo account thanked its fans on twitter and facebook for helping recover rusty . no word if @ barackobama will do the same when snowden is officially located . | twitter erupts with jokes about the vanishing acts of ed snowden and rusty |
rusty <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what do nsa leaker edward snowden and a red panda at the national zoo in washington have in common ? absolutely nothing . except that both mysteriously vanished . and both were the subjects of high-profile searches -- at least for a little while , in the case of the panda . but a little while was all twitter needed to engage in a flurry of jokes , including the creation of several parody accounts for rusty , the red panda . there were a few , tenuous parallels . both are male . both are relatively young -- rusty is 1 , snowden is 30 . and both have connections to china : red pandas are native to southwestern china while snowden recently traveled to hong kong , off southeastern china . ok , perhaps that last one is a bit of a stretch . but social media transcends all boundaries . @ invisibleobama tweeted , somewhere , edward snowden is stroking a red panda laughing at us all . ' @ bcappelbaum posted , since china wo n't hold on to snowden , we 're going to start releasing panda bears . ' first reported missing at 8 a.m. monday , rusty was finally captured around 2:30 p.m. about a mile away from his enclosure , zoo officials posted to facebook . the zoo had tweeted several facts about rusty , warning zoo visitors that he is still a wild animal and would bite if cornered or scared . the search began inside the zoo since red pandas are known to be territorial . for at least a few hours , rusty 's whereabouts proved as intriguing to many as edward snowden 's . snowden made news recently for releasing information about secret surveillance programs conducted by the national security administration . he initially fled to hong kong . russian officials confirmed he had flown to moscow over the weekend . although wikileaks claims to know his exact location , no one else seems sure . his reserved seat aboard a plane to cuba was reportedly empty . the united states has publicly announced it is seeking to extradite snowden on charges of espionage and theft of government property . no such announcement was made regarding rusty . operation rusty : washington engages in another frantic search , ' read the headline to the washington wire post . now putin has a super bowl ring , ed snowden and a red panda , ' tweeted @ micahgrimes . putin has been accused by the owner of the new england patriots of taking his super bowl ring during a visit . although parody accounts have come under fire recently as being unnecessary and lacking humor , @ rustythepanda was undeterred . is there bamboo in ecuador ? ' it asked . its twitter bio also included being a fan of guardian journalist glenn greenwald , who broke the snowden story . greenwald , presumably busy with other things , had not tweeted anything panda-related at the time of this writing . some tweets appeared to confuse red pandas with the black-and-white giant pandas , also called panda bears . red pandas look more like a cross between a raccoon and a small fox . both enjoy a good meal of bamboo , however . this is n't the first escaped zoo animal to inspire an attention-getting parody account . in 2011 @ bronxzooscobra chronicled the seven-day imagined adventures of the escaped snake . that account amassed 187,533 followers and still tweets . in response to rusty 's escape it on monday it posted , i have an alibi ! ' the @ nationalzoo account thanked its fans on twitter and facebook for helping recover rusty . no word if @ barackobama will do the same when snowden is officially located . | rusty is found about a mile from the zoo ; snowden is n't |
rusty <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what do nsa leaker edward snowden and a red panda at the national zoo in washington have in common ? absolutely nothing . except that both mysteriously vanished . and both were the subjects of high-profile searches -- at least for a little while , in the case of the panda . but a little while was all twitter needed to engage in a flurry of jokes , including the creation of several parody accounts for rusty , the red panda . there were a few , tenuous parallels . both are male . both are relatively young -- rusty is 1 , snowden is 30 . and both have connections to china : red pandas are native to southwestern china while snowden recently traveled to hong kong , off southeastern china . ok , perhaps that last one is a bit of a stretch . but social media transcends all boundaries . @ invisibleobama tweeted , somewhere , edward snowden is stroking a red panda laughing at us all . ' @ bcappelbaum posted , since china wo n't hold on to snowden , we 're going to start releasing panda bears . ' first reported missing at 8 a.m. monday , rusty was finally captured around 2:30 p.m. about a mile away from his enclosure , zoo officials posted to facebook . the zoo had tweeted several facts about rusty , warning zoo visitors that he is still a wild animal and would bite if cornered or scared . the search began inside the zoo since red pandas are known to be territorial . for at least a few hours , rusty 's whereabouts proved as intriguing to many as edward snowden 's . snowden made news recently for releasing information about secret surveillance programs conducted by the national security administration . he initially fled to hong kong . russian officials confirmed he had flown to moscow over the weekend . although wikileaks claims to know his exact location , no one else seems sure . his reserved seat aboard a plane to cuba was reportedly empty . the united states has publicly announced it is seeking to extradite snowden on charges of espionage and theft of government property . no such announcement was made regarding rusty . operation rusty : washington engages in another frantic search , ' read the headline to the washington wire post . now putin has a super bowl ring , ed snowden and a red panda , ' tweeted @ micahgrimes . putin has been accused by the owner of the new england patriots of taking his super bowl ring during a visit . although parody accounts have come under fire recently as being unnecessary and lacking humor , @ rustythepanda was undeterred . is there bamboo in ecuador ? ' it asked . its twitter bio also included being a fan of guardian journalist glenn greenwald , who broke the snowden story . greenwald , presumably busy with other things , had not tweeted anything panda-related at the time of this writing . some tweets appeared to confuse red pandas with the black-and-white giant pandas , also called panda bears . red pandas look more like a cross between a raccoon and a small fox . both enjoy a good meal of bamboo , however . this is n't the first escaped zoo animal to inspire an attention-getting parody account . in 2011 @ bronxzooscobra chronicled the seven-day imagined adventures of the escaped snake . that account amassed 187,533 followers and still tweets . in response to rusty 's escape it on monday it posted , i have an alibi ! ' the @ nationalzoo account thanked its fans on twitter and facebook for helping recover rusty . no word if @ barackobama will do the same when snowden is officially located . | rusty the panda went missing from the national zoo |
rusty <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what do nsa leaker edward snowden and a red panda at the national zoo in washington have in common ? absolutely nothing . except that both mysteriously vanished . and both were the subjects of high-profile searches -- at least for a little while , in the case of the panda . but a little while was all twitter needed to engage in a flurry of jokes , including the creation of several parody accounts for rusty , the red panda . there were a few , tenuous parallels . both are male . both are relatively young -- rusty is 1 , snowden is 30 . and both have connections to china : red pandas are native to southwestern china while snowden recently traveled to hong kong , off southeastern china . ok , perhaps that last one is a bit of a stretch . but social media transcends all boundaries . @ invisibleobama tweeted , somewhere , edward snowden is stroking a red panda laughing at us all . ' @ bcappelbaum posted , since china wo n't hold on to snowden , we 're going to start releasing panda bears . ' first reported missing at 8 a.m. monday , rusty was finally captured around 2:30 p.m. about a mile away from his enclosure , zoo officials posted to facebook . the zoo had tweeted several facts about rusty , warning zoo visitors that he is still a wild animal and would bite if cornered or scared . the search began inside the zoo since red pandas are known to be territorial . for at least a few hours , rusty 's whereabouts proved as intriguing to many as edward snowden 's . snowden made news recently for releasing information about secret surveillance programs conducted by the national security administration . he initially fled to hong kong . russian officials confirmed he had flown to moscow over the weekend . although wikileaks claims to know his exact location , no one else seems sure . his reserved seat aboard a plane to cuba was reportedly empty . the united states has publicly announced it is seeking to extradite snowden on charges of espionage and theft of government property . no such announcement was made regarding rusty . operation rusty : washington engages in another frantic search , ' read the headline to the washington wire post . now putin has a super bowl ring , ed snowden and a red panda , ' tweeted @ micahgrimes . putin has been accused by the owner of the new england patriots of taking his super bowl ring during a visit . although parody accounts have come under fire recently as being unnecessary and lacking humor , @ rustythepanda was undeterred . is there bamboo in ecuador ? ' it asked . its twitter bio also included being a fan of guardian journalist glenn greenwald , who broke the snowden story . greenwald , presumably busy with other things , had not tweeted anything panda-related at the time of this writing . some tweets appeared to confuse red pandas with the black-and-white giant pandas , also called panda bears . red pandas look more like a cross between a raccoon and a small fox . both enjoy a good meal of bamboo , however . this is n't the first escaped zoo animal to inspire an attention-getting parody account . in 2011 @ bronxzooscobra chronicled the seven-day imagined adventures of the escaped snake . that account amassed 187,533 followers and still tweets . in response to rusty 's escape it on monday it posted , i have an alibi ! ' the @ nationalzoo account thanked its fans on twitter and facebook for helping recover rusty . no word if @ barackobama will do the same when snowden is officially located . | twitter erupts with jokes about the vanishing acts of ed snowden and rusty |
time warner <tsp> ( wired ) -- two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that , actually , tv on the web should not be free . jeffrey bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner , speaks at the ncta conference in washington . with a service called tv everywhere , comcast and time warner will give cable subscribers access to premium ' television content via broadband , and later cellphone connections . to begin with , 5,000 comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month , giving them access to time warner 's tbs and tnt channels on their computers , and the same channels'video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes . if you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill , this probably sounds great . it means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware . ( of course , as consumers adopt tv everywhere , they can probably expect price increases . ) but if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it , you could be in for a rude awakening . tv everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular hulu model . if the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- comcast and time warner expect the other television programmers , isps and mobile providers to join , giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone . already at least 92 percent of americans qualify to watch this for free online , ' according to jeff bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner . for these subscribers , tv everywhere represents a potential win . the only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online . there 's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both hulu and tv everywhere , because tv everywhere 's contract will be non-exclusive , according to bewkes . however , given the choice between hulu and tv everywhere , television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter . only the tv everywhere model promises to port yesterday 's lucrative business model onto today 's platforms . and that , according to some critics , is exactly the problem . [ tv everywhere ] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods , ' said gigi b. sohn , president and co-founder of the public interest group public knowledge . under the tv everywhere plan , no other program distributors would be able to emerge , and no consumers will be able to'cut the cord'because they find what they want online . as a result , consumers will be the losers . in addition , we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet . by adding this additional toll lane , comcast and time warner want to create their own'managed channel'within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel . ' so , what about hulu ? will its deals fall through given this new option ? there will be some part [ of time warner 's content ] that will be out there [ on hulu ] , said bewkes . short-form content , i think , will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available . ' however , only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues , anyway . bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided hulu for security concerns and because they did n't like the model , ' but that they will give tv everywhere a chance . consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook , ' he added . they do n't have to subscribe to cable . they do n't have to pay for these services , yet they do . the number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we 've been in the business . ' subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2009 wired.com . | comcast and time warner will give cable subscribers online access to tv content |
time warner <tsp> ( wired ) -- two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that , actually , tv on the web should not be free . jeffrey bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner , speaks at the ncta conference in washington . with a service called tv everywhere , comcast and time warner will give cable subscribers access to premium ' television content via broadband , and later cellphone connections . to begin with , 5,000 comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month , giving them access to time warner 's tbs and tnt channels on their computers , and the same channels'video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes . if you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill , this probably sounds great . it means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware . ( of course , as consumers adopt tv everywhere , they can probably expect price increases . ) but if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it , you could be in for a rude awakening . tv everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular hulu model . if the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- comcast and time warner expect the other television programmers , isps and mobile providers to join , giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone . already at least 92 percent of americans qualify to watch this for free online , ' according to jeff bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner . for these subscribers , tv everywhere represents a potential win . the only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online . there 's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both hulu and tv everywhere , because tv everywhere 's contract will be non-exclusive , according to bewkes . however , given the choice between hulu and tv everywhere , television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter . only the tv everywhere model promises to port yesterday 's lucrative business model onto today 's platforms . and that , according to some critics , is exactly the problem . [ tv everywhere ] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods , ' said gigi b. sohn , president and co-founder of the public interest group public knowledge . under the tv everywhere plan , no other program distributors would be able to emerge , and no consumers will be able to'cut the cord'because they find what they want online . as a result , consumers will be the losers . in addition , we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet . by adding this additional toll lane , comcast and time warner want to create their own'managed channel'within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel . ' so , what about hulu ? will its deals fall through given this new option ? there will be some part [ of time warner 's content ] that will be out there [ on hulu ] , said bewkes . short-form content , i think , will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available . ' however , only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues , anyway . bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided hulu for security concerns and because they did n't like the model , ' but that they will give tv everywhere a chance . consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook , ' he added . they do n't have to subscribe to cable . they do n't have to pay for these services , yet they do . the number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we 've been in the business . ' subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2009 wired.com . | some of time warner 's content will remain on hulu.com |
tv everywhere <tsp> ( wired ) -- two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that , actually , tv on the web should not be free . jeffrey bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner , speaks at the ncta conference in washington . with a service called tv everywhere , comcast and time warner will give cable subscribers access to premium ' television content via broadband , and later cellphone connections . to begin with , 5,000 comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month , giving them access to time warner 's tbs and tnt channels on their computers , and the same channels'video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes . if you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill , this probably sounds great . it means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware . ( of course , as consumers adopt tv everywhere , they can probably expect price increases . ) but if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it , you could be in for a rude awakening . tv everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular hulu model . if the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- comcast and time warner expect the other television programmers , isps and mobile providers to join , giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone . already at least 92 percent of americans qualify to watch this for free online , ' according to jeff bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner . for these subscribers , tv everywhere represents a potential win . the only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online . there 's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both hulu and tv everywhere , because tv everywhere 's contract will be non-exclusive , according to bewkes . however , given the choice between hulu and tv everywhere , television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter . only the tv everywhere model promises to port yesterday 's lucrative business model onto today 's platforms . and that , according to some critics , is exactly the problem . [ tv everywhere ] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods , ' said gigi b. sohn , president and co-founder of the public interest group public knowledge . under the tv everywhere plan , no other program distributors would be able to emerge , and no consumers will be able to'cut the cord'because they find what they want online . as a result , consumers will be the losers . in addition , we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet . by adding this additional toll lane , comcast and time warner want to create their own'managed channel'within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel . ' so , what about hulu ? will its deals fall through given this new option ? there will be some part [ of time warner 's content ] that will be out there [ on hulu ] , said bewkes . short-form content , i think , will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available . ' however , only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues , anyway . bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided hulu for security concerns and because they did n't like the model , ' but that they will give tv everywhere a chance . consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook , ' he added . they do n't have to subscribe to cable . they do n't have to pay for these services , yet they do . the number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we 've been in the business . ' subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2009 wired.com . | tv everywhere represents alternative -- and possible threat -- to popular hulu model |
tv everywhere <tsp> ( wired ) -- two cable powerhouses have announced an ambitious pilot program that aims to convince their customers that , actually , tv on the web should not be free . jeffrey bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner , speaks at the ncta conference in washington . with a service called tv everywhere , comcast and time warner will give cable subscribers access to premium ' television content via broadband , and later cellphone connections . to begin with , 5,000 comcast subscribers will begin testing the system next month , giving them access to time warner 's tbs and tnt channels on their computers , and the same channels'video-on-demand catalogs on their cable boxes . if you made peace long ago with the idea of paying a monthly cable bill , this probably sounds great . it means watching your existing subscription on new screens without paying additional fees or buying more hardware . ( of course , as consumers adopt tv everywhere , they can probably expect price increases . ) but if you prefer to watch your television for free on ad-supported sites like hulu while paying only for the internet connection that delivers it , you could be in for a rude awakening . tv everywhere represents an alternative -- and possible threat -- to the popular hulu model . if the pilot program impresses the group -- and proves to other networks that its user-authentication system is secure -- comcast and time warner expect the other television programmers , isps and mobile providers to join , giving all cable subscribers a way to watch the content they pay for on their televisions using any broadband-connected computer or authenticated cellphone . already at least 92 percent of americans qualify to watch this for free online , ' according to jeff bewkes , chairman and ceo of time warner . for these subscribers , tv everywhere represents a potential win . the only question is whether they will keep paying for the old cable subscription model as their viewing habits shift online . there 's nothing to stop television networks from putting their content on both hulu and tv everywhere , because tv everywhere 's contract will be non-exclusive , according to bewkes . however , given the choice between hulu and tv everywhere , television programmers have an incentive to go with the latter . only the tv everywhere model promises to port yesterday 's lucrative business model onto today 's platforms . and that , according to some critics , is exactly the problem . [ tv everywhere ] raises substantial anti-competitive issues by restricting the availability of programming to the favored distribution methods , ' said gigi b. sohn , president and co-founder of the public interest group public knowledge . under the tv everywhere plan , no other program distributors would be able to emerge , and no consumers will be able to'cut the cord'because they find what they want online . as a result , consumers will be the losers . in addition , we are concerned that this program violates the open nature of the internet . by adding this additional toll lane , comcast and time warner want to create their own'managed channel'within the internet and turn the internet into their own private cable channel . ' so , what about hulu ? will its deals fall through given this new option ? there will be some part [ of time warner 's content ] that will be out there [ on hulu ] , said bewkes . short-form content , i think , will continue to be available -- promotional content will continue to be available . ' however , only cable subscribers will be able to access other content online -- through officially licensed avenues , anyway . bewkes added that some other television programmers have avoided hulu for security concerns and because they did n't like the model , ' but that they will give tv everywhere a chance . consumers vote every single month with their pocketbook , ' he added . they do n't have to subscribe to cable . they do n't have to pay for these services , yet they do . the number of people paying for subscription television has gone up and up and up every single quarter that we 've been in the business . ' subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2009 wired.com . | program is called tv everywhere and will begin testing next month |
new zealand <tsp> ( cnn ) -- somalia , myanmar and afghanistan have the lowest scores on transparency international 's corruption perceptions index , which measures how people in 178 countries and territories view corruption in their public sectors . on a scale of 0-10 , with 10 being very clean ' and 0 being highly corrupt , ' all three countries score below 1.5 . somalia is the lowest at 1.1 , while myanmar and afghanistan are tied for second at 1.4 . at the other end of the list are denmark , new zealand and singapore , which score the highest at 9.3 . the united states , with a score of 7.1 , is among the countries viewed as least corrupt . it 's tied for 22nd overall with belgium . but while the u.s. is well ahead of neighbor mexico ( 3.1 ) , it seems to have some work to do to catch canada ( 8.9 ) . the latest scores were drawn from 13 surveys and assessments published between january 2009 and september 2010 by independent and reputable institutions , ' according to transparency international . it defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain . transparency international is a nongovernmental organization headquartered in berlin . it acknowledges that corruption , by nature , is often hidden and therefore difficult to quantify , but it says it has found people 's perceptions to be a reliable estimate over the long term . some other noteworthy scores from the index : * * because of activist anna hazare and his recent hunger strike , corruption has been brought to the forefront in india . the country scored a 3.3 on the most recent index , putting it among the countries viewed as most corrupt . * * libya ( 2.2 ) and syria ( 2.5 ) , were also near the top of the perceived corruption list , something that might not be a surprise considering the recent unrest there . yemen also scored a 2.2 . egypt ( 3.1 ) and tunisia ( 4.3 ) scored better , but not by much . again , it 's important to point out that these surveys were conducted well before these two countries'longtime leaders were ousted . more comparisons : which country has the smallest gender gap ? where is the internet most popular ? where are the undernourished ? where do people live the longest ? which countries have the most vacation days ? who requires the most education ? who 's got the highest ( and lowest ) unemployment rates ? | denmark , new zealand and singapore are perceived to be the least corrupt |
denmark <tsp> ( cnn ) -- somalia , myanmar and afghanistan have the lowest scores on transparency international 's corruption perceptions index , which measures how people in 178 countries and territories view corruption in their public sectors . on a scale of 0-10 , with 10 being very clean ' and 0 being highly corrupt , ' all three countries score below 1.5 . somalia is the lowest at 1.1 , while myanmar and afghanistan are tied for second at 1.4 . at the other end of the list are denmark , new zealand and singapore , which score the highest at 9.3 . the united states , with a score of 7.1 , is among the countries viewed as least corrupt . it 's tied for 22nd overall with belgium . but while the u.s. is well ahead of neighbor mexico ( 3.1 ) , it seems to have some work to do to catch canada ( 8.9 ) . the latest scores were drawn from 13 surveys and assessments published between january 2009 and september 2010 by independent and reputable institutions , ' according to transparency international . it defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain . transparency international is a nongovernmental organization headquartered in berlin . it acknowledges that corruption , by nature , is often hidden and therefore difficult to quantify , but it says it has found people 's perceptions to be a reliable estimate over the long term . some other noteworthy scores from the index : * * because of activist anna hazare and his recent hunger strike , corruption has been brought to the forefront in india . the country scored a 3.3 on the most recent index , putting it among the countries viewed as most corrupt . * * libya ( 2.2 ) and syria ( 2.5 ) , were also near the top of the perceived corruption list , something that might not be a surprise considering the recent unrest there . yemen also scored a 2.2 . egypt ( 3.1 ) and tunisia ( 4.3 ) scored better , but not by much . again , it 's important to point out that these surveys were conducted well before these two countries'longtime leaders were ousted . more comparisons : which country has the smallest gender gap ? where is the internet most popular ? where are the undernourished ? where do people live the longest ? which countries have the most vacation days ? who requires the most education ? who 's got the highest ( and lowest ) unemployment rates ? | denmark , new zealand and singapore are perceived to be the least corrupt |
china <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- in a further sign that china is edging ahead as the world 's dominant space power , wang yaping -- the second chinese woman in space -- gave a physics lesson to school children from zero gravity . speaking through a video link from the shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft to a class of middle school students in beijing , wang demonstrated the effects of zero gravity on water and a pendulum . the blue-clad astronaut also showed how she could push a fellow astronaut into the wall of the module with touch of her finger and gulped down the drop of water as it floated in mid-air . mass audience more than 60 million students across china watched the lecture on china 's state broadcaster cctv as wang demonstrated newton 's second law of motion ( force equals mass times acceleration ) and the surface tension of water . wang fielded questions from students that ranged from whether the team had seen any space junk or even ufos , to the efficacy of weight scales in space . the demonstration drew a spirited response on social media in china , with comments on weibo -- china 's equivalent of twitter -- ranging from enthusiastic support for the country 's space program , to questioning the cost of the shenzhou-10 program . the u.s. used to be proud of their space class , ( but ) now we 've made it , too ! ' one user posted . we should be proud of this . what others have , we have it too . ' experimental space station china launched three astronauts into space on board the shenzhou-10 craft last week to dock with tiangong-1 , an experimental space station used to test orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities . it is china 's fifth manned mission to space in a decade . while the space station only has a two-year operational lifespan , the development of a permanent space station is part of beijing 's ambitious multi-billion dollar space plan , which is being hailed by the communist party as a symbol of china 's growing technical expertise . china first sent a human into space in 2003 but is already planning to complete its space station by 2020 , and sometime afterwards land a man on the moon . despite the ambitious space program , china still lags russia and the u.s. and is still attempting to reach milestones achieved by the two superpowers decades ago . playing catch-up despite these limitations , china 's tiangong-1 space station is half the size of the first space station , salyut 1 , that the soviets sent up in 1971 -- analysts say that china is able to take advantage of advances in spaceflight technology . what we have seen more than anything else is a truly long-term commitment to space that dates back at least 25 years , and a sustained interest during those 25 years , ' dean cheng of the heritage foundation , a policy research group in washington dc , told the new scientist . he said nasa 's human spaceflight program has struggled under changing budgets and governments while the chinese space program had seen ordered and incremental progress since the 1990s . so as long as the money holds out and political stability reigns , they might well get to some place like mars or establish a lunar presence , precisely because they are persistent and willing to spend the money and make the effort , ' he said . cnn 's feng ke in beijing contributed to this report . | china has an ambitious space program that includes landing a man on the moon after 2020 |
iran <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- iranian-americans demonstrated on the streets of washington on wednesday evening , marching from iranian diplomatic offices to the russian embassy , in protest of both governments'actions . a tuesday meeting of mahmoud ahmadinejad , left , and dmitry medvedev has angered iranian-americans . the demonstration came in the wake of russian president dmitry medvedev hosting iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad in moscow on tuesday , despite allegations of ballot fraud in ahmadinejad 's re-election last week . we 're hoping that the world attention does not end from what the iranians are doing right now , because this is not going to end in the next few days , because this is a long haul , a long battle , ' said washington protest and group organizer morteza ahmady . iranians are very capable of deciding their own destiny . ' the group whereismyvote.org organized the demonstration of about 100 people and aims to build support for its global protest ' this saturday . i think it 's a very new thing from a historical point of view ; it 's a civic movement . people try to keep it as nonviolent and civil as possible , ' said group organizer negar mortarzavi . in russia , ahmadinejad was welcomed as the newly re-elected president of iran , ' with deputy foreign minister sergei ryabkov telling reporters , the issue of elections in iran is an internal affair of the iranian people . ' eighty-five percent of the country 's 46 million eligible voters went to the polls on friday , an unprecedented turnout , iran 's interior ministry said . when the ballots were counted , the government declared ahmadinejad the winner , with 62.63 percent of the vote . the man many analysts had widely expected to win , mir hossein moussavi , received 33.75 percent . the speed with which the election results were released -- two hours after polls closed -- insulted the iranian people , said ahmady , who cited that as a sign of fraud . moussavi 's camp has demanded new elections . sarah , a washington protester who would give only her first name , agreed . we 're not saying that pro-ahmadinejad supporters do n't exist ; they do exist , ' she said . and we 're saying that , yes , if they indeed did win the vote , then the election should be theirs , because we are a democratic people . but we do n't feel comfortable with the numbers that came out of iran . and we 're not saying that we do n't accept it altogether . we 're just asking for a revote . ' | iran has been gripped by protests since ahmadinejad was declared victor in election |
russian <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- iranian-americans demonstrated on the streets of washington on wednesday evening , marching from iranian diplomatic offices to the russian embassy , in protest of both governments'actions . a tuesday meeting of mahmoud ahmadinejad , left , and dmitry medvedev has angered iranian-americans . the demonstration came in the wake of russian president dmitry medvedev hosting iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad in moscow on tuesday , despite allegations of ballot fraud in ahmadinejad 's re-election last week . we 're hoping that the world attention does not end from what the iranians are doing right now , because this is not going to end in the next few days , because this is a long haul , a long battle , ' said washington protest and group organizer morteza ahmady . iranians are very capable of deciding their own destiny . ' the group whereismyvote.org organized the demonstration of about 100 people and aims to build support for its global protest ' this saturday . i think it 's a very new thing from a historical point of view ; it 's a civic movement . people try to keep it as nonviolent and civil as possible , ' said group organizer negar mortarzavi . in russia , ahmadinejad was welcomed as the newly re-elected president of iran , ' with deputy foreign minister sergei ryabkov telling reporters , the issue of elections in iran is an internal affair of the iranian people . ' eighty-five percent of the country 's 46 million eligible voters went to the polls on friday , an unprecedented turnout , iran 's interior ministry said . when the ballots were counted , the government declared ahmadinejad the winner , with 62.63 percent of the vote . the man many analysts had widely expected to win , mir hossein moussavi , received 33.75 percent . the speed with which the election results were released -- two hours after polls closed -- insulted the iranian people , said ahmady , who cited that as a sign of fraud . moussavi 's camp has demanded new elections . sarah , a washington protester who would give only her first name , agreed . we 're not saying that pro-ahmadinejad supporters do n't exist ; they do exist , ' she said . and we 're saying that , yes , if they indeed did win the vote , then the election should be theirs , because we are a democratic people . but we do n't feel comfortable with the numbers that came out of iran . and we 're not saying that we do n't accept it altogether . we 're just asking for a revote . ' | they march from iranian to russian embassies , protesting both governments |
russian <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- iranian-americans demonstrated on the streets of washington on wednesday evening , marching from iranian diplomatic offices to the russian embassy , in protest of both governments'actions . a tuesday meeting of mahmoud ahmadinejad , left , and dmitry medvedev has angered iranian-americans . the demonstration came in the wake of russian president dmitry medvedev hosting iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad in moscow on tuesday , despite allegations of ballot fraud in ahmadinejad 's re-election last week . we 're hoping that the world attention does not end from what the iranians are doing right now , because this is not going to end in the next few days , because this is a long haul , a long battle , ' said washington protest and group organizer morteza ahmady . iranians are very capable of deciding their own destiny . ' the group whereismyvote.org organized the demonstration of about 100 people and aims to build support for its global protest ' this saturday . i think it 's a very new thing from a historical point of view ; it 's a civic movement . people try to keep it as nonviolent and civil as possible , ' said group organizer negar mortarzavi . in russia , ahmadinejad was welcomed as the newly re-elected president of iran , ' with deputy foreign minister sergei ryabkov telling reporters , the issue of elections in iran is an internal affair of the iranian people . ' eighty-five percent of the country 's 46 million eligible voters went to the polls on friday , an unprecedented turnout , iran 's interior ministry said . when the ballots were counted , the government declared ahmadinejad the winner , with 62.63 percent of the vote . the man many analysts had widely expected to win , mir hossein moussavi , received 33.75 percent . the speed with which the election results were released -- two hours after polls closed -- insulted the iranian people , said ahmady , who cited that as a sign of fraud . moussavi 's camp has demanded new elections . sarah , a washington protester who would give only her first name , agreed . we 're not saying that pro-ahmadinejad supporters do n't exist ; they do exist , ' she said . and we 're saying that , yes , if they indeed did win the vote , then the election should be theirs , because we are a democratic people . but we do n't feel comfortable with the numbers that came out of iran . and we 're not saying that we do n't accept it altogether . we 're just asking for a revote . ' | russian president dmitry medvedev hosted mahmoud ahmadinejad after election |
norwegian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pirates have hijacked a norwegian tanker off the coast of madagascar and are steering the ship toward somalia , the ship 's owner said . the captain of the ubt ocean called the technical director for broevigtank , the company that owns the ship , and reported that pirates had come aboard friday , said svenn pederson , ceo of broevigtank . contact with the captain has since been lost . but the company has been tracking the vessel . pederson said the ship was carrying fuel destined for dar es salaam , tanzania , and has 21 crew members aboard . | pirates hijack norwegian tanker ubt ocean off the coast of madagascar |
lacy <tsp> claudia lacy says she can accept anything : even that her youngest son committed suicide -- if it 's proven and explained to her . however , she says , local and state investigators have done neither to support their theory that lennon lacy hanged himself one summer night . that 's all i 've ever asked for : what is due , owed rightfully to me and my family -- justice . prove to me what happened to my child , ' lacy says . she says she 's long lost confidence in the bladenboro police department and the north carolina state bureau of investigation . now , the fbi is looking into lacy 's death and the local and state investigations that followed . without clear answers , the past few months without him have not been easy . i look for him and i do n't see him . i listen for him and i do n't hear him , ' lacy says . the last time lacy saw and heard her son was august 28 . lennon , 17 , played the lineman position for the west bladen high school knights , and was focused on football . his family says that night , he packed a gym bag , washed his ankle brace and hung it on the clothesline to dry before heading out for an evening walk . the teen had asthma , his mother says , and a doctor had recommended he exercise outdoors at night when the temperature and humidity dropped . around 10:30 , lennon left his family 's small apartment and headed down a dirt road . his family never saw him alive again . just before 7:30 the next morning , he was found hanging from the frame of a swing set in the center of a mobile home community . according to medical documents , his body was covered in fire ants . lennon 's mother was called to the scene several hours later , after he 'd been placed into a body bag . it was unreal . it was like a dream . it was like i was not seeing what i was seeing , ' lacy says . immediately , lacy believed her son 's death was the result of some foul play . he did n't do this to himself , ' lacy says . she believes lennon was lynched . he may have either been strangled somewhere else or been placed there or he was hung there while people were around watching him die , ' lennon 's older brother , pierre lacey says . however , north carolina 's chief medical examiner dr. deborah radisch declared his death a suicide . when a state investigator asked lacy if her son had been depressed recently , she told them he had -- because a relative had died recently . the state medical examiner cited that exchange in the autopsy report . lacy says she did not mean that her son had been suffering from depression . when you just lose someone close to you , you 're going to be depressed , upset , in mourning , ' lacy says . the family says lennon had not changed his routine and was focused on college and football -- and distracted by his girlfriend . the teen had been dating a 31-year-old white neighbor . the age of consent in north carolina is 16 . some people in their small , southern town did not like that the two were together . lacy did not like their drastic age difference . i was shocked , disappointed . i also , initially told him how i felt - that i did not approve of it , ' lacy says . in the wake of his death , some wondered whether lennon had been killed because he was in an interracial relationship . a week after lennon was buried , a local teenager was arrested for defacing his grave . there are too many questions and it very well could be a lynching or a staged lynching . we do n't know -- but what we do know is there has to be a serious and full investigation of these matters , ' says rev . william barber , a national board member for the naacp . the naacp hired florida-based forensic pathologist christena roberts to analyze the case and dr. radisch 's autopsy , completed for the state . roberts'first concern : basic physics . lennon was 5-foot-9 . the crossbar of the swing set frame he was found hanging from was 7-foot-6 , according to the naacp review . with no swings or anything at the scene on which he could have climbed , according to the review , it 's unclear how lennon reached the top . his size , his stature does not add up to him being capable of constructing all of this alone - in the dark , ' lennon 's brother says . according to the 911 recording and the initial police report , a 52-year-old woman got the 207-pound teen down , while she was on the phone with an emergency dispatcher . dr. radisch also noted that she was not provided with photographs or dimensions of the swing set . without this information , she would be unable to evaluate the ability to create this scenario , ' according to the naacp review . lacy says she told investigators that the belts used to fashion the noose did not belong to lennon . i know every piece and every stitch of clothes this child has -- i buy them , i know . those were not his belts , ' lacy says . the bladen county coroner and medical examiner hubert kinlaw believed the belts might have been dog leashes . radisch thought that some portion must be missing because there was no secondary cut in either belt . the cut would have been necessary to bring down lennon 's body , ' according to the review . also , the shoes lennon was wearing when his body was found were not his , according to his family . lennon 's brother says he left home that night wearing size 12 air jordan 's . however , he was found wearing size 10.5 nike air force shoes . those shoes were not with lennon 's body when he arrived at the state medical examiner 's office , according to the naacp review . he 's going to walk a quarter mile from his house in a pair of shoes that 's two sizes too small after he takes off his new pair of shoes - and this is a 17-year-old black kid with a brand new pair of jordan 's on . he 's going to take those jordan 's off and just get rid of them and put on some shoes that 's not his -- we do n't know where he got them from , no laces in them -- and continue to walk down this dirt road late at night to a swing set in the middle of the trailer park and hang himself , ' lacey says . how can i believe that ? ' lacey added . there are also questions about who first declared lennon 's death a suicide . dr. radisch noted that her determination of ( manner of death ) in this case as suicide was based on the information she was provided by law enforcement and the local medical examiner . she would have likely called the ( manner of death )'pending'while awaiting toxicology and investigation but the ( local medical examiner ) had already signed the ( manner of death ) as suicide , ' according to the naacp review . however , in the summary of the case , written the day lennon was found , the local medical examiner asked did he hang self ? will autopsy tell us ? ' kinlaw also left the conclusion on the manner of death pending . ' local police and state investigators declined to speak with cnn . cnn asked to interview radisch about the statements attributed to her in the naacp review . instead , a department spokesperson confirmed the exchanges through a written statement : ' the comments that were released by the naacp were a synopsis of a professional exchange between the naacp 's independently-retained forensic pathologist and dr. radisch , ' according to a spokesperson for the north carolina department of health and human services . lennon 's family believes there was a rush to judgment . and until someone clearly explains and proves how her son died , lacy says she 'll keep fighting until she gets answers . i take it one day at a time . that 's all i can say , ' lacy says . | fbi is looking into the death of lennon lacy , 17 , and the investigations that followed |
lacy <tsp> claudia lacy says she can accept anything : even that her youngest son committed suicide -- if it 's proven and explained to her . however , she says , local and state investigators have done neither to support their theory that lennon lacy hanged himself one summer night . that 's all i 've ever asked for : what is due , owed rightfully to me and my family -- justice . prove to me what happened to my child , ' lacy says . she says she 's long lost confidence in the bladenboro police department and the north carolina state bureau of investigation . now , the fbi is looking into lacy 's death and the local and state investigations that followed . without clear answers , the past few months without him have not been easy . i look for him and i do n't see him . i listen for him and i do n't hear him , ' lacy says . the last time lacy saw and heard her son was august 28 . lennon , 17 , played the lineman position for the west bladen high school knights , and was focused on football . his family says that night , he packed a gym bag , washed his ankle brace and hung it on the clothesline to dry before heading out for an evening walk . the teen had asthma , his mother says , and a doctor had recommended he exercise outdoors at night when the temperature and humidity dropped . around 10:30 , lennon left his family 's small apartment and headed down a dirt road . his family never saw him alive again . just before 7:30 the next morning , he was found hanging from the frame of a swing set in the center of a mobile home community . according to medical documents , his body was covered in fire ants . lennon 's mother was called to the scene several hours later , after he 'd been placed into a body bag . it was unreal . it was like a dream . it was like i was not seeing what i was seeing , ' lacy says . immediately , lacy believed her son 's death was the result of some foul play . he did n't do this to himself , ' lacy says . she believes lennon was lynched . he may have either been strangled somewhere else or been placed there or he was hung there while people were around watching him die , ' lennon 's older brother , pierre lacey says . however , north carolina 's chief medical examiner dr. deborah radisch declared his death a suicide . when a state investigator asked lacy if her son had been depressed recently , she told them he had -- because a relative had died recently . the state medical examiner cited that exchange in the autopsy report . lacy says she did not mean that her son had been suffering from depression . when you just lose someone close to you , you 're going to be depressed , upset , in mourning , ' lacy says . the family says lennon had not changed his routine and was focused on college and football -- and distracted by his girlfriend . the teen had been dating a 31-year-old white neighbor . the age of consent in north carolina is 16 . some people in their small , southern town did not like that the two were together . lacy did not like their drastic age difference . i was shocked , disappointed . i also , initially told him how i felt - that i did not approve of it , ' lacy says . in the wake of his death , some wondered whether lennon had been killed because he was in an interracial relationship . a week after lennon was buried , a local teenager was arrested for defacing his grave . there are too many questions and it very well could be a lynching or a staged lynching . we do n't know -- but what we do know is there has to be a serious and full investigation of these matters , ' says rev . william barber , a national board member for the naacp . the naacp hired florida-based forensic pathologist christena roberts to analyze the case and dr. radisch 's autopsy , completed for the state . roberts'first concern : basic physics . lennon was 5-foot-9 . the crossbar of the swing set frame he was found hanging from was 7-foot-6 , according to the naacp review . with no swings or anything at the scene on which he could have climbed , according to the review , it 's unclear how lennon reached the top . his size , his stature does not add up to him being capable of constructing all of this alone - in the dark , ' lennon 's brother says . according to the 911 recording and the initial police report , a 52-year-old woman got the 207-pound teen down , while she was on the phone with an emergency dispatcher . dr. radisch also noted that she was not provided with photographs or dimensions of the swing set . without this information , she would be unable to evaluate the ability to create this scenario , ' according to the naacp review . lacy says she told investigators that the belts used to fashion the noose did not belong to lennon . i know every piece and every stitch of clothes this child has -- i buy them , i know . those were not his belts , ' lacy says . the bladen county coroner and medical examiner hubert kinlaw believed the belts might have been dog leashes . radisch thought that some portion must be missing because there was no secondary cut in either belt . the cut would have been necessary to bring down lennon 's body , ' according to the review . also , the shoes lennon was wearing when his body was found were not his , according to his family . lennon 's brother says he left home that night wearing size 12 air jordan 's . however , he was found wearing size 10.5 nike air force shoes . those shoes were not with lennon 's body when he arrived at the state medical examiner 's office , according to the naacp review . he 's going to walk a quarter mile from his house in a pair of shoes that 's two sizes too small after he takes off his new pair of shoes - and this is a 17-year-old black kid with a brand new pair of jordan 's on . he 's going to take those jordan 's off and just get rid of them and put on some shoes that 's not his -- we do n't know where he got them from , no laces in them -- and continue to walk down this dirt road late at night to a swing set in the middle of the trailer park and hang himself , ' lacey says . how can i believe that ? ' lacey added . there are also questions about who first declared lennon 's death a suicide . dr. radisch noted that her determination of ( manner of death ) in this case as suicide was based on the information she was provided by law enforcement and the local medical examiner . she would have likely called the ( manner of death )'pending'while awaiting toxicology and investigation but the ( local medical examiner ) had already signed the ( manner of death ) as suicide , ' according to the naacp review . however , in the summary of the case , written the day lennon was found , the local medical examiner asked did he hang self ? will autopsy tell us ? ' kinlaw also left the conclusion on the manner of death pending . ' local police and state investigators declined to speak with cnn . cnn asked to interview radisch about the statements attributed to her in the naacp review . instead , a department spokesperson confirmed the exchanges through a written statement : ' the comments that were released by the naacp were a synopsis of a professional exchange between the naacp 's independently-retained forensic pathologist and dr. radisch , ' according to a spokesperson for the north carolina department of health and human services . lennon 's family believes there was a rush to judgment . and until someone clearly explains and proves how her son died , lacy says she 'll keep fighting until she gets answers . i take it one day at a time . that 's all i can say , ' lacy says . | lacy was found hanging from a tree after he went for a walk on a summer night |
ramsey <tsp> within hours of becoming a national hero , a viral video star and the top topic on twitter , charles ramsey talked about having trouble getting sleep . it was n't because of all the excitement that followed his knocking down a cleveland neighbor 's door , freeing three women and a girl who police say were held hostage for years . instead , ramsey told cnn 's anderson cooper on tuesday , it was about knowing he had lived for a year near the captive women on the city 's west side . up until yesterday the only thing that kept me from losing sleep was the lack of money , ' the restaurant dishwasher said on anderson cooper 360 . ' i could have done this last year , not this hero stuff , ' said ramsey . just do the right thing . ' ramsey recounted monday night 's drama , when he heard a girl scream like a car had hit a kid . ' he ran from his living room , clutching a half-eaten mcdonald 's big mac , to the house and helped free a woman identified as amanda berry . amanda said ,'i 've been trapped in here . he wo n't let me out . it 's me and my baby . ' who are the three women freed in cleveland ? ramsey and a man named angel cordero broke down the door , cnn affiliate wews reported in an earlier interview heard around the world . ramsey told cnn he had never seen berry before monday , and at first , he could not place the name . berry did n't register with me until i was on the phone , like wait a minute , i thought this girl was dead . ' she 's like ,'this ( expletive ) kidnapped me and my daughter ,'' he told the 911 operator , according to wews . why the web loves ramsey after police arrived , berry explained there were other women inside . when police came out with them , ramsey told the station , it was astonishing . ' berry was last seen after finishing her shift at a burger king in cleveland in 2003 on the eve of her 17th birthday . the other two women are georgina gina ' dejesus , who disappeared at age 14 in 2004 , and michelle knight , who vanished in august 2002 , at age 21 , according to police . ramsey told cnn he is no hero and should not receive any reward . you 've got to put that being a coward and'i do n't want to get in nobody 's business ,'' he said . you got to put that away for a minute . ''i barbecue with this dude' while ramsey 's quick action in the largely rundown neighborhood made him a hero , his colorful descriptions to wews helped make him dream fodder for the twitterverse . explaining that he had no idea ariel castro , his neighbor , may have had other people inside his home , ramsey said , i 've been here a year . you see where i 'm coming from ? i barbecue with this dude . we eat ribs and whatnot and listen to salsa music ... ' he just comes out to his backyard , plays with the dogs , tinkers with his cars and motorcycles , goes back in the house . so he 's somebody you look , then look away . he 's not doing anything but the average stuff . you see what i 'm saying ? there 's nothing exciting about him . well , until today . ' castro got some big testicles to pull this off , bro , ' ramsey told wews . because we see this dude every day . i mean every day . ' he added , i knew something was wrong when a little , pretty white girl ran into a black man 's arms . something is wrong here . dead giveaway . ' in one of the top tweets about ramsey , comedian patton oswalt wrote , dear charles ramsey : i am not a little pretty white girl , but i totally want to run into your black arms . # hero . ' hodge 's restaurant in cleveland posted a message on facebook saying , we 're extremely proud of our employee charles ramsey for not turning his back on the young women . he 's a true cleveland hero . our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the women , their families and their friends . ' restaurant owner chris hodgson told cnn that ramsey goes above and beyond in his duties . you give him something to do , and he 'll do more , ' he said . we always look forward to seeing him , because you know he 's gon na bring a smile to your face . ' hodgson said people have offered to raise money for ramsey , but the employee would end up giving it to the victims and their families . the company is working with other restaurants to plan fund-raisers for the families , hodgson said . for its part , mcdonald 's corp. , on its twitter account tuesday , said , way to go charles ramsey -- we 'll be in touch . ' despite his assertions , ramsey and berry were praised as heroes by john walsh , former host of tv 's america 's most wanted . ' at an awards dinner for the national center for missing & exploited children , walsh said he called ramsey on tuesday to tell him that . you are the guy who decided in 30 seconds to go up and spring a woman from a house of hell that she 's been in and was desperate to get out that door with her 6-year-old daughter , ' walsh recalled saying . ramsey said he was raised to help women in distress , said walsh . ramsey interview goes viral , gets autotune treatment breathless 911 call ramsey 's demeanor comes across clearly in his 911 call . hey bro , ' ramsey tells the 911 operator . check this out . i just came from mcdonald 's right ? so i 'm on my porch eating my little food , right ? this broad is trying to break out the f -- -- -g house next door to me , so there 's a bunch of people on the street right now and s -- t. so we 're like ,'what 's wrong , what 's the problem ?'she 's like ,'this m -- -- -- -- r done kidnapped me and my daughter ... she said her name is linda berry or some s -- t. i do n't know who the f -- k that is , i just moved over here , bro . you know what i mean ? ' he then answers the 911 operator 's questions about the woman , what she looks like , and what she 's wearing . ramsey tells the operator an address which he says corresponds to berry 's location , not ramsey 's home address . i 'm smarter than that , bro . i 'm telling you where the crime was , not my house , ' he says . are the people that she said did this , are they still in the house ? ' the 911 operator asks . i do n't have a f -- -- -g clue , bro . like i said , i just came from mcdonald 's . ' the operator then asks him to check whether berry needs an ambulance . she needs everything . she 's in a panic , bro . she 's been kidnapped , so , you know , put yourself in her shoes . ' we 'll send the police out , ' the operator responds . | i 'm no hero , charles ramsey tells cnn |
ramsey <tsp> within hours of becoming a national hero , a viral video star and the top topic on twitter , charles ramsey talked about having trouble getting sleep . it was n't because of all the excitement that followed his knocking down a cleveland neighbor 's door , freeing three women and a girl who police say were held hostage for years . instead , ramsey told cnn 's anderson cooper on tuesday , it was about knowing he had lived for a year near the captive women on the city 's west side . up until yesterday the only thing that kept me from losing sleep was the lack of money , ' the restaurant dishwasher said on anderson cooper 360 . ' i could have done this last year , not this hero stuff , ' said ramsey . just do the right thing . ' ramsey recounted monday night 's drama , when he heard a girl scream like a car had hit a kid . ' he ran from his living room , clutching a half-eaten mcdonald 's big mac , to the house and helped free a woman identified as amanda berry . amanda said ,'i 've been trapped in here . he wo n't let me out . it 's me and my baby . ' who are the three women freed in cleveland ? ramsey and a man named angel cordero broke down the door , cnn affiliate wews reported in an earlier interview heard around the world . ramsey told cnn he had never seen berry before monday , and at first , he could not place the name . berry did n't register with me until i was on the phone , like wait a minute , i thought this girl was dead . ' she 's like ,'this ( expletive ) kidnapped me and my daughter ,'' he told the 911 operator , according to wews . why the web loves ramsey after police arrived , berry explained there were other women inside . when police came out with them , ramsey told the station , it was astonishing . ' berry was last seen after finishing her shift at a burger king in cleveland in 2003 on the eve of her 17th birthday . the other two women are georgina gina ' dejesus , who disappeared at age 14 in 2004 , and michelle knight , who vanished in august 2002 , at age 21 , according to police . ramsey told cnn he is no hero and should not receive any reward . you 've got to put that being a coward and'i do n't want to get in nobody 's business ,'' he said . you got to put that away for a minute . ''i barbecue with this dude' while ramsey 's quick action in the largely rundown neighborhood made him a hero , his colorful descriptions to wews helped make him dream fodder for the twitterverse . explaining that he had no idea ariel castro , his neighbor , may have had other people inside his home , ramsey said , i 've been here a year . you see where i 'm coming from ? i barbecue with this dude . we eat ribs and whatnot and listen to salsa music ... ' he just comes out to his backyard , plays with the dogs , tinkers with his cars and motorcycles , goes back in the house . so he 's somebody you look , then look away . he 's not doing anything but the average stuff . you see what i 'm saying ? there 's nothing exciting about him . well , until today . ' castro got some big testicles to pull this off , bro , ' ramsey told wews . because we see this dude every day . i mean every day . ' he added , i knew something was wrong when a little , pretty white girl ran into a black man 's arms . something is wrong here . dead giveaway . ' in one of the top tweets about ramsey , comedian patton oswalt wrote , dear charles ramsey : i am not a little pretty white girl , but i totally want to run into your black arms . # hero . ' hodge 's restaurant in cleveland posted a message on facebook saying , we 're extremely proud of our employee charles ramsey for not turning his back on the young women . he 's a true cleveland hero . our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the women , their families and their friends . ' restaurant owner chris hodgson told cnn that ramsey goes above and beyond in his duties . you give him something to do , and he 'll do more , ' he said . we always look forward to seeing him , because you know he 's gon na bring a smile to your face . ' hodgson said people have offered to raise money for ramsey , but the employee would end up giving it to the victims and their families . the company is working with other restaurants to plan fund-raisers for the families , hodgson said . for its part , mcdonald 's corp. , on its twitter account tuesday , said , way to go charles ramsey -- we 'll be in touch . ' despite his assertions , ramsey and berry were praised as heroes by john walsh , former host of tv 's america 's most wanted . ' at an awards dinner for the national center for missing & exploited children , walsh said he called ramsey on tuesday to tell him that . you are the guy who decided in 30 seconds to go up and spring a woman from a house of hell that she 's been in and was desperate to get out that door with her 6-year-old daughter , ' walsh recalled saying . ramsey said he was raised to help women in distress , said walsh . ramsey interview goes viral , gets autotune treatment breathless 911 call ramsey 's demeanor comes across clearly in his 911 call . hey bro , ' ramsey tells the 911 operator . check this out . i just came from mcdonald 's right ? so i 'm on my porch eating my little food , right ? this broad is trying to break out the f -- -- -g house next door to me , so there 's a bunch of people on the street right now and s -- t. so we 're like ,'what 's wrong , what 's the problem ?'she 's like ,'this m -- -- -- -- r done kidnapped me and my daughter ... she said her name is linda berry or some s -- t. i do n't know who the f -- k that is , i just moved over here , bro . you know what i mean ? ' he then answers the 911 operator 's questions about the woman , what she looks like , and what she 's wearing . ramsey tells the operator an address which he says corresponds to berry 's location , not ramsey 's home address . i 'm smarter than that , bro . i 'm telling you where the crime was , not my house , ' he says . are the people that she said did this , are they still in the house ? ' the 911 operator asks . i do n't have a f -- -- -g clue , bro . like i said , i just came from mcdonald 's . ' the operator then asks him to check whether berry needs an ambulance . she needs everything . she 's in a panic , bro . she 's been kidnapped , so , you know , put yourself in her shoes . ' we 'll send the police out , ' the operator responds . | charles ramsey 's 911 call : she needs everything . she 's in a panic , bro . ' |
ramsey <tsp> within hours of becoming a national hero , a viral video star and the top topic on twitter , charles ramsey talked about having trouble getting sleep . it was n't because of all the excitement that followed his knocking down a cleveland neighbor 's door , freeing three women and a girl who police say were held hostage for years . instead , ramsey told cnn 's anderson cooper on tuesday , it was about knowing he had lived for a year near the captive women on the city 's west side . up until yesterday the only thing that kept me from losing sleep was the lack of money , ' the restaurant dishwasher said on anderson cooper 360 . ' i could have done this last year , not this hero stuff , ' said ramsey . just do the right thing . ' ramsey recounted monday night 's drama , when he heard a girl scream like a car had hit a kid . ' he ran from his living room , clutching a half-eaten mcdonald 's big mac , to the house and helped free a woman identified as amanda berry . amanda said ,'i 've been trapped in here . he wo n't let me out . it 's me and my baby . ' who are the three women freed in cleveland ? ramsey and a man named angel cordero broke down the door , cnn affiliate wews reported in an earlier interview heard around the world . ramsey told cnn he had never seen berry before monday , and at first , he could not place the name . berry did n't register with me until i was on the phone , like wait a minute , i thought this girl was dead . ' she 's like ,'this ( expletive ) kidnapped me and my daughter ,'' he told the 911 operator , according to wews . why the web loves ramsey after police arrived , berry explained there were other women inside . when police came out with them , ramsey told the station , it was astonishing . ' berry was last seen after finishing her shift at a burger king in cleveland in 2003 on the eve of her 17th birthday . the other two women are georgina gina ' dejesus , who disappeared at age 14 in 2004 , and michelle knight , who vanished in august 2002 , at age 21 , according to police . ramsey told cnn he is no hero and should not receive any reward . you 've got to put that being a coward and'i do n't want to get in nobody 's business ,'' he said . you got to put that away for a minute . ''i barbecue with this dude' while ramsey 's quick action in the largely rundown neighborhood made him a hero , his colorful descriptions to wews helped make him dream fodder for the twitterverse . explaining that he had no idea ariel castro , his neighbor , may have had other people inside his home , ramsey said , i 've been here a year . you see where i 'm coming from ? i barbecue with this dude . we eat ribs and whatnot and listen to salsa music ... ' he just comes out to his backyard , plays with the dogs , tinkers with his cars and motorcycles , goes back in the house . so he 's somebody you look , then look away . he 's not doing anything but the average stuff . you see what i 'm saying ? there 's nothing exciting about him . well , until today . ' castro got some big testicles to pull this off , bro , ' ramsey told wews . because we see this dude every day . i mean every day . ' he added , i knew something was wrong when a little , pretty white girl ran into a black man 's arms . something is wrong here . dead giveaway . ' in one of the top tweets about ramsey , comedian patton oswalt wrote , dear charles ramsey : i am not a little pretty white girl , but i totally want to run into your black arms . # hero . ' hodge 's restaurant in cleveland posted a message on facebook saying , we 're extremely proud of our employee charles ramsey for not turning his back on the young women . he 's a true cleveland hero . our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with the women , their families and their friends . ' restaurant owner chris hodgson told cnn that ramsey goes above and beyond in his duties . you give him something to do , and he 'll do more , ' he said . we always look forward to seeing him , because you know he 's gon na bring a smile to your face . ' hodgson said people have offered to raise money for ramsey , but the employee would end up giving it to the victims and their families . the company is working with other restaurants to plan fund-raisers for the families , hodgson said . for its part , mcdonald 's corp. , on its twitter account tuesday , said , way to go charles ramsey -- we 'll be in touch . ' despite his assertions , ramsey and berry were praised as heroes by john walsh , former host of tv 's america 's most wanted . ' at an awards dinner for the national center for missing & exploited children , walsh said he called ramsey on tuesday to tell him that . you are the guy who decided in 30 seconds to go up and spring a woman from a house of hell that she 's been in and was desperate to get out that door with her 6-year-old daughter , ' walsh recalled saying . ramsey said he was raised to help women in distress , said walsh . ramsey interview goes viral , gets autotune treatment breathless 911 call ramsey 's demeanor comes across clearly in his 911 call . hey bro , ' ramsey tells the 911 operator . check this out . i just came from mcdonald 's right ? so i 'm on my porch eating my little food , right ? this broad is trying to break out the f -- -- -g house next door to me , so there 's a bunch of people on the street right now and s -- t. so we 're like ,'what 's wrong , what 's the problem ?'she 's like ,'this m -- -- -- -- r done kidnapped me and my daughter ... she said her name is linda berry or some s -- t. i do n't know who the f -- k that is , i just moved over here , bro . you know what i mean ? ' he then answers the 911 operator 's questions about the woman , what she looks like , and what she 's wearing . ramsey tells the operator an address which he says corresponds to berry 's location , not ramsey 's home address . i 'm smarter than that , bro . i 'm telling you where the crime was , not my house , ' he says . are the people that she said did this , are they still in the house ? ' the 911 operator asks . i do n't have a f -- -- -g clue , bro . like i said , i just came from mcdonald 's . ' the operator then asks him to check whether berry needs an ambulance . she needs everything . she 's in a panic , bro . she 's been kidnapped , so , you know , put yourself in her shoes . ' we 'll send the police out , ' the operator responds . | ramsey works as a dishwasher at a local restaurant |
bet awards <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in 2003 , the bet awards had a priceless moment when michael jackson surprised his idol , james brown , by showing up on stage where the duo thrilled the audience with an electrifying performance . michael jackson performed with james brown at the bet awards in 2003 . this year 's show is dedicated to jackson . now , both the king of pop and the godfather of soul are gone . sunday night 's 9th annual bet awards is sure to be filled with tributes to jackson , whose videos and performances were a staple for the network in his heyday . bet has already paid tribute to the singer , going wall-to-wall with jackson videos thursday night . many of the celebrities scheduled to attend the show were also fans of the singer and it is expected that the night will provide an opportunity for them to salute the star . words can not capture the impact michael jackson has had on pop culture around the world , ' said debra l. lee , chairman and chief executive officer of bet networks . he changed the way we hear and feel and move to music ; he epitomized what true musical talent and star power really mean . he is and always will be the king of pop . ' academy award-winning actor and r & b singer jamie foxx is set to host the show . several of the scheduled performers include artists , such as ne-yo and beyonce , who have acknowledged the influence of jackson on their music and careers . the annual event is a premier one for the network and this year 's plan was to recognize the musical legacy and longstanding career of the legendary soul trio , the o'jays , with the presentation of the lifetime achievement award . artists alicia keys and wyclef jean are to be honored with the humanitarian award for their respective charitable work . bet ceo lee said sunday 's show will be dedicated to jackson and will also pay tribute to his legacy . lee reflected on jackson 's career and his importance to bet -- which stands for black entertainment television -- in a prepared statement after his death , while also offering heartfelt prayers for the singer 's family and friends . michael 's influence is felt every day in so many ways at bet networks , and it 's been that way throughout our network 's entire 29-year history , ' she said . we watched him grow up and , like everyone around the world , he feels like he is a member of our family . he will be missed more than we can say ... but his legend and memory live on in the artists , musicians , producers , dancers , fans and everyone else who looks to him for inspiration . ' the bet awards is scheduled to run live on the cable network sunday at 8 p.m . | bet awards are scheduled for sunday night |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 2011 arab uprisings presented the united states with a historic opportunity to take a clear stand on the side of freedom and democracy and strengthen its own standing in the process . incredibly , the obama administration has blundered and stumbled , with a response marked by timidity and caution . as a result , america appears weaker , less influential and less trusted , while the arab middle east continues to seethe with instability and violence . today , as the egyptian state shudders , with millions taking to the streets infuriated with a government that is taking the country down a path they do not trust , and as syrians continue to slaughter each other , with death toll approaching 100,000 , there is no side in the conflicts that feels warmly toward america . the most astonishing part is that the uprisings across the middle east and north africa were launched by young , progressive idealists , whose objective was to reshape their countries by overthrowing entrenched dictators and bringing pluralism and democracy . the dna of the revolution made it a natural for american support . granted , the uprisings also targeted strong american allies , such as egypt 's now-deposed president , hosni mubarak . but once the dictator fell , america should have made a much stronger case for the fundamental principles of liberal democracy . it is extraordinary this is happening under obama , the leader who took the dramatic step of traveling to cairo just months into his first term and delivering a landmark speech that vowed to end the cycle of suspicion and discord ' between americans and muslims , and affirmed his belief that all people yearn for certain things , ' including freedom , democracy , and genuine justice . when the people took the reins of history into their own hands , obama 's poetry crashed into geopolitical realities , not to mention domestic political considerations . the choices , in fairness , were not easy . but obama could have done much better . coup worsens obama 's egypt policy headache in egypt , the muslim brotherhood , a group with a deeply anti-western , anti-american ideology , won the elections . washington was right in trying to work with a government that had been elected by the egyptian people . but it went too far , ignoring the fundamental principles of democracy that america should have kept at the forefront of the agenda . washington had to work with cairo -- and hence , with the government of president mohammed morsy -- but it did n't have to keep as quiet as it did when morsy and his supporters started pushing away from democratic principles , undermining freedoms and laying the groundwork for a state that would change the character of the country . the pan-islamist vision of the brotherhood is deeply offensive to supporters of equality for women , legal protections for minorities , free media , and respect for the views of the opposition . instead , in pursuit of stability , the u.s. held its tongue . occasionally , american officials spoke out , as when the ambassador to egypt , anne patterson , told a small group in alexandria that democracy needs a healthy and active civil society . ' but when the government went after that same civil society , arresting and then convicting 43 members of nongovernmental organizations -- including 16 americans -- and sentencing them to prison terms on sham charges , the u.s. kept its voice low , to the dismay of its friends . the obama administration has been so timid , so eager to stay out of the fray , that a few weeks before the verdict against the pro-democracy activists , secretary of state john kerry passed up the opportunity to take a stand for the workers , and for democracy , by quietly waiving the human rights preconditions of u.s. aid to egypt and thus allowing $ 1.3 billion in aid to go forward . there were better ways to play that hand . america threw away its aces . in syria , the u.s. passed up for too long the opportunity to support the most liberal of rebels fighting against the dictator bashar al-assad , allowing extremist radicals to dominate the opposition . now the choices are far more difficult , and america 's standing is in tatters with the people who should have been its natural allies . the oversimplified equation says the country has to choose between its ideals and its interests . but in the case of the arab uprisings , america 's ideals and interests overlap . if washington stood more convincingly with those who share its ideals , it would strengthen them within their revolutions . it would help them to victory , and then america would become stronger , having real friends in power in the post-revolutionary middle east . it 's not too late for a course correction . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | ghitis : incredibly , the obama administration 's response has been marked by timidity |
vietnamese <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- signs of oil and gas have been found by a chinese rig that was drilling off a disputed island chain in the south china seas , according to chinese state media . the drilling area does have the basic conditions and potential for oil exploration , wang zhen , deputy director of cnpc policy research office , told xinhua . the drilling operation , known as the zhongjiannan project , was completed on july 15 , according to the china national petroleum corporation ( cnpc ) . the state-owned energy company will further analyze the collected geological data before announcing their next steps . when china dispatched the oil rig on may 2 to begin drilling near the paracel islands in the south china seas , the move kicked off a series of confrontations between chinese and vietnamese vessels in the area . both nations claim ownership over the chain china refers to as the xisha islands . rioting clashes at sea sparked violent anti-chinese riots on land . thousands of chinese nationals had to be evacuated from vietnam in mid-may as the demonstrations turned deadly . in the face of vietnam 's ferocious protests , beijing has stood its ground on its claim over the paracels . china 's ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson hong lei emphasized this on wednesday . the xisha islands are integral parts of china . the operation by the chinese company is located in indisputable coastal waters of the xisha ( paracel ) islands , which falls well within china 's sovereignty , ' said hong . xinhua also reported that 13 vietnamese fishermen previously arrested by the chinese coastguard were deported on tuesday . the fishermen were accused of operating illegally in chinese waters off the coast of hainan province . vietnam continues to reject china 's claims to the paracels , calling recent drilling activities illegal ' and in violation of international law . according to cnooc , a third of china 's oil and gas resources are under the south china sea , most of which it claims as its own , refuting rival claims from vietnam , the philippines , taiwan , malaysia , and brunei . | china recently deported 13 vietnamese who were arrested for fishing in chinese waters |
ukraine <tsp> is it an act of compassion or one of belligerence ? both judgments were offered friday on the dozens of russian trucks that have rolled into eastern ukraine , a move russian leaders cast as necessary to address a humanitarian crisis and a ukrainian official characterized as an invasion ' of his nation by its mighty neighbor to the east . while getting agreement on the right answer is impossible at this moment , there 's little doubt the actions have raised tensions to new levels -- and that 's saying something , given the volatility over the past many months . the latest row revolves around aid going from russia to ukraine . kiev had stalled trucks on the russian side of the border for days , before acknowledging sunday that the convoy , in fact , had humanitarian aid . that admission did n't end the discord and debate . as of 11:30 p.m. ( 4:30 p.m . et ) friday , 227 russian vehicles had crossed into ukraine , according to the organization for security and co-operation in europe , which has an observer mission at the checkpoint the convoy went through . all the vehicles were supposed to be monitored by members of the international committee of the red cross . however , the red cross said it was n't accompanying them due to the volatile security situation ' -- a reference to continued fighting between pro-russian rebels and ukrainian forces . ukraine has repeatedly accused russia of directly and indirectly bolstering the rebel movement . the kiev-based government and its allies -- including the nato alliance and its core member , the united states -- see this convoy as perhaps moscow 's most glaring , egregious move yet . we call this a direct invasion for the first time under cynical cover of the red cross , ' said valentyn nalyvaychenko , the head of ukraine 's security service . right now , ukraine is n't planning to go after the convoy . still , nalyvaychenko thinks its main purpose is to supply rebels and its drivers are not even civilians . to russian president vladimir putin , it is ukraine 's government -- not his -- that 's being irresponsible and fueling instability in eastern ukraine . putin expressed serious concern ' to german chancellor angela merkel about endangered civilians and other impacts from ukraine 's continued ( military ) escalation , ' according to the kremlin . he further criticized what he characterized as kiev 's blatant attempts to hinder the delivery of russian humanitarian aid ' into southeast ukraine , implying he had no choice but to act . further delay would have been unacceptable , ' a kremlin statement said . u.s. official warns russia on convoys the international community hardly embraced putin 's version of events . the british ambassador to the united nations said that russia had no support at a u.n. security council meeting friday on the topic . the diplomat , mark lyall grant , made no doubt about his own country 's views on the convoy 's entrance into ukraine . it is an undeniable and blatant violation of ukrainian sovereignty and clear breach of international law and the u.n. charter , ' lyall grant told reporters . it has nothing to do with humanitarianism . ' nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen warned that the the so-called humanitarian convoy ... can only deepen the crisis in the region , which russia itself has created and has continued to fuel . ' the disregard of international humanitarian principles raises further questions about whether the true purpose of the aid convoy is to support civilians or to resupply armed separatists , ' rasmussen said in a statement . merkel talked not only with putin -- during which she voiced her grave concern ' -- but also with u.s. president barack obama . the two leaders agreed that ukraine has continued to deteriorate since the tragic downing ' of malaysia airlines flight 17 , purportedly by pro-russian rebels , the white house said . the pair concurred , too , that the convoy is a further provocation and a violation of ukraine 's sovereignty ' and called for the stop of russian personnel , military equipment and armored vehicles into eastern ukraine . ' other u.s. officials laid into russia publicly . pentagon spokesman rear adm. john kirby said that moscow has been told in very , very clear ( terms ) that they should not be doing this under the guise of a humanitarian convoy , to use that as an excuse to cross the border in a non-authorized way . ' russia must remove its vehicles and its personnel from the territory of ukraine immediately , ' kirby told reporters . failure to do so will result in additional costs and isolation . ' this view was seconded by deputy national security adviser ben rhodes , who deemed the convoy -- which he said his nation and its allies are tracking closely -- as part of a pattern of flagrant violation of ukrainian sovereignty . ' the more moscow does such things that stir instability in ukraine , the more it will pay , according to rhodes . if ( russia does ) not remove the convoys , we will be making determinations with our international partners about how to ratchet up the costs and consequences on them , ' rhodes said . u.s. official : up to 18,000 russian troops on border it 's not just the russian vehicles that crossed into ukraine that are causing consternation . so , too , are the russian troops massed at the border . there were up to 18,000 such combat-ready ' troops on friday , a significant increase from previous public estimates by the pentagon , according to a u.s. defense official with direct access to the latest information . the official described the units as being in a fully combat-capable offensive posture . ' a second u.s. official said that many of the units were positioned at crossroads and towns ' two to 10 miles from the border . they are definitely more overt , aggressive and out in the open , ' the official said . they are n't even hiding it . ' the second official said the united states has believed for weeks that some russian troops have crossed the border as part of the convoys of military gear and weapons moving from russia into ukraine . of particular concern is the apparent transport of long-range and advanced systems including at least two sa-22 surface-to-air missile system and a number of pieces of longer-range artillery . the fear is that any advance of any kind could make the ongoing fighting -- sparked last year by a political crisis over whether ukraine would seek closer ties with europe or russia -- even worse . u.n. officials estimate that more than 2,000 people have died and nearly 5,000 have been wounded in eastern ukraine since mid-april . the dead include mykola zelenec , lithuania 's honor consul in the eastern ukrainian city of luhansk , who lithuanian foreign minister linas linkevicius said had been kidnapped and brutally killed by terrorists . ' ukraine has time and again accused russia of effectively fomenting rebellion by supporting rebels -- including militarily -- in eastern ukraine , some of whom continue to hold territory there despite a push by ukraine 's military . russia has denied any direct support for the rebels while voicing sympathy for their fight for self-determination , saying that kiev is in the wrong for its actions that endanger civilians -- including many ethnic russians . even if the russian military does n't explicitly march into ukraine , there are concerns that it will find other ways to bolster the rebels . russia 's ambassador to the united nations , vitaly churkin , insisted friday that the current humanitarian convoy wo n't be one of them . he told reporters that russia received official acceptance by kiev authorities ' for the convoy , and that moscow is staying in touch with ukrainian officials to make sure there are no problems in the process of distribution of the aid . ukraine 's secret weapon : funding from the country 's millionaires six questions : what 's happening in ukraine ? which foods are off russian menus ? | putin blames ukraine , says it 'd be unacceptable ' to delay sending convoy |
florida <tsp> charlotte , north carolina ( cnn ) -- republicans got first serve in their convention last week . can democrats break serve , or will the presidential race go to a tiebreaker in november ? here are five things to watch for at the democratic national convention : 1 . new man on the big stage -- most americans have never heard of the mayor of san antonio . they will after tuesday night when julian castro becomes the first latino to give the keynote address at a democratic convention . past keynote speakers such as bill clinton and barack obama made it to the white house . maybe that 's raising too many expectations for castro , but his speech will be looked upon the same way . 2 . 2016 contenders -- sen. marco rubio of florida and vice presidential nominee paul ryan gave blockbuster speeches at the republican convention in tampa , florida . new jersey gov . chris christie 's keynote address did n't go over as well . all three could make bids for the gop presidential nomination in 2016 if mitt romney does n't win in november . so which democrats are waiting in the wings ? govs . martin o'malley of maryland , brian schweitzer of montana and john hickenlooper of colorado all have an opportunity in charlotte . 3 . turncoats -- is charlie crist the artur davis of this convention ? davis , the former democratic congressman from alabama who seconded obama 's nomination four years ago , had a high-profile speech at the republican convention . now it 's crist 's turn . what will the former republican governor of florida , who could possibly run for his old office as a democrat , say when he gets in front of the podium in charlotte ? 4 . what will bill clinton say ? -- there 's probably more anticipation , and questions , around the former president 's wednesday prime-time address . once former adversaries when hillary clinton was running against obama , bill clinton has become one of obama 's strongest advocates . but the big question is what will clinton say when he nominates obama for re-election wednesday ? obama campaign officials said they have n't seen clinton 's speech yet , but they said they are not worried ' about what he 'll say . 5 . the ticket -- the traditional role of running mate is to be the attack dog . will vice president joe biden slam romney as much as ryan attacked obama ? and how much of what the president will say in his acceptance speech is a defense of his first term and how much is an outline of what he wants to do over the next four years ? | former florida gov . charlie crist takes his shot at the gop |
barbara frost <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sometimes when i go i feel ashamed and go back without defecating . sometimes i wait until dark to go there so no one can see me . i will be very concerned about diani , my daughter , going to the bush because it is so far from here . at night it is very dangerous . people get killed . a woman and a boy were killed with knives . one woman i know of has been raped . ' these are the words of sandimhia renato , a young mother from mozambique . she has to walk 15 minutes every day to find somewhere to go to the toilet . sandimhia and 1.25 billion other women around the world , find themselves in similar situations every day , where they have no choice but to put themselves at risk of disease , harassment or even violence because they lack access to something as simple as a safe and clean toilet . today , 19 november , is the first u.n. recognized world toilet day . it 's easy to dismiss such days , but recognition of the need to address this issue is vital . read this : happy world toilet day access to a safe toilet is one of the most effective ways of reducing death and disease and improving life for millions . every hour 70 women and girls will needlessly die from diseases directly linked to a lack of an adequate toilet and safe drinking water . in total one and a quarter million men , women and children will die this year from preventable diseases brought about by a lack of access to these basic services . to die for want of a toilet is an outrage that we should not be tolerating . that is why wateraid , unilever and the un partnership organisation , the water supply and sanitation collaborative council have produced a new report , we ca n't wait , demonstrating the scale and consequences of this problem . writing in the foreword to the report , un deputy secretary-general , jan eliasson , and unilever chief executive officer , paul polman , state : ' one person in three lacks access to adequate sanitation . the result is widespread death and disease -- especially among children -- and social marginalization . women are particularly vulnerable . poor sanitation exposes females to the risk of assault , and when schools can not provide clean , safe toilets girls'attendance drops . ' such words from leaders in diplomacy and in business are hugely welcome . wateraid has been providing access to sanitation alongside clean drinking water and hygiene promotion since the early 1980s . we have also been banging on the door of governments in both the western and developing world for well over two decades , highlighting the practical steps that could be taken to end this tragedy . progress has been made . almost two billion people have gained access to sanitation since 1990 . many governments have made progress towards meeting the millennium development goals that were set in 2000 and are due to achieve many of them by the end of 2015 . one of those targets is a commitment to halve the proportion of people lacking access to what is called improved sanitation . ' at the current rate of progress , this promise is way off track . in fact , if we carry on as we are , it will take another 12 years to get the job done . even when this goal is finally reached , one in four people will still not have access to safe sanitation . universal access is still over 50 years away . such a delay is not acceptable . what is needed is political will and financing . the business case for doing so is extremely strong . the world health organization estimates that every $ 1 invested in sanitation services returns $ 5.50 . if we halve the proportion of people without access to sanitation , the economic return would be over $ 54 billion per year . getting everyone , everywhere access to a toilet would generate over $ 220 billion a year . world toilet day is an opportunity to celebrate the progress that has been made and recognizes how much more needs to be done . the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of barbara frost . | to die for want of a toilet is an outrage that we should not be tolerating , ' says barbara frost |
jahn regensburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- robin van persie played in a manchester united shirt for the first time , but he could not stop his new club falling to an opening day defeat at everton . marouane fellaini powered home a near-post header in the 57th minute to ensure a 1-0 victory for the merseyside team and an early blow for alex ferguson 's desire to wrestle back the english premier league trophy from neighbors manchester city . and everton 's victory was no piece of luck . it was carved out by a gritty , determined side who tried for every opportunity and won plaudits after the game for defending the lead . fellaini had nearly opened the scoring just seven minutes before , when he fired wide . but the second time there was no doubt and he found a gap through the defenders to get it into the center of the net . whilst everton seemed to be tiring , they still held their own when manchester united attacks came . new signing shinji kagawa was sending in a couple of balls for the likes of wayne rooney to work with , but nothing came of them . van persie started the game from the substitutes'bench , but ferguson decided to bring on his new striker in the 68th minute as a replacement for danny welbeck , who was seemingly running out of ideas to break through a resolute everton defense . the former arsenal player did not waste any time in trying to make a mark on his new team . within a minute of coming on , last season 's epl top scorer whipped in a corner kick which required an alert everton back line to sweep clear . but after that , everton sat back and frustrated manchester united 's attempts to try and get chances to the new signing . and the goodison park crowd were happy to see them do it . the english premier league was not the only league to see a shock result on monday . in spain , newly-promoted deportivo la coruna sent out a strong message on their return to la liga by beating last season 's seventh-placed club osasuna 2-0 . two loan players ensured the victory against los rojillos . colombian midfielder abel aguilar , who normally plays for hercules , struck in the 53rd minute of the game and the second came two minutes into time added on from portugal striker nelson oliveira , who is on loan from benfica . rayo vallecano left it late before beating granada 1-0 , with midfielder roberto trashorras scoring five minutes into added time . in germany , bayern munich made light work of their dfb cup first round opponents , beating ssv jahn regensburg 4-0 in a bavarian derby . the side , who were recently promoted to the second tier of german football , managed to hold out for 32 minutes before bayern broke the deadlock through new signing mario mandzukic . young prospect xherdan shaqiri replaced franck ribery just after halftime and scored the second a quarter of an hour after the restart . bayern then hit regensburg with the final two goals 10 minutes before time when croatia striker mandzukic got his second and the man who replaced him , veteran peru international claudio pizarro , scored number four in the 88th minute to mark the start of his second spell in munich . | bayern munich breeze through their first round dfb cup tie with jahn regensburg |
dfb cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- robin van persie played in a manchester united shirt for the first time , but he could not stop his new club falling to an opening day defeat at everton . marouane fellaini powered home a near-post header in the 57th minute to ensure a 1-0 victory for the merseyside team and an early blow for alex ferguson 's desire to wrestle back the english premier league trophy from neighbors manchester city . and everton 's victory was no piece of luck . it was carved out by a gritty , determined side who tried for every opportunity and won plaudits after the game for defending the lead . fellaini had nearly opened the scoring just seven minutes before , when he fired wide . but the second time there was no doubt and he found a gap through the defenders to get it into the center of the net . whilst everton seemed to be tiring , they still held their own when manchester united attacks came . new signing shinji kagawa was sending in a couple of balls for the likes of wayne rooney to work with , but nothing came of them . van persie started the game from the substitutes'bench , but ferguson decided to bring on his new striker in the 68th minute as a replacement for danny welbeck , who was seemingly running out of ideas to break through a resolute everton defense . the former arsenal player did not waste any time in trying to make a mark on his new team . within a minute of coming on , last season 's epl top scorer whipped in a corner kick which required an alert everton back line to sweep clear . but after that , everton sat back and frustrated manchester united 's attempts to try and get chances to the new signing . and the goodison park crowd were happy to see them do it . the english premier league was not the only league to see a shock result on monday . in spain , newly-promoted deportivo la coruna sent out a strong message on their return to la liga by beating last season 's seventh-placed club osasuna 2-0 . two loan players ensured the victory against los rojillos . colombian midfielder abel aguilar , who normally plays for hercules , struck in the 53rd minute of the game and the second came two minutes into time added on from portugal striker nelson oliveira , who is on loan from benfica . rayo vallecano left it late before beating granada 1-0 , with midfielder roberto trashorras scoring five minutes into added time . in germany , bayern munich made light work of their dfb cup first round opponents , beating ssv jahn regensburg 4-0 in a bavarian derby . the side , who were recently promoted to the second tier of german football , managed to hold out for 32 minutes before bayern broke the deadlock through new signing mario mandzukic . young prospect xherdan shaqiri replaced franck ribery just after halftime and scored the second a quarter of an hour after the restart . bayern then hit regensburg with the final two goals 10 minutes before time when croatia striker mandzukic got his second and the man who replaced him , veteran peru international claudio pizarro , scored number four in the 88th minute to mark the start of his second spell in munich . | bayern munich breeze through their first round dfb cup tie with jahn regensburg |
madrid <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- passengers said they saw flames and then heard an explosion moments before a spanair jet crashed on takeoff wednesday at madrid 's barajas airport , killing 153 people , according to local media . the spanair flight jk5022 was carrying 172 people . there were 19 survivors , including two infants , development minister magdalena alvarez said . the 19 were being treated at a hospital , alvaraez said . the severity of the injuries varies , but many of the injured have been treated for burns , spanish red cross spokeswoman olivia acosa said . watch as the wounded arrive at a hospital » the flight was bound for las palmas in the canary islands , two hours away . local officials said one of the engines caught fire . the aircraft , an md-82 , has two jet engines , both at the rear . the burning plane came to rest in a gully about 2:45 p.m. ( 8:45 a.m . et ) . the crash sent up a plume of smoke visible from several kilometers away . at the time of the crash , weather conditions were hot and clear . watch smoke rising from airport » a survivor told spain 's abc newspaper that she and other passengers heard an explosion as the plane was taking off . ireport : send us your pictures , video , information . she said they could see the fire , ... and then it was not even a minute or so they heard [ something ] blow up , ' reporter carlota fomina told cnn . they were about 200 meters [ 660 feet ] in the air , and then they were landing but not crashing . they were landing , like , little by little ; it was not like they [ fell ] down suddenly . ' the md-82 was carrying 162 passengers , four non-working crew members and six working crew members , spanair said . after contacting families , the airline published the names of those aboard on its web site . watch as relatives of survivors start arriving at the airport » some of the survivors have serious injuries , while others have non-life-threatening injuries . many of the injured were treated for burns , she said . the aircraft was carrying seven passengers from lufthansa flight 2554 , according to the airline . spanair , a low-cost airline that has a flight-sharing agreement with lufthansa , is owned by sas scandinavian airlines . barajas airport closed after the crash but reopened more than two hours later , allowing a limited number of takeoffs and landings , an airport official said . see a map of the airport » spanish prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero arrived at the airport wednesday evening after cutting short a vacation . the government will do all it can to support the families in this difficult situation , ' he said . the whole government , logically , is affected , very affected , as are all spanish citizens , by this tragedy . ' the fatal crash was the first at the airport since december 1983 , when 93 people were killed as two spanish airliners collided . the airport , eight miles ( 13 km ) northeast of central madrid , is spain 's busiest , handling more than 40 million passengers a year . the united states national transportation safety board is sending an investigation team to madrid because the aircraft is american-made , ntsb spokesman keith holloway said . spanair has set up a local emergency number for family members and friends phoning from spain : +34 800-400-200 . cnn 's madrid bureau chief al goodman , brian todd and kathleen koch contributed to this report | md-82 crashed while taking off from madrid 's main airport |
md-82 <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- passengers said they saw flames and then heard an explosion moments before a spanair jet crashed on takeoff wednesday at madrid 's barajas airport , killing 153 people , according to local media . the spanair flight jk5022 was carrying 172 people . there were 19 survivors , including two infants , development minister magdalena alvarez said . the 19 were being treated at a hospital , alvaraez said . the severity of the injuries varies , but many of the injured have been treated for burns , spanish red cross spokeswoman olivia acosa said . watch as the wounded arrive at a hospital » the flight was bound for las palmas in the canary islands , two hours away . local officials said one of the engines caught fire . the aircraft , an md-82 , has two jet engines , both at the rear . the burning plane came to rest in a gully about 2:45 p.m. ( 8:45 a.m . et ) . the crash sent up a plume of smoke visible from several kilometers away . at the time of the crash , weather conditions were hot and clear . watch smoke rising from airport » a survivor told spain 's abc newspaper that she and other passengers heard an explosion as the plane was taking off . ireport : send us your pictures , video , information . she said they could see the fire , ... and then it was not even a minute or so they heard [ something ] blow up , ' reporter carlota fomina told cnn . they were about 200 meters [ 660 feet ] in the air , and then they were landing but not crashing . they were landing , like , little by little ; it was not like they [ fell ] down suddenly . ' the md-82 was carrying 162 passengers , four non-working crew members and six working crew members , spanair said . after contacting families , the airline published the names of those aboard on its web site . watch as relatives of survivors start arriving at the airport » some of the survivors have serious injuries , while others have non-life-threatening injuries . many of the injured were treated for burns , she said . the aircraft was carrying seven passengers from lufthansa flight 2554 , according to the airline . spanair , a low-cost airline that has a flight-sharing agreement with lufthansa , is owned by sas scandinavian airlines . barajas airport closed after the crash but reopened more than two hours later , allowing a limited number of takeoffs and landings , an airport official said . see a map of the airport » spanish prime minister jose luis rodriguez zapatero arrived at the airport wednesday evening after cutting short a vacation . the government will do all it can to support the families in this difficult situation , ' he said . the whole government , logically , is affected , very affected , as are all spanish citizens , by this tragedy . ' the fatal crash was the first at the airport since december 1983 , when 93 people were killed as two spanish airliners collided . the airport , eight miles ( 13 km ) northeast of central madrid , is spain 's busiest , handling more than 40 million passengers a year . the united states national transportation safety board is sending an investigation team to madrid because the aircraft is american-made , ntsb spokesman keith holloway said . spanair has set up a local emergency number for family members and friends phoning from spain : +34 800-400-200 . cnn 's madrid bureau chief al goodman , brian todd and kathleen koch contributed to this report | md-82 crashed while taking off from madrid 's main airport |
quantico <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- u.s. army pfc . bradley manning , suspected of leaking classified information to the wikileaks website , is being moved to the joint regional correctional facility at fort leavenworth , kansas , defense officials said tuesday . at this juncture of the case , given the likely continued period of pre-trial confinement , we have determined that the new pre-trial facility at fort leavenworth is the most appropriate one for private manning going forward , ' defense department general counsel jeh johnson told reporters . a defense official initially told cnn manning was moving to the u.s. disciplinary barracks at fort leavenworth , but later corrected that information . manning , 23 , a military intelligence analyst from oklahoma , was being held in the brig at quantico marine base south of washington . there had been a push by friends and supporters to have his confinement conditions eased . supporters said he was confined in a one-man cell with only one hour a day outside of the cell for exercise . defense officials said at a briefing that an evaluation aimed at determining whether manning is competent has been completed , and there was no need for him to remain in the washington area . among those arrested at a demonstration protesting manning 's conditions last month were daniel ellsberg , who leaked the pentagon papers in 1971 to the new york times and retired u.s. army col. ann wright who resigned to protest the u.s. invasion of iraq . johnson told reporters that the decision to move manning is not meant as a criticism of the quantico facility and congratulated the military personnel there for the job they did in difficult circumstances . ' we remain satisfied that private manning 's pre-trial confinement at quantico was in compliance with legal and regulatory standards in all respects , ' he said . manning 's case -- and the details of his detention -- drew attention last month in the aftermath of comments by former state department spokesman p.j . crowley and crowley 's sudden resignation . amidst reports that manning had been forced to sleep without clothing and was confined to his cell 23 hours a day , crowley had criticized how manning was held at quantico , calling it ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid , ' according to news reports . he later stepped down from his post . the pentagon has maintained that manning is held in accordance with rules governing all maximum-custody detainees at quantico , for his protection and the safety of others , and that manning is on poi ' status , for prevention of injury . ' rep. dennis kucinich , d-ohio , released a statement tuesday after news of manning 's pending transfer broke , promising to demand written assurances from defense department officials that manning 's rights will be protected . any move of pfc . manning does not change the underlying fact , which has not been disputed by the department of defense , that he has been held under conditions which may in fact constitute'cruel and unusual punishment'in violation of the 8th amendment , ' he wrote . u.s. military officials have told cnn that manning is the prime suspect in the leak of hundreds of thousands of classified documents that ended up on the wikileaks website . he is awaiting a decision on whether he will face a court martial . last month , the army notified manning that he faces 22 more charges in connection with the alleged downloading of secret information from computers in iraq , bringing to 34 the total charges in the case . the most serious new charge alleges he aided the enemy by making the information public ; that charge is punishable by death . a statement from the army said the prosecution team has notified the defense that the prosecution will not recommend the death penalty , ' but technically it is up to the commander overseeing the case to make the final decision . | new : the decision is not meant as a criticism of the quantico facility , an official says |
newcastle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- france is en vogue at the moment . its parliament has backed gay marriage , les miserables ' has taken the movie world by storm , mcdonald 's is launching the mccamembert ' burger and david beckham has jetted in to join the french revolution at paris saint-germain . vive le france ? not so for those earning more than $ 1.3 million a year , especially after socialist president francois hollande announced he would introduce a top income tax rate of 75 % . it has become a real point of contention , with some -- including top sports stars -- threatening to move abroad . depardieu ditches france for putin 's russia renowned actor gerard depardieu has already taken up the offer of russian citizenship , despite france 's constitutional court vetoing hollande 's proposal . but while the plans over taxation are on hold , those involved with the nation 's football are worried that their star assets are heading to the united kingdom and abroad to seek sanctuary . what you see is that french football loses good players , all leaving for england , so the premier league will be above all the other leagues , ' marseille manager elie baup told reporters . in france , because of the financial side , we will have to work on young players or with recruits not well known , and then we 'll make them big , and they 'll go to england again . we are entering this'cycle .' during the january transfer window , international striker loic remy left french title contender marseille to move to queens park rangers , a club which was bottom of the english premier league and threatened with relegation . football 's middle men eye rich pickings in transfer window even more remarkably in january , no less than five frenchman made the switch to newcastle , a move which led to the hanging of the tricolor ' in the epl club 's canteen . lille 's mathieu debuchy , montpellier 's mapou yanga-mbiwa , massadio haidara from nancy , toulouse 's moussa sissoko and bordeaux 's yoann gouffran all made the move to the north east of england . they should feel at home as there 's already more than a hint of gallic flair at st. james'park , with the wonderfully talented pair of yohan cabaye and hatem ben arfa at the club , as well as the likes of sylvain marveaux , gabriel obertan and romain amalfitano . i 'm not surprised that they want to play there because it 's the best league , but i am surprised by just how many french players have gone there at the same time , ' former newcastle and france player didier domi told cnn . however , domi insisted that financial motivation was not the reason for this footballing exodus to newcastle . tax is not a big factor . the biggest draw is the chance to play in front of packed stadia every week , ' he said . it 's the place where all players want to play . when the french players come back to france after a spell in england , they all talk about how great it is . it 's professional , it has great fans and atmosphere and it 's where all the best players are . i loved it at newcastle . the fans and people of the north east are so friendly and full of warmth . ' mickelson has a point on taxes in the last french election , held in may 2012 -- the french population in london was given the opportunity to vote on the establishment of a parliamentary member for northern europe . there are 120,000 officially registered as living in the british capital , but one of those -- politician axelle lemaire -- believes the total is nearer 400,000 . before winning that parliamentary ballot , as a representative of hollande 's socialist party , lemaire lived and worked in london for 12 years . many people come and go between the two countries thanks to the new transport links and there are a lot of younger people who come to london and move on afterwards , ' she told cnn . i arrived in london 12 years ago and i remember reading the headlines in the newspapers then about how french people were moving for tax reasons . but the reality is very different . even now there is a lot being written about people leaving because of the 75 % tax reasons . i 've not seen any serious figures supporting this . the reality is very different . people come here for a whole variety of reasons : to study , to work , to learn english , for love , for the international dimension of the uk . taxes , at the end , are pretty similar in the two countries , and constitute very rarely a reason to move out . it has become more and more normal to spend some time in your career or to study abroad . some stay and some leave after a while . sometimes , bi-national couples move to france if they have a second child because the cost of living is expensive here . ' why depardieu 's'pathetic'desertion has caused french storm lemaire also doubts that recent raft of french arrivals at newcastle has anything to do with the levels of tax in their own country . i think it 's a misconception to say they 're here because of taxes , ' she said . these players are young and earning their first big contract in a very good club and that 's a great opportunity for them . 'i do n't think they 've thought to themselves ,'i want to leave for tax reasons .' dubbed neufchateau ' by the french media , newcastle is in many ways no different from many other premier league clubs in luring talent from across the channel . the likes of thierry henry , patrick vieira , nicolas anelka , emmanuel petit , marcel desailly and claude makelele are just some of those to enjoy huge success in england . while the typical english football fan might refer to the french as frogs ' and take pleasure in mentioning the military victories at waterloo and agincourt , the acceptance of french talent on the football field has never been in doubt . one frenchman who made the move to england and then to newcastle was football writer kevin quignane , who believes the most difficult task facing his fellow countrymen is understanding the locals'notorious geordie ' accent . there was indeed a bit of a linguistic shock , ' quignane recalled following his arrival in the city . i 'd say that a true , thick geordie accent is more difficult to understand than a broad yorkshire brogue , which in itself can be pretty challenging . i just could n't understand our next door neighbor and my partner , who is herself a geordie , also had great trouble . it really can be challenging but by and large , most locals speak with a mild geordie accent , thank god . that or i 've got so used to it that i do n't notice anymore . ' while it might take time for the newcomers to adapt to the local lingo and swap their chardonnay for a pint of newcastle brown ale , quignane believes the recent arrivals will enjoy life in the city . newcastle 's stock as a city has risen tremendously in the last decade , ' he added . it 's now seen as a vibrant , party-going and sexy place , but it was a very different story 10 years earlier with the demise of the mines and shipyards and the meadow well riots in 1991 . the quayside , now newcastle 's nightlife epicenter -- revamped and regenerated -- was a mess back then . ' beckham to donate psg wages to children 's charity back in france the arrival of a world superstar in beckham at paris saint-germain has helped softened the blow of so many departing french players . the midfielder signed a five-month deal with psg last month and has pledged to donate his salary to a children 's charity within the city . and while worries persist over the numbers of young french players moving aboard , beckham arrives at a time where big-name foreign players are playing a starring role in ligue 1 . backed by its qatari-based owners , psg recently paid out $ 52.8 million for young brazilian lucas moura after securing a $ 72 million deal for zlatan ibrahimovic and defender thiago silva from milan last july . the club has qualified for the quarterfinals of the champions league and leads the domestic title race . i am very glad , ' lemaire said of beckham 's arrival in the french capital . i think that it 's great that he decided to move to paris and to donate his wages to charity . it 's a very good example . it also shows that paris is a good club and an attractive city . ' | english club newcastle has welcomed an influx of french footballers to premier league |
newcastle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- france is en vogue at the moment . its parliament has backed gay marriage , les miserables ' has taken the movie world by storm , mcdonald 's is launching the mccamembert ' burger and david beckham has jetted in to join the french revolution at paris saint-germain . vive le france ? not so for those earning more than $ 1.3 million a year , especially after socialist president francois hollande announced he would introduce a top income tax rate of 75 % . it has become a real point of contention , with some -- including top sports stars -- threatening to move abroad . depardieu ditches france for putin 's russia renowned actor gerard depardieu has already taken up the offer of russian citizenship , despite france 's constitutional court vetoing hollande 's proposal . but while the plans over taxation are on hold , those involved with the nation 's football are worried that their star assets are heading to the united kingdom and abroad to seek sanctuary . what you see is that french football loses good players , all leaving for england , so the premier league will be above all the other leagues , ' marseille manager elie baup told reporters . in france , because of the financial side , we will have to work on young players or with recruits not well known , and then we 'll make them big , and they 'll go to england again . we are entering this'cycle .' during the january transfer window , international striker loic remy left french title contender marseille to move to queens park rangers , a club which was bottom of the english premier league and threatened with relegation . football 's middle men eye rich pickings in transfer window even more remarkably in january , no less than five frenchman made the switch to newcastle , a move which led to the hanging of the tricolor ' in the epl club 's canteen . lille 's mathieu debuchy , montpellier 's mapou yanga-mbiwa , massadio haidara from nancy , toulouse 's moussa sissoko and bordeaux 's yoann gouffran all made the move to the north east of england . they should feel at home as there 's already more than a hint of gallic flair at st. james'park , with the wonderfully talented pair of yohan cabaye and hatem ben arfa at the club , as well as the likes of sylvain marveaux , gabriel obertan and romain amalfitano . i 'm not surprised that they want to play there because it 's the best league , but i am surprised by just how many french players have gone there at the same time , ' former newcastle and france player didier domi told cnn . however , domi insisted that financial motivation was not the reason for this footballing exodus to newcastle . tax is not a big factor . the biggest draw is the chance to play in front of packed stadia every week , ' he said . it 's the place where all players want to play . when the french players come back to france after a spell in england , they all talk about how great it is . it 's professional , it has great fans and atmosphere and it 's where all the best players are . i loved it at newcastle . the fans and people of the north east are so friendly and full of warmth . ' mickelson has a point on taxes in the last french election , held in may 2012 -- the french population in london was given the opportunity to vote on the establishment of a parliamentary member for northern europe . there are 120,000 officially registered as living in the british capital , but one of those -- politician axelle lemaire -- believes the total is nearer 400,000 . before winning that parliamentary ballot , as a representative of hollande 's socialist party , lemaire lived and worked in london for 12 years . many people come and go between the two countries thanks to the new transport links and there are a lot of younger people who come to london and move on afterwards , ' she told cnn . i arrived in london 12 years ago and i remember reading the headlines in the newspapers then about how french people were moving for tax reasons . but the reality is very different . even now there is a lot being written about people leaving because of the 75 % tax reasons . i 've not seen any serious figures supporting this . the reality is very different . people come here for a whole variety of reasons : to study , to work , to learn english , for love , for the international dimension of the uk . taxes , at the end , are pretty similar in the two countries , and constitute very rarely a reason to move out . it has become more and more normal to spend some time in your career or to study abroad . some stay and some leave after a while . sometimes , bi-national couples move to france if they have a second child because the cost of living is expensive here . ' why depardieu 's'pathetic'desertion has caused french storm lemaire also doubts that recent raft of french arrivals at newcastle has anything to do with the levels of tax in their own country . i think it 's a misconception to say they 're here because of taxes , ' she said . these players are young and earning their first big contract in a very good club and that 's a great opportunity for them . 'i do n't think they 've thought to themselves ,'i want to leave for tax reasons .' dubbed neufchateau ' by the french media , newcastle is in many ways no different from many other premier league clubs in luring talent from across the channel . the likes of thierry henry , patrick vieira , nicolas anelka , emmanuel petit , marcel desailly and claude makelele are just some of those to enjoy huge success in england . while the typical english football fan might refer to the french as frogs ' and take pleasure in mentioning the military victories at waterloo and agincourt , the acceptance of french talent on the football field has never been in doubt . one frenchman who made the move to england and then to newcastle was football writer kevin quignane , who believes the most difficult task facing his fellow countrymen is understanding the locals'notorious geordie ' accent . there was indeed a bit of a linguistic shock , ' quignane recalled following his arrival in the city . i 'd say that a true , thick geordie accent is more difficult to understand than a broad yorkshire brogue , which in itself can be pretty challenging . i just could n't understand our next door neighbor and my partner , who is herself a geordie , also had great trouble . it really can be challenging but by and large , most locals speak with a mild geordie accent , thank god . that or i 've got so used to it that i do n't notice anymore . ' while it might take time for the newcomers to adapt to the local lingo and swap their chardonnay for a pint of newcastle brown ale , quignane believes the recent arrivals will enjoy life in the city . newcastle 's stock as a city has risen tremendously in the last decade , ' he added . it 's now seen as a vibrant , party-going and sexy place , but it was a very different story 10 years earlier with the demise of the mines and shipyards and the meadow well riots in 1991 . the quayside , now newcastle 's nightlife epicenter -- revamped and regenerated -- was a mess back then . ' beckham to donate psg wages to children 's charity back in france the arrival of a world superstar in beckham at paris saint-germain has helped softened the blow of so many departing french players . the midfielder signed a five-month deal with psg last month and has pledged to donate his salary to a children 's charity within the city . and while worries persist over the numbers of young french players moving aboard , beckham arrives at a time where big-name foreign players are playing a starring role in ligue 1 . backed by its qatari-based owners , psg recently paid out $ 52.8 million for young brazilian lucas moura after securing a $ 72 million deal for zlatan ibrahimovic and defender thiago silva from milan last july . the club has qualified for the quarterfinals of the champions league and leads the domestic title race . i am very glad , ' lemaire said of beckham 's arrival in the french capital . i think that it 's great that he decided to move to paris and to donate his wages to charity . it 's a very good example . it also shows that paris is a good club and an attractive city . ' | former newcastle defender didier domi backs french revolution at club |
halpern <tsp> ( cnn ) -- since the december 14 mass killing in connecticut , we 've seen a lot of finger pointing . too many guns . not enough guns . powerful lobbyists . insufficient mental health services . discussion of possible explanations is often neither civil nor constructive , and based on a closed-minded and entrenched belief that those who disagree with us have their facts wrong . the victims in sandy hook , aurora and fort hood -- all killed or wounded by gun violence -- deserve better . there are two major ways we can zero in on facts and foster a more informed discussion . the first is to further develop and meaningfully consider high quality scientific research on violence prevention and mental health . the second is to create more opportunities for public policy discussions that incorporate this research . politics : new congress , new push for gun laws the scientific literature regarding violence prevention is considerable . yet important research that focuses on gun violence has been shut down for political purposes . the centers for disease control and prevention once considered gun violence a public health issue . the science agency had the freedom to ask important questions : does having a gun in the home make a family safer ? do concealed carry laws increase or reduce gun fatalities ? but in 1996 , the national rifle association pressured its many supporters in congress to put the squeeze on the cdc by cutting funding that went to gun research , with the stipulation : none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the centers for disease control and prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control . ' gun-related research ground to a halt . in 2009 , scientists funded by the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism looked into whether carrying a gun increases or decreases the risk of being shot in an assault . in 2011 , montana rep. denny rehberg inserted a provision into a funding bill that extended the cdc restrictions to the rest of the department of health and human services , ending that similar research . even obamacare has been touched by the nra : the new health care law restricts doctors'ability to collect data about patients'gun use . criticizing research is fair game , ' drs . arthur kellermann and frederick rivara wrote in opposition in the journal of the american medical association last month . suppressing research by targeting its sources of funding is not . ' science and engineering research can answer important questions . for instance , can we cost-effectively engineer firearms to be used solely by the registered owner ? what 's the best way for law enforcement agencies to share gun violence data ? does media attention focused on the killers encourage copycat crimes ? does better access to mental health services reduce criminal activity ? some findings could lead to policy choices that are n't yet on the table or help determine where we should best focus our attention . republicans and democrats alike are warming up to the idea that adequate research can lead to more informed policy decisions . former rep. jay dickey , the arkansas republican who led the charge against the cdc in 1996 , recently expressed regret for suppressing firearm safety research . just as important , how do all these pieces of the puzzle fit together ? having an informed debate means relying on credible syntheses of expert studies . to come up with answers , scientific organizations , such as the national academy of sciences , could convene independent panels to piece together what is known and what is not known and to evaluate various policy options . the commission set up after the 2010 british petroleum oil spill is one such example . the 9/11 commission is another . analysis : guns and the law when independent experts who are free from conflicts of interest come together in good faith to study an issue , they can have a profound and constructive influence on government policy . at a more basic level , national and state legislative committees should hold more hearings designed to study evidence rather than using hearings as theater to advance a political point of view . nongovernmental organizations , including the one where i work , can redouble their efforts to bring scientists and policymakers together . this is especially important after the demise of the office of technology assessment , a research office within congress that , until the mid-1990s , provided independent analyses on issues up for congressional debate . in the absence of a reliable base of information we can all agree on , we guess . we interpret the facts to suit our beliefs . we put our faith in the institutions or individuals we trust , whether it 's the nra , religious leaders or gun control groups . and we keep on having the same broken debate . of course , the evidence can only take us so far . moral , economic , legal and political arguments can and should carry weight . but robust research can set the baseline for a discussion and help us make the best decisions for society . the more polarized , caustic and poorly analyzed an issue , the more intractable it becomes . we need to develop venues for rational discourse about research that is resilient to political pressures . more robust partnerships among scientists , policymakers and the public can help us work together to address critical challenges , even after they fall from the headlines . vice president joe biden is leading a task force to address our country 's problem of gun violence . one critical step the task force should embrace is to lift restrictions on the research public health scientists can do . and we can all reject attempts to discredit evidence that challenges our beliefs . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael halpern . | halpern : the nra pressured congress to end gun violence research at cdc |
halpern <tsp> ( cnn ) -- since the december 14 mass killing in connecticut , we 've seen a lot of finger pointing . too many guns . not enough guns . powerful lobbyists . insufficient mental health services . discussion of possible explanations is often neither civil nor constructive , and based on a closed-minded and entrenched belief that those who disagree with us have their facts wrong . the victims in sandy hook , aurora and fort hood -- all killed or wounded by gun violence -- deserve better . there are two major ways we can zero in on facts and foster a more informed discussion . the first is to further develop and meaningfully consider high quality scientific research on violence prevention and mental health . the second is to create more opportunities for public policy discussions that incorporate this research . politics : new congress , new push for gun laws the scientific literature regarding violence prevention is considerable . yet important research that focuses on gun violence has been shut down for political purposes . the centers for disease control and prevention once considered gun violence a public health issue . the science agency had the freedom to ask important questions : does having a gun in the home make a family safer ? do concealed carry laws increase or reduce gun fatalities ? but in 1996 , the national rifle association pressured its many supporters in congress to put the squeeze on the cdc by cutting funding that went to gun research , with the stipulation : none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the centers for disease control and prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control . ' gun-related research ground to a halt . in 2009 , scientists funded by the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism looked into whether carrying a gun increases or decreases the risk of being shot in an assault . in 2011 , montana rep. denny rehberg inserted a provision into a funding bill that extended the cdc restrictions to the rest of the department of health and human services , ending that similar research . even obamacare has been touched by the nra : the new health care law restricts doctors'ability to collect data about patients'gun use . criticizing research is fair game , ' drs . arthur kellermann and frederick rivara wrote in opposition in the journal of the american medical association last month . suppressing research by targeting its sources of funding is not . ' science and engineering research can answer important questions . for instance , can we cost-effectively engineer firearms to be used solely by the registered owner ? what 's the best way for law enforcement agencies to share gun violence data ? does media attention focused on the killers encourage copycat crimes ? does better access to mental health services reduce criminal activity ? some findings could lead to policy choices that are n't yet on the table or help determine where we should best focus our attention . republicans and democrats alike are warming up to the idea that adequate research can lead to more informed policy decisions . former rep. jay dickey , the arkansas republican who led the charge against the cdc in 1996 , recently expressed regret for suppressing firearm safety research . just as important , how do all these pieces of the puzzle fit together ? having an informed debate means relying on credible syntheses of expert studies . to come up with answers , scientific organizations , such as the national academy of sciences , could convene independent panels to piece together what is known and what is not known and to evaluate various policy options . the commission set up after the 2010 british petroleum oil spill is one such example . the 9/11 commission is another . analysis : guns and the law when independent experts who are free from conflicts of interest come together in good faith to study an issue , they can have a profound and constructive influence on government policy . at a more basic level , national and state legislative committees should hold more hearings designed to study evidence rather than using hearings as theater to advance a political point of view . nongovernmental organizations , including the one where i work , can redouble their efforts to bring scientists and policymakers together . this is especially important after the demise of the office of technology assessment , a research office within congress that , until the mid-1990s , provided independent analyses on issues up for congressional debate . in the absence of a reliable base of information we can all agree on , we guess . we interpret the facts to suit our beliefs . we put our faith in the institutions or individuals we trust , whether it 's the nra , religious leaders or gun control groups . and we keep on having the same broken debate . of course , the evidence can only take us so far . moral , economic , legal and political arguments can and should carry weight . but robust research can set the baseline for a discussion and help us make the best decisions for society . the more polarized , caustic and poorly analyzed an issue , the more intractable it becomes . we need to develop venues for rational discourse about research that is resilient to political pressures . more robust partnerships among scientists , policymakers and the public can help us work together to address critical challenges , even after they fall from the headlines . vice president joe biden is leading a task force to address our country 's problem of gun violence . one critical step the task force should embrace is to lift restrictions on the research public health scientists can do . and we can all reject attempts to discredit evidence that challenges our beliefs . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael halpern . | michael halpern : we need scientific research on gun violence to inform policy |
hayden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as congress prepares to return from its august recess , washington is gearing up for a national conversation on the balance between security and liberty , between necessary surveillance and necessary privacy . that 's a good thing . it would be an even better thing if the discussion were based on fact rather than contaminated by inaccuracies and posturing . a quick review of recent commentary suggests that may not be likely . for example , fox news seems incapable of commenting on this story without the header nsa scandal , ' a lead that brings with it its own conclusion . a prominent u.s. senator recently opined that , they ( the national security agency ) basically i believe probably are looking at all the cell phone calls in america every day . ' another lawmaker has already concluded that the nsa is an agency out of control . ' and a former congressman on a sunday talk show added to the sum total of human knowledge with this : cia ! hello ! i mean we have a cia . what 's the nsa really about ? ' i fear that the coming debate will have all the characteristics of a mob -- thoughtless action driven by artificial urgency , unreasoning fear , emotion and misinformation . and that 's a pity since the heart of this issue has been around for years and deserves serious discussion . as far back as at least 2000 , the nsa tried to hit the real question head-on . the agency knew that past targets of its surveillance largely communicated on their own dedicated networks . there was hardly a civil libertarian alive who would be concerned about trying to intercept communications between the soviet high command in moscow and intercontinental ballistic missile silos beyond the urals . but the threats of the 21st century do not communicate on their own networks . terrorists , drug traffickers , arms proliferators and the like live on a unitary global information grid where their communications co-exist with the communications of the very people the nsa is committed to protecting . it was clear even pre-9/11 that the nsa could not do its mission without working aggressively on this common grid . it was also clear that the agency would not have the power to do so -- legally , financially or technologically -- unless the american people were convinced that this power would be limited to its intended purpose , that even as constitutionally protected communications mingled with and were sorted from targeted communications , they would still be protected . and that basically is the issue of the moment , whether the headline is prism , xkeyscore , metadata , upstream ' communications , blarney or an alleged nsa secret room at an at & t facility in san francisco -- all of which have been featured in recent coverage . americans will have to decide what constitutes a reasonable ' expectation of privacy and what running room they will give their government to search for the signals almost everyone agrees should be captured even as those signals co-exist with their own . although congress , the courts and two administrations have authorized what the nsa is doing today , these are not easy issues . resolution will hinge on how much trust people have in their government , or at least this part of it . it will also hinge on how much danger with which people are willing to live . and if this is to be a fact-based discussion , resolution will also hinge on how well citizens understand a few basics of what exactly is being done . unfortunately , much of the public discourse is confused to the point of incoherence . take the question of authorities . how does the nsa get the power to do any of this ? in most instances , since this is about foreign intelligence , authority comes from the president and is codified in executive order 12333 . only when a u.s. person is involved or for certain kinds of collection in the united states does the agency have to rely on the foreign intelligence surveillance act and the court it established . this is important . most intelligence collection -- by the nsa , cia or any intelligence agency -- is not overseen by a court . oversight comes from the president and the congress . but it is still oversight . breathless claims that some things are done without court review could well be true -- and not very relevant . then there is collection involving americans . most casual commentators simply assert that anytime the nsa is listening to an american , the agency must have a warrant . indeed , trying to calm current concerns , president barack obama told charlie rose that , absent a warrant , what i can say unequivocally is that if you are a u.s. person , the nsa can not listen to your telephone calls . ... ' actually , that 's not quite correct -- and never has been . as the president suggested later in the interview , the nsa can not target the communications of a u.s. person . if it is tracking the communications of a legitimate foreign intelligence target and that target talks to an american , the nsa indeed covers it -- and always has . this simply makes sense . picture a known terrorist who makes a series of operational calls to confederates in say paris , london and the bronx . to suggest that the nsa has to stop coverage of the last call is ludicrous . this is what the nsa calls incidental collection of information to , from or about a u.s. person . when this occurs -- and it is not rare -- the agency is required to keep its focus on the foreign intelligence in the communication and minimize or mask the u.s. identity unless the identity is essential to the intelligence ( as it would be in the example above ) . keep this in mind when commentators claim that the nsa has collected the content of american e-mails or phone calls . that may be , but the nsa is not targeting them without a warrant . and then there are the numbers . like the washington post 's august 15 headline screaming , nsa broke privacy rules thousands of times per year , audit finds . ' you have to dig deeper to learn ( as i pointed out in another piece ) that all of the incidents were inadvertent ; no one is claiming that any rules were intentionally violated ; and all of the incidents were discovered , reported and corrected by the nsa itself . in one example , the post referred to large numbers of data base query incidents . ' the nsa later confirmed that in one quarter there indeed were 115 incidents of nsa queries being incorrectly entered , mistakes such as mistyping or using overly broad search criteria . that 's 115 out of more than 61 million inquiries made in that quarter , a compliance rate of .999998 . in this , as in most issues , facts ( and context ) matter . understanding beyond the accusatory headline or the facile quip is needed , or we will be just tossing slogans at one another , slinging volleys of hyperbole , stoking fears and anger and distrust , all of which will make it even more difficult to resolve an already very difficult question . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael hayden . | hayden : violations of rules were discovered by nsa , represent tiny fraction of communications |
hayden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as congress prepares to return from its august recess , washington is gearing up for a national conversation on the balance between security and liberty , between necessary surveillance and necessary privacy . that 's a good thing . it would be an even better thing if the discussion were based on fact rather than contaminated by inaccuracies and posturing . a quick review of recent commentary suggests that may not be likely . for example , fox news seems incapable of commenting on this story without the header nsa scandal , ' a lead that brings with it its own conclusion . a prominent u.s. senator recently opined that , they ( the national security agency ) basically i believe probably are looking at all the cell phone calls in america every day . ' another lawmaker has already concluded that the nsa is an agency out of control . ' and a former congressman on a sunday talk show added to the sum total of human knowledge with this : cia ! hello ! i mean we have a cia . what 's the nsa really about ? ' i fear that the coming debate will have all the characteristics of a mob -- thoughtless action driven by artificial urgency , unreasoning fear , emotion and misinformation . and that 's a pity since the heart of this issue has been around for years and deserves serious discussion . as far back as at least 2000 , the nsa tried to hit the real question head-on . the agency knew that past targets of its surveillance largely communicated on their own dedicated networks . there was hardly a civil libertarian alive who would be concerned about trying to intercept communications between the soviet high command in moscow and intercontinental ballistic missile silos beyond the urals . but the threats of the 21st century do not communicate on their own networks . terrorists , drug traffickers , arms proliferators and the like live on a unitary global information grid where their communications co-exist with the communications of the very people the nsa is committed to protecting . it was clear even pre-9/11 that the nsa could not do its mission without working aggressively on this common grid . it was also clear that the agency would not have the power to do so -- legally , financially or technologically -- unless the american people were convinced that this power would be limited to its intended purpose , that even as constitutionally protected communications mingled with and were sorted from targeted communications , they would still be protected . and that basically is the issue of the moment , whether the headline is prism , xkeyscore , metadata , upstream ' communications , blarney or an alleged nsa secret room at an at & t facility in san francisco -- all of which have been featured in recent coverage . americans will have to decide what constitutes a reasonable ' expectation of privacy and what running room they will give their government to search for the signals almost everyone agrees should be captured even as those signals co-exist with their own . although congress , the courts and two administrations have authorized what the nsa is doing today , these are not easy issues . resolution will hinge on how much trust people have in their government , or at least this part of it . it will also hinge on how much danger with which people are willing to live . and if this is to be a fact-based discussion , resolution will also hinge on how well citizens understand a few basics of what exactly is being done . unfortunately , much of the public discourse is confused to the point of incoherence . take the question of authorities . how does the nsa get the power to do any of this ? in most instances , since this is about foreign intelligence , authority comes from the president and is codified in executive order 12333 . only when a u.s. person is involved or for certain kinds of collection in the united states does the agency have to rely on the foreign intelligence surveillance act and the court it established . this is important . most intelligence collection -- by the nsa , cia or any intelligence agency -- is not overseen by a court . oversight comes from the president and the congress . but it is still oversight . breathless claims that some things are done without court review could well be true -- and not very relevant . then there is collection involving americans . most casual commentators simply assert that anytime the nsa is listening to an american , the agency must have a warrant . indeed , trying to calm current concerns , president barack obama told charlie rose that , absent a warrant , what i can say unequivocally is that if you are a u.s. person , the nsa can not listen to your telephone calls . ... ' actually , that 's not quite correct -- and never has been . as the president suggested later in the interview , the nsa can not target the communications of a u.s. person . if it is tracking the communications of a legitimate foreign intelligence target and that target talks to an american , the nsa indeed covers it -- and always has . this simply makes sense . picture a known terrorist who makes a series of operational calls to confederates in say paris , london and the bronx . to suggest that the nsa has to stop coverage of the last call is ludicrous . this is what the nsa calls incidental collection of information to , from or about a u.s. person . when this occurs -- and it is not rare -- the agency is required to keep its focus on the foreign intelligence in the communication and minimize or mask the u.s. identity unless the identity is essential to the intelligence ( as it would be in the example above ) . keep this in mind when commentators claim that the nsa has collected the content of american e-mails or phone calls . that may be , but the nsa is not targeting them without a warrant . and then there are the numbers . like the washington post 's august 15 headline screaming , nsa broke privacy rules thousands of times per year , audit finds . ' you have to dig deeper to learn ( as i pointed out in another piece ) that all of the incidents were inadvertent ; no one is claiming that any rules were intentionally violated ; and all of the incidents were discovered , reported and corrected by the nsa itself . in one example , the post referred to large numbers of data base query incidents . ' the nsa later confirmed that in one quarter there indeed were 115 incidents of nsa queries being incorrectly entered , mistakes such as mistyping or using overly broad search criteria . that 's 115 out of more than 61 million inquiries made in that quarter , a compliance rate of .999998 . in this , as in most issues , facts ( and context ) matter . understanding beyond the accusatory headline or the facile quip is needed , or we will be just tossing slogans at one another , slinging volleys of hyperbole , stoking fears and anger and distrust , all of which will make it even more difficult to resolve an already very difficult question . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael hayden . | michael hayden : it 's good for u.s. to discuss balance between liberty and security |
nsa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as congress prepares to return from its august recess , washington is gearing up for a national conversation on the balance between security and liberty , between necessary surveillance and necessary privacy . that 's a good thing . it would be an even better thing if the discussion were based on fact rather than contaminated by inaccuracies and posturing . a quick review of recent commentary suggests that may not be likely . for example , fox news seems incapable of commenting on this story without the header nsa scandal , ' a lead that brings with it its own conclusion . a prominent u.s. senator recently opined that , they ( the national security agency ) basically i believe probably are looking at all the cell phone calls in america every day . ' another lawmaker has already concluded that the nsa is an agency out of control . ' and a former congressman on a sunday talk show added to the sum total of human knowledge with this : cia ! hello ! i mean we have a cia . what 's the nsa really about ? ' i fear that the coming debate will have all the characteristics of a mob -- thoughtless action driven by artificial urgency , unreasoning fear , emotion and misinformation . and that 's a pity since the heart of this issue has been around for years and deserves serious discussion . as far back as at least 2000 , the nsa tried to hit the real question head-on . the agency knew that past targets of its surveillance largely communicated on their own dedicated networks . there was hardly a civil libertarian alive who would be concerned about trying to intercept communications between the soviet high command in moscow and intercontinental ballistic missile silos beyond the urals . but the threats of the 21st century do not communicate on their own networks . terrorists , drug traffickers , arms proliferators and the like live on a unitary global information grid where their communications co-exist with the communications of the very people the nsa is committed to protecting . it was clear even pre-9/11 that the nsa could not do its mission without working aggressively on this common grid . it was also clear that the agency would not have the power to do so -- legally , financially or technologically -- unless the american people were convinced that this power would be limited to its intended purpose , that even as constitutionally protected communications mingled with and were sorted from targeted communications , they would still be protected . and that basically is the issue of the moment , whether the headline is prism , xkeyscore , metadata , upstream ' communications , blarney or an alleged nsa secret room at an at & t facility in san francisco -- all of which have been featured in recent coverage . americans will have to decide what constitutes a reasonable ' expectation of privacy and what running room they will give their government to search for the signals almost everyone agrees should be captured even as those signals co-exist with their own . although congress , the courts and two administrations have authorized what the nsa is doing today , these are not easy issues . resolution will hinge on how much trust people have in their government , or at least this part of it . it will also hinge on how much danger with which people are willing to live . and if this is to be a fact-based discussion , resolution will also hinge on how well citizens understand a few basics of what exactly is being done . unfortunately , much of the public discourse is confused to the point of incoherence . take the question of authorities . how does the nsa get the power to do any of this ? in most instances , since this is about foreign intelligence , authority comes from the president and is codified in executive order 12333 . only when a u.s. person is involved or for certain kinds of collection in the united states does the agency have to rely on the foreign intelligence surveillance act and the court it established . this is important . most intelligence collection -- by the nsa , cia or any intelligence agency -- is not overseen by a court . oversight comes from the president and the congress . but it is still oversight . breathless claims that some things are done without court review could well be true -- and not very relevant . then there is collection involving americans . most casual commentators simply assert that anytime the nsa is listening to an american , the agency must have a warrant . indeed , trying to calm current concerns , president barack obama told charlie rose that , absent a warrant , what i can say unequivocally is that if you are a u.s. person , the nsa can not listen to your telephone calls . ... ' actually , that 's not quite correct -- and never has been . as the president suggested later in the interview , the nsa can not target the communications of a u.s. person . if it is tracking the communications of a legitimate foreign intelligence target and that target talks to an american , the nsa indeed covers it -- and always has . this simply makes sense . picture a known terrorist who makes a series of operational calls to confederates in say paris , london and the bronx . to suggest that the nsa has to stop coverage of the last call is ludicrous . this is what the nsa calls incidental collection of information to , from or about a u.s. person . when this occurs -- and it is not rare -- the agency is required to keep its focus on the foreign intelligence in the communication and minimize or mask the u.s. identity unless the identity is essential to the intelligence ( as it would be in the example above ) . keep this in mind when commentators claim that the nsa has collected the content of american e-mails or phone calls . that may be , but the nsa is not targeting them without a warrant . and then there are the numbers . like the washington post 's august 15 headline screaming , nsa broke privacy rules thousands of times per year , audit finds . ' you have to dig deeper to learn ( as i pointed out in another piece ) that all of the incidents were inadvertent ; no one is claiming that any rules were intentionally violated ; and all of the incidents were discovered , reported and corrected by the nsa itself . in one example , the post referred to large numbers of data base query incidents . ' the nsa later confirmed that in one quarter there indeed were 115 incidents of nsa queries being incorrectly entered , mistakes such as mistyping or using overly broad search criteria . that 's 115 out of more than 61 million inquiries made in that quarter , a compliance rate of .999998 . in this , as in most issues , facts ( and context ) matter . understanding beyond the accusatory headline or the facile quip is needed , or we will be just tossing slogans at one another , slinging volleys of hyperbole , stoking fears and anger and distrust , all of which will make it even more difficult to resolve an already very difficult question . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael hayden . | hayden : violations of rules were discovered by nsa , represent tiny fraction of communications |
nsa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as congress prepares to return from its august recess , washington is gearing up for a national conversation on the balance between security and liberty , between necessary surveillance and necessary privacy . that 's a good thing . it would be an even better thing if the discussion were based on fact rather than contaminated by inaccuracies and posturing . a quick review of recent commentary suggests that may not be likely . for example , fox news seems incapable of commenting on this story without the header nsa scandal , ' a lead that brings with it its own conclusion . a prominent u.s. senator recently opined that , they ( the national security agency ) basically i believe probably are looking at all the cell phone calls in america every day . ' another lawmaker has already concluded that the nsa is an agency out of control . ' and a former congressman on a sunday talk show added to the sum total of human knowledge with this : cia ! hello ! i mean we have a cia . what 's the nsa really about ? ' i fear that the coming debate will have all the characteristics of a mob -- thoughtless action driven by artificial urgency , unreasoning fear , emotion and misinformation . and that 's a pity since the heart of this issue has been around for years and deserves serious discussion . as far back as at least 2000 , the nsa tried to hit the real question head-on . the agency knew that past targets of its surveillance largely communicated on their own dedicated networks . there was hardly a civil libertarian alive who would be concerned about trying to intercept communications between the soviet high command in moscow and intercontinental ballistic missile silos beyond the urals . but the threats of the 21st century do not communicate on their own networks . terrorists , drug traffickers , arms proliferators and the like live on a unitary global information grid where their communications co-exist with the communications of the very people the nsa is committed to protecting . it was clear even pre-9/11 that the nsa could not do its mission without working aggressively on this common grid . it was also clear that the agency would not have the power to do so -- legally , financially or technologically -- unless the american people were convinced that this power would be limited to its intended purpose , that even as constitutionally protected communications mingled with and were sorted from targeted communications , they would still be protected . and that basically is the issue of the moment , whether the headline is prism , xkeyscore , metadata , upstream ' communications , blarney or an alleged nsa secret room at an at & t facility in san francisco -- all of which have been featured in recent coverage . americans will have to decide what constitutes a reasonable ' expectation of privacy and what running room they will give their government to search for the signals almost everyone agrees should be captured even as those signals co-exist with their own . although congress , the courts and two administrations have authorized what the nsa is doing today , these are not easy issues . resolution will hinge on how much trust people have in their government , or at least this part of it . it will also hinge on how much danger with which people are willing to live . and if this is to be a fact-based discussion , resolution will also hinge on how well citizens understand a few basics of what exactly is being done . unfortunately , much of the public discourse is confused to the point of incoherence . take the question of authorities . how does the nsa get the power to do any of this ? in most instances , since this is about foreign intelligence , authority comes from the president and is codified in executive order 12333 . only when a u.s. person is involved or for certain kinds of collection in the united states does the agency have to rely on the foreign intelligence surveillance act and the court it established . this is important . most intelligence collection -- by the nsa , cia or any intelligence agency -- is not overseen by a court . oversight comes from the president and the congress . but it is still oversight . breathless claims that some things are done without court review could well be true -- and not very relevant . then there is collection involving americans . most casual commentators simply assert that anytime the nsa is listening to an american , the agency must have a warrant . indeed , trying to calm current concerns , president barack obama told charlie rose that , absent a warrant , what i can say unequivocally is that if you are a u.s. person , the nsa can not listen to your telephone calls . ... ' actually , that 's not quite correct -- and never has been . as the president suggested later in the interview , the nsa can not target the communications of a u.s. person . if it is tracking the communications of a legitimate foreign intelligence target and that target talks to an american , the nsa indeed covers it -- and always has . this simply makes sense . picture a known terrorist who makes a series of operational calls to confederates in say paris , london and the bronx . to suggest that the nsa has to stop coverage of the last call is ludicrous . this is what the nsa calls incidental collection of information to , from or about a u.s. person . when this occurs -- and it is not rare -- the agency is required to keep its focus on the foreign intelligence in the communication and minimize or mask the u.s. identity unless the identity is essential to the intelligence ( as it would be in the example above ) . keep this in mind when commentators claim that the nsa has collected the content of american e-mails or phone calls . that may be , but the nsa is not targeting them without a warrant . and then there are the numbers . like the washington post 's august 15 headline screaming , nsa broke privacy rules thousands of times per year , audit finds . ' you have to dig deeper to learn ( as i pointed out in another piece ) that all of the incidents were inadvertent ; no one is claiming that any rules were intentionally violated ; and all of the incidents were discovered , reported and corrected by the nsa itself . in one example , the post referred to large numbers of data base query incidents . ' the nsa later confirmed that in one quarter there indeed were 115 incidents of nsa queries being incorrectly entered , mistakes such as mistyping or using overly broad search criteria . that 's 115 out of more than 61 million inquiries made in that quarter , a compliance rate of .999998 . in this , as in most issues , facts ( and context ) matter . understanding beyond the accusatory headline or the facile quip is needed , or we will be just tossing slogans at one another , slinging volleys of hyperbole , stoking fears and anger and distrust , all of which will make it even more difficult to resolve an already very difficult question . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael hayden . | former nsa director says much has been misunderstood in recent debate on agency |
liberty <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the birthday girl every fourth of july is the statue of liberty , the image on party napkins , on parade floats and the backdrop for fireworks displays in new york harbor . she is the ultimate american symbol , a gift from france to the united states , it is said , implying that she was a gift given government to government . the truth is , she could more correctly be called a gift from one artist to the world . in an era when we have given up the desire to astound each other simply to please or provoke wonder , this an important distinction . frédéric auguste bartholdi dreamed up this colossus back in the late 1800s . a middle-tier statue maker , he took his plan to egypt and pitched a colossal robed slave holding up a torch to stand at the mouth of the suez canal . when that deal failed , bartholdi brushed off the design and brought it to america , all on his own dime . he went door to door , office to office , presenting the vision and meeting with rejection . but with the well wishes of a few staunch supporters , he kept driving onward , winning other commissions to pay the bills and building liberty piece by piece in paris , paying for each section as soon as he could drum up donations . he sought out all of his engineering collaborators on his own . he dreamed up entertainments to raise monies through ticket sales . and it was he who yanked the massive french flag from her face at her unveiling in 1886 . he threw himself into the arms of a friend and wept . liberty remains . bartholdi is essentially unknown . you say the name bartholdi , and even savvy new yorkers look blank . bartholdi could foresee that future . when he visited liberty just before leaving america that year , he acknowledged , she is going away from me . ' he had lost the sense that she was his , a feeling he had possessed when climbing over her copper structure in paris . she would be given to future generations . bartholdi created one of the most powerful trademarks in history and is largely unknown . i suppose few people know the name jim schindler either , the man who designed mcdonald 's golden arches -- and that was pretty powerful , too . but still it seems a bit amazing bartholdi should go largely unrecognized for his work of art . we might not feel constantly awestruck that a work 305 feet tall -- taller than the ancient colossus of rhodes , whose legend lasted millennia -- mingles with us . but liberty , barring emergency closures for events such as superstorm sandy , attracts about 3.8 million tourists a year . every year , she flutters the hearts of people hiking to her head , as surely as she fluttered the hearts of immigrants arriving in the new world . her power remains . she is an echo of an era when people sought to produce wonder and ecstasy in their fellow citizens purely for the sake of creating a fabulous artifact of human possibility , even if their personal fame might vanish before the work did . astounding and delighting one another was the vogue . eiffel made his tower , just after he designed the scaffold for liberty 's interior . thomas edison proposed a colossal phonograph inside liberty to make her talk . ' inventors brought their products of genius to kaleidoscopic world 's fairs to enchant viewers as much as serve merchant interests . when i discover a subject grand enough , i will honor that subject by building the tallest statue in the world , ' bartholdi said in his 20s , 30 years before he unveiled his statue . it is hard to imagine anyone nowadays either demonstrating the patience to wait for an idea to strike or pursuing the goal of honoring a subject ... a concept . ideas are now considered important only if they are flypaper for money , not precious , heaven-sent gifts . good ones are catchy or addictive . few people try to invent something that will make the consumer say , look what humankind has achieved ! ' our popular entertainments titillate or intoxicate . i worry we have lost our sense of the importance of sharing our talents for the common good , partly because there is so much economic pressure put on the middle class , with stagnating wages and rising costs for housing , food and more . the middle class , in my historical research , seems the group from which big ideas have long sprung . and we compound the pressure by stealing the work of our inventors and artists , leaving them no means to actually survive . we weigh down our potential visionaries and inventors with college debt . when they begin to produce , say , music , we take it from them and pay fractions of pennies to listen to it , even as we pay stockbrokers at the lowest end $ 7 to $ 10 to make a trade . we underpay or do n't pay for a journalist 's writing . we require so little public art or decorative art that those artists of ours who do n't rise into the filament-thin clique of superstars only survive by working at many other jobs . anyone not connected to a company is required to double pay social security taxes as well as burdensome health insurance premiums ( even with obamacare ) . so there is no time for tinkering or deep pondering unless you work for google or tesla or spacex . putting our geniuses under the corporate umbrella means we craft amazing inventions , but before we can gloat that mankind has achieved something great for mankind , we monetize the hell out of the invention , putting it out of reach for most or , in the case of , say , medical inventions actually turning those great discoveries into financial burdens now i know that bartholdi created his work for more than altruistic purposes . his ego fueled him . showing his own anxiety , he got the statue of liberty copyrighted with the hope that he could earn income from the commercial use he knew was coming ( he was savvy to what he considered the less appealing part of america ) . when he could never collect , he groused at his financially tight existence . but because he had received cheerleading in his youth from his mother , who encouraged his pursuit of grander visions , he could at least rest easy that he got to see the work complete and knew it would survive him . nowadays , if we love our kids , dare we encourage them to create something vast and important that might last centuries ? unless their creation was a money magnet , encouraging such an undertaking would almost be like condemning them to potential extinction . in bartholdi 's day , you could try something big and if it did n't work out , you would have your disappointment , but you could still pay the doctor in barter . you could suffer setbacks and failures and know that you would at least get by . it 's interesting to me that in my neighborhood in brooklyn , the artist kara walker has installed a giant sugar sphinx in an abandoned sugar factory that is soon to be turned into pricey condominiums . i 'm sure the real estate agents love it as a lure for those future condo sales . regardless , the lines stretch down the block every day , every hour , for weeks now and visitors speak to reporters who ask about their intense emotional and intellectual reactions to this massive otherworldly sculpture . people flock to see this colossal sphinx . they come because it 's a happening but they also come , i believe , because they are so starved for the work of a person trying to impress them and to amaze them without a corporate entity intervening to make a bundle on it . they wait on noisy kent avenue for a fleeting taste of this rarity , for a sign we might still have space for human invention ... that we can all share in what humanity can achieve . | frédéric auguste bartholdi built liberty , a labor of love , piece by piece with donations |
liberty <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the birthday girl every fourth of july is the statue of liberty , the image on party napkins , on parade floats and the backdrop for fireworks displays in new york harbor . she is the ultimate american symbol , a gift from france to the united states , it is said , implying that she was a gift given government to government . the truth is , she could more correctly be called a gift from one artist to the world . in an era when we have given up the desire to astound each other simply to please or provoke wonder , this an important distinction . frédéric auguste bartholdi dreamed up this colossus back in the late 1800s . a middle-tier statue maker , he took his plan to egypt and pitched a colossal robed slave holding up a torch to stand at the mouth of the suez canal . when that deal failed , bartholdi brushed off the design and brought it to america , all on his own dime . he went door to door , office to office , presenting the vision and meeting with rejection . but with the well wishes of a few staunch supporters , he kept driving onward , winning other commissions to pay the bills and building liberty piece by piece in paris , paying for each section as soon as he could drum up donations . he sought out all of his engineering collaborators on his own . he dreamed up entertainments to raise monies through ticket sales . and it was he who yanked the massive french flag from her face at her unveiling in 1886 . he threw himself into the arms of a friend and wept . liberty remains . bartholdi is essentially unknown . you say the name bartholdi , and even savvy new yorkers look blank . bartholdi could foresee that future . when he visited liberty just before leaving america that year , he acknowledged , she is going away from me . ' he had lost the sense that she was his , a feeling he had possessed when climbing over her copper structure in paris . she would be given to future generations . bartholdi created one of the most powerful trademarks in history and is largely unknown . i suppose few people know the name jim schindler either , the man who designed mcdonald 's golden arches -- and that was pretty powerful , too . but still it seems a bit amazing bartholdi should go largely unrecognized for his work of art . we might not feel constantly awestruck that a work 305 feet tall -- taller than the ancient colossus of rhodes , whose legend lasted millennia -- mingles with us . but liberty , barring emergency closures for events such as superstorm sandy , attracts about 3.8 million tourists a year . every year , she flutters the hearts of people hiking to her head , as surely as she fluttered the hearts of immigrants arriving in the new world . her power remains . she is an echo of an era when people sought to produce wonder and ecstasy in their fellow citizens purely for the sake of creating a fabulous artifact of human possibility , even if their personal fame might vanish before the work did . astounding and delighting one another was the vogue . eiffel made his tower , just after he designed the scaffold for liberty 's interior . thomas edison proposed a colossal phonograph inside liberty to make her talk . ' inventors brought their products of genius to kaleidoscopic world 's fairs to enchant viewers as much as serve merchant interests . when i discover a subject grand enough , i will honor that subject by building the tallest statue in the world , ' bartholdi said in his 20s , 30 years before he unveiled his statue . it is hard to imagine anyone nowadays either demonstrating the patience to wait for an idea to strike or pursuing the goal of honoring a subject ... a concept . ideas are now considered important only if they are flypaper for money , not precious , heaven-sent gifts . good ones are catchy or addictive . few people try to invent something that will make the consumer say , look what humankind has achieved ! ' our popular entertainments titillate or intoxicate . i worry we have lost our sense of the importance of sharing our talents for the common good , partly because there is so much economic pressure put on the middle class , with stagnating wages and rising costs for housing , food and more . the middle class , in my historical research , seems the group from which big ideas have long sprung . and we compound the pressure by stealing the work of our inventors and artists , leaving them no means to actually survive . we weigh down our potential visionaries and inventors with college debt . when they begin to produce , say , music , we take it from them and pay fractions of pennies to listen to it , even as we pay stockbrokers at the lowest end $ 7 to $ 10 to make a trade . we underpay or do n't pay for a journalist 's writing . we require so little public art or decorative art that those artists of ours who do n't rise into the filament-thin clique of superstars only survive by working at many other jobs . anyone not connected to a company is required to double pay social security taxes as well as burdensome health insurance premiums ( even with obamacare ) . so there is no time for tinkering or deep pondering unless you work for google or tesla or spacex . putting our geniuses under the corporate umbrella means we craft amazing inventions , but before we can gloat that mankind has achieved something great for mankind , we monetize the hell out of the invention , putting it out of reach for most or , in the case of , say , medical inventions actually turning those great discoveries into financial burdens now i know that bartholdi created his work for more than altruistic purposes . his ego fueled him . showing his own anxiety , he got the statue of liberty copyrighted with the hope that he could earn income from the commercial use he knew was coming ( he was savvy to what he considered the less appealing part of america ) . when he could never collect , he groused at his financially tight existence . but because he had received cheerleading in his youth from his mother , who encouraged his pursuit of grander visions , he could at least rest easy that he got to see the work complete and knew it would survive him . nowadays , if we love our kids , dare we encourage them to create something vast and important that might last centuries ? unless their creation was a money magnet , encouraging such an undertaking would almost be like condemning them to potential extinction . in bartholdi 's day , you could try something big and if it did n't work out , you would have your disappointment , but you could still pay the doctor in barter . you could suffer setbacks and failures and know that you would at least get by . it 's interesting to me that in my neighborhood in brooklyn , the artist kara walker has installed a giant sugar sphinx in an abandoned sugar factory that is soon to be turned into pricey condominiums . i 'm sure the real estate agents love it as a lure for those future condo sales . regardless , the lines stretch down the block every day , every hour , for weeks now and visitors speak to reporters who ask about their intense emotional and intellectual reactions to this massive otherworldly sculpture . people flock to see this colossal sphinx . they come because it 's a happening but they also come , i believe , because they are so starved for the work of a person trying to impress them and to amaze them without a corporate entity intervening to make a bundle on it . they wait on noisy kent avenue for a fleeting taste of this rarity , for a sign we might still have space for human invention ... that we can all share in what humanity can achieve . | elizabeth mitchell : statue of liberty birthday girl of july 4 ; few recall her creator |
u.s. open <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cockiness and swagger serve him on the golf course , but there 's much more to golf 's young phenom , rory mcilroy . the u.s. open winner might hang with tennis great rafael nadal , knock back some heinekens or slip the electronic dance sounds of swedish house mafia into his ipod . such tidbits are rolling out these days from the 22-year-old hero of holywood , northern ireland , who won the tournament by eight strokes and instantly drew comparisons to tiger woods . i did n't realize how much my life would change , even in the last 10 days , ' mcilroy said on piers morgan tonight , ' aired thursday . as woods has done over the years , mcilroy simply left the competition in the dust . he was the youngest winner of the tournament since the legendary bobby jones in 1923 . for someone under a spotlight these days , the athlete with a tousle of hair looked at ease during his interview with morgan . to me , i won a golf tournament and that was the end of it , ' mcilroy said . but it really is bigger than that . ' he paid tribute to his parents , who both worked when he grew up . his father , gerry , held down three jobs and was a calming influence ' during the u.s. open , said mcilroy , an only child . the u.s. open gave the golfer a shot of redemption after his final-round meltdown at the masters in april . if anything it made me more determined to prove to people and myself that i was n't ... a choker , ' mcilroy said . while saying he was inspired by woods , mcilroy is n't one to compare himself . but he does n't feel intimidated , either . i do n't want to feel inferior to any other golfer in the world , ' he told morgan . if you do that , you give them an advantage from the start . ' while the young mcilroy has one major championship , woods has 14 , including three u.s. open wins . woods , 35 , has had no pga wins since taking a brief leave from the game in late 2009 after admitting infidelity . life on the tour can bring its own problems , mcilroy conceded . you need a good team around you to keep you grounded . ' mcilroy , who plays in the british open next month , said he and girlfriend holly sweeney are a normal couple . ' they have two dogs and she is completing her university degree . a fan of boxing and soccer , mcilroy said he does n't want the flash of fame to affect him . after all , there are more tournaments to win . i 'm very confident in my own abilities . i believe in myself , ' mcilroy said . i 'm not playing for money . i 'm playing for a place in history . ' | northern ireland native won u.s. open by eight strokes |
bush <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president bush lifted an executive order banning offshore oil drilling on monday and urged congress to follow suit . if president bush can persuade congress , more oil rigs like this one off canada could appear off u.s. shores . citing the high prices americans are paying at the pump , bush said from the white house rose garden that allowing offshore oil drilling is one of the most important steps we can take ' to reduce that burden . however , the move is largely symbolic as there is also a federal law banning offshore drilling . this means that the only thing standing between the american people and these vast oil reserves is action from the u.s. congress , ' bush said . watch bush announce lifting of ban » bush has been pushing congress to repeal the law passed in 1981 . there is no excuse for delay , ' the president said in a rose garden statement last month . ireport.com : is drilling the answer ? in the short run , the american economy will continue to rely largely on oil , and that means we need to increase supply here at home , ' bush said , adding that there is no more pressing issue for many americans than gas prices . bush 's father , president george h.w . bush , signed the executive order in 1990 banning offshore drilling . see where offshore drilling is allowed » the issue has gained prominence in the presidential race . sen. john mccain recently announced he supported offshore oil drilling , reversing his previous stance . sen. barack obama wants to keep the ban in place . experts say offshore oil drilling would not have an immediate impact on oil prices because oil exploration takes years . if we were to drill today , realistically speaking , we should not expect a barrel of oil coming out of this new resource for three years , maybe even five years , so let 's not kid ourselves , ' said fadel gheit , oil and gas analyst with oppenheimer & co. equity capital markets division . but it almost certainly would be profitable . candida scott , an oil industry researcher at cambridge research associates , said oil needs to be priced at $ 60 a barrel or more to justify deep-shelf drilling . with oil now selling for $ 145 a barrel , companies are almost assured of profiting from offshore drilling , scott said . in his statement last month , bush also renewed his demand that congress allow drilling in alaska 's arctic national wildlife refuge , clear the way for more refineries and encourage efforts to recover oil from shale in areas such as the green river basin of colorado , utah and wyoming . the white house estimates that there are 18 billion barrels of oil offshore that have not been exploited because of state bans , 10 billion to 12 billion in the arctic national wildlife refuge and 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil in the green river basin . | president bush has been urging congress to repeal law banning offshore drilling |
tanner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sequester is coming , the sequester is coming , ' cries chicken little , speaking of the across-the-board spending reductions set to kick in next friday . as a result , much of the washington establishment , politicians of both parties , and the media are bracing for the apocalypse . henny penny worries about poisoned meat going uninspected , the air traffic control system shutting down , and schools being forced to close . meanwhile turkey lurkey is afraid that national security is threatened because our military will be gutted . and foxy loxy is concerned there will be massive job losses and our economy will crash . the reality , though , is that most of what we are being told about the sequester is just a fairy tale . here 's why : the sequester imposes savage spending cuts actually , the sequester does n't cut federal spending at all , or rather it cuts it only in the washington sense of any reduction from projected baseline increases is a cut . in reality , even if the sequester goes through , the federal government will spend more every single year . in fact , in 2023 it will be spending $ 2.39 trillion more than it does today . ok , but at least the reductions in projected spending are big , right ? hardly . this year , the sequester would slow the growth in federal spending by just $ 85 billion , from an expected , pre-sequester budget of $ 3.64 trillion -- less than a 2.3 % reduction . to put that in perspective , the federal government borrows $ 85 billion every 28 days . in fact , this actually overstates the size of this year 's cuts . because of ongoing contracts and the byzantine labyrinth of federal budgeting , only $ 44 billion of that $ 85 billion will actually be cut from this year 's budget . the rest will be cut in future years , but attributed to this year 's budget . so , the real reduction in federal spending this year is just 1.2 % . if the federal government ca n't reduce spending by less than a penny-and-a-half on the dollar without throwing us into the dark ages , something is truly wrong . but are n't the cuts larger for domestic discretionary spending ? it is true that the cuts are not spread equally across all types of federal spending . entitlement programs , such as medicare , medicaid and social security are generally exempt -- grandma 's social security check wo n't be cut -- meaning that discretionary spending takes a disproportionately larger hit . still , we are talking about a reduction of less than 9 % . that would leave domestic discretionary spending , after adjusting for inflation , at roughly the same level as 2009 . you recall 2009 , do n't you ? the starvation , the mass closure of our schools , the shutdown of the transportation system , the burning cities ? what about defense ? surely , the sequester guts defense defense does take the biggest cut under sequester , nearly 13 % of planned spending . in fact , defense spending would really be cut , in the sense of actually spending less , over the next two years . still , it would never fall below the level of spending we had as recently as 2007 , a year we managed to survive without al qaeda wading ashore in long beach . beginning in 2015 , defense spending would start rising again , in real terms , and would exceed current levels by 2019 . keeping all this in perspective , over the entire 10-year period covered by the sequester , defense spending would average roughly $ 100 billion more each year ( after adjusting for inflation ) than we spent at the height of the cold war . i 'm still worried about the impact on the economy . some economists believe that the sequester will cost thousands of jobs and throw us into another recession . true or not ? the proposed spending reductions amount to less than 0.03 % of our gross domestic product . if our economy ca n't survive spending cuts of that size , we truly are greece . of course , in the short term , there will be some layoffs and furloughs . this will be hard on some communities that depend heavily on government spending , and even harder on those workers directly affected . however , most of the numbers cited about the numbers of jobs at risk come from industry groups with a vested interest in making the cuts look as bad as possible . this entire argument buys into the keynesian conceit that government spending creates jobs over the long term . but the resources necessary to create those jobs have to be extracted from the private economy either through taxes or borrowing . that means the private sector then has fewer resources to invest in job creation . given that the private sector generally puts those resources to a more productive use , it is likely that government spending destroys more jobs over the long run than it creates . we can and should have a legitimate debate about the best way to cut spending . but let 's not be distracted by fairy tales about how the sky is falling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael d. tanner . | tanner : government spending may destroy more jobs in the long run than it creates |
tanner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sequester is coming , the sequester is coming , ' cries chicken little , speaking of the across-the-board spending reductions set to kick in next friday . as a result , much of the washington establishment , politicians of both parties , and the media are bracing for the apocalypse . henny penny worries about poisoned meat going uninspected , the air traffic control system shutting down , and schools being forced to close . meanwhile turkey lurkey is afraid that national security is threatened because our military will be gutted . and foxy loxy is concerned there will be massive job losses and our economy will crash . the reality , though , is that most of what we are being told about the sequester is just a fairy tale . here 's why : the sequester imposes savage spending cuts actually , the sequester does n't cut federal spending at all , or rather it cuts it only in the washington sense of any reduction from projected baseline increases is a cut . in reality , even if the sequester goes through , the federal government will spend more every single year . in fact , in 2023 it will be spending $ 2.39 trillion more than it does today . ok , but at least the reductions in projected spending are big , right ? hardly . this year , the sequester would slow the growth in federal spending by just $ 85 billion , from an expected , pre-sequester budget of $ 3.64 trillion -- less than a 2.3 % reduction . to put that in perspective , the federal government borrows $ 85 billion every 28 days . in fact , this actually overstates the size of this year 's cuts . because of ongoing contracts and the byzantine labyrinth of federal budgeting , only $ 44 billion of that $ 85 billion will actually be cut from this year 's budget . the rest will be cut in future years , but attributed to this year 's budget . so , the real reduction in federal spending this year is just 1.2 % . if the federal government ca n't reduce spending by less than a penny-and-a-half on the dollar without throwing us into the dark ages , something is truly wrong . but are n't the cuts larger for domestic discretionary spending ? it is true that the cuts are not spread equally across all types of federal spending . entitlement programs , such as medicare , medicaid and social security are generally exempt -- grandma 's social security check wo n't be cut -- meaning that discretionary spending takes a disproportionately larger hit . still , we are talking about a reduction of less than 9 % . that would leave domestic discretionary spending , after adjusting for inflation , at roughly the same level as 2009 . you recall 2009 , do n't you ? the starvation , the mass closure of our schools , the shutdown of the transportation system , the burning cities ? what about defense ? surely , the sequester guts defense defense does take the biggest cut under sequester , nearly 13 % of planned spending . in fact , defense spending would really be cut , in the sense of actually spending less , over the next two years . still , it would never fall below the level of spending we had as recently as 2007 , a year we managed to survive without al qaeda wading ashore in long beach . beginning in 2015 , defense spending would start rising again , in real terms , and would exceed current levels by 2019 . keeping all this in perspective , over the entire 10-year period covered by the sequester , defense spending would average roughly $ 100 billion more each year ( after adjusting for inflation ) than we spent at the height of the cold war . i 'm still worried about the impact on the economy . some economists believe that the sequester will cost thousands of jobs and throw us into another recession . true or not ? the proposed spending reductions amount to less than 0.03 % of our gross domestic product . if our economy ca n't survive spending cuts of that size , we truly are greece . of course , in the short term , there will be some layoffs and furloughs . this will be hard on some communities that depend heavily on government spending , and even harder on those workers directly affected . however , most of the numbers cited about the numbers of jobs at risk come from industry groups with a vested interest in making the cuts look as bad as possible . this entire argument buys into the keynesian conceit that government spending creates jobs over the long term . but the resources necessary to create those jobs have to be extracted from the private economy either through taxes or borrowing . that means the private sector then has fewer resources to invest in job creation . given that the private sector generally puts those resources to a more productive use , it is likely that government spending destroys more jobs over the long run than it creates . we can and should have a legitimate debate about the best way to cut spending . but let 's not be distracted by fairy tales about how the sky is falling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael d. tanner . | michael tanner : most of what we are told about the sequester is just a fairy tale |
tanner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the sequester is coming , the sequester is coming , ' cries chicken little , speaking of the across-the-board spending reductions set to kick in next friday . as a result , much of the washington establishment , politicians of both parties , and the media are bracing for the apocalypse . henny penny worries about poisoned meat going uninspected , the air traffic control system shutting down , and schools being forced to close . meanwhile turkey lurkey is afraid that national security is threatened because our military will be gutted . and foxy loxy is concerned there will be massive job losses and our economy will crash . the reality , though , is that most of what we are being told about the sequester is just a fairy tale . here 's why : the sequester imposes savage spending cuts actually , the sequester does n't cut federal spending at all , or rather it cuts it only in the washington sense of any reduction from projected baseline increases is a cut . in reality , even if the sequester goes through , the federal government will spend more every single year . in fact , in 2023 it will be spending $ 2.39 trillion more than it does today . ok , but at least the reductions in projected spending are big , right ? hardly . this year , the sequester would slow the growth in federal spending by just $ 85 billion , from an expected , pre-sequester budget of $ 3.64 trillion -- less than a 2.3 % reduction . to put that in perspective , the federal government borrows $ 85 billion every 28 days . in fact , this actually overstates the size of this year 's cuts . because of ongoing contracts and the byzantine labyrinth of federal budgeting , only $ 44 billion of that $ 85 billion will actually be cut from this year 's budget . the rest will be cut in future years , but attributed to this year 's budget . so , the real reduction in federal spending this year is just 1.2 % . if the federal government ca n't reduce spending by less than a penny-and-a-half on the dollar without throwing us into the dark ages , something is truly wrong . but are n't the cuts larger for domestic discretionary spending ? it is true that the cuts are not spread equally across all types of federal spending . entitlement programs , such as medicare , medicaid and social security are generally exempt -- grandma 's social security check wo n't be cut -- meaning that discretionary spending takes a disproportionately larger hit . still , we are talking about a reduction of less than 9 % . that would leave domestic discretionary spending , after adjusting for inflation , at roughly the same level as 2009 . you recall 2009 , do n't you ? the starvation , the mass closure of our schools , the shutdown of the transportation system , the burning cities ? what about defense ? surely , the sequester guts defense defense does take the biggest cut under sequester , nearly 13 % of planned spending . in fact , defense spending would really be cut , in the sense of actually spending less , over the next two years . still , it would never fall below the level of spending we had as recently as 2007 , a year we managed to survive without al qaeda wading ashore in long beach . beginning in 2015 , defense spending would start rising again , in real terms , and would exceed current levels by 2019 . keeping all this in perspective , over the entire 10-year period covered by the sequester , defense spending would average roughly $ 100 billion more each year ( after adjusting for inflation ) than we spent at the height of the cold war . i 'm still worried about the impact on the economy . some economists believe that the sequester will cost thousands of jobs and throw us into another recession . true or not ? the proposed spending reductions amount to less than 0.03 % of our gross domestic product . if our economy ca n't survive spending cuts of that size , we truly are greece . of course , in the short term , there will be some layoffs and furloughs . this will be hard on some communities that depend heavily on government spending , and even harder on those workers directly affected . however , most of the numbers cited about the numbers of jobs at risk come from industry groups with a vested interest in making the cuts look as bad as possible . this entire argument buys into the keynesian conceit that government spending creates jobs over the long term . but the resources necessary to create those jobs have to be extracted from the private economy either through taxes or borrowing . that means the private sector then has fewer resources to invest in job creation . given that the private sector generally puts those resources to a more productive use , it is likely that government spending destroys more jobs over the long run than it creates . we can and should have a legitimate debate about the best way to cut spending . but let 's not be distracted by fairy tales about how the sky is falling . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael d. tanner . | tanner : some think the sequester imposes savage spending cuts , but that 's not true |
saint francis xavier <tsp> ( mental floss ) -- remember that goofy uncle of yours who always tried to impress you by stealing your nose ' or pulling the ol'separating-his-thumb-from-his-hand move ? well , those parlor tricks are nothing compared to the appendage stunts pulled by these 10 famous people . john wilkes booth 's neck bones a painting of napoleon in his study by jacques-louis-david does n't give a hint at what body part went missing . john wilkes booth might have been a successful assassin , but he was a largely ineffectual escape artist . just 12 days after murdering president abraham lincoln , booth was shot in the back of the neck and killed . his body was ( eventually ) buried in an unmarked grave at baltimore 's green mount cemetery . his third , fourth , and fifth vertebrae , however , were removed during the autopsy so investigators could access the bullet . for a peek at those bits of booth 's spinal column , just check out the display at the national museum of health and medicine in washington , d.c. einstein 's brain before he died , über-genius albert einstein considered donating his body to science . unfortunately , he never put his wishes in writing . when he passed away in 1955 , einstein 's family and friends made plans to cremate him , but the pathologist who performed the autopsy , dr. thomas harvey , had a different idea . instead , he opted to remove the math man 's brain and then tell the family about it . for 30-some years , harvey had al 's gray matter tucked away in his wichita home in two mason jars . naturally , einstein 's loved ones were n't thrilled when they found out , but they eventually allowed the misappropriated mind to be sliced into 240 sections and disbursed to researchers for examination . today , many of the cerebral sections remain in scientific institutions , with the bulk held at princeton hospital . as for einstein 's body , that was cremated and scattered in a secret location . stonewall ' jackson 's arm confederate general thomas jackson got his nickname by sitting astride his horse like a stone wall ' while bullets whizzed around him during the civil war . but that kind of bravery ( or foolhardiness ) did n't serve him well . during the battle of chancellorsville , jackson was accidentally shot in the arm by one of his own men . said arm had to be amputated , and afterward , it was buried in the nearby virginia town of ellwood . only eight days later , stonewall was stone-cold dead of pneumonia . the rest of his body is resting in peace in lexington , virginia . saint francis xavier 's hand francis xavier was a saint with a few too many fans . in the early 16th century , the spanish missionary was sent to asia by the king of portugal to convert as many souls to christianity as possible . turns out , he was pretty good at the job . francis xavier became wildly popular , and after his death in 1552 , so did his relics . in fact , demand out-fueled supply . throughout several years and multiple exhumations , his body was whittled away . today , half his left hand is in cochin , india , while the other half is in malacca , malaysia . one of his arms resides in rome , and various other cities lay claim to his internal organs . the leftovers ? they went to goa , india . napoleon 's bits and pieces exiled emperor napoleon bonaparte died on may 5 , 1821 . the following day , doctors conducted an autopsy , which was reportedly witnessed by many people , including a priest named ange vignali . though the body was said to be largely intact at the time of the undertaking , it seems the priest took home a souvenir . in 1916 , vignali 's heirs sold a collection of napoleonic artifacts , including what they claim to be the emperor 's penis . while no one knows for sure if it really is napoleon 's , uh , manhood , people have paid good money for the penis . currently , it 's in the possession of an american urologist . oliver cromwell 's head oliver cromwell , the straight-laced puritan who usurped the english throne , was n't exactly a wild man . his head , however , was sometimes the life of the party . cromwell died in 1658 , but two years later , the reinstated english monarchy exhumed , tried , and hanged his body , then dumped it in an unmarked grave . in addition , as a warning to would-be killers , his head was placed on a pike in westminster hall , where it remained for 20 years . after a subsequent stint in a small museum , it was sold in 1814 to a man named josiah henry wilkinson ( perhaps looking to parade it around as an exceptionally gruesome ice-breaker at parties ) . such was the ironic afterlife of the puritan until 1960 , when his head was finally laid to rest in a chapel in cambridge . e-mail to a friend for more mental_floss articles , visit mentalfloss.com entire contents of this article copyright , mental floss llc . all rights reserved . | saint francis xavier 's hands spread from asia to europe |
olympics <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the dawsons of tauranga , new zealand , the canoe slalom event at the london olympics will be a family affair . mike dawson , who is competing in the men 's kayak class , will not just be trying to impress his father , who coaches him , or his brother and sister , who will be watching from the crowd . he will also need to ensure he does n't incur the disapproval of his mother , kay , who is one of the judges at the event . the idea of a mother officiating in a competition in which her son is participating may strike some as a little unfair , but the dawsons and the new zealand canoe federation are eager to stress there 's no scope for special treatment in this case . the only real advantage mum can give me is her presence at what will be my biggest race ever , ' said mike dawson , who is competing in the olympics for the first time after finishing 16th in the canoe slalom world championships in slovakia last year . the event involves the kayakers flinging themselves down a steep course of white-water rapids , weaving through a series of gates like slalom skiers in a race against the clock . if the competitors touch or miss a gate , they suffer a time penalty . each gate has a judge watching out for errors , and a chief official oversees the entire course . as one of the gate judges , kay dawson has an important role , but her decisions will be scrutinized by other officials -- each gate judge also monitors the two gates on either side . competitors'runs are reviewed on video , and the chief official has the final say . i ca n't envisage any way a single gate judge could influence the outcome for any athlete , ' said maree burnett , the secretary general of the new zealand canoe federation . kay is a very experienced international judge . ' the international canoe federation , which selected her as the only judge from new zealand for the olympic event , agrees . in the past few years , kay dawson has officiated at canoe slalom world championships and world cups in which her 25-year-old son has raced . the icf has a strong officiating process in place to ensure accuracy and fairness at all its competitions , whether it is at world cups , world championships or at the olympic games , ' said lerina bright , a spokeswoman for the federation . she noted that some judges at the event have the same nationality as some competitors . that could equally be thought to create a conflict of interest , ' she said . however , the judging process is thorough and stringent and does not provide any possibility for a single individual to affect the outcome of a competitor 's run . ' despite the multitude of officials at the canoe slalom event , the role of individual judges is still significant , kay dawson has said . when officiating the athlete and 100 % accuracy is always the focus , one poor call can mean the difference between a top-10 finish and chance of a medal or being out of the competition , ' she wrote in an article on the new zealand federation 's website in february . relationships with family and friends do n't enter the equation , though , she says . i 've been officiating for a number of years now and know a lot of the athletes , so it is easy to put aside any personal emotions when i 'm on the course , ' kay dawson said in comments relayed by the icf on wednesday . several of the top men 's slalom paddlers have stayed with us in new zealand while they 've been training with mike and i owe it to all of them to do the most professional job possible , ' she added . mike dawson , who was born and raised in the bay of plenty region of new zealand , says the best way for him to stamp out any perceptions of favoritism is to not make any mistakes . if i 'm paddling well , the gate judges wo n't come into play at all , ' he said . he is not the only new zealander competing in the canoe slalom : luuka jones , also from tauranga , became the first new zealand woman to compete in the kayak competition in the olympics after qualifying for the 2008 beijing games . london will be her second olympics , at the age of just 23 . for mike dawson , the games are full of new experiences . we 've been in the olympic village for a few days and it 's pretty cool , ' mike dawson said . i can see how people get intimidated , but really it 's just like a hotel with an epic food court . ' | mike dawson is competing in the men 's kayak event at the olympics |
swedish <tsp> moscow , russia ( cnn ) -- russian officials on monday located a russian cargo ship that has been missing for more than two weeks after it was believed to have been hijacked , a top official said . the arctic sea had been missing since july 31 . the arctic sea was located 300 miles ( 483 km ) from cape verde , an island nation a few hundred miles from the coast of western africa , said russian defense minister anatoly serdyukov . the crew is alive and well , ' he said . the crew members have been moved to our anti-submarine warfare ship ladny where they are answering questions , ' serdyukov said . the questioning aims to clarify all circumstances of how the ship disappeared and why did it not send any [ emergency ] signals . ' the arctic sea , which sails under a maltese flag , had not been heard from since july 31 . it was carrying a 6,500-ton cargo of timber from finland to algeria when it reported trouble on july 24 off the coast of sweden . it was scheduled to arrive in north africa on august 4 . on friday , the ship was reported to be in international waters north of cape verde . the news came from portugal 's state news agency , which quoted cape verde 's defense director , pedro reis . the u.s. military also had a report last week that the ship had been seen a few hundred miles from cape verde , two military sources told cnn , but the united states had no independent verification of those reports . the u.s. military was not involved in the search . at the time , russia 's ambassador to cape verde , however , denied that the arctic sea had been spotted near the island nation . on july 24 , the ship 's 15-member crew had told authorities that eight to 12 people armed with guns and pistols boarded the vessel about 3 a.m. that day , masked and wearing uniforms with the word police ' written on them , the malta maritime authority said . during [ the attackers'] stay onboard , the members of the crew were allegedly assaulted , tied , gagged and blindfolded and some of them were seriously injured , ' the maritime authority said in a written statement . swedish police reached the ship by phone on july 31 and spoke with someone they believe to be the captain , police spokeswoman maria lonegard said . it was the last known communication with the vessel , which was believed to be off the coast of france at that time . on saturday finnish police told cnn that a ransom demand had been issued to the ship 's owners , solchart management , for the return of the vessel . | ship believed to have been hijacked off swedish coast on july 24 |
ohio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- five people have been charged with attempted theft in ohio after allegedly trying to steal the carcass of an escaped lion that was set free by its owner -- along with other exotic animals -- and ultimately killed by authorities . authorities apprehended four adults and one juvenile october 19 as they attempted to sneak the lion carcass into their vehicle , muskingum county sheriff matthew j. lutz said . they got the cat into the trunk , and we stopped them , ' lutz said . i 'm not sure what they planned to do with it . ' the five were charged monday , he said . according to sheriff 's department documents , deputies stopped a jeep cherokee sport utility vehicle and found the large dead cat inside . authorites have not released the juvenile 's name , but the men were identified as richard weidlich , brian matthews , joseph jakubisin and cody wilson , according to the criminal complaint . if convicted , they could face up to six months in jail and a $ 1,000 fine . the attorneys for the men could not be immediately reached for comment . of the 56 animals released october 18 , killed were two wolves , six black bears , two grizzly bears , nine male lions , eight lionesses , one baboon , three mountain lions and 18 bengal tigers , lutz said at the time of the incident . only a grizzly bear , two monkeys and three leopards were taken alive . a monkey remained unaccounted for . officials in muskingum county closed schools as sheriff 's deputies equipped with night vision equipment attempted to hunt down the animals in eastern ohio after the suicide of the man at the farm where they lived . | four men and one juvenile were charged monday in ohio |
manchester city <tsp> ( cnn ) -- arsenal fans were hoping for a fairytale win against old rivals chelsea to mark arsene wenger 's 1,000th game in charge . instead , they endured a nightmare defeat as jose mourinho 's side romped to a 6-0 win in the english premier league at stamford bridge on saturday . gunners'fans have already seen their team taken apart by top-four opposition this season with liverpool winning 5-1 at anfield last month and manchester city dominant in a 6-3 goal-fest at the etihad stadium last december . but the loss to local london rivals chelsea will be the most difficult to stomach with the margin of defeat equaling wenger 's worst loss -- 8-2 by manchester united in 2011 -- at the club . mourinho 's side were two goals up after seven minutes as first samuel eto'o then andre schurrle scored . a 10-minute period of respite ensued before the home side was awarded a penalty for hand ball , with referee andre marriner mistakenly showing a red card to arsenal defender kieran gibbs instead of alex oxlade-chamberlain who had tipped eden hazard 's shot around the post . marriner later apologized for the error . amid the confusion , penalty-taker hazard kept a clear head to fire chelsea into a 3-0 lead with just 17 minutes played . oscar then added a fourth three minutes before the break and popped up again for his second of the day in the 66th minute . mohamed salah made it six with his first chelsea goal in the 71st minute . the win maintains the blues'four-point lead at the top of the table while arsenal slip to fourth with 62 points -- seven points adrift of chelsea . after the match , wenger shouldered the blame for the heavy defeat and conceded it had been one of the worst days of his career . this defeat is my fault . i take full responsibility for it , ' wenger said . i do n't think there 's too much need to talk about the mistakes we made . we got a good hiding today . it 's how we respond now on tuesday night ( against swansea city ) and the best way is not to explain too much the mistakes . yes , of course it 's one of the worst days . it 's over after 20 minutes and it 's a long game after that . you do n't prepare all week to experience that kind of experience . it 's a huge disappointment today , but we want to win the next game now . ' after crashing to defeat at aston villa last weekend , mourinho 's side are back on championship-winning form . but the portuguese continued his policy of playing down his team 's title chances . we go match after match , ' mourinho said . we play crystal palace next and after that we go to paris ( for the first leg champions league quarterfinal tie against paris st germain ) . it 's a different situation to arsenal . it 's a different situation to liverpool , and manchester city are also not in that situation . we are happy to be in that situation . ' manchester city kept in touch with chelsea as they battered relegation-threatened fulham 5-0 at the etihad . yaya toure scored a hat-trick ( two goals coming from the penalty spot ) with fernandinho and martin demichelis adding two late on to keep manuel pellegrini 's side third on 63 points , but with three games in hand . luis suarez scored a hat-trick as liverpool 's winning run continued with a 6-3 victory at cardiff city . the home side led twice -- goals from jordan mutch in the ninth minute and frazier campbell in the 25th minute -- but brendan rodgers'side was once again irresistible in attack . after scoring in the 16th and 60th minute , suarez scored his third of the match and his 28th league goal in injury time , adding to two from martin skrtel and one from strike partner daniel sturridge . the win keeps liverpool second with 65 points while cardiff remain second from bottom with 25 from 31 games . manchester united backed up a promising champions league win in midweek with a 2-0 win at west ham united . wayne rooney was the star of the show with two first-half goals . the first , a looping 45-yard shot caught spanish goalkeeper adrian napping while his second was a more straightforward tap in . david moyes'team now have 51 points from 30 matches and will enter next tuesday 's manchester derby with renewed optimism . elsewhere , everton beat swansea city 3-2 to rise to fifth while newcastle are up to eighth after a 1-0 win against crystal palace . norwich city eased relegation worries with a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers sunderland -- chris hughton 's side are up to 13th with 31 points . gus poyet 's sunderland remain in the bottom three . hull city further improved their survival hopes with a 2-0 win over west bromwich albion . read more : champions league quarterfinal draw read more : man utd put a smile on moyes'face | manchester city and liverpool also thrash opponents to keep pace with leaders |
navy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in may at camp bucca in iraq , naval officials said thursday . u.s. guards patrol at camp bucca in iraq in may . the army criminal investigation division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises . the division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent , the navy said . the six guards will face courts-martial . seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment , according to a statement from the commander of u.s . naval forces-central command . the courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at camp bucca , which is in southern iraq near the kuwaiti border . the guards accused in the case are assigned to navy provisional detainee battalion 4 . | navy guards accused of assaulting detainees at camp bucca |
navy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in may at camp bucca in iraq , naval officials said thursday . u.s. guards patrol at camp bucca in iraq in may . the army criminal investigation division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises . the division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent , the navy said . the six guards will face courts-martial . seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment , according to a statement from the commander of u.s . naval forces-central command . the courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at camp bucca , which is in southern iraq near the kuwaiti border . the guards accused in the case are assigned to navy provisional detainee battalion 4 . | navy : two detainees allegedly left with minor bruises |
navy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has charged six guards accused of assaulting detainees in may at camp bucca in iraq , naval officials said thursday . u.s. guards patrol at camp bucca in iraq in may . the army criminal investigation division investigated alleged incidents that left two detainees with minor bruises . the division also investigated an incident in which eight prisoners were confined overnight to a housing cell that had been sprayed with a riot control agent , the navy said . the six guards will face courts-martial . seven other cases have been resolved through nonjudicial punishment , according to a statement from the commander of u.s . naval forces-central command . the courts-martial are expected to start within 30 days at camp bucca , which is in southern iraq near the kuwaiti border . the guards accused in the case are assigned to navy provisional detainee battalion 4 . | eight prisoners were confined to cell sprayed with riot control agent , navy says |
jackson hole <tsp> jackson hole , china ( cnn ) -- looking for a weekend escape from the city , annie liu and her husband fell in love at first sight with a log home in jackson hole and bought it for less than $ 300,000 . five years on , a weekly 90-minute drive from their downtown apartment to the house has long been the norm . they enjoy gardening , barbecuing or simply relaxing in their getaway surrounded by mountains -- but often shrouded in beijing 's infamous smog . yes , the couple 's three-bedroom weekend home lies on the outskirts of the chinese capital -- thousands of miles away from the original jackson hole valley in the u.s. state of wyoming , which is known for its breathtaking natural beauty . the chinese jackson hole is more crowded , containing some 1,000 single-family houses inspired by rustic lodges in the american frontier . still , wealthy locals are lured to this sprawling development by the promise of living in the wild west . ' after driving past security guards in cowboy outfits patrolling route 66 ' on golf carts , liu 's husband lu jun pulled over their suv at the end of a cul-de-sac one recent sunday . opening the door to a world of americana , liu and lu -- both lawyers in beijing -- proudly displayed their fondness for the united states by adding personal touches to the built-in furniture and decoration that evoke the old west . she studied and worked in indianapolis for two years from 2003 to 2005 , during which time he visited . adorning the earthy-toned walls are colorful license plates from the u.s. states -- including wyoming -- they have traveled to and a large framed copy of the american declaration of independence . we want more freedom , ' said liu , 40 , pointing to the framed copy she bought in florida . this is a milestone -- ( we hang it here ) partially for the history , partially for our profession . ' many people have been to the united states and enjoy the environment there , ' lu , 55 , added . those who have n't think this place is authentic america and they like it . ' that 's proven to be a great selling point for developer liu xiangyang since he -- with the help of an american designer -- launched the jackson hole project a decade ago . he has sold almost all the houses , and seen the property value double over the years with the bigger homes now fetching $ 1 million each . official data shows that a typical urban resident in china earned less than $ 4,000 in 2012 . annie liu -- who is not related to the developer -- and her husband feel pleased about their purchase as early believers , and bought a second , bigger house here last year . they say other homeowners share their appreciation for the american culture and values that are reflected in the architecture and setting , despite frequent news reports on rising tensions between the two nations . we like the states and we like the lifestyle , ' liu said . let the governments worry about the things that should be worried about by them . ' her sentiment echoes the most recent results of an annual survey on chinese people 's attitude towards the united states by the pew research center , a washington-based think tank . although the pew study finds chinese public perceptions of the united states becoming less favorable in 2012 , it notes : there is one constant : richer , younger , more educated , and urban chinese all express a more positive view of ( the soft power ) aspects of america 's image . and this also holds true for overall ratings of the u.s. ' developer liu is a fan of the united states as well , overseeing construction for the next phase on his 70-square-kilometer lot -- the size of 13,000 american football fields . his plans include 2,000 townhouses mimicking the feel of mendocino , a scenic coastal town in northern california , and a winery that he says will rival napa valley in ten years . in between sipping wine and chatting with residents at a lunch gathering on site , the 51-year-old businessman from the central henan province reflects on his corporate mission . for those who can afford to buy houses here , they have enough money , ' he explained . they want spiritual fulfillment . ' for that , the developer has built a brand new church in the center of his town -- next to a row of small shops , bars and cafes -- serving residents like annie liu , who embraced christianity as a graduate student in the united states . this is an'american'community so it 's a necessary element here , ' said liu as she walked out of the soon-to-open jackson hole church . although she misses the natural beauty and cultural diversity of the united states , liu says she never hesitated about returning to the motherland because of her and her husband 's career aspirations and their roots . now comfortably settled at work and home back in china , where the communist leadership is proclaiming national revival as the ultimate chinese dream , liu feels she has n't completely abandoned the american dream -- as she and her fellow residents in this fictional u.s. town pursue their freedom and happiness every weekend . | the settlement is named after jackson hole , a scenic valley in wyoming |
america <tsp> jackson hole , china ( cnn ) -- looking for a weekend escape from the city , annie liu and her husband fell in love at first sight with a log home in jackson hole and bought it for less than $ 300,000 . five years on , a weekly 90-minute drive from their downtown apartment to the house has long been the norm . they enjoy gardening , barbecuing or simply relaxing in their getaway surrounded by mountains -- but often shrouded in beijing 's infamous smog . yes , the couple 's three-bedroom weekend home lies on the outskirts of the chinese capital -- thousands of miles away from the original jackson hole valley in the u.s. state of wyoming , which is known for its breathtaking natural beauty . the chinese jackson hole is more crowded , containing some 1,000 single-family houses inspired by rustic lodges in the american frontier . still , wealthy locals are lured to this sprawling development by the promise of living in the wild west . ' after driving past security guards in cowboy outfits patrolling route 66 ' on golf carts , liu 's husband lu jun pulled over their suv at the end of a cul-de-sac one recent sunday . opening the door to a world of americana , liu and lu -- both lawyers in beijing -- proudly displayed their fondness for the united states by adding personal touches to the built-in furniture and decoration that evoke the old west . she studied and worked in indianapolis for two years from 2003 to 2005 , during which time he visited . adorning the earthy-toned walls are colorful license plates from the u.s. states -- including wyoming -- they have traveled to and a large framed copy of the american declaration of independence . we want more freedom , ' said liu , 40 , pointing to the framed copy she bought in florida . this is a milestone -- ( we hang it here ) partially for the history , partially for our profession . ' many people have been to the united states and enjoy the environment there , ' lu , 55 , added . those who have n't think this place is authentic america and they like it . ' that 's proven to be a great selling point for developer liu xiangyang since he -- with the help of an american designer -- launched the jackson hole project a decade ago . he has sold almost all the houses , and seen the property value double over the years with the bigger homes now fetching $ 1 million each . official data shows that a typical urban resident in china earned less than $ 4,000 in 2012 . annie liu -- who is not related to the developer -- and her husband feel pleased about their purchase as early believers , and bought a second , bigger house here last year . they say other homeowners share their appreciation for the american culture and values that are reflected in the architecture and setting , despite frequent news reports on rising tensions between the two nations . we like the states and we like the lifestyle , ' liu said . let the governments worry about the things that should be worried about by them . ' her sentiment echoes the most recent results of an annual survey on chinese people 's attitude towards the united states by the pew research center , a washington-based think tank . although the pew study finds chinese public perceptions of the united states becoming less favorable in 2012 , it notes : there is one constant : richer , younger , more educated , and urban chinese all express a more positive view of ( the soft power ) aspects of america 's image . and this also holds true for overall ratings of the u.s. ' developer liu is a fan of the united states as well , overseeing construction for the next phase on his 70-square-kilometer lot -- the size of 13,000 american football fields . his plans include 2,000 townhouses mimicking the feel of mendocino , a scenic coastal town in northern california , and a winery that he says will rival napa valley in ten years . in between sipping wine and chatting with residents at a lunch gathering on site , the 51-year-old businessman from the central henan province reflects on his corporate mission . for those who can afford to buy houses here , they have enough money , ' he explained . they want spiritual fulfillment . ' for that , the developer has built a brand new church in the center of his town -- next to a row of small shops , bars and cafes -- serving residents like annie liu , who embraced christianity as a graduate student in the united states . this is an'american'community so it 's a necessary element here , ' said liu as she walked out of the soon-to-open jackson hole church . although she misses the natural beauty and cultural diversity of the united states , liu says she never hesitated about returning to the motherland because of her and her husband 's career aspirations and their roots . now comfortably settled at work and home back in china , where the communist leadership is proclaiming national revival as the ultimate chinese dream , liu feels she has n't completely abandoned the american dream -- as she and her fellow residents in this fictional u.s. town pursue their freedom and happiness every weekend . | richer , educated , urban chinese express more positive view of aspects of america 's image |
picower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major investor in convicted swindler bernie madoff 's ponzi scheme drowned in his swimming pool in florida after a heart attack , his attorney said monday . the medical examiner 's office confirmed the report . jeffry picower , 67 , was found unconscious in his pool shortly after noon sunday at his palm beach , florida , , home by his wife , palm beach police said . he was pronounced dead at good samaritan hospital . picower 's attorney , william zabel , told cnn that picower drowned after suffering a massive heart attack . sue jaffe , spokeswoman for the palm beach county medical examiner , confirmed those details . in september , forbes magazine ranked picower no . 371 among the 400 richest americans , with a net worth of $ 1 billion . in march , madoff was convicted of operating a ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors . he was sentenced to 150 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 felony counts of fraud , money laundering and perjury . prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person , totaling billions in losses to investors . when the picower foundation of palm beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of madoff losses , it initially appeared that the prominent philanthropist had been an unfortunate victim of madoff 's ponzi scheme . picower 's 2007 tax return had valued his foundation 's portfolio at $ 955 million . however , in may , court filings by madoff trustee irving picard changed the picture . the trustee 's complaint claimed that picower had been a key beneficiary of madoff 's ponzi scheme for more than 20 years , and knew or should have known that [ he ] was profiting from fraud because of the implausibly high rates of return ' on his accounts . those anomalous and astronomical rates of return ' -- as high as 500 percent in one year and 950 percent in another year -- were neither credible nor consistent with legitimate trading activity , and should have caused any reasonable investor ... to inquire further , ' the court filings said , referring to picower as a sophisticated investor , accountant and lawyer . ' citing backdated account filings and other bogus paperwork , the complaint contends that picower and the other defendants also knew or should have known that they were reaping the benefits of manipulated purported returns , false documents and fictitious profit . ' the picowers recently told the new york times that the publicity and controversy surrounding their connection to bernie madoff had been a great source of heartache . we always have been private people , and having all this play out in the media has taken a big toll on our health , ' the couple wrote in response to questions posed by reporters . we feel stunned , betrayed , angry , sickened , devastated , ' they said , and were only able to draw strength and consolation from each other and from the knowledge that we did nothing wrong . ' | picower drowned after having a heart attack , his attorney and medical examiner say |
picower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major investor in convicted swindler bernie madoff 's ponzi scheme drowned in his swimming pool in florida after a heart attack , his attorney said monday . the medical examiner 's office confirmed the report . jeffry picower , 67 , was found unconscious in his pool shortly after noon sunday at his palm beach , florida , , home by his wife , palm beach police said . he was pronounced dead at good samaritan hospital . picower 's attorney , william zabel , told cnn that picower drowned after suffering a massive heart attack . sue jaffe , spokeswoman for the palm beach county medical examiner , confirmed those details . in september , forbes magazine ranked picower no . 371 among the 400 richest americans , with a net worth of $ 1 billion . in march , madoff was convicted of operating a ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors . he was sentenced to 150 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 felony counts of fraud , money laundering and perjury . prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person , totaling billions in losses to investors . when the picower foundation of palm beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of madoff losses , it initially appeared that the prominent philanthropist had been an unfortunate victim of madoff 's ponzi scheme . picower 's 2007 tax return had valued his foundation 's portfolio at $ 955 million . however , in may , court filings by madoff trustee irving picard changed the picture . the trustee 's complaint claimed that picower had been a key beneficiary of madoff 's ponzi scheme for more than 20 years , and knew or should have known that [ he ] was profiting from fraud because of the implausibly high rates of return ' on his accounts . those anomalous and astronomical rates of return ' -- as high as 500 percent in one year and 950 percent in another year -- were neither credible nor consistent with legitimate trading activity , and should have caused any reasonable investor ... to inquire further , ' the court filings said , referring to picower as a sophisticated investor , accountant and lawyer . ' citing backdated account filings and other bogus paperwork , the complaint contends that picower and the other defendants also knew or should have known that they were reaping the benefits of manipulated purported returns , false documents and fictitious profit . ' the picowers recently told the new york times that the publicity and controversy surrounding their connection to bernie madoff had been a great source of heartache . we always have been private people , and having all this play out in the media has taken a big toll on our health , ' the couple wrote in response to questions posed by reporters . we feel stunned , betrayed , angry , sickened , devastated , ' they said , and were only able to draw strength and consolation from each other and from the knowledge that we did nothing wrong . ' | picower had invested with bernie madoff , who was convicted in ponzi scheme |
picower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major investor in convicted swindler bernie madoff 's ponzi scheme drowned in his swimming pool in florida after a heart attack , his attorney said monday . the medical examiner 's office confirmed the report . jeffry picower , 67 , was found unconscious in his pool shortly after noon sunday at his palm beach , florida , , home by his wife , palm beach police said . he was pronounced dead at good samaritan hospital . picower 's attorney , william zabel , told cnn that picower drowned after suffering a massive heart attack . sue jaffe , spokeswoman for the palm beach county medical examiner , confirmed those details . in september , forbes magazine ranked picower no . 371 among the 400 richest americans , with a net worth of $ 1 billion . in march , madoff was convicted of operating a ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors . he was sentenced to 150 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 felony counts of fraud , money laundering and perjury . prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person , totaling billions in losses to investors . when the picower foundation of palm beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of madoff losses , it initially appeared that the prominent philanthropist had been an unfortunate victim of madoff 's ponzi scheme . picower 's 2007 tax return had valued his foundation 's portfolio at $ 955 million . however , in may , court filings by madoff trustee irving picard changed the picture . the trustee 's complaint claimed that picower had been a key beneficiary of madoff 's ponzi scheme for more than 20 years , and knew or should have known that [ he ] was profiting from fraud because of the implausibly high rates of return ' on his accounts . those anomalous and astronomical rates of return ' -- as high as 500 percent in one year and 950 percent in another year -- were neither credible nor consistent with legitimate trading activity , and should have caused any reasonable investor ... to inquire further , ' the court filings said , referring to picower as a sophisticated investor , accountant and lawyer . ' citing backdated account filings and other bogus paperwork , the complaint contends that picower and the other defendants also knew or should have known that they were reaping the benefits of manipulated purported returns , false documents and fictitious profit . ' the picowers recently told the new york times that the publicity and controversy surrounding their connection to bernie madoff had been a great source of heartache . we always have been private people , and having all this play out in the media has taken a big toll on our health , ' the couple wrote in response to questions posed by reporters . we feel stunned , betrayed , angry , sickened , devastated , ' they said , and were only able to draw strength and consolation from each other and from the knowledge that we did nothing wrong . ' | jeffry picower , 67 , found unconscious in his pool in his palm beach , florida |
picower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major investor in convicted swindler bernie madoff 's ponzi scheme drowned in his swimming pool in florida after a heart attack , his attorney said monday . the medical examiner 's office confirmed the report . jeffry picower , 67 , was found unconscious in his pool shortly after noon sunday at his palm beach , florida , , home by his wife , palm beach police said . he was pronounced dead at good samaritan hospital . picower 's attorney , william zabel , told cnn that picower drowned after suffering a massive heart attack . sue jaffe , spokeswoman for the palm beach county medical examiner , confirmed those details . in september , forbes magazine ranked picower no . 371 among the 400 richest americans , with a net worth of $ 1 billion . in march , madoff was convicted of operating a ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors . he was sentenced to 150 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 felony counts of fraud , money laundering and perjury . prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person , totaling billions in losses to investors . when the picower foundation of palm beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of madoff losses , it initially appeared that the prominent philanthropist had been an unfortunate victim of madoff 's ponzi scheme . picower 's 2007 tax return had valued his foundation 's portfolio at $ 955 million . however , in may , court filings by madoff trustee irving picard changed the picture . the trustee 's complaint claimed that picower had been a key beneficiary of madoff 's ponzi scheme for more than 20 years , and knew or should have known that [ he ] was profiting from fraud because of the implausibly high rates of return ' on his accounts . those anomalous and astronomical rates of return ' -- as high as 500 percent in one year and 950 percent in another year -- were neither credible nor consistent with legitimate trading activity , and should have caused any reasonable investor ... to inquire further , ' the court filings said , referring to picower as a sophisticated investor , accountant and lawyer . ' citing backdated account filings and other bogus paperwork , the complaint contends that picower and the other defendants also knew or should have known that they were reaping the benefits of manipulated purported returns , false documents and fictitious profit . ' the picowers recently told the new york times that the publicity and controversy surrounding their connection to bernie madoff had been a great source of heartache . we always have been private people , and having all this play out in the media has taken a big toll on our health , ' the couple wrote in response to questions posed by reporters . we feel stunned , betrayed , angry , sickened , devastated , ' they said , and were only able to draw strength and consolation from each other and from the knowledge that we did nothing wrong . ' | forbes magazine ranked picower no . 371 among the 400 richest americans |
tel aviv <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- it was supposed to be a pleasant surprise , but turned into the shock of a lifetime . a woman scours a garbage heap in tel aviv for her mother 's missing mattress . a woman in tel aviv , israel , gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift , throwing out the old tattered bed her mother had slept on for decades . the gesture ended up bankrupting annat 's mother , who had stuffed her savings of nearly $ 1 million inside her old bed for decades , annat told israel army radio . a massive search is under way at the city dump , where security has been beefed up to keep out treasure-seekers who have heard annat 's story in israeli media . annat , who did not want to reveal the rest of her name , told israel army radio that she woke up early sunday to get a good deal on a new mattress as a surprise for her mother . sound off : which bizarre places have you hidden money ? she fell asleep that night , exhausted after lugging up the new mattress and hauling down the old one to be taken out with the trash . when her mother realized the next day what her daughter had done , she told her that she had been using the mattress to stash away her life savings and had nearly $ 1 million padding the inside of the worn-out mattress . watch more on the mattress search » annat ran downstairs , but it was too late . the garbage truck had already taken away the money-stuffed mattress . annat alerted the two major dump sites in the israeli city in an effort to locate the bed , but so far she has had no luck . yitchak burba , one of the dump site managers , told army radio that he and his men are working relentlessly to try to help annat find the million-dollar mattress among the tons of garbage at the landfill . the publicity has triggered a wave of people also trying to find the mattress and its contents for themselves . burba has increased security around the dump to keep them out . annat told army radio that when her mother realized her queen-sized bank had been tossed , she told her to 'leave it .'' 'the heart is crying but you know we could have been in a car accident or had a terminal disease ,'' annat said her mother told her . annat is also taking the situation in stride . it 's a very , very sad story but i 've been through worse , ' she told army radio . it 's a matter of proportions in life ... people need to know how to accept the good and the bad in life . ' | security increased at city dump in tel aviv as search under way for mattress |
bush <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama affirmed his support for a woman 's right to choose ' on thursday , the 36th anniversary of the supreme court decision that led to the legalization of abortion , as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the national mall to challenge his position . president obama issued a statement defending roe v. wade for protecting women 's health and reproductive freedom . ' roe v. wade not only protects women 's health and reproductive freedom , but stands for a broader principle : that government should not intrude on our most private family matters , ' obama said in a statement . the landmark 1973 decision held that a woman 's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the constitution 's 14th amendment , voiding most state laws against abortion at the time . nellie gray , who helped organize the anti-abortion march for life on the mall , invited obama to speak at the rally . america needs your strong leadership as president of all the people to stop the intentional killing of an estimated 3,000 pre-born boys and girls each day and the brutalizing of mind , heart and body of pregnant mothers . ' kim gandy , president of the national organization for women , said she believes that while abortion should remain an option , increasing the availability and affordability of birth control and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is the real solution . i think what everyone ought to be interested in doing , whether they are or not , is reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies , ' gandy told cnn . because if we reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it will by definition reduce the number of abortions and reduce a lot of the pain and despair that has befallen women in these economic times , who can not afford to enlarge their families when they do n't have a job and they do n't have a way to put food on the table for the kids that they have now . if we could all work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it would dramatically change the debate on this issue . ' obama has so far not struck down rules reinstated by the bush administration eight years ago , prohibiting u.s. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information , counseling or referrals about abortion services . the mexico city policy ' was initially put in place by president ronald reagan and suspended during bill clinton 's presidency . its opponents refer to it as the global gag order . ' about 20 anti-abortion rights lawmakers spoke at the rally thursday , pushing for a renewed effort to overturn roe v. wade . at what instant does life begin ? ' asked rep. steve king , r-iowa , focusing on younger crowd members who answered , conception ! ' and the next question is , he continued , president obama , when did your life begin ? ' other legislators detailed their plans to keep the issue on the table in congress and on the minds of voters . rep. jean schmidt , r-ohio , told the crowd she plans to introduce what she calls the juno bill , ' referencing the hit 2008 film of the same title in which a high school teenager gives her baby up for adoption . it will provide a tax credit to those women , just as we allow abortions to be tax deductible , it will provide a tax credit so that they can carry out their pregnancy , give that baby to a loving arm and not have to worry about the consequences or the costs involved , ' she said . throughout the rally , speakers urged bold action for their cause . gandy said the fight will also continue on the pro-abortion rights side . there 's no question we have a pro-choice president now , but he ca n't do it alone , ' she said . he ca n't pass legislation . he ca n't stop what 's going on at the state and local level and so the battle rages on ... at the congressional level , at the state and local level and certainly at the supreme court . ' she said the number of unwanted pregnancies is rising , as congressional action has increased the cost of contraception for college students and low-income women , something we hope this administration will reverse . ' two pieces of federal legislation are pending , she said . the first will expand accessibility and availability of birth control , and the second , the freedom of choice act , is a codification of roe v. wade . now will continue pursuing both at the congressional level , she said , but noted that even though congress has a democratic majority , it does not have a pro-abortion rights majority . so that will continue to be an uphill battle , ' she said cnn 's paul courson and mary grace lucas contributed to this report . | former president bush typically spoke by phone to rally each year |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama affirmed his support for a woman 's right to choose ' on thursday , the 36th anniversary of the supreme court decision that led to the legalization of abortion , as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the national mall to challenge his position . president obama issued a statement defending roe v. wade for protecting women 's health and reproductive freedom . ' roe v. wade not only protects women 's health and reproductive freedom , but stands for a broader principle : that government should not intrude on our most private family matters , ' obama said in a statement . the landmark 1973 decision held that a woman 's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the constitution 's 14th amendment , voiding most state laws against abortion at the time . nellie gray , who helped organize the anti-abortion march for life on the mall , invited obama to speak at the rally . america needs your strong leadership as president of all the people to stop the intentional killing of an estimated 3,000 pre-born boys and girls each day and the brutalizing of mind , heart and body of pregnant mothers . ' kim gandy , president of the national organization for women , said she believes that while abortion should remain an option , increasing the availability and affordability of birth control and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is the real solution . i think what everyone ought to be interested in doing , whether they are or not , is reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies , ' gandy told cnn . because if we reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it will by definition reduce the number of abortions and reduce a lot of the pain and despair that has befallen women in these economic times , who can not afford to enlarge their families when they do n't have a job and they do n't have a way to put food on the table for the kids that they have now . if we could all work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it would dramatically change the debate on this issue . ' obama has so far not struck down rules reinstated by the bush administration eight years ago , prohibiting u.s. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information , counseling or referrals about abortion services . the mexico city policy ' was initially put in place by president ronald reagan and suspended during bill clinton 's presidency . its opponents refer to it as the global gag order . ' about 20 anti-abortion rights lawmakers spoke at the rally thursday , pushing for a renewed effort to overturn roe v. wade . at what instant does life begin ? ' asked rep. steve king , r-iowa , focusing on younger crowd members who answered , conception ! ' and the next question is , he continued , president obama , when did your life begin ? ' other legislators detailed their plans to keep the issue on the table in congress and on the minds of voters . rep. jean schmidt , r-ohio , told the crowd she plans to introduce what she calls the juno bill , ' referencing the hit 2008 film of the same title in which a high school teenager gives her baby up for adoption . it will provide a tax credit to those women , just as we allow abortions to be tax deductible , it will provide a tax credit so that they can carry out their pregnancy , give that baby to a loving arm and not have to worry about the consequences or the costs involved , ' she said . throughout the rally , speakers urged bold action for their cause . gandy said the fight will also continue on the pro-abortion rights side . there 's no question we have a pro-choice president now , but he ca n't do it alone , ' she said . he ca n't pass legislation . he ca n't stop what 's going on at the state and local level and so the battle rages on ... at the congressional level , at the state and local level and certainly at the supreme court . ' she said the number of unwanted pregnancies is rising , as congressional action has increased the cost of contraception for college students and low-income women , something we hope this administration will reverse . ' two pieces of federal legislation are pending , she said . the first will expand accessibility and availability of birth control , and the second , the freedom of choice act , is a codification of roe v. wade . now will continue pursuing both at the congressional level , she said , but noted that even though congress has a democratic majority , it does not have a pro-abortion rights majority . so that will continue to be an uphill battle , ' she said cnn 's paul courson and mary grace lucas contributed to this report . | rally organizer to obama : stop intentional killing ' of unborn babies |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama affirmed his support for a woman 's right to choose ' on thursday , the 36th anniversary of the supreme court decision that led to the legalization of abortion , as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the national mall to challenge his position . president obama issued a statement defending roe v. wade for protecting women 's health and reproductive freedom . ' roe v. wade not only protects women 's health and reproductive freedom , but stands for a broader principle : that government should not intrude on our most private family matters , ' obama said in a statement . the landmark 1973 decision held that a woman 's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the constitution 's 14th amendment , voiding most state laws against abortion at the time . nellie gray , who helped organize the anti-abortion march for life on the mall , invited obama to speak at the rally . america needs your strong leadership as president of all the people to stop the intentional killing of an estimated 3,000 pre-born boys and girls each day and the brutalizing of mind , heart and body of pregnant mothers . ' kim gandy , president of the national organization for women , said she believes that while abortion should remain an option , increasing the availability and affordability of birth control and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is the real solution . i think what everyone ought to be interested in doing , whether they are or not , is reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies , ' gandy told cnn . because if we reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it will by definition reduce the number of abortions and reduce a lot of the pain and despair that has befallen women in these economic times , who can not afford to enlarge their families when they do n't have a job and they do n't have a way to put food on the table for the kids that they have now . if we could all work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it would dramatically change the debate on this issue . ' obama has so far not struck down rules reinstated by the bush administration eight years ago , prohibiting u.s. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information , counseling or referrals about abortion services . the mexico city policy ' was initially put in place by president ronald reagan and suspended during bill clinton 's presidency . its opponents refer to it as the global gag order . ' about 20 anti-abortion rights lawmakers spoke at the rally thursday , pushing for a renewed effort to overturn roe v. wade . at what instant does life begin ? ' asked rep. steve king , r-iowa , focusing on younger crowd members who answered , conception ! ' and the next question is , he continued , president obama , when did your life begin ? ' other legislators detailed their plans to keep the issue on the table in congress and on the minds of voters . rep. jean schmidt , r-ohio , told the crowd she plans to introduce what she calls the juno bill , ' referencing the hit 2008 film of the same title in which a high school teenager gives her baby up for adoption . it will provide a tax credit to those women , just as we allow abortions to be tax deductible , it will provide a tax credit so that they can carry out their pregnancy , give that baby to a loving arm and not have to worry about the consequences or the costs involved , ' she said . throughout the rally , speakers urged bold action for their cause . gandy said the fight will also continue on the pro-abortion rights side . there 's no question we have a pro-choice president now , but he ca n't do it alone , ' she said . he ca n't pass legislation . he ca n't stop what 's going on at the state and local level and so the battle rages on ... at the congressional level , at the state and local level and certainly at the supreme court . ' she said the number of unwanted pregnancies is rising , as congressional action has increased the cost of contraception for college students and low-income women , something we hope this administration will reverse . ' two pieces of federal legislation are pending , she said . the first will expand accessibility and availability of birth control , and the second , the freedom of choice act , is a codification of roe v. wade . now will continue pursuing both at the congressional level , she said , but noted that even though congress has a democratic majority , it does not have a pro-abortion rights majority . so that will continue to be an uphill battle , ' she said cnn 's paul courson and mary grace lucas contributed to this report . | obama : government should not intrude on our most private family matters ' |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama affirmed his support for a woman 's right to choose ' on thursday , the 36th anniversary of the supreme court decision that led to the legalization of abortion , as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the national mall to challenge his position . president obama issued a statement defending roe v. wade for protecting women 's health and reproductive freedom . ' roe v. wade not only protects women 's health and reproductive freedom , but stands for a broader principle : that government should not intrude on our most private family matters , ' obama said in a statement . the landmark 1973 decision held that a woman 's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the constitution 's 14th amendment , voiding most state laws against abortion at the time . nellie gray , who helped organize the anti-abortion march for life on the mall , invited obama to speak at the rally . america needs your strong leadership as president of all the people to stop the intentional killing of an estimated 3,000 pre-born boys and girls each day and the brutalizing of mind , heart and body of pregnant mothers . ' kim gandy , president of the national organization for women , said she believes that while abortion should remain an option , increasing the availability and affordability of birth control and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is the real solution . i think what everyone ought to be interested in doing , whether they are or not , is reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies , ' gandy told cnn . because if we reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it will by definition reduce the number of abortions and reduce a lot of the pain and despair that has befallen women in these economic times , who can not afford to enlarge their families when they do n't have a job and they do n't have a way to put food on the table for the kids that they have now . if we could all work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it would dramatically change the debate on this issue . ' obama has so far not struck down rules reinstated by the bush administration eight years ago , prohibiting u.s. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information , counseling or referrals about abortion services . the mexico city policy ' was initially put in place by president ronald reagan and suspended during bill clinton 's presidency . its opponents refer to it as the global gag order . ' about 20 anti-abortion rights lawmakers spoke at the rally thursday , pushing for a renewed effort to overturn roe v. wade . at what instant does life begin ? ' asked rep. steve king , r-iowa , focusing on younger crowd members who answered , conception ! ' and the next question is , he continued , president obama , when did your life begin ? ' other legislators detailed their plans to keep the issue on the table in congress and on the minds of voters . rep. jean schmidt , r-ohio , told the crowd she plans to introduce what she calls the juno bill , ' referencing the hit 2008 film of the same title in which a high school teenager gives her baby up for adoption . it will provide a tax credit to those women , just as we allow abortions to be tax deductible , it will provide a tax credit so that they can carry out their pregnancy , give that baby to a loving arm and not have to worry about the consequences or the costs involved , ' she said . throughout the rally , speakers urged bold action for their cause . gandy said the fight will also continue on the pro-abortion rights side . there 's no question we have a pro-choice president now , but he ca n't do it alone , ' she said . he ca n't pass legislation . he ca n't stop what 's going on at the state and local level and so the battle rages on ... at the congressional level , at the state and local level and certainly at the supreme court . ' she said the number of unwanted pregnancies is rising , as congressional action has increased the cost of contraception for college students and low-income women , something we hope this administration will reverse . ' two pieces of federal legislation are pending , she said . the first will expand accessibility and availability of birth control , and the second , the freedom of choice act , is a codification of roe v. wade . now will continue pursuing both at the congressional level , she said , but noted that even though congress has a democratic majority , it does not have a pro-abortion rights majority . so that will continue to be an uphill battle , ' she said cnn 's paul courson and mary grace lucas contributed to this report . | obama released statement on roe anniversary while protesters descended on mall |
roe <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president obama affirmed his support for a woman 's right to choose ' on thursday , the 36th anniversary of the supreme court decision that led to the legalization of abortion , as thousands of anti-abortion activists descended on the national mall to challenge his position . president obama issued a statement defending roe v. wade for protecting women 's health and reproductive freedom . ' roe v. wade not only protects women 's health and reproductive freedom , but stands for a broader principle : that government should not intrude on our most private family matters , ' obama said in a statement . the landmark 1973 decision held that a woman 's right to abortion was protected by the right to privacy under the constitution 's 14th amendment , voiding most state laws against abortion at the time . nellie gray , who helped organize the anti-abortion march for life on the mall , invited obama to speak at the rally . america needs your strong leadership as president of all the people to stop the intentional killing of an estimated 3,000 pre-born boys and girls each day and the brutalizing of mind , heart and body of pregnant mothers . ' kim gandy , president of the national organization for women , said she believes that while abortion should remain an option , increasing the availability and affordability of birth control and reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is the real solution . i think what everyone ought to be interested in doing , whether they are or not , is reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies , ' gandy told cnn . because if we reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it will by definition reduce the number of abortions and reduce a lot of the pain and despair that has befallen women in these economic times , who can not afford to enlarge their families when they do n't have a job and they do n't have a way to put food on the table for the kids that they have now . if we could all work together to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies , it would dramatically change the debate on this issue . ' obama has so far not struck down rules reinstated by the bush administration eight years ago , prohibiting u.s. money from funding international family planning groups that promote abortion or provide information , counseling or referrals about abortion services . the mexico city policy ' was initially put in place by president ronald reagan and suspended during bill clinton 's presidency . its opponents refer to it as the global gag order . ' about 20 anti-abortion rights lawmakers spoke at the rally thursday , pushing for a renewed effort to overturn roe v. wade . at what instant does life begin ? ' asked rep. steve king , r-iowa , focusing on younger crowd members who answered , conception ! ' and the next question is , he continued , president obama , when did your life begin ? ' other legislators detailed their plans to keep the issue on the table in congress and on the minds of voters . rep. jean schmidt , r-ohio , told the crowd she plans to introduce what she calls the juno bill , ' referencing the hit 2008 film of the same title in which a high school teenager gives her baby up for adoption . it will provide a tax credit to those women , just as we allow abortions to be tax deductible , it will provide a tax credit so that they can carry out their pregnancy , give that baby to a loving arm and not have to worry about the consequences or the costs involved , ' she said . throughout the rally , speakers urged bold action for their cause . gandy said the fight will also continue on the pro-abortion rights side . there 's no question we have a pro-choice president now , but he ca n't do it alone , ' she said . he ca n't pass legislation . he ca n't stop what 's going on at the state and local level and so the battle rages on ... at the congressional level , at the state and local level and certainly at the supreme court . ' she said the number of unwanted pregnancies is rising , as congressional action has increased the cost of contraception for college students and low-income women , something we hope this administration will reverse . ' two pieces of federal legislation are pending , she said . the first will expand accessibility and availability of birth control , and the second , the freedom of choice act , is a codification of roe v. wade . now will continue pursuing both at the congressional level , she said , but noted that even though congress has a democratic majority , it does not have a pro-abortion rights majority . so that will continue to be an uphill battle , ' she said cnn 's paul courson and mary grace lucas contributed to this report . | obama released statement on roe anniversary while protesters descended on mall |
noah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ten-year-old noah cordle kicked off his summer vacation by dipping his toes into the atlantic ocean , only to make an ancient discovery when a sharp object hit his foot . it felt like a crab , so i jumped backward , ' said cordle , who was vacationing with his family in beach haven . but it was n't a crab , or a mussel shell as he deduced it might be next , after seeing its black color . it was an arrowhead -- one that an area expert says dates back to the paleoindian period , approximately 8,000 to 11,000 years ago . a couple of people told us they did n't think it was real , ' noah 's mother , andrea cordle , said of the find , which she described as being about 2â½ inches long and black with a small fleck of orange along a ridge on its side . andrea and her husband , brian cordle , turned to greg lattanzi , the assistant curator at the bureau of archaeology and ethnography at the new jersey state museum . lattanzi , who said the museum has a collection of more than 20 similar arrowheads -- more technically termed projectile points -- called noah 's find rare . ' he said that most similar arrowheads have been excavated from archaeological sites in the northeastern united states rather than washing ashore . after examining the arrowhead under a microscope , lattanzi said it appears to be made of jasper and chert stone and was probably attached to a spear and used for hunting . the cordles , who live in lorton , virginia , say they plan to hold on to their treasure for a while before finding it a permanent home . it 's really cool , but we 're not collectors , ' andrea cordle said . we 're going to donate it . ' | noah cordle , 10 , found an arrowhead while vacationing in new jersey |
noah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ten-year-old noah cordle kicked off his summer vacation by dipping his toes into the atlantic ocean , only to make an ancient discovery when a sharp object hit his foot . it felt like a crab , so i jumped backward , ' said cordle , who was vacationing with his family in beach haven . but it was n't a crab , or a mussel shell as he deduced it might be next , after seeing its black color . it was an arrowhead -- one that an area expert says dates back to the paleoindian period , approximately 8,000 to 11,000 years ago . a couple of people told us they did n't think it was real , ' noah 's mother , andrea cordle , said of the find , which she described as being about 2â½ inches long and black with a small fleck of orange along a ridge on its side . andrea and her husband , brian cordle , turned to greg lattanzi , the assistant curator at the bureau of archaeology and ethnography at the new jersey state museum . lattanzi , who said the museum has a collection of more than 20 similar arrowheads -- more technically termed projectile points -- called noah 's find rare . ' he said that most similar arrowheads have been excavated from archaeological sites in the northeastern united states rather than washing ashore . after examining the arrowhead under a microscope , lattanzi said it appears to be made of jasper and chert stone and was probably attached to a spear and used for hunting . the cordles , who live in lorton , virginia , say they plan to hold on to their treasure for a while before finding it a permanent home . it 's really cool , but we 're not collectors , ' andrea cordle said . we 're going to donate it . ' | noah 's mother says the family plans to donate the artifact |
fbi <tsp> ( cnn ) despite seeing evidence from data scientists pointing to individuals who may have been behind the hacking of sony last month , the fbi is n't wavering on its original assessment that north korea is the culprit , an fbi source tells cnn . fbi officials and data scientists with the u.s. cybersecurity firm norse met monday in st. louis , according to norse vice president kurt stammberger and an fbi source . during the three-hour briefing , which was requested by norse , representatives of the cybersecurity firm shared information they say links several people , including a former sony employee , to the hack , stammberger told cnn . the former employee had worked for sony in los angeles for 10 years before getting laid off in may , stammberger said . norse would not disclose how they could be so sure that the former sony employee and the others were behind the attack , but said the fbi was very open ' to receiving the data and grateful for the assistance . ' experts doubt north korea was behind sony hack however , the fbi source said , the bureau continues to hold to its original assessment , based on information from the fbi , the u.s. intelligence community , the department of homeland security , foreign partners and the private sector . ' the fbi source said the agency did n't share any of its information with norse due to sensitivity of sources/techniques . ' north korea lambasts u.s. over'the interview ,'says obama is the'culprit ' | reps with cybersecurity firm norse meet with fbi officials in st. louis |
fbi <tsp> ( cnn ) despite seeing evidence from data scientists pointing to individuals who may have been behind the hacking of sony last month , the fbi is n't wavering on its original assessment that north korea is the culprit , an fbi source tells cnn . fbi officials and data scientists with the u.s. cybersecurity firm norse met monday in st. louis , according to norse vice president kurt stammberger and an fbi source . during the three-hour briefing , which was requested by norse , representatives of the cybersecurity firm shared information they say links several people , including a former sony employee , to the hack , stammberger told cnn . the former employee had worked for sony in los angeles for 10 years before getting laid off in may , stammberger said . norse would not disclose how they could be so sure that the former sony employee and the others were behind the attack , but said the fbi was very open ' to receiving the data and grateful for the assistance . ' experts doubt north korea was behind sony hack however , the fbi source said , the bureau continues to hold to its original assessment , based on information from the fbi , the u.s. intelligence community , the department of homeland security , foreign partners and the private sector . ' the fbi source said the agency did n't share any of its information with norse due to sensitivity of sources/techniques . ' north korea lambasts u.s. over'the interview ,'says obama is the'culprit ' | fbi says u.s. , foreign and private sector intel point to north korea |
st. louis <tsp> ( cnn ) despite seeing evidence from data scientists pointing to individuals who may have been behind the hacking of sony last month , the fbi is n't wavering on its original assessment that north korea is the culprit , an fbi source tells cnn . fbi officials and data scientists with the u.s. cybersecurity firm norse met monday in st. louis , according to norse vice president kurt stammberger and an fbi source . during the three-hour briefing , which was requested by norse , representatives of the cybersecurity firm shared information they say links several people , including a former sony employee , to the hack , stammberger told cnn . the former employee had worked for sony in los angeles for 10 years before getting laid off in may , stammberger said . norse would not disclose how they could be so sure that the former sony employee and the others were behind the attack , but said the fbi was very open ' to receiving the data and grateful for the assistance . ' experts doubt north korea was behind sony hack however , the fbi source said , the bureau continues to hold to its original assessment , based on information from the fbi , the u.s. intelligence community , the department of homeland security , foreign partners and the private sector . ' the fbi source said the agency did n't share any of its information with norse due to sensitivity of sources/techniques . ' north korea lambasts u.s. over'the interview ,'says obama is the'culprit ' | reps with cybersecurity firm norse meet with fbi officials in st. louis |
warren weinstein <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- the three security guards and the driver of an american development expert who was abducted in pakistan on saturday have been detained for questioning , a police official said monday . the four men are not considered suspects at this point , said the official , who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media . under pakistani law , police can detain someone for up to 72 hours without charging them with a crime . investigators have no leads in the case and are not any closer to finding out what happened to the american , whom the u.s. embassy identified as warren weinstein . weinstein was abducted early saturday when gunmen , posing as neighbors offering food , pistol-whipped him and his driver and tied up his guards , u.s. embassy and pakistani officials said . weinstein works for j.e . austin associates inc. , a u.s. consulting firm based in arlington , virginia , a pakistani official said . he 's is a world-renowned development expert , with 25 years of experience , according to his company 's website . the site says he was heading what the company described as the pakistan initiative for strategic development and competitiveness . ' as weinstein 's security guards prepared for the meal before the ramadan fast early saturday , three men knocked at the front gate and offered food for the meal -- a traditional practice among muslims during the ramadan holy month , according to senior lahore police official tajamal hussain . once the gate was opened , the three men forced their way in while five other suspects entered the house from the back , hussain said . the men tied up the three security guards and duct-taped their mouths , he said . they pistol-whipped the driver and forced him to take them to weinstein 's room , where the men hit weinstein in the head with a pistol , and forced him out of the house and into a waiting car , hussain said . he said weinstein is in his 60s . there has been no claim of responsibility nor any demands by any groups , according to senior police official awais ahmed . weinstein has lived in the residence in an upscale lahore neighborhood for several years , ahmed said . weinstein is a fulbright scholar in belgium and is proficient in six languages , with a doctorate in international law and economics , according to his company website . u.s. embassy officials are working with pakistani authorities on the case , embassy spokesman alberto rodriguez said saturday . the u.s. state department updated a travel advisory for americans traveling and working in pakistan this week , warning that extremist groups operating in the country were continuing to target u.s. and other western citizens and interests . it cited part of the reason for the advisory as reported ' abductions of u.s. citizens for ransom or personal reasons , ' including the kidnapping of a u.s. citizen in lahore in june . no further details about that incident were released . abductions are not unusual in pakistan , though those targeted are typically pakistani rather than american or western . in early july , a swiss couple was grabbed at gunpoint while traveling in the town of loralai in the volatile southwestern balochistan province , provincial officials said at the time . three weeks after their abduction , pakistani authorities said they believed the couple was still alive . weinstein 's abduction follows another high-profile incident involving an american in lahore . raymond davis , a cia contractor , was charged with killing two men in january but was released in march after compensation was paid to their families . journalists nasir habib and shaan khan and cnn 's salma abdelaziz contributed to this report . | he is identified as warren weinstein , the u.s. embassy says |
andrew getty <tsp> ( cnn ) andrew getty , one of the heirs to billions of oil money , appears to have died of natural causes , a los angeles police department spokesman said . the coroner 's preliminary assessment is there was no foul play involved in the death of getty , grandson of oil tycoon j. paul getty , said detective meghan aguilar . andrew getty , 47 , had several health issues , ' aguilar said , adding that an autopsy will be conducted . there is no criminal investigation underway , he said . some medication had also been recovered from getty 's home , though investigators do n't know whether getty was taking it or what his medical history was , ed winter , assistant chief in the los angeles county coroner 's office , told cnn affiliate ktla tuesday night . ktla reported that getty was found on his side near a bathroom in his home . getty 's parents , ann and gordon getty , released a statement confirming their son 's death and asking for privacy . where the getty family fortune came from gordon getty is one of three living sons of j. paul getty , the oil baron who was thought to be the richest man in the world at the time of his death in 1976 . gordon getty , 81 , has a net worth of $ 2.1 billion , according to forbes . one other son died in 1958 and another died in 1973 . gordon getty spearheaded the controversial sale of getty to texaco for $ 10 billion in 1984 . in its list of richest american families , forbes estimated the gettys'net worth to be about $ 5 billion . court records show andrew getty had recently filed to get a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend . a hearing in the case had been scheduled for next week . in his request , getty said he had been diagnosed with a serious medical condition in 2013 . a rise in my blood pressure places me in grave risk of substantial and irreparable injury or death , ' he wrote in the petition . my doctors have advised that heated arguments can cause my blood pressure to rise dangerously . ' andrew getty had three brothers and three half-sisters . people we 've lost in 2015 cnn 's doug criss , janet digiacomo , mark mooney , mike love , julie in and cheri mossburg contributed to this report . | andrew getty 's death appears to be from natural causes , police say , citing coroner 's early assessment |
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