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iranian <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) traveling to iran these days , the mood among many people and the government can probably best be described using two words : confident and optimistic . after a preliminary framework for a possible nuclear deal was reached between iran and world powers , many here believe a final agreement is possible -- and most hope that widespread sanctions relief could be on the horizon . businesses are already gearing up for a time after the restrictions are lifted , and many people anticipate a huge boost to the economy . naturally we are all very happy , ' one woman in central tehran told us . we expect better days economically and culturally . we want better relations with the rest of the world . ' another man added , i have a good feeling about it , because my country will be free of the fear of war . ' but this weekend , just a few miles down the road , iran 's leaders were celebrating their war machine as the military held its annual national army day parade . as the u.s. , saudi arabia and other countries criticize iran for its alleged involvement in funding and supplying the houthi rebels who have seized power in much of yemen , iranian president hassan rouhani has praised the military as peacemakers for the middle east . today , our army is the source of our national stability , ' rouhani said in his speech at the parade . and even more than that -- it is also a source of security and stability in the entire region . ' the country 's top military brass seemed surprisingly relaxed and unusually willing to speak with western media outlets . major general hassan firouzabadi , the chief of staff of iran 's armed forces and a man who is close to rouhani , told cnn he hopes the u.s. and iran can work closer together to fight isis in iraq . the unity of humanity based on the right of all human beings to live , and their right to freedom , dictates that all human society is threatened by isis , and all humans should unite against isis and work against them , ' firouzabadi said . firouzabadi also repeated iran 's longstanding claim that the u.s. is partly responsible for creating isis , which now controls large parts of iraq and syria . if the americans really did n't create isis , and if they want to destroy isis , it is possible for them to achieve that , ' he said . but we have not seen anything so far except intelligence gathering from the u.s. and britain . we hope that one day , because of their national interests and the will of their nations , the u.s. and the uk will decide to really fight isis . ' iran has often dismissed the coalition air campaign as ineffective , while praising its own strategy of training , advising , outfitting and directing iraqi shia militias , kurdish forces and the iraqi military . but in another apparent softening of rhetoric , a top military official said he hopes that the animosity between iran and america will fade . at the moment , we consider the united states to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us , ' general ahmad reza pourdastan , the commander of iran 's ground forces , told cnn . we would like the u.s. to change its rhetoric and tone of voice so that our nation could have more trust in the u.s. military leadership , ' pourdastan continued . we trust the american people , but the tone of u.s. government and military officials is such that we still consider the u.s. a threat . ' at the same time , iran 's leadership is showing no sign of toning down its own fiery rhetoric -- and the usual death to israel , death to the u.s.a. ' chants echoed around the crowds at the military parade . the u.s. welcomes some of iran 's support for iraqi forces in the fight against isis , but says at this point that there simply is no basis for deeper cooperation on the battlefield . and for iran 's part , supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has also rejected direct coordination between the two long-time adversaries . and even though many iranians have high hopes for the interim nuclear deal , the leadership in washington and tehran is far more skeptical . in a recent televised speech , khamenei said it was possible that there would be no deal by the june 30 deadline -- and possibly no deal at all . and iran 's army brass has rejected the notion that nuclear inspectors would get access to military sites . meanwhile , the white house has been confronted by a congress that is largely hostile to the negotiations , and has been making the case that a deal can not be about trust , but about monitoring and verification . our main concern here is making sure that if iran does n't abide by its agreement , that we do n't have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops in order to reinstate sanctions , ' u.s. president barack obama said last friday . that 's our main concern . and i think that goal , of having in reserve the possibility of putting back and applying forceful sanctions in the event of a violation , that goal can be met . ' so far none of this has seriously threatened to derail nuclear talks set to resume this week . but despite the confidence and optimism that is currently in the air , there is also fear that things could fall apart if tehran and washington are n't willing to make tough concessions . | u.s. has welcomed limited iranian help in fight against isis but neither side plans full coordination |
isis <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) traveling to iran these days , the mood among many people and the government can probably best be described using two words : confident and optimistic . after a preliminary framework for a possible nuclear deal was reached between iran and world powers , many here believe a final agreement is possible -- and most hope that widespread sanctions relief could be on the horizon . businesses are already gearing up for a time after the restrictions are lifted , and many people anticipate a huge boost to the economy . naturally we are all very happy , ' one woman in central tehran told us . we expect better days economically and culturally . we want better relations with the rest of the world . ' another man added , i have a good feeling about it , because my country will be free of the fear of war . ' but this weekend , just a few miles down the road , iran 's leaders were celebrating their war machine as the military held its annual national army day parade . as the u.s. , saudi arabia and other countries criticize iran for its alleged involvement in funding and supplying the houthi rebels who have seized power in much of yemen , iranian president hassan rouhani has praised the military as peacemakers for the middle east . today , our army is the source of our national stability , ' rouhani said in his speech at the parade . and even more than that -- it is also a source of security and stability in the entire region . ' the country 's top military brass seemed surprisingly relaxed and unusually willing to speak with western media outlets . major general hassan firouzabadi , the chief of staff of iran 's armed forces and a man who is close to rouhani , told cnn he hopes the u.s. and iran can work closer together to fight isis in iraq . the unity of humanity based on the right of all human beings to live , and their right to freedom , dictates that all human society is threatened by isis , and all humans should unite against isis and work against them , ' firouzabadi said . firouzabadi also repeated iran 's longstanding claim that the u.s. is partly responsible for creating isis , which now controls large parts of iraq and syria . if the americans really did n't create isis , and if they want to destroy isis , it is possible for them to achieve that , ' he said . but we have not seen anything so far except intelligence gathering from the u.s. and britain . we hope that one day , because of their national interests and the will of their nations , the u.s. and the uk will decide to really fight isis . ' iran has often dismissed the coalition air campaign as ineffective , while praising its own strategy of training , advising , outfitting and directing iraqi shia militias , kurdish forces and the iraqi military . but in another apparent softening of rhetoric , a top military official said he hopes that the animosity between iran and america will fade . at the moment , we consider the united states to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us , ' general ahmad reza pourdastan , the commander of iran 's ground forces , told cnn . we would like the u.s. to change its rhetoric and tone of voice so that our nation could have more trust in the u.s. military leadership , ' pourdastan continued . we trust the american people , but the tone of u.s. government and military officials is such that we still consider the u.s. a threat . ' at the same time , iran 's leadership is showing no sign of toning down its own fiery rhetoric -- and the usual death to israel , death to the u.s.a. ' chants echoed around the crowds at the military parade . the u.s. welcomes some of iran 's support for iraqi forces in the fight against isis , but says at this point that there simply is no basis for deeper cooperation on the battlefield . and for iran 's part , supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has also rejected direct coordination between the two long-time adversaries . and even though many iranians have high hopes for the interim nuclear deal , the leadership in washington and tehran is far more skeptical . in a recent televised speech , khamenei said it was possible that there would be no deal by the june 30 deadline -- and possibly no deal at all . and iran 's army brass has rejected the notion that nuclear inspectors would get access to military sites . meanwhile , the white house has been confronted by a congress that is largely hostile to the negotiations , and has been making the case that a deal can not be about trust , but about monitoring and verification . our main concern here is making sure that if iran does n't abide by its agreement , that we do n't have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops in order to reinstate sanctions , ' u.s. president barack obama said last friday . that 's our main concern . and i think that goal , of having in reserve the possibility of putting back and applying forceful sanctions in the event of a violation , that goal can be met . ' so far none of this has seriously threatened to derail nuclear talks set to resume this week . but despite the confidence and optimism that is currently in the air , there is also fear that things could fall apart if tehran and washington are n't willing to make tough concessions . | u.s. has welcomed limited iranian help in fight against isis but neither side plans full coordination |
national army day <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) traveling to iran these days , the mood among many people and the government can probably best be described using two words : confident and optimistic . after a preliminary framework for a possible nuclear deal was reached between iran and world powers , many here believe a final agreement is possible -- and most hope that widespread sanctions relief could be on the horizon . businesses are already gearing up for a time after the restrictions are lifted , and many people anticipate a huge boost to the economy . naturally we are all very happy , ' one woman in central tehran told us . we expect better days economically and culturally . we want better relations with the rest of the world . ' another man added , i have a good feeling about it , because my country will be free of the fear of war . ' but this weekend , just a few miles down the road , iran 's leaders were celebrating their war machine as the military held its annual national army day parade . as the u.s. , saudi arabia and other countries criticize iran for its alleged involvement in funding and supplying the houthi rebels who have seized power in much of yemen , iranian president hassan rouhani has praised the military as peacemakers for the middle east . today , our army is the source of our national stability , ' rouhani said in his speech at the parade . and even more than that -- it is also a source of security and stability in the entire region . ' the country 's top military brass seemed surprisingly relaxed and unusually willing to speak with western media outlets . major general hassan firouzabadi , the chief of staff of iran 's armed forces and a man who is close to rouhani , told cnn he hopes the u.s. and iran can work closer together to fight isis in iraq . the unity of humanity based on the right of all human beings to live , and their right to freedom , dictates that all human society is threatened by isis , and all humans should unite against isis and work against them , ' firouzabadi said . firouzabadi also repeated iran 's longstanding claim that the u.s. is partly responsible for creating isis , which now controls large parts of iraq and syria . if the americans really did n't create isis , and if they want to destroy isis , it is possible for them to achieve that , ' he said . but we have not seen anything so far except intelligence gathering from the u.s. and britain . we hope that one day , because of their national interests and the will of their nations , the u.s. and the uk will decide to really fight isis . ' iran has often dismissed the coalition air campaign as ineffective , while praising its own strategy of training , advising , outfitting and directing iraqi shia militias , kurdish forces and the iraqi military . but in another apparent softening of rhetoric , a top military official said he hopes that the animosity between iran and america will fade . at the moment , we consider the united states to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us , ' general ahmad reza pourdastan , the commander of iran 's ground forces , told cnn . we would like the u.s. to change its rhetoric and tone of voice so that our nation could have more trust in the u.s. military leadership , ' pourdastan continued . we trust the american people , but the tone of u.s. government and military officials is such that we still consider the u.s. a threat . ' at the same time , iran 's leadership is showing no sign of toning down its own fiery rhetoric -- and the usual death to israel , death to the u.s.a. ' chants echoed around the crowds at the military parade . the u.s. welcomes some of iran 's support for iraqi forces in the fight against isis , but says at this point that there simply is no basis for deeper cooperation on the battlefield . and for iran 's part , supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei has also rejected direct coordination between the two long-time adversaries . and even though many iranians have high hopes for the interim nuclear deal , the leadership in washington and tehran is far more skeptical . in a recent televised speech , khamenei said it was possible that there would be no deal by the june 30 deadline -- and possibly no deal at all . and iran 's army brass has rejected the notion that nuclear inspectors would get access to military sites . meanwhile , the white house has been confronted by a congress that is largely hostile to the negotiations , and has been making the case that a deal can not be about trust , but about monitoring and verification . our main concern here is making sure that if iran does n't abide by its agreement , that we do n't have to jump through a whole bunch of hoops in order to reinstate sanctions , ' u.s. president barack obama said last friday . that 's our main concern . and i think that goal , of having in reserve the possibility of putting back and applying forceful sanctions in the event of a violation , that goal can be met . ' so far none of this has seriously threatened to derail nuclear talks set to resume this week . but despite the confidence and optimism that is currently in the air , there is also fear that things could fall apart if tehran and washington are n't willing to make tough concessions . | iran 's military held annual national army day parade over the weekend |
iran <tsp> baghdad ( cnn ) -- western nations and iran broached solutions over tehran 's controversial nuclear program wednesday , the latest push to end the saber-rattling over the islamic republic 's atomic aspirations . both sides , negotiating in baghdad , delivered proposals in the latest round of talks between iran and six nations -- the united states , france , russia , china , britain and germany . the talks , a followup to negotiations last month , come amid a backdrop of tensions across the middle east over iran 's nuclear efforts . western powers fear that iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons , despite its insistence that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes . the west has been using sanctions and diplomacy to try to stop iran from producing nuclear arms . tehran threatened this year to close the strait of hormuz , a vital oil shipping lane , if sanctions were imposed on its exports of crude oil . israel , which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal , has said it may attack iran to try to stop tehran from developing nuclear weapons . the six nations are putting forward a detailed proposal , which will include confidence-building measures that can begin to pave the way for iran to demonstrate that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and for it to comply with unsc ( u.n. security council ) resolutions , ' said a western official , who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions . this approach includes concrete step-by-step , reciprocal measures aimed at near-term action . we are looking to have detailed and serious discussions in baghdad that strive to make progress towards these concrete steps , ' the official said . asked whether relief from the tough western sanctions imposed on iran will be on the table , the official said , there is no expectation it will happen as a result of this meeting . iran would need to take significant concrete action first . ' the western official said bilateral talks between european union foreign policy chief catherine ashton and iran 's top nuclear negotiator , saeed jalili , had concluded . a closing plenary session will be held thursday morning . when asked if there were a chance of a deal , another western official , who requested anonymity because of sensitive diplomatic discussions , said , we 're not talking final deals , but solid progress . ' iran has submitted a package to the nations , with some , but not all , of the points addressing the nuclear issue , said a member of the iranian delegation who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks . details were not immediately available . a british foreign office spokesman said world powers are offering support for iranian economic and agricultural development and the country 's civilian nuclear program in exchange for cooperation . another idea on the table is an updated version of an earlier offer to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel , european union officials said . there had been a proposal to swap most of iran 's low-enriched uranium for fuel rods to power a medical research reactor in tehran . the proposals address the world community 's concerns about the nature of their nuclear program , ' said michael mann , a spokesman for ashton . obviously , you have various u.n. security council resolutions and reports from the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) that have found suspicions that they may be developing a military program , so our proposals on the table address those concerns , ' mann said . we hope that they will come back and react positively to those proposals that we 've made and that we can really talk about the substance and get things moving . ' mann said 20 % uranium enrichment is one of the issues that 's addressed ' in proposals ashton put on the table . uranium enriched at 20 % is typically used for hospital isotopes and research reactors , but is also seen as a shortcut toward the 90 % enrichment required to build nuclear weapons . the baghdad meeting takes place a day after the head of the iaea said he would soon sign an agreement with iran , a sign that tehran may have agreed to broader inspections of its nuclear facilities . the talks come at a critical time for iran . the country 's economy has been crippled by sanctions imposed by the united nations , the united states and the european union . because 80 % of iran 's foreign revenues are derived from oil exports , an embargo by the eu set to go into effect in july will put further pressure on its economy . jalili was welcomed by the iraqi foreign minister , hoshyar zebari , on his arrival wednesday at baghdad international airport , the iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement . meanwhile , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who has repeatedly raised alarms about iran 's nuclear development , said monday that the world powers must show determination , not weakness ' in the talks . they do not need to make concessions to iran , ' he said in remarks distributed by his office . they need to set clear and unequivocal demands before it . ' israel wants iran to halt all uranium enrichment , give up all nuclear fuel it has enriched so far and dismantle the fordo enrichment plant it built into a mountainside . only thus will it be possible to ensure that iran will not have a nuclear bomb , ' netanyahu said . opinion : reality check , please on wednesday , israeli defense minister ehud barak urged other countries to intensify the pressure on iran . without a tightening of the sanctions , iran will not stop nuclear program development , ' he said . leaders of the so-called group of eight -- the united states , canada , the united kingdom , germany , france , italy , japan and russia -- called saturday on iran to comply with the requirements of the iaea and open its doors to nuclear inspectors . in a declaration , the g-8 leaders said they welcomed the resumption of talks . the iaea has been demanding access to sites where iran could be doing weapons-related testing . the agency 's director-general , yukiya amano , met with iranian negotiator jalili in tehran on monday . during the meeting , we discussed a wide spectrum of different issues , including nuclear disarmament , peaceful use of nuclear energy and strengthening ( the position of ) the agency , ' amano said tuesday in vienna after returning from the visit to iran . during my stay in tehran , there was an important development on the structured approach document on which we were working since january , ' he said , adding that a decision was made by me and mr. jalili to reach the agreement on the structured approach . ' amano told reporters he raised the issue of access to parchin , the military complex believed to have been the site of high-explosive tests related to nuclear weapons research . this issue will be addressed as part of the implementation of the structured approach document , ' he said . amano said differences remained , but jalili said they would not pose obstacles to signing the agreement . the decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement , ' amano said . iran 's state-run islamic republic news agency said that in meetings , both sides discussed present problems more candidly , providing each other with proposals to remove ambiguities and expand cooperation . ' foreign minister ali akbar salehi welcomed the new iaea approach toward iran 's nuclear issue based on mutual understanding and bilateral respect , ' irna reported tuesday . the united states , france , russia , china , britain and germany are called the p5+1 , a reference to germany and the other nations , permanent members of the u.n. security council . another name for the group is the e3+3 , a reference to the european countries of germany , france and britain and the others . cnn 's mohammed jamjoom in baghdad , matthew chance in london and reza sayah in islamabad contributed to this report . | the meeting takes place a day after the iaea said it expects a new deal with iran soon |
iran <tsp> baghdad ( cnn ) -- western nations and iran broached solutions over tehran 's controversial nuclear program wednesday , the latest push to end the saber-rattling over the islamic republic 's atomic aspirations . both sides , negotiating in baghdad , delivered proposals in the latest round of talks between iran and six nations -- the united states , france , russia , china , britain and germany . the talks , a followup to negotiations last month , come amid a backdrop of tensions across the middle east over iran 's nuclear efforts . western powers fear that iran may be trying to build nuclear weapons , despite its insistence that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes . the west has been using sanctions and diplomacy to try to stop iran from producing nuclear arms . tehran threatened this year to close the strait of hormuz , a vital oil shipping lane , if sanctions were imposed on its exports of crude oil . israel , which is believed to have its own nuclear arsenal , has said it may attack iran to try to stop tehran from developing nuclear weapons . the six nations are putting forward a detailed proposal , which will include confidence-building measures that can begin to pave the way for iran to demonstrate that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and for it to comply with unsc ( u.n. security council ) resolutions , ' said a western official , who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions . this approach includes concrete step-by-step , reciprocal measures aimed at near-term action . we are looking to have detailed and serious discussions in baghdad that strive to make progress towards these concrete steps , ' the official said . asked whether relief from the tough western sanctions imposed on iran will be on the table , the official said , there is no expectation it will happen as a result of this meeting . iran would need to take significant concrete action first . ' the western official said bilateral talks between european union foreign policy chief catherine ashton and iran 's top nuclear negotiator , saeed jalili , had concluded . a closing plenary session will be held thursday morning . when asked if there were a chance of a deal , another western official , who requested anonymity because of sensitive diplomatic discussions , said , we 're not talking final deals , but solid progress . ' iran has submitted a package to the nations , with some , but not all , of the points addressing the nuclear issue , said a member of the iranian delegation who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks . details were not immediately available . a british foreign office spokesman said world powers are offering support for iranian economic and agricultural development and the country 's civilian nuclear program in exchange for cooperation . another idea on the table is an updated version of an earlier offer to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel , european union officials said . there had been a proposal to swap most of iran 's low-enriched uranium for fuel rods to power a medical research reactor in tehran . the proposals address the world community 's concerns about the nature of their nuclear program , ' said michael mann , a spokesman for ashton . obviously , you have various u.n. security council resolutions and reports from the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) that have found suspicions that they may be developing a military program , so our proposals on the table address those concerns , ' mann said . we hope that they will come back and react positively to those proposals that we 've made and that we can really talk about the substance and get things moving . ' mann said 20 % uranium enrichment is one of the issues that 's addressed ' in proposals ashton put on the table . uranium enriched at 20 % is typically used for hospital isotopes and research reactors , but is also seen as a shortcut toward the 90 % enrichment required to build nuclear weapons . the baghdad meeting takes place a day after the head of the iaea said he would soon sign an agreement with iran , a sign that tehran may have agreed to broader inspections of its nuclear facilities . the talks come at a critical time for iran . the country 's economy has been crippled by sanctions imposed by the united nations , the united states and the european union . because 80 % of iran 's foreign revenues are derived from oil exports , an embargo by the eu set to go into effect in july will put further pressure on its economy . jalili was welcomed by the iraqi foreign minister , hoshyar zebari , on his arrival wednesday at baghdad international airport , the iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement . meanwhile , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu , who has repeatedly raised alarms about iran 's nuclear development , said monday that the world powers must show determination , not weakness ' in the talks . they do not need to make concessions to iran , ' he said in remarks distributed by his office . they need to set clear and unequivocal demands before it . ' israel wants iran to halt all uranium enrichment , give up all nuclear fuel it has enriched so far and dismantle the fordo enrichment plant it built into a mountainside . only thus will it be possible to ensure that iran will not have a nuclear bomb , ' netanyahu said . opinion : reality check , please on wednesday , israeli defense minister ehud barak urged other countries to intensify the pressure on iran . without a tightening of the sanctions , iran will not stop nuclear program development , ' he said . leaders of the so-called group of eight -- the united states , canada , the united kingdom , germany , france , italy , japan and russia -- called saturday on iran to comply with the requirements of the iaea and open its doors to nuclear inspectors . in a declaration , the g-8 leaders said they welcomed the resumption of talks . the iaea has been demanding access to sites where iran could be doing weapons-related testing . the agency 's director-general , yukiya amano , met with iranian negotiator jalili in tehran on monday . during the meeting , we discussed a wide spectrum of different issues , including nuclear disarmament , peaceful use of nuclear energy and strengthening ( the position of ) the agency , ' amano said tuesday in vienna after returning from the visit to iran . during my stay in tehran , there was an important development on the structured approach document on which we were working since january , ' he said , adding that a decision was made by me and mr. jalili to reach the agreement on the structured approach . ' amano told reporters he raised the issue of access to parchin , the military complex believed to have been the site of high-explosive tests related to nuclear weapons research . this issue will be addressed as part of the implementation of the structured approach document , ' he said . amano said differences remained , but jalili said they would not pose obstacles to signing the agreement . the decision was made to conclude and sign the agreement , ' amano said . iran 's state-run islamic republic news agency said that in meetings , both sides discussed present problems more candidly , providing each other with proposals to remove ambiguities and expand cooperation . ' foreign minister ali akbar salehi welcomed the new iaea approach toward iran 's nuclear issue based on mutual understanding and bilateral respect , ' irna reported tuesday . the united states , france , russia , china , britain and germany are called the p5+1 , a reference to germany and the other nations , permanent members of the u.n. security council . another name for the group is the e3+3 , a reference to the european countries of germany , france and britain and the others . cnn 's mohammed jamjoom in baghdad , matthew chance in london and reza sayah in islamabad contributed to this report . | iran 's nuclear program has created tension in the middle east and beyond |
ecuador <tsp> a small mammal with fluffy red-orange fur , a short bushy tail , and an adorable rounded face has leapt onto the raccoon family tree . scientists at the smithsonian in washington announced thursday the discovery of a new species of mammal called the olinguito ( pronounced oh-lin-ghee-toe ) . if you 're a fan of long technical names , this one is bassaricyon neblina . such a discovery is rare . the olinguito is the first mammalian carnivore species to be newly identified in the americas in 35 years , according to kristofer helgen , curator of mammals at the smithsonian 's national museum of natural history . his research group 's study on the creature is being published in the journal zookeys . researchers argue that the olinguito should be considered the smallest living member of the raccoon family , which includes other animals that make us go awww ' such as coatis and kinkajous . the smithsonian describes the olinguito 's appearance as a cross between a house cat and a teddy bear . cats , bears , and olinguitos belong to the carnivora order . this animal had been seen before by humans , helgen said , but it had been a case of mistaken identity . ' it was in museums , it 's been in zoos , and its dna had even been sequenced , but no one had connected the pieces and looked close enough to realize , basically , the significance of this remarkable and this beautiful animal , ' helgen said . previously , scientists had assumed that olinguitos were members of their sister species , the olingos , helgen said . olingos are larger , less furry and have longer faces than the newly discovered species . tracking the olinguito helgen began his detective work in pursuit of the new species when he set out about a decade ago to comprehensive study of olingos . behind the scenes at the chicago field museum in 2003 , he remembers pulling out a drawer of skins and skulls that did n't look like any animal he had ever seen before , or that had been reported by zoologists . the teeth and skull were smaller and shaped differently than olingos , and the coat was denser . records indicated to helgen that such specimens came from the northern andes about 5,000 to 9,000 feet above sea level , which is much higher than olingo habitats . helgen and colleagues worked with miguel pinto , a zoologist in ecuador , who had shot a few seconds of video that appeared to depict the animal . they teamed up in ecuador in 2006 , using pinto 's knowledge of cloud forest habitats to pick the best spots to investigate . cloud forests are cloaked in fog , ' helgen said . on their very first night on the pursuit , the team found a real , living olinguito . seeing the fluffy tree-dweller for the first time , helgen felt sheer elation , just incredible excitement but at the same time almost disbelief . this animal had been missed by everyone . ' even people who live in the andes had the same confusion about olinguitos being olingos , because humans do n't hunt them and the creatures stay in the trees , helgen said . ancient primate could be a missing link how it lives the researchers found out that the olinguito primarily eats fruits , but also insects and nectar , and its activity is mostly at night . the animal lives in the trees and can jump from one to another . mothers raise a single baby at a time . at about 2.5 feet long from nose tip to tail tip , the olinguito weighs about 2 pounds and is a little smaller than a house cat . dna analysis confirmed that while olinguitos and olingos both belong to the raccoon family , they are sister groups , ' in the same way that humans are closely related to chimpanzees . the olinguito 's misty high-elevation habitats in colombia and ecuador , and the tendency for the animal to stay in the trees , have helped keep the species relatively obscure to scientists until now , helgen said . it turns out , according to helgen , there are four subspecies of olinguitos , differing in color -- shades of reds , orange and browns -- and size and living in various sections of the andes . new species of mice , bats and shrews are more commonly discovered , but these animals are tiny and hard to tell apart , helgen said . prior to the olinguito , the most recent mammal to be discovered in the americas was a small weasel from the andes -- the same area and habitat where the olinguitos live , he said . it shows us that there 's a long way to go to exploring the whole world , but especially maybe these cloud forests , ' helgen said . more olinguitos may be found in other south american countries with cloud forests in the future , according to the smithsonian . the olinguito is not yet considered an endangered species , but there are threats to its home environment , helgen said . many have such forests been chopped down . we also kind of hope that in telling this story to the world about the olinguito , that this beautiful new animal serves as something of an ambassador for those embattled cloud forest habitats . ' the zoo olinguito helgen 's group has discovered ' the olinguito , but it been evolving as an independent species for about 3 to 4 million years , he said . one olinguito whose history helgen 's group studied was exhibited in the united states during its lifetime as if it were an olingo . the creature came from the mountains of colombia to the louisville zoo in 1967 , courtesy of a german couple with a love of raccoon family members , helgen said . it was also in the smithsonian national zoo in washington and the bronx zoo , where it passed away . dna from this olinguito shows that it is clearly not an olingo , helgen said . the wife of the animal 's keeper told helgen , we always thought there was something strange about that olingo , ' he said . she told helgen this particular animal moved from zoo to zoo because she would n't breed with the olingos around her . it was n't because she was fussy , it was because she was not at all even the same species , ' helgen said . with the olinguito research announcement , the oddball animal 's aloofness has been vindicated . chinese zoo angers visitors by passing off hairy tibetan mastiff dog as lion follow elizabeth landau on twitter and google+ . | this creature lives in cloud forests in ecuador and colombia |
formula one <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former williams rookie nico hulkenberg believes that the force india team could be his best chance of driving in the 2011 formula one championship . the german lost his race seat after being unable to earn a new contract , despite an impressive end to his debut season . williams instead opted to sign 25-year-old venezuelan driver pastor maldonado to drive alongside brazilian veteran rubens barrichello ahead of the new season starting in march . force india is our best shot , but it is also no secret that quite a few drivers are trying to land a seat there . we are talking to them and let 's wait and see what develops , ' the 23-year-old told the official f1 website . maldonado earns f1 drive at williams force india , toro rosso , virgin , hispania racing and renault have yet to confirm their line-ups for 2011 . hulkenberg finished the season a point above force india 's 15th-placed vitantonio liuzzi in the overall standings , but 25 below the british-based team 's 11th-placed adrian sutil . the hope is still there and i am not giving up , ' he said . we are working very hard to get a deal done , but there are not many good race seats left . ' hulkenberg snatched pole position for williams at the penultimate grand prix of 2010 in brazil in november , but the driver said he knew this would not be enough for him to stay with the british team . one lap does not change the course of history . there had been signs before that there was something brewing , because the team repeatedly delayed contract talks . so i was forewarned that something was going on . ' rookie hulkenberg leaves williams and hulkenberg believes that drivers will no longer be able to count on just their ability in securing team spots , with sponsorship being an equally important factor in the economic climate . the team has not done too well over the last couple of years -- if you can not produce that performance you eventually have to look for other ways to close the budget gap , ' he said . it has become much harder to open doors if your application does not come with a serious sponsor package and you really only rely on your talent this is quite frustrating and somewhat sad . ' nevertheless , hulkenberg remains upbeat about the sport he joined just over a year ago -- and confident about the future , however uncertain it might be . i would have liked to stay with them , ' he said of his former employers . being teamed up with rubens barrichello -- he is a great guy and still a great driver . i really enjoyed working with him . i do n't want to think about a plan b . my focus is 100 % on finding a good race seat for 2011 . that is where all my efforts are going right now . ' | nico hulkenberg is without a team for the 2011 formula one championship |
gene vincent <tsp> ( rolling stone ) -- the rock and roll hall of fame will make up for past oversights at this year 's induction ceremony by admitting the backing groups of six first-generation rock stars . the honored groups include the blue caps ( gene vincent ) , the comets ( bill haley ) , the crickets ( buddy holly ) , the famous flames ( james brown ) , the midnighters ( hank ballard ) and the miracles ( smokey robinson ) . in each of these cases , the backing group failed to get into the hall of fame at the same time as their frontman - sometimes causing a great deal of controversy . the hall of fame 's failure to induct the miracles along with smokey robinson in 1987 caused a particularly large uproar . hall of fame rules state that artists are eligible for induction 25 years after their debut release . at the time , robinson had been a solo artist for only 14 years . the six groups will be inducted april 14 at the rock and roll hall of fame 's annual ceremony at cleveland 's public hall . these inductees are pioneers in the development of the music we call rock and roll , ' the rock and roll hall of fame 's president and ceo joel peresman said in a statement . as part of our mission to recognize the most impactful , innovative and influential artists in rock , the committee brought forth these six groups that belong in the hall of fame . ' beastie boys , donovan , guns n'roses , laura nyro , red hot chili peppers , the small faces/the faces , freddie king , don kirshner , cosimo matassa , tom dowd and glyn johns are also being inducted at this year 's ceremony . see the full article at rollingstone.com copyright © 2011 rolling stone . | the honored groups include the blue caps ( gene vincent ) , the comets ( bill haley ) etc |
congolese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- now that president obama has taken a public stand on the warlords and militia gangs tyrannizing dr congo , there is a sense that the next chapter in the human tragedy that has been raging there over the past decade and half is about to be written -- or so we can hope . in the drc -- africa 's largest sub-saharan country -- invasions , proxy wars and humanitarian crises have senselessly shut down millions of lives , displaced millions more from their homes and left countless women and young girls brutally raped with the world barely raising an eyebrow . the latest murderous attempt by the m23 militia gang to besiege goma , the strategic regional capital of congo 's eastern province of north kivu , seems to have backfired . the united nations says rwanda has helped to create and militarily supported m23 . although rwandan president paul kagame denies backing m23 , the accusation has taken off some of the international gloss he had long enjoyed in the west , and precipitated cuts and suspension of aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime by the netherlands , sweden , germany , britain and the european union . the united states , which gives no money directly to the rwandan government , suspended its military aid . in a baffling expression of a refinement of the u.s. position , president obama made a rare telephone call to kagame to emphasize the importance of permanently ending all support to armed groups in the drc . ' that set a firm red line on the situation in that region , the first one by president obama since becoming president in 2008 . watch video : kagame on congo this was certainly right and good . kagame is no fool ; the diplomatic but emphatic content of that telephone call , monitored by white house 's national security staff and published thereafter for public consumption , speaks volumes . he clearly understood the implicit threat . but it was not good enough . left unsaid is that withholding aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime has not changed many realities on the ground -- a painful reminder of the limits of what previous half-hearted , ambivalent international attempts to halt the crisis in that country had achieved . however , the situation is not hopeless . president obama can help to halt the wars engulfing the congo . it is both economically and politically affordable . here is my suggestion -- a three-point road map , if you like , for president obama , should he choose to put the weight of the united states squarely on the side of the congolese and engage much more robustly to help end the world 's bloodiest war and human tragedy . read more : why the world is ignoring congo war 1 . changes in kinshasa if we are to be blunt with ourselves , congo 's major problem today -- the chief reason that country remains on its knees -- is its president joseph kabila . paul kagame is just a symptom , at least in theory . the crisis of leadership in the capital kinshasa , the disastrous blend of lack of political legitimacy and moral authority , mixed with poor governance and vision deficiency , then compounded with dilapidated state institutions , has become the common denominator to the ills and wrongs that continues to overwhelm the congo . in other words , peace will never be secured in congo , if the moribund status quo is still strutting around kinshasa . obama 's minimum objective in regard to ending the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo should be to push for changes in kinshasa . he must make this one of the 10 commandments ' of the obama doctrine . circumstances demand it to re-energize congo 's chance of success and to enable the renaissance of a new africa . ' and given the effects of congo 's mounting death toll and the speed at which hiv/aids is spreading because of the use of rape as a weapon of war , the sooner the better . 2 . keep kagame in the naughty corner the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo have many fathers and many layers . rwanda , and to some extent uganda -- run by africa 's two dearest autocratic but staunchly pro-american regimes -- are , as they have been many times in the past , despite their denials , continuing to provide support to warlords and militia gangs terrorizing the congolese people . this is not an apocryphal claim , it 's an open secret in kinshasa , kampala and kigali as much as it is in washington or white hall , and as real as charles taylor 's role in sierra leone or iran 's support to hezbollah . indeed , reporters across congo and across the region would testify to this . kigali has been , one can safely argue , the sole shareholder in the m23 militia gang -- and its elder sisters cndp and rcd-goma . it can not wash its hands in pontius pilate fashion of either the icc-wanted m23 warlord bosco ntaganda , also known as the terminator , or laurent nkunda , who is wanted by the congolese government for war crimes and is under house arrest in kigali . read more : prosecutor seeks new congo war crimes warrants if president obama is remotely serious about saving lives in congo , then fracturing rwanda 's ability to directly or indirectly harbor warlords , support militia gangs , militarize or ethnicize the wars in congo for control of congo 's easily appropriable but highly valuable natural resources is critical , however politically disgruntling it may be to some in the state department . it would reduce the scale , scope and intensity of the killing , raping and uprooting of the congolese , it would crush kinshasa 's ability to use external support to warlords and militia gangs as an alibi for a lack of progress and , above all , decrease the growing unease of the congolese towards rwanda over the crimes of fdlr and the role played by their government in congo . 3 . fdlr the continued existence in congo of fdlr , a rwandan militia gang made up largely of hutus -- whose leadership took part in the 1994 genocide of tutsi -- remains one of the most persistent and serious threats to stability in congo and the region . addressing this crisis is of significant importance from both a political and humanitarian viewpoint . though there are no definitive statistics on the exact numbers of fdlr fighters , the good news is that experts tell us that the vast majority of its rank and file are in their 20s and early 30s , which means they were too young to have taken part in the genocide in 1994 . the united states , together with the u.n. , the eu and african union , should appoint a special envoy for the african great lakes region to midwife a conducive political arrangement in kigali that could see them returning home -- and see their leaders and fundraisers in europe arrested . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vava tampa . | obama must push for change in congolese government , argues tampa |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- now that president obama has taken a public stand on the warlords and militia gangs tyrannizing dr congo , there is a sense that the next chapter in the human tragedy that has been raging there over the past decade and half is about to be written -- or so we can hope . in the drc -- africa 's largest sub-saharan country -- invasions , proxy wars and humanitarian crises have senselessly shut down millions of lives , displaced millions more from their homes and left countless women and young girls brutally raped with the world barely raising an eyebrow . the latest murderous attempt by the m23 militia gang to besiege goma , the strategic regional capital of congo 's eastern province of north kivu , seems to have backfired . the united nations says rwanda has helped to create and militarily supported m23 . although rwandan president paul kagame denies backing m23 , the accusation has taken off some of the international gloss he had long enjoyed in the west , and precipitated cuts and suspension of aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime by the netherlands , sweden , germany , britain and the european union . the united states , which gives no money directly to the rwandan government , suspended its military aid . in a baffling expression of a refinement of the u.s. position , president obama made a rare telephone call to kagame to emphasize the importance of permanently ending all support to armed groups in the drc . ' that set a firm red line on the situation in that region , the first one by president obama since becoming president in 2008 . watch video : kagame on congo this was certainly right and good . kagame is no fool ; the diplomatic but emphatic content of that telephone call , monitored by white house 's national security staff and published thereafter for public consumption , speaks volumes . he clearly understood the implicit threat . but it was not good enough . left unsaid is that withholding aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime has not changed many realities on the ground -- a painful reminder of the limits of what previous half-hearted , ambivalent international attempts to halt the crisis in that country had achieved . however , the situation is not hopeless . president obama can help to halt the wars engulfing the congo . it is both economically and politically affordable . here is my suggestion -- a three-point road map , if you like , for president obama , should he choose to put the weight of the united states squarely on the side of the congolese and engage much more robustly to help end the world 's bloodiest war and human tragedy . read more : why the world is ignoring congo war 1 . changes in kinshasa if we are to be blunt with ourselves , congo 's major problem today -- the chief reason that country remains on its knees -- is its president joseph kabila . paul kagame is just a symptom , at least in theory . the crisis of leadership in the capital kinshasa , the disastrous blend of lack of political legitimacy and moral authority , mixed with poor governance and vision deficiency , then compounded with dilapidated state institutions , has become the common denominator to the ills and wrongs that continues to overwhelm the congo . in other words , peace will never be secured in congo , if the moribund status quo is still strutting around kinshasa . obama 's minimum objective in regard to ending the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo should be to push for changes in kinshasa . he must make this one of the 10 commandments ' of the obama doctrine . circumstances demand it to re-energize congo 's chance of success and to enable the renaissance of a new africa . ' and given the effects of congo 's mounting death toll and the speed at which hiv/aids is spreading because of the use of rape as a weapon of war , the sooner the better . 2 . keep kagame in the naughty corner the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo have many fathers and many layers . rwanda , and to some extent uganda -- run by africa 's two dearest autocratic but staunchly pro-american regimes -- are , as they have been many times in the past , despite their denials , continuing to provide support to warlords and militia gangs terrorizing the congolese people . this is not an apocryphal claim , it 's an open secret in kinshasa , kampala and kigali as much as it is in washington or white hall , and as real as charles taylor 's role in sierra leone or iran 's support to hezbollah . indeed , reporters across congo and across the region would testify to this . kigali has been , one can safely argue , the sole shareholder in the m23 militia gang -- and its elder sisters cndp and rcd-goma . it can not wash its hands in pontius pilate fashion of either the icc-wanted m23 warlord bosco ntaganda , also known as the terminator , or laurent nkunda , who is wanted by the congolese government for war crimes and is under house arrest in kigali . read more : prosecutor seeks new congo war crimes warrants if president obama is remotely serious about saving lives in congo , then fracturing rwanda 's ability to directly or indirectly harbor warlords , support militia gangs , militarize or ethnicize the wars in congo for control of congo 's easily appropriable but highly valuable natural resources is critical , however politically disgruntling it may be to some in the state department . it would reduce the scale , scope and intensity of the killing , raping and uprooting of the congolese , it would crush kinshasa 's ability to use external support to warlords and militia gangs as an alibi for a lack of progress and , above all , decrease the growing unease of the congolese towards rwanda over the crimes of fdlr and the role played by their government in congo . 3 . fdlr the continued existence in congo of fdlr , a rwandan militia gang made up largely of hutus -- whose leadership took part in the 1994 genocide of tutsi -- remains one of the most persistent and serious threats to stability in congo and the region . addressing this crisis is of significant importance from both a political and humanitarian viewpoint . though there are no definitive statistics on the exact numbers of fdlr fighters , the good news is that experts tell us that the vast majority of its rank and file are in their 20s and early 30s , which means they were too young to have taken part in the genocide in 1994 . the united states , together with the u.n. , the eu and african union , should appoint a special envoy for the african great lakes region to midwife a conducive political arrangement in kigali that could see them returning home -- and see their leaders and fundraisers in europe arrested . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vava tampa . | president obama can help end the congo conflict for good , says vava tampa |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- now that president obama has taken a public stand on the warlords and militia gangs tyrannizing dr congo , there is a sense that the next chapter in the human tragedy that has been raging there over the past decade and half is about to be written -- or so we can hope . in the drc -- africa 's largest sub-saharan country -- invasions , proxy wars and humanitarian crises have senselessly shut down millions of lives , displaced millions more from their homes and left countless women and young girls brutally raped with the world barely raising an eyebrow . the latest murderous attempt by the m23 militia gang to besiege goma , the strategic regional capital of congo 's eastern province of north kivu , seems to have backfired . the united nations says rwanda has helped to create and militarily supported m23 . although rwandan president paul kagame denies backing m23 , the accusation has taken off some of the international gloss he had long enjoyed in the west , and precipitated cuts and suspension of aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime by the netherlands , sweden , germany , britain and the european union . the united states , which gives no money directly to the rwandan government , suspended its military aid . in a baffling expression of a refinement of the u.s. position , president obama made a rare telephone call to kagame to emphasize the importance of permanently ending all support to armed groups in the drc . ' that set a firm red line on the situation in that region , the first one by president obama since becoming president in 2008 . watch video : kagame on congo this was certainly right and good . kagame is no fool ; the diplomatic but emphatic content of that telephone call , monitored by white house 's national security staff and published thereafter for public consumption , speaks volumes . he clearly understood the implicit threat . but it was not good enough . left unsaid is that withholding aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime has not changed many realities on the ground -- a painful reminder of the limits of what previous half-hearted , ambivalent international attempts to halt the crisis in that country had achieved . however , the situation is not hopeless . president obama can help to halt the wars engulfing the congo . it is both economically and politically affordable . here is my suggestion -- a three-point road map , if you like , for president obama , should he choose to put the weight of the united states squarely on the side of the congolese and engage much more robustly to help end the world 's bloodiest war and human tragedy . read more : why the world is ignoring congo war 1 . changes in kinshasa if we are to be blunt with ourselves , congo 's major problem today -- the chief reason that country remains on its knees -- is its president joseph kabila . paul kagame is just a symptom , at least in theory . the crisis of leadership in the capital kinshasa , the disastrous blend of lack of political legitimacy and moral authority , mixed with poor governance and vision deficiency , then compounded with dilapidated state institutions , has become the common denominator to the ills and wrongs that continues to overwhelm the congo . in other words , peace will never be secured in congo , if the moribund status quo is still strutting around kinshasa . obama 's minimum objective in regard to ending the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo should be to push for changes in kinshasa . he must make this one of the 10 commandments ' of the obama doctrine . circumstances demand it to re-energize congo 's chance of success and to enable the renaissance of a new africa . ' and given the effects of congo 's mounting death toll and the speed at which hiv/aids is spreading because of the use of rape as a weapon of war , the sooner the better . 2 . keep kagame in the naughty corner the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo have many fathers and many layers . rwanda , and to some extent uganda -- run by africa 's two dearest autocratic but staunchly pro-american regimes -- are , as they have been many times in the past , despite their denials , continuing to provide support to warlords and militia gangs terrorizing the congolese people . this is not an apocryphal claim , it 's an open secret in kinshasa , kampala and kigali as much as it is in washington or white hall , and as real as charles taylor 's role in sierra leone or iran 's support to hezbollah . indeed , reporters across congo and across the region would testify to this . kigali has been , one can safely argue , the sole shareholder in the m23 militia gang -- and its elder sisters cndp and rcd-goma . it can not wash its hands in pontius pilate fashion of either the icc-wanted m23 warlord bosco ntaganda , also known as the terminator , or laurent nkunda , who is wanted by the congolese government for war crimes and is under house arrest in kigali . read more : prosecutor seeks new congo war crimes warrants if president obama is remotely serious about saving lives in congo , then fracturing rwanda 's ability to directly or indirectly harbor warlords , support militia gangs , militarize or ethnicize the wars in congo for control of congo 's easily appropriable but highly valuable natural resources is critical , however politically disgruntling it may be to some in the state department . it would reduce the scale , scope and intensity of the killing , raping and uprooting of the congolese , it would crush kinshasa 's ability to use external support to warlords and militia gangs as an alibi for a lack of progress and , above all , decrease the growing unease of the congolese towards rwanda over the crimes of fdlr and the role played by their government in congo . 3 . fdlr the continued existence in congo of fdlr , a rwandan militia gang made up largely of hutus -- whose leadership took part in the 1994 genocide of tutsi -- remains one of the most persistent and serious threats to stability in congo and the region . addressing this crisis is of significant importance from both a political and humanitarian viewpoint . though there are no definitive statistics on the exact numbers of fdlr fighters , the good news is that experts tell us that the vast majority of its rank and file are in their 20s and early 30s , which means they were too young to have taken part in the genocide in 1994 . the united states , together with the u.n. , the eu and african union , should appoint a special envoy for the african great lakes region to midwife a conducive political arrangement in kigali that could see them returning home -- and see their leaders and fundraisers in europe arrested . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vava tampa . | obama has asked rwanda to end all support to armed groups in the congo |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- now that president obama has taken a public stand on the warlords and militia gangs tyrannizing dr congo , there is a sense that the next chapter in the human tragedy that has been raging there over the past decade and half is about to be written -- or so we can hope . in the drc -- africa 's largest sub-saharan country -- invasions , proxy wars and humanitarian crises have senselessly shut down millions of lives , displaced millions more from their homes and left countless women and young girls brutally raped with the world barely raising an eyebrow . the latest murderous attempt by the m23 militia gang to besiege goma , the strategic regional capital of congo 's eastern province of north kivu , seems to have backfired . the united nations says rwanda has helped to create and militarily supported m23 . although rwandan president paul kagame denies backing m23 , the accusation has taken off some of the international gloss he had long enjoyed in the west , and precipitated cuts and suspension of aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime by the netherlands , sweden , germany , britain and the european union . the united states , which gives no money directly to the rwandan government , suspended its military aid . in a baffling expression of a refinement of the u.s. position , president obama made a rare telephone call to kagame to emphasize the importance of permanently ending all support to armed groups in the drc . ' that set a firm red line on the situation in that region , the first one by president obama since becoming president in 2008 . watch video : kagame on congo this was certainly right and good . kagame is no fool ; the diplomatic but emphatic content of that telephone call , monitored by white house 's national security staff and published thereafter for public consumption , speaks volumes . he clearly understood the implicit threat . but it was not good enough . left unsaid is that withholding aid money that goes directly to the kagame regime has not changed many realities on the ground -- a painful reminder of the limits of what previous half-hearted , ambivalent international attempts to halt the crisis in that country had achieved . however , the situation is not hopeless . president obama can help to halt the wars engulfing the congo . it is both economically and politically affordable . here is my suggestion -- a three-point road map , if you like , for president obama , should he choose to put the weight of the united states squarely on the side of the congolese and engage much more robustly to help end the world 's bloodiest war and human tragedy . read more : why the world is ignoring congo war 1 . changes in kinshasa if we are to be blunt with ourselves , congo 's major problem today -- the chief reason that country remains on its knees -- is its president joseph kabila . paul kagame is just a symptom , at least in theory . the crisis of leadership in the capital kinshasa , the disastrous blend of lack of political legitimacy and moral authority , mixed with poor governance and vision deficiency , then compounded with dilapidated state institutions , has become the common denominator to the ills and wrongs that continues to overwhelm the congo . in other words , peace will never be secured in congo , if the moribund status quo is still strutting around kinshasa . obama 's minimum objective in regard to ending the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo should be to push for changes in kinshasa . he must make this one of the 10 commandments ' of the obama doctrine . circumstances demand it to re-energize congo 's chance of success and to enable the renaissance of a new africa . ' and given the effects of congo 's mounting death toll and the speed at which hiv/aids is spreading because of the use of rape as a weapon of war , the sooner the better . 2 . keep kagame in the naughty corner the wars and human tragedy engulfing the congo have many fathers and many layers . rwanda , and to some extent uganda -- run by africa 's two dearest autocratic but staunchly pro-american regimes -- are , as they have been many times in the past , despite their denials , continuing to provide support to warlords and militia gangs terrorizing the congolese people . this is not an apocryphal claim , it 's an open secret in kinshasa , kampala and kigali as much as it is in washington or white hall , and as real as charles taylor 's role in sierra leone or iran 's support to hezbollah . indeed , reporters across congo and across the region would testify to this . kigali has been , one can safely argue , the sole shareholder in the m23 militia gang -- and its elder sisters cndp and rcd-goma . it can not wash its hands in pontius pilate fashion of either the icc-wanted m23 warlord bosco ntaganda , also known as the terminator , or laurent nkunda , who is wanted by the congolese government for war crimes and is under house arrest in kigali . read more : prosecutor seeks new congo war crimes warrants if president obama is remotely serious about saving lives in congo , then fracturing rwanda 's ability to directly or indirectly harbor warlords , support militia gangs , militarize or ethnicize the wars in congo for control of congo 's easily appropriable but highly valuable natural resources is critical , however politically disgruntling it may be to some in the state department . it would reduce the scale , scope and intensity of the killing , raping and uprooting of the congolese , it would crush kinshasa 's ability to use external support to warlords and militia gangs as an alibi for a lack of progress and , above all , decrease the growing unease of the congolese towards rwanda over the crimes of fdlr and the role played by their government in congo . 3 . fdlr the continued existence in congo of fdlr , a rwandan militia gang made up largely of hutus -- whose leadership took part in the 1994 genocide of tutsi -- remains one of the most persistent and serious threats to stability in congo and the region . addressing this crisis is of significant importance from both a political and humanitarian viewpoint . though there are no definitive statistics on the exact numbers of fdlr fighters , the good news is that experts tell us that the vast majority of its rank and file are in their 20s and early 30s , which means they were too young to have taken part in the genocide in 1994 . the united states , together with the u.n. , the eu and african union , should appoint a special envoy for the african great lakes region to midwife a conducive political arrangement in kigali that could see them returning home -- and see their leaders and fundraisers in europe arrested . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of vava tampa . | obama must push for change in congolese government , argues tampa |
kofi annan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the life of a jockey is far from glamorous -- a world away from the confines of the rarefied , hushed atmosphere of london 's national portrait gallery . it 's a life of blood , sweat and mud-splattered silks and it 's also a hazardous profession , with jockeys at frequent risk of serious injury . that gritty reality has been key to a photograph of jockey katie walsh winning a prestigious portrait competition featuring esteemed subjects like former united nations secretary general kofi annan . british photographer spencer murphy took the award-winning picture of walsh -- sister of famed irish jockey ruby walsh and the daughter of trainer ted walsh -- during a promotional shoot at kempton racehorse . walsh is pictured in the colors of the racehorse seabass , who she rode to third in the 2012 grand national steeplechase at aintree . i wanted to show both her femininity and the toughness of spirit she requires to compete against the best riders in one of the most demanding disciplines in horse racing , ' murphy , 35 , said in a statement after picking up the $ 19,000 taylor wessing photographic portrait prize . i chose to shoot the series on large format film , to give the images a depth and timelessness that i think would have been hard to achieve on a digital camera . ' it was a sweet success for murphy , who was awarded third place in last year 's competition . a black-and-white shot of annan captured by iranian photographer anoush abrar was in third place this time around . in my mind it was clear what i wanted to do , ' said abrar , who had previous experience of photographing annan , and this portrait took literally three minutes ! ' runner-up was giles price for a portrait of a pilgrim and her baby at india 's kumbh mela festival . the award ceremony took place at london 's national portrait gallery , where a selection of the 5,410 entries will be on display until february . | a picture of former un secretary general kofi annan was awarded third place |
monroe <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- the copyright to a home movie of marilyn monroe just sitting around ' with friends will be offered through an online auction this week , according to a man who found the film while researching the actress'death . a short clip of the four-minute , silent 16 mm film provided to cnn to shows monroe puffing on a cigarette , laughing and drinking wine on a couch . an fbi agent involved in the investigation of monroe 's death on august 5 , 1962 -- which was ruled a suicide by drug overdose -- tipped off collector keya morgan to the film 's existence . morgan was interviewing the agent for a documentary titled marilyn monroe : murder on fifth helena drive , ' he said . the documentary , due out next year , examines the theory that monroe was killed by government agents because of her affair with president john f. kennedy . morgan said he paid $ 275,000 for the faded color film because it is very rare ' to find images of the actress'private moments . it 's a side of marilyn that no one has ever seen before , ' he said . you see the private norma jeane , the girl . you do n't see marilyn monroe , the movie star . ' monroe changed her name from norma jeane baker to marilyn monroe early in her acting and modeling career . while she puffs the cigarette , she 's also sniffing her armpit and acting silly , ' morgan said . the woman who made the film asked that cnn use only her first name , gretchen , to protect her identity . we were just getting together , ' gretchen said . they were just sitting around ' in a new jersey apartment , singing songs , she said . the film was made in the late 1950s ; gretchen said she could not recall the exact year . she kept it packed away for 50 years , except for loaning it to fbi investigators , she said . gretchen retained the copyright , which morgan is helping her sell through an ebay auction expected to begin thursday , he said . | copyright to film of marilyn monroe sitting around ' will be offered on ebay this week |
monroe <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- the copyright to a home movie of marilyn monroe just sitting around ' with friends will be offered through an online auction this week , according to a man who found the film while researching the actress'death . a short clip of the four-minute , silent 16 mm film provided to cnn to shows monroe puffing on a cigarette , laughing and drinking wine on a couch . an fbi agent involved in the investigation of monroe 's death on august 5 , 1962 -- which was ruled a suicide by drug overdose -- tipped off collector keya morgan to the film 's existence . morgan was interviewing the agent for a documentary titled marilyn monroe : murder on fifth helena drive , ' he said . the documentary , due out next year , examines the theory that monroe was killed by government agents because of her affair with president john f. kennedy . morgan said he paid $ 275,000 for the faded color film because it is very rare ' to find images of the actress'private moments . it 's a side of marilyn that no one has ever seen before , ' he said . you see the private norma jeane , the girl . you do n't see marilyn monroe , the movie star . ' monroe changed her name from norma jeane baker to marilyn monroe early in her acting and modeling career . while she puffs the cigarette , she 's also sniffing her armpit and acting silly , ' morgan said . the woman who made the film asked that cnn use only her first name , gretchen , to protect her identity . we were just getting together , ' gretchen said . they were just sitting around ' in a new jersey apartment , singing songs , she said . the film was made in the late 1950s ; gretchen said she could not recall the exact year . she kept it packed away for 50 years , except for loaning it to fbi investigators , she said . gretchen retained the copyright , which morgan is helping her sell through an ebay auction expected to begin thursday , he said . | clip of film from 1950s shows marilyn monroe laughing on couch , smoking and drinking |
monroe <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- the copyright to a home movie of marilyn monroe just sitting around ' with friends will be offered through an online auction this week , according to a man who found the film while researching the actress'death . a short clip of the four-minute , silent 16 mm film provided to cnn to shows monroe puffing on a cigarette , laughing and drinking wine on a couch . an fbi agent involved in the investigation of monroe 's death on august 5 , 1962 -- which was ruled a suicide by drug overdose -- tipped off collector keya morgan to the film 's existence . morgan was interviewing the agent for a documentary titled marilyn monroe : murder on fifth helena drive , ' he said . the documentary , due out next year , examines the theory that monroe was killed by government agents because of her affair with president john f. kennedy . morgan said he paid $ 275,000 for the faded color film because it is very rare ' to find images of the actress'private moments . it 's a side of marilyn that no one has ever seen before , ' he said . you see the private norma jeane , the girl . you do n't see marilyn monroe , the movie star . ' monroe changed her name from norma jeane baker to marilyn monroe early in her acting and modeling career . while she puffs the cigarette , she 's also sniffing her armpit and acting silly , ' morgan said . the woman who made the film asked that cnn use only her first name , gretchen , to protect her identity . we were just getting together , ' gretchen said . they were just sitting around ' in a new jersey apartment , singing songs , she said . the film was made in the late 1950s ; gretchen said she could not recall the exact year . she kept it packed away for 50 years , except for loaning it to fbi investigators , she said . gretchen retained the copyright , which morgan is helping her sell through an ebay auction expected to begin thursday , he said . | keya morgan paid $ 275,000 for the rare glimpse into monroe 's unscripted moments |
st. louis <tsp> west alton , missouri ( cnn ) -- residents of communities north of st. louis fled the onrush of river waters this week , after two levees breached , but wednesday brings relief , as rivers continue to retreat , weather forecasters say . although some thunderstorms are approaching from the west , they should not drop enough rain to refill the receding currents of the the mississippi or missouri rivers at st. louis , according to cnn 's weather unit . downstream on the mississippi , at cape girardeau , water arriving from st. louis is expected to push the river 's level to 45 feet , according to the national weather service . at currently just over 43 feet , it stands 11 feet above flood stage there . levee breaches a 100- to 150-foot section of levee gave way outside west alton , missouri , tuesday near the point where the missouri river joins the mississippi , st. charles county 's emergency management office reported . residents of an estimated 43 homes in the area were told to evacuate . the levee failed around noon ( 1 p.m . et ) . by evening , authorities were scrambling to bolster about a three-quarter-mile section of levee near portage des sioux , about nine miles upstream from west alton . the area is home to a nearly 1,000-megawatt coal-burning power plant , and officials were hauling truckloads of stone and heavy earth-moving equipment to the site in an attempt to prevent the levee from failing . on monday emergency teams rushed to get hundreds of people to safety , after a levee breach on the missouri river near west alton . many residents did n't need to be told twice to get out . i want to be safe rather than sorry , ' heather wendle said . i do n't want to take the chances . ' from trickle to torrent after weeks of heavy rain in the upper midwest , the mississippi is still running above flood stage at st. louis , in spite of dropping water levels , the corps of engineers reported . the flood waters stand in contrast to the near river drought a few months ago . the mississippi had been running so low that the corps feared it would have to close the waterway to barge traffic . in december , the corps of engineers had hundreds of tons of rock dug out of the river at thebes , illinois , about 125 miles downriver from st. louis , to make sure barges could pass . but monday , the coast guard shut down a section of the river at st. louis -- because the water was too high for safe navigation . cnn 's holly yan , jennifer feldman , cristy lenz and carma hassan contributed to this report . | new : rivers are receding around st. louis |
st. louis <tsp> west alton , missouri ( cnn ) -- residents of communities north of st. louis fled the onrush of river waters this week , after two levees breached , but wednesday brings relief , as rivers continue to retreat , weather forecasters say . although some thunderstorms are approaching from the west , they should not drop enough rain to refill the receding currents of the the mississippi or missouri rivers at st. louis , according to cnn 's weather unit . downstream on the mississippi , at cape girardeau , water arriving from st. louis is expected to push the river 's level to 45 feet , according to the national weather service . at currently just over 43 feet , it stands 11 feet above flood stage there . levee breaches a 100- to 150-foot section of levee gave way outside west alton , missouri , tuesday near the point where the missouri river joins the mississippi , st. charles county 's emergency management office reported . residents of an estimated 43 homes in the area were told to evacuate . the levee failed around noon ( 1 p.m . et ) . by evening , authorities were scrambling to bolster about a three-quarter-mile section of levee near portage des sioux , about nine miles upstream from west alton . the area is home to a nearly 1,000-megawatt coal-burning power plant , and officials were hauling truckloads of stone and heavy earth-moving equipment to the site in an attempt to prevent the levee from failing . on monday emergency teams rushed to get hundreds of people to safety , after a levee breach on the missouri river near west alton . many residents did n't need to be told twice to get out . i want to be safe rather than sorry , ' heather wendle said . i do n't want to take the chances . ' from trickle to torrent after weeks of heavy rain in the upper midwest , the mississippi is still running above flood stage at st. louis , in spite of dropping water levels , the corps of engineers reported . the flood waters stand in contrast to the near river drought a few months ago . the mississippi had been running so low that the corps feared it would have to close the waterway to barge traffic . in december , the corps of engineers had hundreds of tons of rock dug out of the river at thebes , illinois , about 125 miles downriver from st. louis , to make sure barges could pass . but monday , the coast guard shut down a section of the river at st. louis -- because the water was too high for safe navigation . cnn 's holly yan , jennifer feldman , cristy lenz and carma hassan contributed to this report . | new : water headed downstream should raise river levels south of st. louis |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. barack obama on wednesday unveiled a plan to create volunteer and service opportunities to help tackle some of the nation 's most pressing issues , part of his weeklong focus on patriotism and national service . sen. barack obama is expected to say president bush failed to urge americans to serve their nation after 9/11 . this wo n't be a call issued in one speech or one program -- i want this to be a central cause of my presidency , ' obama said in a speech at the university of colorado in colorado springs . we will ask americans to serve . we will create new opportunities for americans to serve . and we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges . ' he added , when you choose to serve -- whether it 's your nation , your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental american ideal that we want life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves , but for all americans . that 's why it 's called the american dream . ' obama highlighted his time as a community organizer on chicago 's south side and his stint heading project vote , a group that helped register 150,000 new african-american voters in the illinois city , according to his campaign . i was n't just helping other people . through service , i found a community that embraced me ; citizenship that was meaningful ; the direction i 'd been seeking . through service , i discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of america , ' he said . the presumptive democratic presidential nominee also touched on the spirit ' of service witnessed after the september 11 , 2001 , attacks and take aim at the bush administration 's failure to capitalize on this opportunity to call americans to service . we were ready to step into the strong current of history and to answer a new call for our country . but the call never came , ' he said . instead of a call to service , we were asked to shop . ... instead of leadership that called us to come together , we got patriotism defined as the property of one party and used as a political wedge ... we ended up going into a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged . ' obama also pressed the need to ease the burden on our troops , while meeting the challenges of the 21st century ' -- a plan he hopes will increase ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 marines . according to obama 's campaign , the service plan will include : sen. john mccain also has touched on national service with a call to action on his campaign web site . in a section entitled a cause greater than self , ' the presumptive gop nominee asks americans to donate their time to relief efforts -- including helping out in the flood-ravaged areas of iowa . see more on mccain 's plan there is also a list of suggested sites where people can volunteer . | his proposal also calls on americans to serve in the armed forces |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. barack obama on wednesday unveiled a plan to create volunteer and service opportunities to help tackle some of the nation 's most pressing issues , part of his weeklong focus on patriotism and national service . sen. barack obama is expected to say president bush failed to urge americans to serve their nation after 9/11 . this wo n't be a call issued in one speech or one program -- i want this to be a central cause of my presidency , ' obama said in a speech at the university of colorado in colorado springs . we will ask americans to serve . we will create new opportunities for americans to serve . and we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges . ' he added , when you choose to serve -- whether it 's your nation , your community or simply your neighborhood -- you are connected to that fundamental american ideal that we want life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness not just for ourselves , but for all americans . that 's why it 's called the american dream . ' obama highlighted his time as a community organizer on chicago 's south side and his stint heading project vote , a group that helped register 150,000 new african-american voters in the illinois city , according to his campaign . i was n't just helping other people . through service , i found a community that embraced me ; citizenship that was meaningful ; the direction i 'd been seeking . through service , i discovered how my own improbable story fit into the larger story of america , ' he said . the presumptive democratic presidential nominee also touched on the spirit ' of service witnessed after the september 11 , 2001 , attacks and take aim at the bush administration 's failure to capitalize on this opportunity to call americans to service . we were ready to step into the strong current of history and to answer a new call for our country . but the call never came , ' he said . instead of a call to service , we were asked to shop . ... instead of leadership that called us to come together , we got patriotism defined as the property of one party and used as a political wedge ... we ended up going into a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged . ' obama also pressed the need to ease the burden on our troops , while meeting the challenges of the 21st century ' -- a plan he hopes will increase ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 marines . according to obama 's campaign , the service plan will include : sen. john mccain also has touched on national service with a call to action on his campaign web site . in a section entitled a cause greater than self , ' the presumptive gop nominee asks americans to donate their time to relief efforts -- including helping out in the flood-ravaged areas of iowa . see more on mccain 's plan there is also a list of suggested sites where people can volunteer . | sen. barack obama calls on americans to serve their country in a new plan |
japan <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- tens of thousands of residents began evacuating sunday morning from coastal japan in anticipation of a possible tsunami following chile 's 8.8-magnitude earthquake . the northern part of the main island was looking at the possibility of a tsunami at least 9 feet high , according to the japan meteorological agency . rail service was halted in coastal areas and residents were urged to evacuate low-lying areas of the island nation . the warning primarily affected fishing areas and tourist areas ; major cities like tokyo , which is inland , were not affected . sunday 's alert was japan 's first major tsunami warning in more than 15 years , the agency reported . a tsunami spawned by chile 's 1960 earthquake killed 140 people in japan . on saturday , tsunami warnings from chile 's temblor initially covered the entire pacific region , but they were canceled less than 18 hours later except for russia , japan and the philippines . the philippines institute of volcanology and seismology issued a level-2 tsunami alert for the east coast of the philippines . a level-2 alert means people are advised to stay away from the shoreline ; residents near coastal areas facing the pacific ocean are advised to go farther inland . meanwhile , an official with the pacific tsunami warning center said the island chain of hawaii dodged a bullet ' after smaller-than-expected waves were reported . coast guard crews said they had found no significant damage to ports or waterways as a result of the tsunami . there was no assessment of any damage in any county , which is quite remarkable , ' said gov . linda lingle , who said witnesses had reported seeing dramatic surges going on in the ocean . ' the only airport that was shut , the hilo airport on hawaii , reopened late in the afternoon . if people have a confirmed reservation they can go to the airport now and they will be able to catch their flights , ' lingle said . the center also canceled warnings for chile , peru , ecuador , colombia , antarctica , panama , costa rica , nicaragua , pitcairn , honduras , el salvador , guatemala , french polynesia , mexico , the cook islands , kiribati , kermadec island , niue , new zealand , tonga , american samoa , jarvis island , wallis-futuna , tokelau , fiji , australia , palmyra island , pojnston island , marshall island , midway island , wake island , tuvalu , vanuatu , howland-baker , new caledonia , solomon island , nauru , kosrae , papua new guinea , pohnpei , chuuk , marcus island , indonesia , north marianas , guam , yap , belau , philippines and taiwan . earlier , hawaiian residents had scrambled to stock up on water , gas and food as sirens pierced the early morning quiet across the islands ahead of the tsunami . roads to beaches and other low-lying areas were closed and seaside hotels moved guests to higher ground . are you in hawaii , japan or russia ? send your images , videos tsunami waves came ashore along the chilean coast shortly after the earthquake , u.s. geological survey geophysicist victor sardina told cnn . he said the largest was 9 feet near the quake 's epicenter . another wave , 7.7 feet , hit the chilean town of talcahuano , according to eric lau of the pacific tsunami warning center . video from the town showed one car sitting in a large expanse of water , boats littering the docks and widespread flood damage . a large wave on the island of juan fernandez -- 400 miles ( 643 km ) off chile 's coast -- killed three people , provincial governor ivan de la maza said . ten people were missing . navigational buoys in ventura county , california , sustained minor damage as a result of a 2-foot surge and waves , according to the alaska tsunami warning center . the ventura county fire department had one report of damage to a resident 's dock from the surge . in 1960 , the tsunami triggered by the chilean earthquake destroyed much of downtown hilo and killed 61 people , according to the u.s. geological survey . the earthquake had a magnitude between 8.25 and 8.5 , the usgs said , and the waves in hilo bay reached 35 feet , but only 3 to 17 elsewhere . cnn 's kyung lah , mike ahlers , thelma gutierrez , carey bodenheimer and junko ogura contributed to this report | the warning for japan primarily affects fishing areas and tourist areas |
japan <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- tens of thousands of residents began evacuating sunday morning from coastal japan in anticipation of a possible tsunami following chile 's 8.8-magnitude earthquake . the northern part of the main island was looking at the possibility of a tsunami at least 9 feet high , according to the japan meteorological agency . rail service was halted in coastal areas and residents were urged to evacuate low-lying areas of the island nation . the warning primarily affected fishing areas and tourist areas ; major cities like tokyo , which is inland , were not affected . sunday 's alert was japan 's first major tsunami warning in more than 15 years , the agency reported . a tsunami spawned by chile 's 1960 earthquake killed 140 people in japan . on saturday , tsunami warnings from chile 's temblor initially covered the entire pacific region , but they were canceled less than 18 hours later except for russia , japan and the philippines . the philippines institute of volcanology and seismology issued a level-2 tsunami alert for the east coast of the philippines . a level-2 alert means people are advised to stay away from the shoreline ; residents near coastal areas facing the pacific ocean are advised to go farther inland . meanwhile , an official with the pacific tsunami warning center said the island chain of hawaii dodged a bullet ' after smaller-than-expected waves were reported . coast guard crews said they had found no significant damage to ports or waterways as a result of the tsunami . there was no assessment of any damage in any county , which is quite remarkable , ' said gov . linda lingle , who said witnesses had reported seeing dramatic surges going on in the ocean . ' the only airport that was shut , the hilo airport on hawaii , reopened late in the afternoon . if people have a confirmed reservation they can go to the airport now and they will be able to catch their flights , ' lingle said . the center also canceled warnings for chile , peru , ecuador , colombia , antarctica , panama , costa rica , nicaragua , pitcairn , honduras , el salvador , guatemala , french polynesia , mexico , the cook islands , kiribati , kermadec island , niue , new zealand , tonga , american samoa , jarvis island , wallis-futuna , tokelau , fiji , australia , palmyra island , pojnston island , marshall island , midway island , wake island , tuvalu , vanuatu , howland-baker , new caledonia , solomon island , nauru , kosrae , papua new guinea , pohnpei , chuuk , marcus island , indonesia , north marianas , guam , yap , belau , philippines and taiwan . earlier , hawaiian residents had scrambled to stock up on water , gas and food as sirens pierced the early morning quiet across the islands ahead of the tsunami . roads to beaches and other low-lying areas were closed and seaside hotels moved guests to higher ground . are you in hawaii , japan or russia ? send your images , videos tsunami waves came ashore along the chilean coast shortly after the earthquake , u.s. geological survey geophysicist victor sardina told cnn . he said the largest was 9 feet near the quake 's epicenter . another wave , 7.7 feet , hit the chilean town of talcahuano , according to eric lau of the pacific tsunami warning center . video from the town showed one car sitting in a large expanse of water , boats littering the docks and widespread flood damage . a large wave on the island of juan fernandez -- 400 miles ( 643 km ) off chile 's coast -- killed three people , provincial governor ivan de la maza said . ten people were missing . navigational buoys in ventura county , california , sustained minor damage as a result of a 2-foot surge and waves , according to the alaska tsunami warning center . the ventura county fire department had one report of damage to a resident 's dock from the surge . in 1960 , the tsunami triggered by the chilean earthquake destroyed much of downtown hilo and killed 61 people , according to the u.s. geological survey . the earthquake had a magnitude between 8.25 and 8.5 , the usgs said , and the waves in hilo bay reached 35 feet , but only 3 to 17 elsewhere . cnn 's kyung lah , mike ahlers , thelma gutierrez , carey bodenheimer and junko ogura contributed to this report | japan preps for waves that could reach 9 feet high |
obama <tsp> when president barack obama decided to take questions directly over social media he did n't turn to his 28 million facebook fans , or his 19 million twitter followers . instead , he turned to a website called reddit where popularity is measured , fittingly , in votes . hi i 'm barack obama , president of the united states , ' obama posted on the site by way of introduction . user druken_economist posted moderators and admins have confirmed this thread ; this is actually president obama . ' several other verification items also confirmed it , including a tweet from the official barack obama twitter account and a photo on reddit of the president seated at a plain wooden desk , staring into an apple laptop in front of a single lamp . in roughly 30 minutes , obama waded through hundreds of questions , answering only 10 on a wide range of topics including balancing life and family , and protecting internet freedom . his unexpected online appearance caused a traffic surge that temporarily locked users out of the reddit site , said general manager erik martin in a g-chat interview with the verge . at one point , more than 30,000 users were on the page with more than 200,000 concurrent visitors , reddit posted on twitter . martin said it was its highest traffic day ever . high profile people have been interviewed before , including larry king , jimmy kimmel , ron paul and stephen colbert . the two most popular ask me anythings before wednesday were astrophysicist neil degrasse tyson and jeopardy ! ' champion ken jennings . redditors , as they are known in the online community , seemed mostly welcoming . 9 minutes and already 200+ comments , ' wrote user koreanterran . good luck , obama . you 're going to need it . ' user directcharge posted one of us . one of us . ' others wondered how he came to the decision to participate in an ask me anything or ama . reddit co-founder alexis ohanian told allthingsd in an e-mail that it was n't complicated . there are quite a few redditors at 1600 pennsylvania ave and at the campaign hq †” given the prominence of reddit , it 's an easy sell . ' read the exact transcript of the reddit ama here user mimicthefrench posted how funny it is to imagine president obama sitting in the oval office giggling and looking at photos of cats . ' redditors post lots of photos of cats . and dogs . and people doing silly things . but they also discuss serious topics and wasted no time getting on the record with tough questions including why are we still in afghanistan ? ' and what are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term ? ' and while they may have allowed the president to get away with not answering a few hundred questions , they did not allow him to get away with incorrect grammar -- he used their ' instead of there ' in one post . coco26 responded to the error with , i just corrected the president of the united states'grammar . ' then later she posted , edit : i 'm ashamed of myself . i failed you all trying to be a smart ass ... ' when another user tried to correct the president 's use of a ' instead of an ' before the word asteroid , he received this reply from user whoa_chill_bro : do n't correct the president , neckbeard . ' in his last update , obama thanked everyone for participating while also urging them to vote in november . by the way , if you want to know what i think about this whole reddit experience , ' he concluded , - not bad ! ' a possible referencing the popular visual meme by the same name that features a drawing of the president . | obama took questions wednesday over social media site reddit |
obama <tsp> when president barack obama decided to take questions directly over social media he did n't turn to his 28 million facebook fans , or his 19 million twitter followers . instead , he turned to a website called reddit where popularity is measured , fittingly , in votes . hi i 'm barack obama , president of the united states , ' obama posted on the site by way of introduction . user druken_economist posted moderators and admins have confirmed this thread ; this is actually president obama . ' several other verification items also confirmed it , including a tweet from the official barack obama twitter account and a photo on reddit of the president seated at a plain wooden desk , staring into an apple laptop in front of a single lamp . in roughly 30 minutes , obama waded through hundreds of questions , answering only 10 on a wide range of topics including balancing life and family , and protecting internet freedom . his unexpected online appearance caused a traffic surge that temporarily locked users out of the reddit site , said general manager erik martin in a g-chat interview with the verge . at one point , more than 30,000 users were on the page with more than 200,000 concurrent visitors , reddit posted on twitter . martin said it was its highest traffic day ever . high profile people have been interviewed before , including larry king , jimmy kimmel , ron paul and stephen colbert . the two most popular ask me anythings before wednesday were astrophysicist neil degrasse tyson and jeopardy ! ' champion ken jennings . redditors , as they are known in the online community , seemed mostly welcoming . 9 minutes and already 200+ comments , ' wrote user koreanterran . good luck , obama . you 're going to need it . ' user directcharge posted one of us . one of us . ' others wondered how he came to the decision to participate in an ask me anything or ama . reddit co-founder alexis ohanian told allthingsd in an e-mail that it was n't complicated . there are quite a few redditors at 1600 pennsylvania ave and at the campaign hq †” given the prominence of reddit , it 's an easy sell . ' read the exact transcript of the reddit ama here user mimicthefrench posted how funny it is to imagine president obama sitting in the oval office giggling and looking at photos of cats . ' redditors post lots of photos of cats . and dogs . and people doing silly things . but they also discuss serious topics and wasted no time getting on the record with tough questions including why are we still in afghanistan ? ' and what are you going to do to end the corrupting influence of money in politics during your second term ? ' and while they may have allowed the president to get away with not answering a few hundred questions , they did not allow him to get away with incorrect grammar -- he used their ' instead of there ' in one post . coco26 responded to the error with , i just corrected the president of the united states'grammar . ' then later she posted , edit : i 'm ashamed of myself . i failed you all trying to be a smart ass ... ' when another user tried to correct the president 's use of a ' instead of an ' before the word asteroid , he received this reply from user whoa_chill_bro : do n't correct the president , neckbeard . ' in his last update , obama thanked everyone for participating while also urging them to vote in november . by the way , if you want to know what i think about this whole reddit experience , ' he concluded , - not bad ! ' a possible referencing the popular visual meme by the same name that features a drawing of the president . | in roughly 30 minutes , obama waded through hundreds of questions |
haiti <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former haitian dictator jean-claude duvalier died of a heart attack in port-au-prince at the age of 63 , a family member told cnn saturday . known by his nickname baby doc , ' the so-called president for life ' actually fled haiti in 1986 and stunned haiti when he returned 25 years later . he was charged with human rights crimes within days of his return , but he successfully argued in court that the statute of limitations had expired on charges that included torture , rape and extrajudicial killings . human rights groups decried the court ruling that spared duvalier . in february , a haitian appeals court ruled that the lower court was wrong and that there is no statute of limitations for human rights violations . the ruling reopened the possibility that duvalier could face such charges , but he died before a judicial investigation decided whether to pursue the charges . duvalier inherited the title of president for life ' in 1971 upon the death of his father , francois papa doc ' duvalier , who had ruled with an iron fist through his paramilitary force , the tonton macoute . just 19 years old when he came to power , baby doc became one of the world 's youngest heads of state . haitians initially celebrated his ascension , thinking the young man would be less oppressive than his father , but that did n't turn out to be the case . duvalier used his father 's security apparatus to continue ruling in a totalitarian fashion . fast facts on duvalier his 15 years of rule were a time of repression in haiti that included the torture of opponents and the taking of political prisoners . in addition , there were allegations that baby doc ' embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars . human rights watch and amnesty international had documented what they call systematic human rights violations under duvalier 's rule . both organizations accuse duvalier of imprisoning and torturing hundreds of haitians , including journalists , and using violent means to silence voices of opposition . 2012 : human rights groups denounce duvalier decision amnesty gave the public prosecutor in the duvalier case 100 documents that it said detailed cases of human rights violations . amnesty international 's documents told the experiences of cobblers , taxi drivers , filmmakers , mechanics , distillers and even hairdressers , all of whom , they say , were arrested for anti-government activity . notable deaths in 2014 cnn 's pierre meilhan and moni basu contributed to this report . | he ruled haiti with an iron fist from 1971 to 1986 |
haiti <tsp> ( cnn ) -- former haitian dictator jean-claude duvalier died of a heart attack in port-au-prince at the age of 63 , a family member told cnn saturday . known by his nickname baby doc , ' the so-called president for life ' actually fled haiti in 1986 and stunned haiti when he returned 25 years later . he was charged with human rights crimes within days of his return , but he successfully argued in court that the statute of limitations had expired on charges that included torture , rape and extrajudicial killings . human rights groups decried the court ruling that spared duvalier . in february , a haitian appeals court ruled that the lower court was wrong and that there is no statute of limitations for human rights violations . the ruling reopened the possibility that duvalier could face such charges , but he died before a judicial investigation decided whether to pursue the charges . duvalier inherited the title of president for life ' in 1971 upon the death of his father , francois papa doc ' duvalier , who had ruled with an iron fist through his paramilitary force , the tonton macoute . just 19 years old when he came to power , baby doc became one of the world 's youngest heads of state . haitians initially celebrated his ascension , thinking the young man would be less oppressive than his father , but that did n't turn out to be the case . duvalier used his father 's security apparatus to continue ruling in a totalitarian fashion . fast facts on duvalier his 15 years of rule were a time of repression in haiti that included the torture of opponents and the taking of political prisoners . in addition , there were allegations that baby doc ' embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars . human rights watch and amnesty international had documented what they call systematic human rights violations under duvalier 's rule . both organizations accuse duvalier of imprisoning and torturing hundreds of haitians , including journalists , and using violent means to silence voices of opposition . 2012 : human rights groups denounce duvalier decision amnesty gave the public prosecutor in the duvalier case 100 documents that it said detailed cases of human rights violations . amnesty international 's documents told the experiences of cobblers , taxi drivers , filmmakers , mechanics , distillers and even hairdressers , all of whom , they say , were arrested for anti-government activity . notable deaths in 2014 cnn 's pierre meilhan and moni basu contributed to this report . | he fled haiti , was accused of human rights violations , but evaded prosecution |
egypt <tsp> cairo , egypt ( cnn ) -- low-income households in egypt are being hit by soaring food prices , placing a major strain on many poor families in the country , who are struggling to put basic staples on the table . inside a small cairo apartment , howeida nageh is dicing a few tomatoes in her kitchen . her three sons have arrived home from school and they are hungry . yet , the only food available is these tomatoes and a piece of bread -- and this will be the boys'only meal for the day . things are too expensive , ' says nageh , whose husband left her to raise her three boys alone . i used to take two onions and cut them over two tomatoes , cook and eat them . now the price of onions has increased -- instead of using two , three or four onions , i now just take one and choose the smallest one , ' adds nageh , whose largest source of income is the $ 30 a month she receives from the government . read this :'harassment map'helps egyptian women egypt , which is the world 's biggest importer of wheat , brings in about 70 % of its food from abroad . high prices of basic food items have been cited as one the reasons behind the 2011 upheaval that led to the ousting of long-time president hosni mubarak . the chant bread , freedom and social justice ' could be heard around cairo 's tahrir square , the epicenter for disgruntled egyptians calling for change . and now , with the country 's currency devaluing , many egyptians are making their displeasure known when it comes to their daily food shopping . people complain , ' says vegetable vendor milad zakher . they complain because vegetables are expensive . there is no demand like before . before the revolution there was demand and money -- we used to have money . they were buying and selling and we had income ; the revolution made people with no money . ' sky rocketing prices of fertilizers and seeds , coupled with an increasingly dysfunctional government , are creating a difficult situation for farmers , and this is reflected in food prices and availability . economist angus blair , president of the signet institute , a cairo-based political and economic think tank , says that drastic action needs to be taken quickly to address the situation . if you look at the growth in population , [ there are ] between 83 to 87 million people in egypt -- that 's growing relatively quickly , ' says blair . the agricultural sector will need a new revolution of its own to be able to feed the increasing number of people and the increasing demands for food that egypt requires , ' he adds . some farmers also complain that access to water can be cut for months , hampering even further their capacity to grow food . even when they do have water , they say it is so polluted that it poisons their land and animals . read this : radio plants seeds of success for struggling farmers ' first of all , if the water comes clean and regularly , the farmer 's job will be easier . cattle feed will be a high quality , ' says farmer ibrahim botti omar . but the alfalfa that cattle eat now is irrigated with polluted water . therefore , the cattle get a lot of diseases and in less than a year , we 've seen many cattle die . ' one solution could be increasing the size of farms , as most of egypt 's agriculture is in the form of small holdings of just a few acres . in many cases , small farmers can not afford modern equipment or techniques . the world bank estimates around half of all food that reaches the final market in egypt is spoiled , ' says blair . that 's partly due to the farming methods , the picking , the packing , the distribution in terms of general logistics , ' he adds . read this : clouds on horizon for tobacco farmers the government official tasked with reversing decades of bad management is salah abdul momin , egypt 's technocrat minister of agriculture . he admits that a lot needs to be done but remains optimistic about the future . looking forward , to have a strategy in this issue we have governmental land , the newly reclaimed land , ' he says . i 'm looking to have 1 million acres in five designated areas to make new communities in this area . ' in the short term , abdul momin is also focused on reducing wheat imports , as part of a plan to revolutionize egypt 's agriculture by 2030 . but a 17-year plan could be too long term for those currently having to deal with a worsening situation . back in cairo , nageh 's older son , mohamed , is studying hard to become a banker . he says he aspires to help his family to break the chains of poverty ' i want to be something that brings joy to my family , ' he says . to make my mother happy first and make me happy , to feel that i 'm doing something good . something where i can make something of myself . ' | egypt imports about 70 % of its food from abroad |
brown <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- a plea deal has been reached in the assault case against singer chris brown , defense attorney mark geragos said in a hearing monday . chris brown , at court monday , will serve five years probation and must do jail time or community service . brown , 20 , faced charges of assaulting his pop star girlfriend , rihanna , following a row earlier this year . under terms of the agreement , brown will serve five years of probation and must serve 180 days in jail or the equivalent -- about 1,400 hours -- in labor-oriented service , ' said sandi gibbons , spokeswoman for the los angeles county district attorney 's office . he must also undergo a year-long domestic-violence counseling class , she said . brown 's sentence is comparable to other felony sentences when the defendant has no previous record , she said . this is not an easy sentence , ' gibbons said . he must check in with a probation officer every three months . brown had previously pleaded not guilty to felony counts of assault and making criminal threats in connection with an attack on rihanna . but under the plea deal , he pleaded guilty to one count of assault with the intent of doing great bodily injury in connection with the argument inside a rented lamborghini on a hollywood street in february . see a timeline of events in this case » rihanna , whose real name is robyn rihanna fenty , made a brief appearance at the hearing -- after brown had left the courtroom -- to hear los angeles criminal court judge patricia schnegg discuss the issuance of a stay away ' order requiring him to stay 100 yards from her . through her attorney , rihanna had requested that such an order not be issued . but schnegg refused that request , saying she would issue such an order but would revise it to 50 yards -- 10 yards if the two are at the same industry event ' together . schnegg told rihanna , who was wearing a black dress with white pearls around her neck , that she would consider lifting the order after brown completes his domestic violence counseling but advised rihanna not to contact brown . asked whether she understood , rihanna said she did before leaving the courtroom via a back door . rihanna 's attorney , donald etra , said rihanna made the request because she felt that a protective order in place , requiring that brown not annoy or harass her , was sufficient . schnegg said brown could apply to have his supervised probation transferred to virginia , where he maintains his legal residence . he also can complete his community service there , she said , but it would have to meet the court 's standards . i want mr. brown treated as any other defendant who comes to this court , ' schnegg said . she noted , however , that he has no prior criminal record . gibbons , of the district attorney 's office , explained that the judge wants brown to work -- remove graffiti , for instance -- as part of his service . his sentence is not based on what he 's available to do , ' gibbons said . his sentence is what he 's going to do , or he 's going to go to state prison for four years . ' dressed in a light plaid suit , brown answered guilty ' when asked his plea by assistant district attorney mary murray . formal sentencing was set for august 5 . after the hearing , geragos said of brown , as long as i 've known him in connection with this case , he 's wanted to take responsibility . ' he said brown is thankful to those who offered him support and noted that he is a kid who 's never been in trouble before ' who wants to move past this ' and get out the message that domestic violence is not acceptable . brown embraces this as an opportunity to get his life back on track and get his career back on track , ' geragos said , adding that brown will speak further after his sentencing . etra said after the hearing that rihanna was fully prepared to testify and she would have told the truth about what happened that evening . ' he said she did not object to the plea agreement . rihanna had not attended any of the hearings in the case but had been following the case closely , etra said earlier . she did not file a complaint against brown , but the prosecution 's case was built on what she told detectives and on physical evidence collected from her , including photographs of her bruised and battered face . it was not rihanna who called police but someone who heard her screams for help , according to a sworn statement by los angeles police detective deshon andrews . the statement , filed with the court to support a search warrant for cell phone records , described a brutal attack against rihanna , allegedly by brown . andrews said the incident began when rihanna , who was riding in the sports car driven by brown , found a text message on his cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' a verbal argument ensued , ' followed by the physical attack , the statement said . it went on to describe the assault in great detail , saying brown punched her numerous times and put her in a head lock , restricting her breathing and causing her to start to lose consciousness . he threatened to beat the s -- t out of you ' and kill her , according to the statement , and also bit her ear and her fingers . eventually , robyn f. began screaming for help and brown exited the vehicle and walked away . a resident in the neighborhood heard robyn f. 's plea for help and called 911 , causing a police response . an investigation was conducted and robyn f. was issued a domestic violence emergency protective order . ' at the end of his statement , the detective said brown sent a text message nine days later , apologizing . brown also issued a public apology for the incident just days after his arrest . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' cnn 's denise quan contributed to this story . | brown will undergo domestic violence counseling , judge said |
brown <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- a plea deal has been reached in the assault case against singer chris brown , defense attorney mark geragos said in a hearing monday . chris brown , at court monday , will serve five years probation and must do jail time or community service . brown , 20 , faced charges of assaulting his pop star girlfriend , rihanna , following a row earlier this year . under terms of the agreement , brown will serve five years of probation and must serve 180 days in jail or the equivalent -- about 1,400 hours -- in labor-oriented service , ' said sandi gibbons , spokeswoman for the los angeles county district attorney 's office . he must also undergo a year-long domestic-violence counseling class , she said . brown 's sentence is comparable to other felony sentences when the defendant has no previous record , she said . this is not an easy sentence , ' gibbons said . he must check in with a probation officer every three months . brown had previously pleaded not guilty to felony counts of assault and making criminal threats in connection with an attack on rihanna . but under the plea deal , he pleaded guilty to one count of assault with the intent of doing great bodily injury in connection with the argument inside a rented lamborghini on a hollywood street in february . see a timeline of events in this case » rihanna , whose real name is robyn rihanna fenty , made a brief appearance at the hearing -- after brown had left the courtroom -- to hear los angeles criminal court judge patricia schnegg discuss the issuance of a stay away ' order requiring him to stay 100 yards from her . through her attorney , rihanna had requested that such an order not be issued . but schnegg refused that request , saying she would issue such an order but would revise it to 50 yards -- 10 yards if the two are at the same industry event ' together . schnegg told rihanna , who was wearing a black dress with white pearls around her neck , that she would consider lifting the order after brown completes his domestic violence counseling but advised rihanna not to contact brown . asked whether she understood , rihanna said she did before leaving the courtroom via a back door . rihanna 's attorney , donald etra , said rihanna made the request because she felt that a protective order in place , requiring that brown not annoy or harass her , was sufficient . schnegg said brown could apply to have his supervised probation transferred to virginia , where he maintains his legal residence . he also can complete his community service there , she said , but it would have to meet the court 's standards . i want mr. brown treated as any other defendant who comes to this court , ' schnegg said . she noted , however , that he has no prior criminal record . gibbons , of the district attorney 's office , explained that the judge wants brown to work -- remove graffiti , for instance -- as part of his service . his sentence is not based on what he 's available to do , ' gibbons said . his sentence is what he 's going to do , or he 's going to go to state prison for four years . ' dressed in a light plaid suit , brown answered guilty ' when asked his plea by assistant district attorney mary murray . formal sentencing was set for august 5 . after the hearing , geragos said of brown , as long as i 've known him in connection with this case , he 's wanted to take responsibility . ' he said brown is thankful to those who offered him support and noted that he is a kid who 's never been in trouble before ' who wants to move past this ' and get out the message that domestic violence is not acceptable . brown embraces this as an opportunity to get his life back on track and get his career back on track , ' geragos said , adding that brown will speak further after his sentencing . etra said after the hearing that rihanna was fully prepared to testify and she would have told the truth about what happened that evening . ' he said she did not object to the plea agreement . rihanna had not attended any of the hearings in the case but had been following the case closely , etra said earlier . she did not file a complaint against brown , but the prosecution 's case was built on what she told detectives and on physical evidence collected from her , including photographs of her bruised and battered face . it was not rihanna who called police but someone who heard her screams for help , according to a sworn statement by los angeles police detective deshon andrews . the statement , filed with the court to support a search warrant for cell phone records , described a brutal attack against rihanna , allegedly by brown . andrews said the incident began when rihanna , who was riding in the sports car driven by brown , found a text message on his cell phone from a woman who brown had a previous sexual relationship with . ' a verbal argument ensued , ' followed by the physical attack , the statement said . it went on to describe the assault in great detail , saying brown punched her numerous times and put her in a head lock , restricting her breathing and causing her to start to lose consciousness . he threatened to beat the s -- t out of you ' and kill her , according to the statement , and also bit her ear and her fingers . eventually , robyn f. began screaming for help and brown exited the vehicle and walked away . a resident in the neighborhood heard robyn f. 's plea for help and called 911 , causing a police response . an investigation was conducted and robyn f. was issued a domestic violence emergency protective order . ' at the end of his statement , the detective said brown sent a text message nine days later , apologizing . brown also issued a public apology for the incident just days after his arrest . words can not begin to express how sorry and saddened i am over what transpired , ' he said in a statement released by his spokesman . i am seeking the counseling of my pastor , my mother and other loved ones and i am committed , with god 's help , to emerging a better person . ' cnn 's denise quan contributed to this story . | brown pleaded not guilty earlier in connection with assault on rihanna |
golan heights <tsp> ( cnn ) -- four u.n. peacekeepers were released sunday , five days after they were seized by armed men while patrolling between syria and the israeli-occupied golan heights , an army official from the philippines said . maj. ramon zagala , a spokesman for the philippine armed forces , said the filipino peacekeepers were with the commander of that country 's troops in the golan heights . last week was a challenge and we are very thankful for their safe release , ' zagala said . he said he could not provide an update on their health . they will return to camp ziouani , where doctors will examine them . according to the u.n. news website , secretary-general ban ki-moon released a statement thanking the government of qatar for its role in the safe release of the hostages . the united nations disengagement observer force monitors the area in accordance with the 1974 agreement between syria and israel negotiated after the yom kippur war . in march , 22 peacekeepers were held for four days by rebels . the u.n. called on syrian and rebel troops at that time to honor the impartiality of the u.n. troops . tensions in the area have been heightened recently and israel conducted strikes against syria twice . the attacks , confirmed by a u.s. official last week , targeted a weapons storage site containing missiles and a damascus research facility . the official stressed that israel is concerned about syria transferring weapons to the lebanese militant group hezbollah . | they are part of force that monitors the area between syria and golan heights |
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- just 24 months before the showdown in the midwest , cnn 's peter hamby reported this week that possible presidential hopeful hillary clinton may have an iowa problem -- and may again have difficulties winning the state in the 2016 caucuses -- because of weaknesses among the state 's most progressive voters . but that analysis fails to understand and appreciate the country 's changing demographics and where u.s. politics is heading . clinton has n't announced whether she 'll run for president again . but whether or not she has an iowa problem , iowa is largely unrepresentative of america 's changing composition . it 's 91 % white in a country that 's 64 % white , and it will have a shrinking role in choosing future u.s. presidents . and , even if clinton does have an iowa problem , she will probably have a georgia solution . the composition of the south and southwest has now changed to the point where democrats have a real chance of winning statewide elections for seats long held by republicans . here are the facts : nine out 10 of iowa 's 3 million residents are white . the state has six electoral votes and 65 delegates . in contrast , 63 % of georgia 's 10 million residents are white . they have 16 electoral votes and 124 delegates . in 2012 , president obama lost georgia by 300,000 votes in a state that has 600,000 eligible , non-voting african-americans . and the georgia solution begins with michelle nunn . the 47-year-old daughter of respected of georgia sen. sam nunn -- who served for 24 years as one of the state 's leading democrats -- is running for senate and is poised to prove that a democrat ( and a woman ) can win the georgia seat held by a republican for the past decade . nunn is tied in the polls and has proven to be a formidable fundraiser . her campaign paves the way for a clinton win in georgia because the ground operations and campaign infrastructure she 's built will probably assist clinton 's efforts in the state . as the first woman to hold a senate seat from the state of georgia , she readies the electorate to vote for a female president . in a similar way , wendy davis'gubernatorial bid in texas helps a potential clinton campaign . texas is another battleground state with significant numbers of voters of color -- who could one day help turn that state from red to purple -- and davis'statewide win may pave the way to a clinton victory in texas . ( pac+ has publicly endorsed the candidacies of both nunn and davis . ) there is a new majority emerging in america , and it 's not about iowa . it 's about georgia , texas and other states where people of color will make the difference . these are states where rapid population growth over the past 10 years has resulted in increased electoral votes . arizona 's population increased nearly 25 % , and it now has 11 electoral college votes -- one more than they had last time around . colorado 's population increased 17 % , and it has nine votes . florida gained two electoral votes for a total of 29 , based on a nearly 18 % population increase . nevada gained one electoral vote , bringing its total to six to reflect a whopping 35 % population increase in 10 years . it 's a trend that experts expect to continue , and these are all states with large and growing populations of people of color . in georgia -- whose primary has usually been held well after iowa 's caucuses -- a changing political landscape is not the exception , it 's the rule . democrats must look forward and invest in the coalition of the future . they must meaningfully connect with communities of color and progressive whites and champion policies that address inequality and immigration and education . that way , as the iowa caucuses continue to recede in significance , the democrats still can win for years to come . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of aimee allison . | she argues that changing demographics in georgia and texas may help clinton |
meleanie hain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- soccer mom meleanie hain , who made national headlines last year by having a loaded , holstered handgun at her 5-year-old daughter 's soccer game , has been found shot dead in her home along with her husband , police said thursday . meleanie hain was found shot dead in her home along with her husband thursday . information from 911 calls shows that it took a swat team nearly an hour and a half to gain entry to the lebanon , pennsylvania , home wednesday evening . inside , they found the bodies of hain , 31 , and her husband , scott , 33 , police capt . daniel wright said . police have avoided labeling the incident a murder-suicide . however , they do not believe that another person was involved , wright said . a full investigation is under way , he added . who [ meleanie hain ] is does not change the course of this investigation , ' he said . the autopsies are scheduled for friday . watch why hain caused controversy » meleanie hain 's attorney , matthew b. weisberg , said she told him a few months ago that she and her husband were separating . it was not immediately clear whether they were still living together . the couple 's three children were unharmed and took refuge at a neighbor 's house before police arrived , wright said , and the children remain in a neighbor 's care . during the incident , police told neighbor ann dijohnson to avoid rooms with windows in fear of a possible shootout . it was frightening , ' dijohnson said . i 'm still shaking . ' thomas shaak , who lives a block from the hains , said the couple hardly socialized with neighbors . the avid gardener said he occasionally saw scott hain working on his yard , but the two did not greet each other . he said hain worked as a security officer and often kept odd hours . meleanie hain became an overnight celebrity and , to some , a steward of second amendment rights when she carried a glock strapped to her belt to her daughter 's soccer game september 11 , 2008 . days later , on september 20 , her permit to carry a gun was revoked by lebanon county sheriff michael deleo , who claimed that she showed poor judgment at the child 's game . county judge robert eby later reinstated the permit . weisberg , hain 's attorney , said the sheriff 's action violated hain 's first , second , fourth and 14th amendment rights . a lawsuit was filed against deleo on hain 's behalf for compensatory damages . she sought punitive and statutory damages , weisberg said , along with reimbursement of attorneys'fees and lost wages . although weisberg called the hains a loving ' and unified ' couple , he said that about four months ago , meleanie hain told him that they were separating and that she wanted to remove his name from the $ 1 million lawsuit . although there was no indication of abuse , weisberg said , meleanie hain was contemplating getting a stay-away order . ' it 's shocking , ' weisberg said of the shooting . and sadly ironic . ' | meleanie hain brought loaded gun to daughter 's soccer game in 2008 |
bp <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- british prime minister david cameron will discuss bp , whose leaking well has caused the worst oil spill in u.s. history , when he speaks by phone with u.s. president barack obama this weekend , cameron 's office at downing street said friday . it will be a routine call ' and bp will be one of several issues they discuss , downing street said , without providing more information . the phone call follows concern about anti-british rhetoric from obama and others in america about bp 's role in the disaster . london mayor boris johnson said the remarks are slightly worrying ' and piers morgan , a british tv host and former newspaper editor , said obama seems to be on an absolute witch hunt ' against the bp boss . you know , accidents do happen , ' morgan told cnn 's connect the world ' on thursday night . there are major issues in terms of safety here , in terms of environmental tragedy that 's going on where this spillage is occurring , but i think simply to demand the guy 's head on a plate when he 's trying to fix it is not sensible politics , and it 's slightly self-serving . and i , if i was barack obama , would cool the rhetoric . i would n't make it a british thing , because bp is not a british company anymore , they are an international company . and it 's looking to me a little like brit-bashing . ' johnson told bbc radio 4 on thursday he wants to see cool heads and a bit of calm reflection ' about the problem , rather than endlessly buck-passing and name-calling . ' he said many british pension funds are exposed to bp and could be at risk if the company 's share price plummets . i do think that it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great british company is being continually beaten up on the international airwaves , ' he said , adding that the disaster is the result of an accident that bp is trying to remedy . ultimately ( bp ) can not be faulted because , i 'm sorry , it was an accident that took place , and bp , i think , is paying a very , very heavy price indeed . ' obama said earlier this week that he was talking with experts about the oil disaster so i know whose ass to kick . ' u.s. rep. anthony weiner , d-n.y. , who sits on the house energy and commerce committee , said bp was probably lying in its comments about the spill . here 's a viewer 's guide to bp media briefings : whenever you hear someone with a british accent talking about this on behalf of british petroleum , they are not telling you the truth , ' weiner told msnbc this week . i think we as a government have been giving them too much credence for the things they 've been saying , ' weiner said . just about everything they 've said at some point has turned out to be wrong . so every time they say they 're doing something , your first instinct should be , it just ai n't true . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley denied thursday that obama or the united states is britain-bashing ' and said it would probably be a topic the president discusses with cameron on the phone . he said there are certain to be ripple effects ' as america demands that bp live up to its responsibilities to clean up the spill . the british people understand the frustration and anger that the american people are seeing in this , ' crowley said . it is not going to affect our relationship between the united states and britain . ' crowley said the united states understands the importance that bp has within british society and the british economy ... but this is ultimately about a private company and its responsibility in light of what 's happened in the gulf . ' | piers morgan says obama on witch hunt ' against bp boss |
bp <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- british prime minister david cameron will discuss bp , whose leaking well has caused the worst oil spill in u.s. history , when he speaks by phone with u.s. president barack obama this weekend , cameron 's office at downing street said friday . it will be a routine call ' and bp will be one of several issues they discuss , downing street said , without providing more information . the phone call follows concern about anti-british rhetoric from obama and others in america about bp 's role in the disaster . london mayor boris johnson said the remarks are slightly worrying ' and piers morgan , a british tv host and former newspaper editor , said obama seems to be on an absolute witch hunt ' against the bp boss . you know , accidents do happen , ' morgan told cnn 's connect the world ' on thursday night . there are major issues in terms of safety here , in terms of environmental tragedy that 's going on where this spillage is occurring , but i think simply to demand the guy 's head on a plate when he 's trying to fix it is not sensible politics , and it 's slightly self-serving . and i , if i was barack obama , would cool the rhetoric . i would n't make it a british thing , because bp is not a british company anymore , they are an international company . and it 's looking to me a little like brit-bashing . ' johnson told bbc radio 4 on thursday he wants to see cool heads and a bit of calm reflection ' about the problem , rather than endlessly buck-passing and name-calling . ' he said many british pension funds are exposed to bp and could be at risk if the company 's share price plummets . i do think that it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great british company is being continually beaten up on the international airwaves , ' he said , adding that the disaster is the result of an accident that bp is trying to remedy . ultimately ( bp ) can not be faulted because , i 'm sorry , it was an accident that took place , and bp , i think , is paying a very , very heavy price indeed . ' obama said earlier this week that he was talking with experts about the oil disaster so i know whose ass to kick . ' u.s. rep. anthony weiner , d-n.y. , who sits on the house energy and commerce committee , said bp was probably lying in its comments about the spill . here 's a viewer 's guide to bp media briefings : whenever you hear someone with a british accent talking about this on behalf of british petroleum , they are not telling you the truth , ' weiner told msnbc this week . i think we as a government have been giving them too much credence for the things they 've been saying , ' weiner said . just about everything they 've said at some point has turned out to be wrong . so every time they say they 're doing something , your first instinct should be , it just ai n't true . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley denied thursday that obama or the united states is britain-bashing ' and said it would probably be a topic the president discusses with cameron on the phone . he said there are certain to be ripple effects ' as america demands that bp live up to its responsibilities to clean up the spill . the british people understand the frustration and anger that the american people are seeing in this , ' crowley said . it is not going to affect our relationship between the united states and britain . ' crowley said the united states understands the importance that bp has within british society and the british economy ... but this is ultimately about a private company and its responsibility in light of what 's happened in the gulf . ' | cameron , obama to discuss bp in phone call this weekend |
london <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- british prime minister david cameron will discuss bp , whose leaking well has caused the worst oil spill in u.s. history , when he speaks by phone with u.s. president barack obama this weekend , cameron 's office at downing street said friday . it will be a routine call ' and bp will be one of several issues they discuss , downing street said , without providing more information . the phone call follows concern about anti-british rhetoric from obama and others in america about bp 's role in the disaster . london mayor boris johnson said the remarks are slightly worrying ' and piers morgan , a british tv host and former newspaper editor , said obama seems to be on an absolute witch hunt ' against the bp boss . you know , accidents do happen , ' morgan told cnn 's connect the world ' on thursday night . there are major issues in terms of safety here , in terms of environmental tragedy that 's going on where this spillage is occurring , but i think simply to demand the guy 's head on a plate when he 's trying to fix it is not sensible politics , and it 's slightly self-serving . and i , if i was barack obama , would cool the rhetoric . i would n't make it a british thing , because bp is not a british company anymore , they are an international company . and it 's looking to me a little like brit-bashing . ' johnson told bbc radio 4 on thursday he wants to see cool heads and a bit of calm reflection ' about the problem , rather than endlessly buck-passing and name-calling . ' he said many british pension funds are exposed to bp and could be at risk if the company 's share price plummets . i do think that it starts to become a matter of national concern if a great british company is being continually beaten up on the international airwaves , ' he said , adding that the disaster is the result of an accident that bp is trying to remedy . ultimately ( bp ) can not be faulted because , i 'm sorry , it was an accident that took place , and bp , i think , is paying a very , very heavy price indeed . ' obama said earlier this week that he was talking with experts about the oil disaster so i know whose ass to kick . ' u.s. rep. anthony weiner , d-n.y. , who sits on the house energy and commerce committee , said bp was probably lying in its comments about the spill . here 's a viewer 's guide to bp media briefings : whenever you hear someone with a british accent talking about this on behalf of british petroleum , they are not telling you the truth , ' weiner told msnbc this week . i think we as a government have been giving them too much credence for the things they 've been saying , ' weiner said . just about everything they 've said at some point has turned out to be wrong . so every time they say they 're doing something , your first instinct should be , it just ai n't true . ' u.s. state department spokesman p.j . crowley denied thursday that obama or the united states is britain-bashing ' and said it would probably be a topic the president discusses with cameron on the phone . he said there are certain to be ripple effects ' as america demands that bp live up to its responsibilities to clean up the spill . the british people understand the frustration and anger that the american people are seeing in this , ' crowley said . it is not going to affect our relationship between the united states and britain . ' crowley said the united states understands the importance that bp has within british society and the british economy ... but this is ultimately about a private company and its responsibility in light of what 's happened in the gulf . ' | london mayor urges end to buck-passing and name-calling ' |
shoalts <tsp> ( cnn ) -- canadian explorer adam shoalts knew he was heading into uncharted territory when he set out on a solo expedition to explore northeastern canada 's remote again river . what the 27-year-old from fenwick , ontario , did n't expect was to find himself hurtling over a 20-foot waterfall that had never been documented -- and then go on to discover six more waterfalls after fixing his canoe . the nearly 100-kilometer long again river is a tributary of quebec 's harricanaw river , part of canada 's hudson bay lowlands . it 's one of the largest roadless areas on earth outside antarctica , says shoalts , containing rivers so remote that even today there are a few that have escaped accurate mapping -- including the again . the expedition was five years in the making , ' he says . extensive research went into it , looking through explorers'records , geological survey notes , speaking directly with aboriginal elders . ' but his research did n't offer any hints as to the dangers that lay ahead . even google earth 's low-resolution satellite imagery , all that 's available for this remote part of canada , is deficient for detecting waterfalls . the plan was to explore the river , record information about flora and fauna , rapids and the geography in general , ' he says . i knew there would be lots of whitewater rapids , but no one knew that waterfalls existed on the river . ''yikes , this is going to be bad !'with the support of the royal canadian geographical society , shoalts conducted two reconnaissance expeditions to the area ( one in 2008 and another in 2009 ) , exploring the wilderness around the again river . but he was n't able to canoe the again , as just getting to the river 's isolated headwaters is a challenge that involves a few days of bushwhacking and creek-hopping . in august 2012 , i went back , this time alone , determined to canoe the river no matter what , ' he says . the seven waterfalls were so unexpected and special . ' the first waterfall shoalts found -- before it was too late to go around it -- was 20-feet high . of the six he went on to discover , the highest was 40-feet high . my first thought when i realized i was being swept over a waterfall was ,'wow ! what an amazing discovery ! the geographical society will be thrilled ! ' he recalls . the second thought was ,'yikes ! this is going to be bad !'i realized i could n't escape from the current so i just braced myself for the drop . ' shoalts says he was sucked underwater beneath the fall for longer than was comfortable . ' he resurfaced , out of breath , and spotted his canoe upside down in an eddy near the riverbank . i swam to shore , recovered most of my gear -- except my hat , fishing rod and some moccasins -- and then set about repairing my canoe . once i got my breath , that is . it took about an hour and a half to get the canoe back in shape and ready to continue downriver . ' return to the scene of discovery this week , shoalts is heading back to the again river to continue his work for the royal canadian geographical society ( rcgs ) . he 'll retrace his route and photograph , measure and document the precise location of each waterfall so that they can be added to topographical maps , pending verification from spot satellite imagery . this expedition is geographical exploration in the truest sense : shoalts 's work will change the map of canada -- a rarity in 21st century exploration , ' says the rcgs . technology is helping explorers make discoveries in an era when significant finds are incredibly rare . most recently , in june of this year , archaeologists announced they 'd found a huge medieval city buried beneath impenetrable jungle on a remote mountain in siem reap , cambodia . it would n't have been discovered but for the help of a remote sensing laser instrument . though shoalts says gadgets are useful in the field , it 's important not to rely on them completely . modern electronic gear and other gadgetry is no substitute for traditional skills and knowledge , ' he says . in the beginning , i never used a gps , only map and compass , sun and stars . now i have a gps , but i do n't rely on it . a satellite phone allows me to communicate from the wilderness , but it does n't work in the forest or in the rain , so it has limitations and i try not to rely on it . i use a modified theodolite , designed by my engineer father , to measure waterfall heights . ' he also relies on aerial photographs and satellite imagery when planning expeditions , but ultimately , they are no substitute for old-fashioned'boots-on-the-ground'exploration . ' for those with their own magellan dreams , it 's not too late to get into the game , says shoalts . the age of exploration will never be truly over -- the oceans , caves , antarctica , so much of northern canada -- it will take a long time to explore , ' he says . new species are still discovered , and then there will always be archeology , paleontology , science -- imagination is the only limit really . ' | explorer adam shoalts , 27 , finds seven uncharted waterfalls on remote canadian river |
shoalts <tsp> ( cnn ) -- canadian explorer adam shoalts knew he was heading into uncharted territory when he set out on a solo expedition to explore northeastern canada 's remote again river . what the 27-year-old from fenwick , ontario , did n't expect was to find himself hurtling over a 20-foot waterfall that had never been documented -- and then go on to discover six more waterfalls after fixing his canoe . the nearly 100-kilometer long again river is a tributary of quebec 's harricanaw river , part of canada 's hudson bay lowlands . it 's one of the largest roadless areas on earth outside antarctica , says shoalts , containing rivers so remote that even today there are a few that have escaped accurate mapping -- including the again . the expedition was five years in the making , ' he says . extensive research went into it , looking through explorers'records , geological survey notes , speaking directly with aboriginal elders . ' but his research did n't offer any hints as to the dangers that lay ahead . even google earth 's low-resolution satellite imagery , all that 's available for this remote part of canada , is deficient for detecting waterfalls . the plan was to explore the river , record information about flora and fauna , rapids and the geography in general , ' he says . i knew there would be lots of whitewater rapids , but no one knew that waterfalls existed on the river . ''yikes , this is going to be bad !'with the support of the royal canadian geographical society , shoalts conducted two reconnaissance expeditions to the area ( one in 2008 and another in 2009 ) , exploring the wilderness around the again river . but he was n't able to canoe the again , as just getting to the river 's isolated headwaters is a challenge that involves a few days of bushwhacking and creek-hopping . in august 2012 , i went back , this time alone , determined to canoe the river no matter what , ' he says . the seven waterfalls were so unexpected and special . ' the first waterfall shoalts found -- before it was too late to go around it -- was 20-feet high . of the six he went on to discover , the highest was 40-feet high . my first thought when i realized i was being swept over a waterfall was ,'wow ! what an amazing discovery ! the geographical society will be thrilled ! ' he recalls . the second thought was ,'yikes ! this is going to be bad !'i realized i could n't escape from the current so i just braced myself for the drop . ' shoalts says he was sucked underwater beneath the fall for longer than was comfortable . ' he resurfaced , out of breath , and spotted his canoe upside down in an eddy near the riverbank . i swam to shore , recovered most of my gear -- except my hat , fishing rod and some moccasins -- and then set about repairing my canoe . once i got my breath , that is . it took about an hour and a half to get the canoe back in shape and ready to continue downriver . ' return to the scene of discovery this week , shoalts is heading back to the again river to continue his work for the royal canadian geographical society ( rcgs ) . he 'll retrace his route and photograph , measure and document the precise location of each waterfall so that they can be added to topographical maps , pending verification from spot satellite imagery . this expedition is geographical exploration in the truest sense : shoalts 's work will change the map of canada -- a rarity in 21st century exploration , ' says the rcgs . technology is helping explorers make discoveries in an era when significant finds are incredibly rare . most recently , in june of this year , archaeologists announced they 'd found a huge medieval city buried beneath impenetrable jungle on a remote mountain in siem reap , cambodia . it would n't have been discovered but for the help of a remote sensing laser instrument . though shoalts says gadgets are useful in the field , it 's important not to rely on them completely . modern electronic gear and other gadgetry is no substitute for traditional skills and knowledge , ' he says . in the beginning , i never used a gps , only map and compass , sun and stars . now i have a gps , but i do n't rely on it . a satellite phone allows me to communicate from the wilderness , but it does n't work in the forest or in the rain , so it has limitations and i try not to rely on it . i use a modified theodolite , designed by my engineer father , to measure waterfall heights . ' he also relies on aerial photographs and satellite imagery when planning expeditions , but ultimately , they are no substitute for old-fashioned'boots-on-the-ground'exploration . ' for those with their own magellan dreams , it 's not too late to get into the game , says shoalts . the age of exploration will never be truly over -- the oceans , caves , antarctica , so much of northern canada -- it will take a long time to explore , ' he says . new species are still discovered , and then there will always be archeology , paleontology , science -- imagination is the only limit really . ' | shoalts recounts being swept over 20-foot-high waterfall in his canoe |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- let 's be clear : israel 's latest operation in gaza is not about security . cease-fires between hamas-ruled gaza and israel have brought security for months on end and there is ample evidence to show that israel is largely responsible for truce breakdowns . israel decided to escalate the conflict last wednesday with its assassination of hamas leader ahmed al-ja'abari despite a truce that had been observed by all palestinian factions during the previous two days . read more on cnnarabic and even though they knew that al-ja'abari had just received a proposal for a permanent truce agreement with israel , as revealed in haaretz . some analysts have tied israel 's latest operation to the forthcoming elections , a way of cementing victory for benjamin netanyahu . previous prime ministers have tried it , and failed . netanyahu had previously avoided such operations but he seems to have succumbed , although events can spiral out of his control , as hamas hits near tel aviv and jerusalem have shown . but at the end of the day , the loss of palestinian lives will far exceed that of israelis . during israel 's last major operation against gaza , the devastating three-week assault it launched on december 27 , 2008 despite a cease-fire that had held for months , nearly 1,400 palestinians were killed and thousands injured , compared to 13 israelis ( four from friendly fire . ) in the present attacks , more than 100 palestinians and three israelis have been killed so far . cnn poll : 57 % of americans say israeli attacks in gaza are justified the loss of life in armed conflict is always tragic , and much more so when those lives could have been spared by a cease-fire . what is particularly heartbreaking about the population in gaza , against the backdrop of broader palestinian dispossession , is that they have nowhere to run . cnn ireport : share your images but stay safe . israel 's blockade is now into its seventh year , while the new egyptian government has not yet significantly opened gaza 's only non-israeli border crossing at rafah . there are arguably two other factors behind israel 's new operation . one is deterrence , as gabi siboni , an israeli colonel emphasized in the new york times : deterrence has to be maintained . it was only a question of time until this moment arrived . ' put differently , israel will ignore any cease-fire at will . blogger jerry haber recalls his conversation with an israeli military expert shortly after operation cast lead who said that israel deliberately provoked hamas rocket fire so it could do a little spring cleaning ' and deplete hamas 's weapons . he said this happened every few years . and here we are , four years on . the second reason for the attacks on gaza is that israel may be testing the boundaries of the changes brought about by the arab uprisings to see just how far it can push the u.s. , egypt , and the palestinian leadership . read related : how middle east has changed since last gaza conflict there is clearly no change from the u.s. , whose spokespersons unquestioningly supported israel 's right to self-defense . ' by contrast , egypt 's mohammed morsi unreservedly condemned the attack , sending his prime minister and other officials to gaza to effectively serve as human shields : an israeli attack on the officials would have meant a real rupture with egypt . the signals from the palestinian authority ( pa ) have been mixed . pa security forces have brutally cracked down on some of the demonstrations protesting israel 's assault on gaza as part of their security coordination with israel . at the same time , pa head mahmoud abbas has been urging arab and international action to bring about an end to the fighting and speaking of reconciliation between fatah and hamas . with the impending bid to upgrade the status of the palestinian territories at the united nations to that of non-member observer state , the pa and the palestine liberation organization ( plo ) can not abandon gaza to its fate . this is a sharp reversal of plo behavior during operation cast lead in 2009 , when it resisted attempts to bring about an immediate cease-fire so as to please the u.s. -- so much so that the then-president of the u.n. general assembly , the nicaraguan priest father miguel d'escoto brockmann , effectively accused them of complicity though without naming names . read latest : reports from cnn on the ground in the gaza-israel conflict four years on , the plo/pa has little faith in the u.s. commitment to a two-state solution and none in israel 's . in any case , the plo/pa can not afford to be seen to be less pro-palestinian than egypt . even the u.s. may not be able to completely ignore arab sentiments in an era of disappearing dictatorships . what is needed now is an immediate cease-fire , pushed by palestinian and arab leaders and supported by the international community , whether israel wants it or not . it is imperative to end the bloodshed now , and then work for a just peace that will end it for all time . | nadia hijab : israel 's new operations could be motivated by forthcoming israeli elections |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- let 's be clear : israel 's latest operation in gaza is not about security . cease-fires between hamas-ruled gaza and israel have brought security for months on end and there is ample evidence to show that israel is largely responsible for truce breakdowns . israel decided to escalate the conflict last wednesday with its assassination of hamas leader ahmed al-ja'abari despite a truce that had been observed by all palestinian factions during the previous two days . read more on cnnarabic and even though they knew that al-ja'abari had just received a proposal for a permanent truce agreement with israel , as revealed in haaretz . some analysts have tied israel 's latest operation to the forthcoming elections , a way of cementing victory for benjamin netanyahu . previous prime ministers have tried it , and failed . netanyahu had previously avoided such operations but he seems to have succumbed , although events can spiral out of his control , as hamas hits near tel aviv and jerusalem have shown . but at the end of the day , the loss of palestinian lives will far exceed that of israelis . during israel 's last major operation against gaza , the devastating three-week assault it launched on december 27 , 2008 despite a cease-fire that had held for months , nearly 1,400 palestinians were killed and thousands injured , compared to 13 israelis ( four from friendly fire . ) in the present attacks , more than 100 palestinians and three israelis have been killed so far . cnn poll : 57 % of americans say israeli attacks in gaza are justified the loss of life in armed conflict is always tragic , and much more so when those lives could have been spared by a cease-fire . what is particularly heartbreaking about the population in gaza , against the backdrop of broader palestinian dispossession , is that they have nowhere to run . cnn ireport : share your images but stay safe . israel 's blockade is now into its seventh year , while the new egyptian government has not yet significantly opened gaza 's only non-israeli border crossing at rafah . there are arguably two other factors behind israel 's new operation . one is deterrence , as gabi siboni , an israeli colonel emphasized in the new york times : deterrence has to be maintained . it was only a question of time until this moment arrived . ' put differently , israel will ignore any cease-fire at will . blogger jerry haber recalls his conversation with an israeli military expert shortly after operation cast lead who said that israel deliberately provoked hamas rocket fire so it could do a little spring cleaning ' and deplete hamas 's weapons . he said this happened every few years . and here we are , four years on . the second reason for the attacks on gaza is that israel may be testing the boundaries of the changes brought about by the arab uprisings to see just how far it can push the u.s. , egypt , and the palestinian leadership . read related : how middle east has changed since last gaza conflict there is clearly no change from the u.s. , whose spokespersons unquestioningly supported israel 's right to self-defense . ' by contrast , egypt 's mohammed morsi unreservedly condemned the attack , sending his prime minister and other officials to gaza to effectively serve as human shields : an israeli attack on the officials would have meant a real rupture with egypt . the signals from the palestinian authority ( pa ) have been mixed . pa security forces have brutally cracked down on some of the demonstrations protesting israel 's assault on gaza as part of their security coordination with israel . at the same time , pa head mahmoud abbas has been urging arab and international action to bring about an end to the fighting and speaking of reconciliation between fatah and hamas . with the impending bid to upgrade the status of the palestinian territories at the united nations to that of non-member observer state , the pa and the palestine liberation organization ( plo ) can not abandon gaza to its fate . this is a sharp reversal of plo behavior during operation cast lead in 2009 , when it resisted attempts to bring about an immediate cease-fire so as to please the u.s. -- so much so that the then-president of the u.n. general assembly , the nicaraguan priest father miguel d'escoto brockmann , effectively accused them of complicity though without naming names . read latest : reports from cnn on the ground in the gaza-israel conflict four years on , the plo/pa has little faith in the u.s. commitment to a two-state solution and none in israel 's . in any case , the plo/pa can not afford to be seen to be less pro-palestinian than egypt . even the u.s. may not be able to completely ignore arab sentiments in an era of disappearing dictatorships . what is needed now is an immediate cease-fire , pushed by palestinian and arab leaders and supported by the international community , whether israel wants it or not . it is imperative to end the bloodshed now , and then work for a just peace that will end it for all time . | palestinian political analyst : israel largely responsible for truce breakdowns [ with gaza ] ' |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- let 's be clear : israel 's latest operation in gaza is not about security . cease-fires between hamas-ruled gaza and israel have brought security for months on end and there is ample evidence to show that israel is largely responsible for truce breakdowns . israel decided to escalate the conflict last wednesday with its assassination of hamas leader ahmed al-ja'abari despite a truce that had been observed by all palestinian factions during the previous two days . read more on cnnarabic and even though they knew that al-ja'abari had just received a proposal for a permanent truce agreement with israel , as revealed in haaretz . some analysts have tied israel 's latest operation to the forthcoming elections , a way of cementing victory for benjamin netanyahu . previous prime ministers have tried it , and failed . netanyahu had previously avoided such operations but he seems to have succumbed , although events can spiral out of his control , as hamas hits near tel aviv and jerusalem have shown . but at the end of the day , the loss of palestinian lives will far exceed that of israelis . during israel 's last major operation against gaza , the devastating three-week assault it launched on december 27 , 2008 despite a cease-fire that had held for months , nearly 1,400 palestinians were killed and thousands injured , compared to 13 israelis ( four from friendly fire . ) in the present attacks , more than 100 palestinians and three israelis have been killed so far . cnn poll : 57 % of americans say israeli attacks in gaza are justified the loss of life in armed conflict is always tragic , and much more so when those lives could have been spared by a cease-fire . what is particularly heartbreaking about the population in gaza , against the backdrop of broader palestinian dispossession , is that they have nowhere to run . cnn ireport : share your images but stay safe . israel 's blockade is now into its seventh year , while the new egyptian government has not yet significantly opened gaza 's only non-israeli border crossing at rafah . there are arguably two other factors behind israel 's new operation . one is deterrence , as gabi siboni , an israeli colonel emphasized in the new york times : deterrence has to be maintained . it was only a question of time until this moment arrived . ' put differently , israel will ignore any cease-fire at will . blogger jerry haber recalls his conversation with an israeli military expert shortly after operation cast lead who said that israel deliberately provoked hamas rocket fire so it could do a little spring cleaning ' and deplete hamas 's weapons . he said this happened every few years . and here we are , four years on . the second reason for the attacks on gaza is that israel may be testing the boundaries of the changes brought about by the arab uprisings to see just how far it can push the u.s. , egypt , and the palestinian leadership . read related : how middle east has changed since last gaza conflict there is clearly no change from the u.s. , whose spokespersons unquestioningly supported israel 's right to self-defense . ' by contrast , egypt 's mohammed morsi unreservedly condemned the attack , sending his prime minister and other officials to gaza to effectively serve as human shields : an israeli attack on the officials would have meant a real rupture with egypt . the signals from the palestinian authority ( pa ) have been mixed . pa security forces have brutally cracked down on some of the demonstrations protesting israel 's assault on gaza as part of their security coordination with israel . at the same time , pa head mahmoud abbas has been urging arab and international action to bring about an end to the fighting and speaking of reconciliation between fatah and hamas . with the impending bid to upgrade the status of the palestinian territories at the united nations to that of non-member observer state , the pa and the palestine liberation organization ( plo ) can not abandon gaza to its fate . this is a sharp reversal of plo behavior during operation cast lead in 2009 , when it resisted attempts to bring about an immediate cease-fire so as to please the u.s. -- so much so that the then-president of the u.n. general assembly , the nicaraguan priest father miguel d'escoto brockmann , effectively accused them of complicity though without naming names . read latest : reports from cnn on the ground in the gaza-israel conflict four years on , the plo/pa has little faith in the u.s. commitment to a two-state solution and none in israel 's . in any case , the plo/pa can not afford to be seen to be less pro-palestinian than egypt . even the u.s. may not be able to completely ignore arab sentiments in an era of disappearing dictatorships . what is needed now is an immediate cease-fire , pushed by palestinian and arab leaders and supported by the international community , whether israel wants it or not . it is imperative to end the bloodshed now , and then work for a just peace that will end it for all time . | israel could also be looking to maintain a deterrence , says hijab |
sripraphai <tsp> ( cnn ) -- welcome to new york city . hope you packed your appetite . we 're not claiming these are the definitive best , ' most essential , ' or most authentic ' restaurants in all of nyc or any of that jazz . we are just saying that if it were us in town for a few days , these are the places we 'd make a beeline for to eat , drink and generally be delighted . not a fan of our faves ? well , ok then . just send us a dm or a note @ eatocracy on twitter , let us know where you are , and we 'll find you some food to suit your mood . have a delicious stay . terroir | tribeca address : 24 harrison st . phone : 212.625.9463 website : http : //www.wineisterroir.com/ categories : downtown , bar , eat at the bar solo dining : yes tip : three words : riesling on tap . it may be touted as a wine bar , but the food is killer . chicken liver and lardo bruschette are life-changers . caracas arepa bar address : 93 1/2 east 7th st . phone : 718.218.6050 or 212.529.2314 website : http : //www.caracasarepabar.com categories : downtown tip : for a taste of venezuela , chomp into one of these stuffed corn-flour arepas . feeling indecisive ? try the la popular sampler of three different , traditional varieties . otto enoteca pizzeria address : 1 fifth ave . phone : 212.995.9559 website : http : //www.ottopizzeria.com/ categories : downtown , celebrity chef , eat at the bar solo dining : yes tip : order some antipasti at mario batali 's casual pizzeria while you wait on his thin-crusted creations . runny yolk fans opt for the pane frattau -- a pie with a sunnyside-up egg in the center . the house-made olive oil gelato is the ultimate sweet-savory ending . gramercy tavern address : 42 east 20th st . phone : 212.477.0777 website : http : //www.gramercytavern.com/ categories : gramercy/flatiron , date night solo dining : yes tip : it 's one of the new york 's most beloved restaurants -- and for good reason with its luxurious yet homey atmosphere . everything 's seasonal and you really ca n't go wrong . sakagura address : 211 east 43rd st . phone : 212.953.7253 website : http : //www.sakagura.com/ categories : midtown , hidden gem , eat at the bar solo dining : yes tip : a taste of tokyo is hidden in the basement of a midtown east office building -- your friends will be impressed you found this place . go for lunch and sake -- their platters are a multi-course steal at $ 20 . pearl oyster bar address : 18 cornelia street phone : 212.691.8211 website : http : //www.pearloysterbar.com/ categories : downtown , no reservations solo dining : yes tip : come for the lobster roll , stay for the blueberry pie . impatient diners take note : they do not accept reservations . spotted pig address : 314 west 11th street phone : 212.620.0393 website : http : //thespottedpig.com/ categories : downtown , celeb spotting , late night tip : the gastropub to end all gastropubs . devils on horseback , chicken liver and a burger with roquefort are a few of its hearty offerings . a 2-hour wait is normal during peak time as is celeb-spotting in the witching hours . momofuku ssam bar address : 207 2nd avenue phone : 212.254.3500 website : http : //www.momofuku.com/ssam-bar/ categories : downtown , celebrity chef tip : order the pork buns and stop by milk bar next door for a compost cookie , crack pie or one of the ever changing , always inventive soft-serve ice creams . porchetta address : 110 east 7th street phone : 212.777.2151 website : http : //www.porchettanyc.com/ categories : downtown , casual solo dining : yes tip : pork lovers : eat porchetta 's porchetta . that is all . marea address : 240 central park south phone : 212.582.5100 website : http : //www.marea-nyc.com/home.html/ categories : midtown , date night , eat at the bar solo dining : yes tip : it was just named best new restaurant at the james beard awards so reservations may be tight . but , it 's worth the fuss to order fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow and eat at the bar . taim address : 222 waverly place phone : 212.691.1287 website : http : //taimfalafel.com/ categories : downtown , casual solo dining : yes tip : skip the ubiquitous street cart falafel and head to the west village . choose between red , green or harissa falafel flavors . the little owl address : 90 bedford street phone : 212.741.4695 website : http : //www.thelittleowlnyc.com/ categories : downtown , date night tip : this darling neighborhood restaurant is perfect for date night . signature meatball sliders are a must , while a pork chop with butter beans and dandelion is close to porcine perfection . if soft shell crab is available , dive in for a suprisingly light taste of summer . katz 's delicatessen address : 205 e. houston street phone : 212.254.2246 website : http : //www.katzdeli.com/ categories : downtown , old new york , casual solo dining : yes tip : it 's the quintessential new york deli -- as seen in when harry mat sally . order the classics : corned beef , pastrami or tongue with a dr. brown 's cel-ray chaser . grand central oyster bar address : 89 e. 42nd st. ( in grand central station ) phone : 212.490.6650 website : http : //oysterbarny.com/ categories : midtown , old new york solo dining : yes tip : this is old school new york . nab a table in the cavernous , subterranean dining room or saloon or a seat at the curving lunch counter or raw bar and slurp down fresh oysters or a classic pan roast . blue hill address : 75 washington place phone : 212.539.1776 website : http : //bluehillfarm.com/food/blue-hill-new-york categories : downtown , date night tip : dine like the first couple at this lauded , lovely farm-to-table restaurant helmed by james beard award winning chef dan barber . torrisi italian specialities address : 250 mulberry st . phone : 212.965.0955 website : http : //www.piginahat.com/index.php categories : downtown , casual solo dining : yes tip : italian-american classics to take-out or eat-in by two accomplished , contemporary chefs . word has quickly spread about this 18 seat restaurant 's chicken parm hero and turkey sandwich . degustation address : 239 east 5th street phone : 212.979.1012 website : no website categories : downtown , adventurous tip : skip a la carte and go for the tasting menu : a new york bargain at 5-courses for $ 55 . the tiny restaurant seats diners at a counter around an open kitchen -- dinner and a show . shake shack address : 366 columbus ave . phone : 212.889.6600 website : http : //shakeshack.com categories : gramercy/flatiron , casual , outdoors solo dining : yes tip : shack burgers , chicago-style dogs and shakes are the draw at danny meyer 's ode to summertime eats . park yourself in the inevitable line -- locations in madison square park , the upper west side and citi field triple your chances to satisfy crinkle-fry cravings . death & co . address : 433 e. 6th st . phone : 212-388-0882 website : http : //www.deathandcompany.com/lounge/ categories : downtown , bar tip : cocktails are to die for at this east village bar . drinks like the joy division and the electric kool-aid acid test sparkle amid the gothic loveliness of this cocktail manor . lombardi 's address : 32 spring st phone : 212-941-7994 website : http : //www.firstpizza.com categories : downtown , casual tip : the nation 's first pizzeria does n't accept reservations , but their wood-oven pies are worth the wait . hill country address : 30 west 26th street phone : 212.255.4544 website : http : //www.hillcountryny.com/ categories : gramercy/flatiron , casual , good for groups , live music tip : boot scoot on over to hill country for some low and slow-smoked brisket , ribs and all the southern fixings . save room for a pb & j cupcake . everything 's bigger in texas so bring your appetite . beacon address : 25 w. 56th st . phone : 212-332-0500 website : http : //www.beaconnyc.com/ categories : midtown , eat at the bar solo dining : yes tip : this undersung midtown gem boasts some of the city 's greatest bar treats - woodfired pizza and serious cocktails . lunch prix fixe is a steal . sripraphai address : 6413 39th avenue woodside , queens phone : ( 718 ) 899-9599 website : http : //www.sripraphairestaurant.com/ categories : queens , adventurous tip : sure , it 's a shlep from manhattan ( hop the 7-train to woodside ave. ) , but the papaya and catfish salad and fish maw soup are worth the journey for serious thai devotees . sushi yasuda address : 204 east 43rd street phone : ( 212 ) 972-1001 website : http : //www.sushiyasuda.com/ categories : midtown , date night solo dining : yes tip : oh , oh , the otoro ! opt for bar seating to watch the master prepare sumptuous fatty tuna , arctic char and shockingly fresh urchin up close . flatiron lounge address : 37 west 19th st . phone : ( 212 ) 727-7741 website : http : //www.flatironlounge.com/ categories : gramercy/flatiron , date night , bar tip : artful mixologists led by the fabulous julie reiner craft bygone cocktails and daily drink flights by hand in this lovely , art deco-influenced bar . get there early . han bat address : 53 west 35th street phone : ( 212 ) 629-5588 website : no website categories : midtown , late night tip : skip the late night slice and opt for bi bim bop and ox knee broth served 24/7 in the heart of nyc 's koreatown . keens steakhouse address : 72 west 36th st . phone : ( 212 ) 947-3636 website : http : //www.keens.com/ categories : midtown , old new york solo dining : yes tip : in 1905 , lillie langtry sued to be allowed access to the gents-only premises . upon winning , she swept in and ordered the mutton chop . follow her lead . do n't miss prime-rib hash and 200+ single malts . hearth address : 403 east 12th st . phone : ( 646 ) 602-1300 website : http : //restauranthearth.com/ categories : downtown , date night tip : chef marco canora 's italian-influenced american fare is inventive , hospitable and homey -- complemented by one of the most creative wine lists in town . wd~50 address : 50 clinton st . phone : 212.477.2900 website : http : //www.wd-50.com/ categories : downtown , adventurous tip : chef wylie dufresne deconstructs classic like eggs benedict to re-imagine using high-tech molecular gastronomy ' techniques . like mama never made . pegu club address : 77 w. houston st. , 2nd floor phone : ( 212 ) 473-7348 website : http : //www.peguclub.com categories : downtown , bar tip : named for the pegu club cocktail , this romantic upstairs bar boasts classics and original inventions by mixologist audrey saunders . nice green bo address : 66 bayard st . phone : ( 212 ) 625-2359 website : no website categories : downtown , adventurous solo dining : yes tip : the bare-bones atmosphere and terse service are n't the draw ; the turnip and ham pastries and sumptuous stewed pork balls surely are . prune address : 54 east 1st st . phone : ( 212 ) 677-6221 website : http : //www.prunerestaurant.com/ categories : downtown , killer brunch tip : a wild sunday brunch bloody mary menu and an omelet with a marrow bone side sates adventurous eaters . spaghetti carbonara breakfast soothes damage from late night revels . jimmy 's corner address : 140 w. 44th st phone : 212-221-9510 website : no website categories : midtown , dive bar tip : a.k.a . the boxing bar . jimmy glenn 's low-key joint is a longtime haven for thirsty locals in need of respite from times square tourists . kabab café address : 25-12 steinway st. astoria queens n/r to astoria/ditmars blvd . phone : 718-728-9858 website : no website categories : queens , adventurous tip : this eclectically decorated cash-only café is home to egyptian fare so soulful and sumptuous , it 's not unusual to see patrons tearing up . get the meze platter and let chef ali el sayed select the rest of your meal for you . | try the papaya and catfish salad at sripraphai |
activision <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a bizarre three-and-a-half minute north korean propaganda video -- depicting a city resembling new york but with its skyscrapers on fire -- was pulled from youtube this week after videogame maker activision said those scenes were lifted from its top-selling game call of duty . ' clicking on the now-defunct youtube link brings up the message : this video has been removed by the user . sorry about that . ' but the video can still be found elsewhere on the internet . the anti-u.s. video also employs an instrumental version of we are the world , ' written by michael jackson and lionel richie , while a sleeping north korean man apparently dreams himself aboard a north korean space shuttle launched into orbit around the earth . just after the video 's two-minute mark , a city covered by a large american flag is seen apparently being bombarded by a missile attack . the korean-language caption that scrolls across the screen says , black smoke was billowing somewhere in america . maybe the group of satan , who has been habitually conducting an invasion war , are burning in the fire they set themselves . ' the release of this video , the latest in a series of regular propaganda videos , comes as experts and officials widely believe north korea is on the verge of its third nuclear test , following trials in 2006 and 2009 . the country 's use of copyrighted material is not new . in 2012 , mickey mouse , winnie the pooh and a cast of disney characters appeared at a pyongyang theater for newly-ascended north korean leader kim jong un . the walt disney company denounced the use of its characters and said in a statement , this was not licensed or authorized by the walt disney company , ' according to the associated press . | game maker activision says video used scenes from call of duty game |
mickey mouse <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a bizarre three-and-a-half minute north korean propaganda video -- depicting a city resembling new york but with its skyscrapers on fire -- was pulled from youtube this week after videogame maker activision said those scenes were lifted from its top-selling game call of duty . ' clicking on the now-defunct youtube link brings up the message : this video has been removed by the user . sorry about that . ' but the video can still be found elsewhere on the internet . the anti-u.s. video also employs an instrumental version of we are the world , ' written by michael jackson and lionel richie , while a sleeping north korean man apparently dreams himself aboard a north korean space shuttle launched into orbit around the earth . just after the video 's two-minute mark , a city covered by a large american flag is seen apparently being bombarded by a missile attack . the korean-language caption that scrolls across the screen says , black smoke was billowing somewhere in america . maybe the group of satan , who has been habitually conducting an invasion war , are burning in the fire they set themselves . ' the release of this video , the latest in a series of regular propaganda videos , comes as experts and officials widely believe north korea is on the verge of its third nuclear test , following trials in 2006 and 2009 . the country 's use of copyrighted material is not new . in 2012 , mickey mouse , winnie the pooh and a cast of disney characters appeared at a pyongyang theater for newly-ascended north korean leader kim jong un . the walt disney company denounced the use of its characters and said in a statement , this was not licensed or authorized by the walt disney company , ' according to the associated press . | walt disney company denounced north korea 's use of mickey mouse in 2012 |
walt disney company <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a bizarre three-and-a-half minute north korean propaganda video -- depicting a city resembling new york but with its skyscrapers on fire -- was pulled from youtube this week after videogame maker activision said those scenes were lifted from its top-selling game call of duty . ' clicking on the now-defunct youtube link brings up the message : this video has been removed by the user . sorry about that . ' but the video can still be found elsewhere on the internet . the anti-u.s. video also employs an instrumental version of we are the world , ' written by michael jackson and lionel richie , while a sleeping north korean man apparently dreams himself aboard a north korean space shuttle launched into orbit around the earth . just after the video 's two-minute mark , a city covered by a large american flag is seen apparently being bombarded by a missile attack . the korean-language caption that scrolls across the screen says , black smoke was billowing somewhere in america . maybe the group of satan , who has been habitually conducting an invasion war , are burning in the fire they set themselves . ' the release of this video , the latest in a series of regular propaganda videos , comes as experts and officials widely believe north korea is on the verge of its third nuclear test , following trials in 2006 and 2009 . the country 's use of copyrighted material is not new . in 2012 , mickey mouse , winnie the pooh and a cast of disney characters appeared at a pyongyang theater for newly-ascended north korean leader kim jong un . the walt disney company denounced the use of its characters and said in a statement , this was not licensed or authorized by the walt disney company , ' according to the associated press . | walt disney company denounced north korea 's use of mickey mouse in 2012 |
boston <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the worst of the storm has passed , but the recovery effort is just beginning . a mammoth blizzard that dumped as much as 3 feet of snow in parts of the northeast headed out to sea saturday , as workers across new york and new england struggled to get airports , trains and highways back online . the snowstorm , a product of two converging weather systems , is being blamed for at least nine deaths in three states and canada . it forced the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights , and knocked out power to more than 635,000 customers . that figure had fallen to around 459,000 saturday night . we had a bad storm here with heavy , heavy snow -- starting with a wet snow early , which stuck to the trees , which brought them down on the power lines , and then the temperatures dropping and then high , high winds all combining to a lot of power outages . we have our challenges here , ' rhode island gov . lincoln chafee told cnn . track the storm forecasters say the storm was still swirling across eastern new england with gusts up to 40 mph in cities that include providence , rhode island , and boston . but as most of the heavy snow tapered off , a travel ban across rhode island , connecticut and massachusetts was lifted at 4 p.m. blizzard warnings were lifted , along with coastal flood warnings for new england . mandatory evacuations were issued earlier saturday for massachusetts coastal regions near the town of hull because of flooding concerns , and high winds whipped throughout the area . authorities advised residents to leave shoreline areas in marshfield and scituate . while the blizzard did not fulfill record-breaking predictions , travel remained slowgoing . hundreds of cars were stranded on the long island expressway in new york after motorists got stuck driving in the snow . they outnumbered the tow trucks and crews deployed to the area for the storm , according to suffolk county police . map , timeline of the storm the blizzard prompted the u.s . postal service to suspend deliveries in seven states . postal worker karlene calliste left her job around 3 p.m. friday , got caught in the storm and ended up sleeping at a firehouse in middle island , new york , where dozens of other stranded residents were holed up . it 's crazy . they were n't prepared , ' she said , adding that a lack of snow plows contributed to the scores of cars and trucks left stuck in the snow . three of new york 's busiest airports resumed limited service saturday morning . at least one runway at logan international airport in boston was to reopen late saturday , with flights expected sunday . bradley international airport in windsor locks , connecticut , was expected to reopen sunday morning . roads turn deadly at least nine people were killed in accidents related to the storm -- five in connecticut , according to the governor , two in canada , one in new york and one in massachusetts -- a 14-year-old boston boy who was helping his father shovel snow . the boy hopped in the snowed-in family car to warm up . the engine was running and the exhaust pipe was blocked by snow , causing carbon monoxide to back up in the car . firefighters were unable to resuscitate the boy . boston police said they were investigating whether a man in his early 20s found dead a vehicle succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning . the department put out a public safety advisory and cited calls related to individuals being overcome while trying to stay warm in vehicles in which exhaust pipes were blocked by snow . in poughkeepsie , new york , an 18-year-old woman lost control of her car in the falling snow and struck a 74-year-old man walking near the side of the road , police said . he later died from his injuries . other accidents occurred in connecticut and southern ontario . massachusetts , connecticut and rhode island ahead of the storm ordered all non-emergency vehicles off the streets under threat of imprisonment and fines -- up to a year in jail and $ 500 in rhode island . rail transportation came to a virtual halt , with commuter trains running on a patchwork schedule . snow piles up ; power goes out connecticut saw the most accumulation , with 40 inches in hamden . at its height , the storm heaped snow on the state at a frenzied rate of 4 to 5 inches an hour . ireporter scott green posted a photo of his deck in cromwell -- covered waist-high with snow . in massachusetts , worcester and boston received 27 and 21 inches , respectively , with winds howling up to a hurricane-strength 75 mph . snowfall in manhattan reached just under a foot , with heavier accumulations in long island , where 27 inches fell in stony brook . this state had consequences , but nothing like our neighboring states , ' said new york gov . andrew cuomo . he announced saturday plans to send utility workers and snow plows to new england to help with recovery . snowfall blanketed an area from eastern pennsylvania to maine , with overnight lows under 20 degrees as governors in six states declared states of emergency . the states hardest hit in terms of power outages were massachusetts and rhode island . by saturday evening , close to 308,000 customers were without power in massachusetts , while more than 115,000 customers remained without electricity in rhode island . stay safe with the power out electricity dropped out at a nuclear power plant in plymouth , massachusetts , said fire spokesman ed bradley , but backup generators sprang into action . stay connected in the storm stay charged when the power goes out stranded at the walmart more than two dozen people were forced to spend the night at a walmart in long island . the roads were just completely impassable , ' said jean miller , who spent at least seven hours on the road before throwing in the towel . we were just happy to be indoors and not out there , ' she said . miller , whose home is just two miles from the store , says she plans to stay so long as road conditions are dangerous and walmart allows it . they equaled the red cross , ' she said of the big-box retailer . hoops snowed out the nor'easter has swatted down travel arrangements for pro basketball teams headed to new york city , leaving the new york knicks , san antonio spurs and brooklyn nets grounded . the knicks are stuck in minneapolis , where they played the timberwolves on friday , a spokesman said . they have a home game at madison square garden on sunday against the l.a. clippers . canceled flights forced the nets to attempt to get home by train from washington after a game there against the wizards . the san antonio spurs , who were originally flying to new york to play the brooklyn nets on sunday night , are stuck in detroit . cnn 's jill martin , anneclaire stapleton , pauline kim , erinn cawthon , jake carpenter , phil gast , ben brumfield , chris boyette and marina carver contributed to this report . david ariosto and mary snow reported from new york and dana ford reported and wrote from atlanta . | at least nine people are killed , including 14-year-old boston boy |
boston <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the worst of the storm has passed , but the recovery effort is just beginning . a mammoth blizzard that dumped as much as 3 feet of snow in parts of the northeast headed out to sea saturday , as workers across new york and new england struggled to get airports , trains and highways back online . the snowstorm , a product of two converging weather systems , is being blamed for at least nine deaths in three states and canada . it forced the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights , and knocked out power to more than 635,000 customers . that figure had fallen to around 459,000 saturday night . we had a bad storm here with heavy , heavy snow -- starting with a wet snow early , which stuck to the trees , which brought them down on the power lines , and then the temperatures dropping and then high , high winds all combining to a lot of power outages . we have our challenges here , ' rhode island gov . lincoln chafee told cnn . track the storm forecasters say the storm was still swirling across eastern new england with gusts up to 40 mph in cities that include providence , rhode island , and boston . but as most of the heavy snow tapered off , a travel ban across rhode island , connecticut and massachusetts was lifted at 4 p.m. blizzard warnings were lifted , along with coastal flood warnings for new england . mandatory evacuations were issued earlier saturday for massachusetts coastal regions near the town of hull because of flooding concerns , and high winds whipped throughout the area . authorities advised residents to leave shoreline areas in marshfield and scituate . while the blizzard did not fulfill record-breaking predictions , travel remained slowgoing . hundreds of cars were stranded on the long island expressway in new york after motorists got stuck driving in the snow . they outnumbered the tow trucks and crews deployed to the area for the storm , according to suffolk county police . map , timeline of the storm the blizzard prompted the u.s . postal service to suspend deliveries in seven states . postal worker karlene calliste left her job around 3 p.m. friday , got caught in the storm and ended up sleeping at a firehouse in middle island , new york , where dozens of other stranded residents were holed up . it 's crazy . they were n't prepared , ' she said , adding that a lack of snow plows contributed to the scores of cars and trucks left stuck in the snow . three of new york 's busiest airports resumed limited service saturday morning . at least one runway at logan international airport in boston was to reopen late saturday , with flights expected sunday . bradley international airport in windsor locks , connecticut , was expected to reopen sunday morning . roads turn deadly at least nine people were killed in accidents related to the storm -- five in connecticut , according to the governor , two in canada , one in new york and one in massachusetts -- a 14-year-old boston boy who was helping his father shovel snow . the boy hopped in the snowed-in family car to warm up . the engine was running and the exhaust pipe was blocked by snow , causing carbon monoxide to back up in the car . firefighters were unable to resuscitate the boy . boston police said they were investigating whether a man in his early 20s found dead a vehicle succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning . the department put out a public safety advisory and cited calls related to individuals being overcome while trying to stay warm in vehicles in which exhaust pipes were blocked by snow . in poughkeepsie , new york , an 18-year-old woman lost control of her car in the falling snow and struck a 74-year-old man walking near the side of the road , police said . he later died from his injuries . other accidents occurred in connecticut and southern ontario . massachusetts , connecticut and rhode island ahead of the storm ordered all non-emergency vehicles off the streets under threat of imprisonment and fines -- up to a year in jail and $ 500 in rhode island . rail transportation came to a virtual halt , with commuter trains running on a patchwork schedule . snow piles up ; power goes out connecticut saw the most accumulation , with 40 inches in hamden . at its height , the storm heaped snow on the state at a frenzied rate of 4 to 5 inches an hour . ireporter scott green posted a photo of his deck in cromwell -- covered waist-high with snow . in massachusetts , worcester and boston received 27 and 21 inches , respectively , with winds howling up to a hurricane-strength 75 mph . snowfall in manhattan reached just under a foot , with heavier accumulations in long island , where 27 inches fell in stony brook . this state had consequences , but nothing like our neighboring states , ' said new york gov . andrew cuomo . he announced saturday plans to send utility workers and snow plows to new england to help with recovery . snowfall blanketed an area from eastern pennsylvania to maine , with overnight lows under 20 degrees as governors in six states declared states of emergency . the states hardest hit in terms of power outages were massachusetts and rhode island . by saturday evening , close to 308,000 customers were without power in massachusetts , while more than 115,000 customers remained without electricity in rhode island . stay safe with the power out electricity dropped out at a nuclear power plant in plymouth , massachusetts , said fire spokesman ed bradley , but backup generators sprang into action . stay connected in the storm stay charged when the power goes out stranded at the walmart more than two dozen people were forced to spend the night at a walmart in long island . the roads were just completely impassable , ' said jean miller , who spent at least seven hours on the road before throwing in the towel . we were just happy to be indoors and not out there , ' she said . miller , whose home is just two miles from the store , says she plans to stay so long as road conditions are dangerous and walmart allows it . they equaled the red cross , ' she said of the big-box retailer . hoops snowed out the nor'easter has swatted down travel arrangements for pro basketball teams headed to new york city , leaving the new york knicks , san antonio spurs and brooklyn nets grounded . the knicks are stuck in minneapolis , where they played the timberwolves on friday , a spokesman said . they have a home game at madison square garden on sunday against the l.a. clippers . canceled flights forced the nets to attempt to get home by train from washington after a game there against the wizards . the san antonio spurs , who were originally flying to new york to play the brooklyn nets on sunday night , are stuck in detroit . cnn 's jill martin , anneclaire stapleton , pauline kim , erinn cawthon , jake carpenter , phil gast , ben brumfield , chris boyette and marina carver contributed to this report . david ariosto and mary snow reported from new york and dana ford reported and wrote from atlanta . | new : boston , connecticut airports to reopen |
best picture <tsp> ( entertainment weekly ) -- after all the anticipation and hubbub , the weekend is coming to an end and the box office results are here : watchmen ' ( no . 1 ) grossed $ 55.7 million during its first frame , according to early estimates from media by numbers . watchmen ' led the weekend box office , grossing $ 55.7 million during its first weekend . that 's a solid sum , to be sure , although it 's certainly on the low end of most projections . watchmen ' premiered in more theaters ( 3,611 ) than any other r-rated movie in history , and it averaged an impressive $ 15,413 per venue , despite a potentially problematic long running time . it also scored the biggest debut of 2009 so far . nonetheless , the movie 's $ 55.7 million take ( including $ 5.5 million from 124 imax screens ) is substantially smaller than the $ 70.9 million that 300 , the last r-rated graphic-novel movie from director zack snyder , earned on its opening weekend two years ago . and aside from that theater-count statistic ( which almost any film could break at any time , really ) , there will be no major records to report on this weekend ( for example , watchmen 's ' debut was just the fifth-best opening ever for an r-rated movie ) . i 'd argue , in fact , that this opening is a bit soft , considering the great expectations that came with snyder 's adaptation of alan moore 's landmark comic book -- not to mention watchmen 's ' hefty grosses from screenings at midnight on friday and throughout its first day . after attracting some major initial interest , banking $ 25.1 million on friday , the film 's audience dropped off dramatically during the weekend : it grossed $ 19 million on saturday and is expected to bring in just $ 11.5 million on sunday . these are all big numbers , do n't get me wrong , but , when combined with the fact that the film got a lukewarm cinemascore grade of b from an audience that was largely comprised of older men , it all points to a rapid downward trend that may be difficult to reverse in the weeks to come . elsewhere -- yes , there were other movies playing at the multiplex this weekend ! -- a number of films continued to do what watchmen ' must now aspire to , perhaps in vain : they stayed strong deep into their long runs . tyler perry 's madea goes to jail ' ( no . 2 ) grossed $ 8.8 million on its third weekend ; the film , perry 's biggest yet at the box office , has banked $ 76.5 million to date . taken ' ( no . 3 ) also moved along like the unstoppable force it has been for more than a month now , earning $ 7.5 million and bringing its six-week sum to $ 118 million . best picture winner slumdog millionaire ' ( no . 4 ) was next with $ 6.9 million , which boosted its domestic haul to $ 125.4 million . and paul blart : mall cop ' ( no . 5 ) took its eight-week total to $ 133.6 million thanks to another $ 4.2 million gross . ireport.com : what did you think of'watchmen'? meanwhile , jonas brothers : the 3d concert experience ' ( no . 9 ) completely fell off the map , dropping a staggering 78 percent to gross just $ 2.8 million . according to box office mojo , that 's the 15th biggest second-weekend decline of all time . overall , the cumulative box office was up nearly 8 percent over the same frame a year ago , when 10,000 b.c . opened big , making this the fifth consecutive up ' weekend at the multiplex . so , all in all , i 'd say today 's was a good report , indeed . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly copyright 2009 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | best picture winner slumdog millionaire ' took the no . 4 slot with $ 6.9 million |
wolff <tsp> silverstone , england ( cnn ) -- it has taken over 20 years , but a woman was back on the track in the male-dominated world of formula one . unfortunately not for very long . susie wolff became the first female since 1992 to take part in an f1 weekend , but after just four laps at friday 's british grand prix practice session the 31-year-old scot had to retire because of an oil pressure problem . it was a really tough day , ' a dejected wolff told reporters at the historic silverstone circuit , after her stricken car was hoisted back to the pits . but that 's f1 sometimes . although there has been a lot of media around my run , when it 's just you in the car it 's the best feeling . i felt very ready for today -- i knew in my head what i had to do , it was good to get that first run of a race weekend in the bag . ' wolff 's best time of one minute and 44.212 seconds was set at the very start of the session and was not representative of her ultimate pace . claire williams -- deputy team principal of her father 's eponymous race team and another strong female role model in the sport -- explained the team did not need to judge wolff 's driving abilities during her practice debut . that was heartbreaking really , ' said williams . the rest of the team are so disappointed for susie as she 's put in so much effort and hard work and she 's been subjected to so much scrutiny . it was nothing that she did , it was an issue with the car that we are investigating . ' williams'deputy team principal praised wolff for her diligence ahead of the session . we do n't have a question mark over her , ' williams told the media . we 're not running her to see how good she is , that 's not what we 're doing . she knows the car , she 's done a lot of preparation in the simulator , she 's spent a lot of time with the engineers and she 's perfectly competent in the car without causing any hindrance to the team . she goes out there with her peers in a competitive situation . ' wolff , who competed for six years in the popular german touring car championship before joining f1 , has been up against it both on and off the track . as the wife of mercedes executive director toto wolff , who also owns just over 10 % of the williams team , she has had to bat away suggestions that she owes her opportunity behind the wheel to nepotism . i 've always said he 's my biggest supporter and also my biggest critic , ' said wolff at silverstone . he knew i had to go out there and do a good job today . he 's also quite sad that i did n't get the chance to show it . he would have loved it if i 'd have done the session and done a good job . ' williams'deputy team principal has also had to deny employing wolff as the team 's development driver was just a publicity stunt . it would be naive to say that having a female on board does n't bring you commercial benefit but everybody knows that williams is a serious racing team , ' she said . we 're not only going to do something because it 's a marketing gimmick or could bring us in a load of dollars . susie has n't bought in those dollars and we have n't had any expectation that she would . she has to deliver technically which she 's done . ' there was also support for wolff from her british peers at silverstone -- former world champions lewis hamilton and jenson button . she 's very , very talented , ' said mercedes driver hamilton , who raced against her in his junior career in karting and formula renault . it 's really cool to see her in a formula one car . i did n't race against many girls . susie was one of the very few , if not the only one , i raced against . we shared a podium together a couple of times . ' mclaren 's button added : she 's already driven in a test this year and went very well . it 'll be good to see her on track . ' wolff will get a second chance to make her mark in first practice at the next grand prix in germany . i 've still got one more shot at it , ' said the 31-year-old wolff . so , head up high and look forward to hockenheim . i did n't prove or show anything today . i really want to use that opportunity to show what i can do . to get into an f1 car is so difficult that you want to maximize it . ' asked why it had taken more than 20 years for a female racer to be given another opportunity in a competitive f1 session , wolff told cnn : firstly , if there is no role model out there doing it , for all the little girls who come to the tracks and watch on tv , if they do n't see a girl on track then they 're not inspired to want to do that themselves . that then leads to the second problem that there 's not enough girls karting or starting at a young age . interactive : cnn 's guide to silverstone ' but sometimes in life you just need a chance , and i got that chance with the williams team -- frank and claire gave me that big break . ' williams -- who grew up in motorsport 's macho environment -- told cnn : i 'm always a believer that it 's up to individuals to come up and do it and that has n't happened for whatever reason . ' giovanna amati was the last woman to drive in the sport when she attempted to qualify for a race in 1992 . the italian was competing in an era of f1 when there were only 26 spots on the grid and more than 30 cars pushing for those places . amati , driving for the brabham team , attempted to qualify at three races but was not able to break through with a largely uncompetitive car . of the seven women to join the f1 world championship , only two have ever qualified to start a race . the most prolific of these was italian lella lombardi , who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s . lombardi made history while driving with march at a difficult 1975 spanish grand prix , becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix . the late maria de villota , who died in october last year , also began her f1 career along with wolff when she was signed as a development driver by the marussia team in 2012 . | susie wolff became the first woman in 22 years to take to the track at an f1 grand prix |
wolff <tsp> silverstone , england ( cnn ) -- it has taken over 20 years , but a woman was back on the track in the male-dominated world of formula one . unfortunately not for very long . susie wolff became the first female since 1992 to take part in an f1 weekend , but after just four laps at friday 's british grand prix practice session the 31-year-old scot had to retire because of an oil pressure problem . it was a really tough day , ' a dejected wolff told reporters at the historic silverstone circuit , after her stricken car was hoisted back to the pits . but that 's f1 sometimes . although there has been a lot of media around my run , when it 's just you in the car it 's the best feeling . i felt very ready for today -- i knew in my head what i had to do , it was good to get that first run of a race weekend in the bag . ' wolff 's best time of one minute and 44.212 seconds was set at the very start of the session and was not representative of her ultimate pace . claire williams -- deputy team principal of her father 's eponymous race team and another strong female role model in the sport -- explained the team did not need to judge wolff 's driving abilities during her practice debut . that was heartbreaking really , ' said williams . the rest of the team are so disappointed for susie as she 's put in so much effort and hard work and she 's been subjected to so much scrutiny . it was nothing that she did , it was an issue with the car that we are investigating . ' williams'deputy team principal praised wolff for her diligence ahead of the session . we do n't have a question mark over her , ' williams told the media . we 're not running her to see how good she is , that 's not what we 're doing . she knows the car , she 's done a lot of preparation in the simulator , she 's spent a lot of time with the engineers and she 's perfectly competent in the car without causing any hindrance to the team . she goes out there with her peers in a competitive situation . ' wolff , who competed for six years in the popular german touring car championship before joining f1 , has been up against it both on and off the track . as the wife of mercedes executive director toto wolff , who also owns just over 10 % of the williams team , she has had to bat away suggestions that she owes her opportunity behind the wheel to nepotism . i 've always said he 's my biggest supporter and also my biggest critic , ' said wolff at silverstone . he knew i had to go out there and do a good job today . he 's also quite sad that i did n't get the chance to show it . he would have loved it if i 'd have done the session and done a good job . ' williams'deputy team principal has also had to deny employing wolff as the team 's development driver was just a publicity stunt . it would be naive to say that having a female on board does n't bring you commercial benefit but everybody knows that williams is a serious racing team , ' she said . we 're not only going to do something because it 's a marketing gimmick or could bring us in a load of dollars . susie has n't bought in those dollars and we have n't had any expectation that she would . she has to deliver technically which she 's done . ' there was also support for wolff from her british peers at silverstone -- former world champions lewis hamilton and jenson button . she 's very , very talented , ' said mercedes driver hamilton , who raced against her in his junior career in karting and formula renault . it 's really cool to see her in a formula one car . i did n't race against many girls . susie was one of the very few , if not the only one , i raced against . we shared a podium together a couple of times . ' mclaren 's button added : she 's already driven in a test this year and went very well . it 'll be good to see her on track . ' wolff will get a second chance to make her mark in first practice at the next grand prix in germany . i 've still got one more shot at it , ' said the 31-year-old wolff . so , head up high and look forward to hockenheim . i did n't prove or show anything today . i really want to use that opportunity to show what i can do . to get into an f1 car is so difficult that you want to maximize it . ' asked why it had taken more than 20 years for a female racer to be given another opportunity in a competitive f1 session , wolff told cnn : firstly , if there is no role model out there doing it , for all the little girls who come to the tracks and watch on tv , if they do n't see a girl on track then they 're not inspired to want to do that themselves . that then leads to the second problem that there 's not enough girls karting or starting at a young age . interactive : cnn 's guide to silverstone ' but sometimes in life you just need a chance , and i got that chance with the williams team -- frank and claire gave me that big break . ' williams -- who grew up in motorsport 's macho environment -- told cnn : i 'm always a believer that it 's up to individuals to come up and do it and that has n't happened for whatever reason . ' giovanna amati was the last woman to drive in the sport when she attempted to qualify for a race in 1992 . the italian was competing in an era of f1 when there were only 26 spots on the grid and more than 30 cars pushing for those places . amati , driving for the brabham team , attempted to qualify at three races but was not able to break through with a largely uncompetitive car . of the seven women to join the f1 world championship , only two have ever qualified to start a race . the most prolific of these was italian lella lombardi , who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s . lombardi made history while driving with march at a difficult 1975 spanish grand prix , becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix . the late maria de villota , who died in october last year , also began her f1 career along with wolff when she was signed as a development driver by the marussia team in 2012 . | wolff will have another chance to drive in practice ahead of the german grand prix |
german <tsp> silverstone , england ( cnn ) -- it has taken over 20 years , but a woman was back on the track in the male-dominated world of formula one . unfortunately not for very long . susie wolff became the first female since 1992 to take part in an f1 weekend , but after just four laps at friday 's british grand prix practice session the 31-year-old scot had to retire because of an oil pressure problem . it was a really tough day , ' a dejected wolff told reporters at the historic silverstone circuit , after her stricken car was hoisted back to the pits . but that 's f1 sometimes . although there has been a lot of media around my run , when it 's just you in the car it 's the best feeling . i felt very ready for today -- i knew in my head what i had to do , it was good to get that first run of a race weekend in the bag . ' wolff 's best time of one minute and 44.212 seconds was set at the very start of the session and was not representative of her ultimate pace . claire williams -- deputy team principal of her father 's eponymous race team and another strong female role model in the sport -- explained the team did not need to judge wolff 's driving abilities during her practice debut . that was heartbreaking really , ' said williams . the rest of the team are so disappointed for susie as she 's put in so much effort and hard work and she 's been subjected to so much scrutiny . it was nothing that she did , it was an issue with the car that we are investigating . ' williams'deputy team principal praised wolff for her diligence ahead of the session . we do n't have a question mark over her , ' williams told the media . we 're not running her to see how good she is , that 's not what we 're doing . she knows the car , she 's done a lot of preparation in the simulator , she 's spent a lot of time with the engineers and she 's perfectly competent in the car without causing any hindrance to the team . she goes out there with her peers in a competitive situation . ' wolff , who competed for six years in the popular german touring car championship before joining f1 , has been up against it both on and off the track . as the wife of mercedes executive director toto wolff , who also owns just over 10 % of the williams team , she has had to bat away suggestions that she owes her opportunity behind the wheel to nepotism . i 've always said he 's my biggest supporter and also my biggest critic , ' said wolff at silverstone . he knew i had to go out there and do a good job today . he 's also quite sad that i did n't get the chance to show it . he would have loved it if i 'd have done the session and done a good job . ' williams'deputy team principal has also had to deny employing wolff as the team 's development driver was just a publicity stunt . it would be naive to say that having a female on board does n't bring you commercial benefit but everybody knows that williams is a serious racing team , ' she said . we 're not only going to do something because it 's a marketing gimmick or could bring us in a load of dollars . susie has n't bought in those dollars and we have n't had any expectation that she would . she has to deliver technically which she 's done . ' there was also support for wolff from her british peers at silverstone -- former world champions lewis hamilton and jenson button . she 's very , very talented , ' said mercedes driver hamilton , who raced against her in his junior career in karting and formula renault . it 's really cool to see her in a formula one car . i did n't race against many girls . susie was one of the very few , if not the only one , i raced against . we shared a podium together a couple of times . ' mclaren 's button added : she 's already driven in a test this year and went very well . it 'll be good to see her on track . ' wolff will get a second chance to make her mark in first practice at the next grand prix in germany . i 've still got one more shot at it , ' said the 31-year-old wolff . so , head up high and look forward to hockenheim . i did n't prove or show anything today . i really want to use that opportunity to show what i can do . to get into an f1 car is so difficult that you want to maximize it . ' asked why it had taken more than 20 years for a female racer to be given another opportunity in a competitive f1 session , wolff told cnn : firstly , if there is no role model out there doing it , for all the little girls who come to the tracks and watch on tv , if they do n't see a girl on track then they 're not inspired to want to do that themselves . that then leads to the second problem that there 's not enough girls karting or starting at a young age . interactive : cnn 's guide to silverstone ' but sometimes in life you just need a chance , and i got that chance with the williams team -- frank and claire gave me that big break . ' williams -- who grew up in motorsport 's macho environment -- told cnn : i 'm always a believer that it 's up to individuals to come up and do it and that has n't happened for whatever reason . ' giovanna amati was the last woman to drive in the sport when she attempted to qualify for a race in 1992 . the italian was competing in an era of f1 when there were only 26 spots on the grid and more than 30 cars pushing for those places . amati , driving for the brabham team , attempted to qualify at three races but was not able to break through with a largely uncompetitive car . of the seven women to join the f1 world championship , only two have ever qualified to start a race . the most prolific of these was italian lella lombardi , who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s . lombardi made history while driving with march at a difficult 1975 spanish grand prix , becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix . the late maria de villota , who died in october last year , also began her f1 career along with wolff when she was signed as a development driver by the marussia team in 2012 . | wolff will have another chance to drive in practice ahead of the german grand prix |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa has imposed a worldwide lifetime ban from football on 41 players from korea who became embroiled in match-fixing activities in their domestic league . in another episode that underlines the fight soccer faces to rid the sport of corruption , the game 's governing body extended a ban handed down by the korea football association ( kfa ) in 2011 . of those 41 players , fifa have offered 21 who handed themselves in voluntarily a chance to return to the sport after a probationary period of between two and five years . the charges relate to match-fixing in korea 's domestic k-league competition and in all but one case were centered on offering or accepting bribes to throw matches . these latest sanctions add to a further 10 worldwide bans imposed on players from korea in june last year . a fifa spokesman told cnn : the k-league first issued the sanctions , which were then extended by the kfa in summer of 2011 to have national scope , and then subsequently fifa extended them to have worldwide effect . fifa announced 10 sanctions in june 2012 having received the case files from the kfa , and a further 41 tuesday . there could still be further cases to follow , but we 're not in a position at the moment to make any guess on numbers . of the 51 cases , only one was for betting , whereas all the others were either for giving , or accepting bribes to fix matches . of these 51 cases , 15 went to an appeal and an additional three persons ( two players and one coach ) committed suicide during the course of the investigations . some of the 51 people involved have also been the subject of criminal proceedings in korea , including jail sentences . ' soccer has been grappling with cases of match-fixing in recent years with italian prosecutors conducting a wide-ranging investigation into some of serie a 's most high-profile clubs . napoli were hit with a two-point penalty that dropped them from third to fifth in serie a as part of the ongoing probe , though they vehemently denied any wrongdoing . their defender paolo cannavaro is appealing his six-month ban for failing to report an illegal approach . juventus coach antonio conte recently returned from a 10-match touchline ban imposed for failing to report match-fixing while coach at siena . in 2006 , juve were stripped of two league titles and relegated to the third division of italian football -- before later being reinstated in the second tier -- for their part in the calciopoli ' scandal . elsewhere , the president of the south african football association ( safa ) and four other officials were suspended in december as part of an investigation into match-fixing ahead of the country hosting the fifa world cup in 2010 . it is alleged four friendly games were prearranged for the benefit of convicted singaporean match-fixer wilson perumal and his football 4u organization . in response to this threat on soccer 's integrity fifpro , the worldwide players'union , recently announced a project to tackle fixing that will include an education program and an online tool for their members to report illegal approaches . fifpro have european union funding behind their'do n't fix it'scheme and will be working closely with birkbeck university and european soccer 's governing body uefa . the initiative will be launched in nine countries : england , finland , greece , hungary , italy , norway , romania , scotland and slovenia . the 21 korean players who handed themselves in voluntarily will also be required to put themselves forward for community service if they decide they want to return to the game . a statement on fifa 's website explained : these services include the provision of coaching classes for local football clubs for youth and adult players ; involvement in and support of football for those with disabilities ; and the support of ongoing and future domestic anti-match-fixing activities . players who are subject to voluntary probation may produce monthly reports on their respective community service activities , accompanied by documentary evidence of their activity ( written , photographic or video ) . the reinstatement of the respective player in football after the probation period will only be decided by the korea football association ( kfa ) . ' | fifa imposes a worldwide lifetime ban from football on 41 players from korean republic |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fifa has imposed a worldwide lifetime ban from football on 41 players from korea who became embroiled in match-fixing activities in their domestic league . in another episode that underlines the fight soccer faces to rid the sport of corruption , the game 's governing body extended a ban handed down by the korea football association ( kfa ) in 2011 . of those 41 players , fifa have offered 21 who handed themselves in voluntarily a chance to return to the sport after a probationary period of between two and five years . the charges relate to match-fixing in korea 's domestic k-league competition and in all but one case were centered on offering or accepting bribes to throw matches . these latest sanctions add to a further 10 worldwide bans imposed on players from korea in june last year . a fifa spokesman told cnn : the k-league first issued the sanctions , which were then extended by the kfa in summer of 2011 to have national scope , and then subsequently fifa extended them to have worldwide effect . fifa announced 10 sanctions in june 2012 having received the case files from the kfa , and a further 41 tuesday . there could still be further cases to follow , but we 're not in a position at the moment to make any guess on numbers . of the 51 cases , only one was for betting , whereas all the others were either for giving , or accepting bribes to fix matches . of these 51 cases , 15 went to an appeal and an additional three persons ( two players and one coach ) committed suicide during the course of the investigations . some of the 51 people involved have also been the subject of criminal proceedings in korea , including jail sentences . ' soccer has been grappling with cases of match-fixing in recent years with italian prosecutors conducting a wide-ranging investigation into some of serie a 's most high-profile clubs . napoli were hit with a two-point penalty that dropped them from third to fifth in serie a as part of the ongoing probe , though they vehemently denied any wrongdoing . their defender paolo cannavaro is appealing his six-month ban for failing to report an illegal approach . juventus coach antonio conte recently returned from a 10-match touchline ban imposed for failing to report match-fixing while coach at siena . in 2006 , juve were stripped of two league titles and relegated to the third division of italian football -- before later being reinstated in the second tier -- for their part in the calciopoli ' scandal . elsewhere , the president of the south african football association ( safa ) and four other officials were suspended in december as part of an investigation into match-fixing ahead of the country hosting the fifa world cup in 2010 . it is alleged four friendly games were prearranged for the benefit of convicted singaporean match-fixer wilson perumal and his football 4u organization . in response to this threat on soccer 's integrity fifpro , the worldwide players'union , recently announced a project to tackle fixing that will include an education program and an online tool for their members to report illegal approaches . fifpro have european union funding behind their'do n't fix it'scheme and will be working closely with birkbeck university and european soccer 's governing body uefa . the initiative will be launched in nine countries : england , finland , greece , hungary , italy , norway , romania , scotland and slovenia . the 21 korean players who handed themselves in voluntarily will also be required to put themselves forward for community service if they decide they want to return to the game . a statement on fifa 's website explained : these services include the provision of coaching classes for local football clubs for youth and adult players ; involvement in and support of football for those with disabilities ; and the support of ongoing and future domestic anti-match-fixing activities . players who are subject to voluntary probation may produce monthly reports on their respective community service activities , accompanied by documentary evidence of their activity ( written , photographic or video ) . the reinstatement of the respective player in football after the probation period will only be decided by the korea football association ( kfa ) . ' | fifa offer 21 players who handed themselves in a chance of returning to football |
south africa <tsp> middle-distance runner caster semenya carried the south african flag last month in opening ceremonies for the 2012 olympic games in london . that was quite a change for the powerhouse runner , who three years ago was scrutinized for issues other than her athletic performance before being cleared to compete . semenya gained attention in 2009 before the world championships in berlin -- not for her athletic prowess , but because some questioned the then-18-year-old 's gender . her masculine appearance had raised concerns and complaints to the international association of athletics federations , the governing body for all international athletic competitions outside the olympics . before the world championships began , the iaaf confirmed semenya was being tested for gender verification . the concept of gender testing for athletes is not new . various methods have been used to assure that men do not compete as women , which would give them an unfair athletic advantage . while both men and women produce testosterone in their bodies , in men it produces more muscle , adding to athletic prowess . women use testosterone to produce estrogen , the female hormone . this year , the london olympic committee instituted a new testing policy that measures testosterone levels of female athletes , rather than dna . the testing is performed only if questions are raised about a female athlete 's performance , and must be requested by a chief medical officer of a national olympic committee or a member of the international olympic committee 's medical commission . while semenya won the gold medal in the women 's 800-meter in 2009 , the win was overshadowed by the gender questions , and her competitors complained she should not have been allowed to compete . on september 11 , 2009 , australia 's daily telegraph reported information from a source closely involved with the semenya examinations iaaf testing , ' which revealed that she had both male and female sexual characteristics . semenya had no womb or ovaries , according to the report , and had undescended testes , causing her to have triple the levels of testosterone of other female athletes . indian athlete under pressure to prove her gender after accusations while the politically incorrect term for people who possess both male and female sexual characteristics is hermaphrodite , the proper term is intersex . ' the iaaf advised semenya to get surgery because of the potential health issues caused by her condition . no public information was provided about her treatment . in july 2010 , the iaaf cleared semenya to compete . she took second place in her olympic debut wednesday in the 800-meter heats . commentary : my life as a'mighty hermaphrodite' gender testing has been the subject of debate , and different testing methods -- hair patterns , chromosome testing , individual gene testing -- have been used , but no method is perfect . there 's no simple test to determine gender , so what we 're left with is an imperfect system , ' says dr. eric vilain , a ucla medical geneticist who served as a medical adviser to the ioc on its new policy for testing female athletes for hyperandrogenism ' -- meaning producing too many male hormones . critics of the female hyperandrogenism ' testing include professors rebecca jordan-young and katrina karkazis of barnard college and stanford university , respectively . the two say the new sex testing policy threatens to ban women whose bodies produce high levels of testosterone . ' they argue in an editorial published in the guardian that faulty logic ... links two common but inaccurate assertions about testosterone . ' the first is that male and female elite athletes have clear and distinct testosterone levels . ... the ioc then projects this supposed gap onto differences in male and female athletic performance , claiming they'differ mainly due to the fact that men produce significantly more androgenic hormones than women .'' vilain disagrees , saying that there 's a huge no man 's land ' between male and female testosterone levels . he also suggests there could be no testing , which has been argued , ' by jordan-young and karkazis , but the vast majority of female athletes i have spoken with believe there should be some sort of testing ' when questions are raised about female athletes . transsexual athletes treated unfairly the ioc regulations state that the performance of male and female athletes may differ mainly due to the fact that men produce significantly more androgenic hormones than women and , therefore , are under stronger influence of such hormones . ' women who are found to have abnormally high levels of androgens may have an unfair advantage , according to the regulations . the ioc also notes , nothing in these regulations is intended to make any determination of sex . instead these regulations are designed to identify circumstances in which a particular athlete will not be eligible ( by reason of hormonal characteristics ) to participate in the 2012 olympic games ' in the female category . vilain says he believes it would be extraordinarily difficult ' for women to reach the male range threshold for testosterone , which is not spelled out by the ioc because of differing lab testing methods . he says that for the small number of female athletes who learn they have high levels of testosterone , treating the condition , whether it is caused by a disorder of sex development or an adrenal malfunction , will benefit their health . india athlete makes plea for semenya | south africa 's caster semenya underwent gender testing in 2009 |
europe <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | the baltic state -- which gained independence in 1993 -- has the lowest government debt in europe . |
europe <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | estonia joined the european union in 2004 and the eurozone -- europe 's single currency -- in 2011 . |
europe <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | estonia is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining most of europe including germany and france . |
baltic <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | the baltic state -- which gained independence in 1993 -- has the lowest government debt in europe . |
estonia <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | estonia joined the european union in 2004 and the eurozone -- europe 's single currency -- in 2011 . |
estonia <tsp> an expanding digital marketplace , financial stability and strong economic growth ; estonia is setting the pace for other european nations , according to the baltic nation 's leader . speaking with cnn 's isa soares , estonian president toomas hendrik ilves said that the country developed a reputation for its digital economy from a level playing field ' with other nations after it gained independence in 1993 . we did , in the 1990s , look around us and see a lot of things that we needed to do in the world , ' he said . we were behind in many areas . when it came to it ... we were starting more or less at the same base as everyone else . we started with a tabula rasa , a clean slate . ' read more : general electric exec to europe : open your borders , create jobs having emerged from the wreckage of the soviet union and decades under communist rule , estonia 's economy now generates 1 % of its gdp [ gross domestic product ] from it solutions , according to ilves . he added : our e-governance solution , banking , private sector ... are more secure and quicker . ' with the lowest government debt in europe , estonia 's economy is also a beacon for financial prudence at a time when many european nations are struggling to cope with high government debt and low growth . read more : spain 's booming rioja economy asked why estonia is the poster child for economic stability , ilves joked : well , for one , we followed the rules . ' he added : it is quite clear that if the eurozone is to be viable , that the kinds of behavior that we have seen , either fiscal irresponsibility , or in some cases even lying about deficits , well that is completely unacceptable . ' a fully-fledged member of the european union since 2004 and the latest country to officially adopt the euro currency in 2011 , estonia 's dark days 19 % high unemployment and grave recession appear to be at an end . read more : how saffron could save greek farmers allan sikk , an expert in eastern europe at the university college of london , said that estonia 's meteoric rise and assimilation into the west is partly due to the country emerging from the soviet union with a stronger economy than most of its counterparts . it was also close to some very rich countries like finland and sweden that provided export markets and investments . ' today , the baltic nation is joining its affluent nordic partners in financing the struggling countries of southern europe . a state of affairs that according to ilves , is politically tough ' to justify when a relatively poor country ' like estonia is bailing out richer nations that have not been following the rules . ' read more : driverless cars : from hollywood to real world estonia 's economy is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining european heavyweights germany and france . while estonia 's prospects look rosy , the 17-nation eurozone remains under the yoke of a prolonged debt crisis with a contraction of 0.4 % forecast for 2013 . but ilves is hopeful that europe 's single currency area has emerged from the worst phase . ' it will be a slow recovery , we wo n't be back to the go-go years of booming economies yet , ' he added , but if you look at our country and other countries that started the reforms early , they 're doing better [ and ] growth is faster ... so that 's the proof . ' | estonia is projected to grow by 1.8 % this year and 3 % in 2014 , outshining most of europe including germany and france . |
florida state <tsp> the matchup in the title game of the new college football playoff system likely would n't have happened in past years . second-ranked oregon and fourth-ranked ohio state will play for the championship after winning the initial semifinal games in the first college football playoff . oregon crushed undefeated and defending national champ florida state 59-20 in the rose bowl on thursday then ohio state continued its surge by edging no . 1 alabama 42-35 in the sugar bowl . under the former system , the bowl championship series , fsu and alabama probably would have met in the final game . in the first semifinal , heisman trophy winner marcus mariota completed 26 of 36 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns for oregon ( 13-1 ) . he also ran for one score . you prepare all week to find success . and to execute the way we did , it definitely feels good , ' he told reporters . hopefully we can take a little bit of this momentum heading into the next game . ' oregon running backs royce freeman and thomas tyner each scored on two touchdown runs as the ducks ended the seminoles 29-game winning streak . florida state ( 13-1 ) , the defending national champion , was done in by five turnovers . the miscues included a fumble in the third quarter by quarterback jameis winston that was turned into a back-breaking 58-yard touchdown return by ducks linebacker tony washington . oregon scored four tds in the third period to lead 45-20 going into the fourth . we just turned the ball over too many times . we had one of the worst quarters we have ever had , ' florida state head coach jimbo fisher said . they made the plays , and they converted . ' winston , the 2013 heisman trophy winner , was 29 of 45 for 348 yards with one touchdown and one interception . bleacher report : highlights from the rose bowl in the second semifinal , running back ezekiel elliott rushed for 230 yards on 20 carries and had two touchdowns for ohio state ( 13-1 ) . the key score came on an 85-yard bolt to the end zone . playing for each other . that 's how we did it , ' ohio state coach urban meyer said . alabama ( 12-2 ) gave up 537 yards of offense to ohio state . it was our goal to play our best in this game so we would have an opportunity to play in a national championship game , but we obviously did n't do the things that we needed to do , ' alabama coach nick saban said . but i think there are a lot of winners on this team and i do n't think that you necessarily need to get a trophy to be a winner . ' bleacher report : highlights from the sugar bowl the two semifinal winners will meet for the championship on january 12 in arlington , texas , at 8:30 p.m . et . bleacher report : fumble ends fsu chance at comeback | oregon ends defending champ florida state 's 29-game winning streak |
ohio state <tsp> the matchup in the title game of the new college football playoff system likely would n't have happened in past years . second-ranked oregon and fourth-ranked ohio state will play for the championship after winning the initial semifinal games in the first college football playoff . oregon crushed undefeated and defending national champ florida state 59-20 in the rose bowl on thursday then ohio state continued its surge by edging no . 1 alabama 42-35 in the sugar bowl . under the former system , the bowl championship series , fsu and alabama probably would have met in the final game . in the first semifinal , heisman trophy winner marcus mariota completed 26 of 36 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns for oregon ( 13-1 ) . he also ran for one score . you prepare all week to find success . and to execute the way we did , it definitely feels good , ' he told reporters . hopefully we can take a little bit of this momentum heading into the next game . ' oregon running backs royce freeman and thomas tyner each scored on two touchdown runs as the ducks ended the seminoles 29-game winning streak . florida state ( 13-1 ) , the defending national champion , was done in by five turnovers . the miscues included a fumble in the third quarter by quarterback jameis winston that was turned into a back-breaking 58-yard touchdown return by ducks linebacker tony washington . oregon scored four tds in the third period to lead 45-20 going into the fourth . we just turned the ball over too many times . we had one of the worst quarters we have ever had , ' florida state head coach jimbo fisher said . they made the plays , and they converted . ' winston , the 2013 heisman trophy winner , was 29 of 45 for 348 yards with one touchdown and one interception . bleacher report : highlights from the rose bowl in the second semifinal , running back ezekiel elliott rushed for 230 yards on 20 carries and had two touchdowns for ohio state ( 13-1 ) . the key score came on an 85-yard bolt to the end zone . playing for each other . that 's how we did it , ' ohio state coach urban meyer said . alabama ( 12-2 ) gave up 537 yards of offense to ohio state . it was our goal to play our best in this game so we would have an opportunity to play in a national championship game , but we obviously did n't do the things that we needed to do , ' alabama coach nick saban said . but i think there are a lot of winners on this team and i do n't think that you necessarily need to get a trophy to be a winner . ' bleacher report : highlights from the sugar bowl the two semifinal winners will meet for the championship on january 12 in arlington , texas , at 8:30 p.m . et . bleacher report : fumble ends fsu chance at comeback | ohio state upsets no . 1 alabama behind sizzling running of ezekiel elliott |
amish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an ohio appeals court wednesday overturned hate-crime convictions of 16 amish men and women in connection with a spate of beard- and hair-cutting attacks on members of their faith , according to court documents . the 6th u.s . circuit court of appeals in cincinnati found that the jury in the original case was given incorrect instructions on how to deliberate the role of religion in the attacks , the documents say . the leader of a breakaway amish community , samuel mullet sr. , and 15 of his followers were found guilty in 2012 in connection with what authorities said were the religiously motivated attacks on several amish people . mullet and others were convicted of conspiracy to violate a federal hate-crime law . prosecutors said mullet 's followers , at his instruction , shaved the beards and cut the hair of amish people who had left his group over various religious disagreements . five attacks happened in four eastern ohio counties between september and november 2011 . no one questions that the assaults occurred , and only a few defendants question their participation in them . the central issue at trial was whether the defendants committed the assaults'because of'the religion of the victims , ' according to decision . two of the three judges on the appeals panel found that when all is said and done , considerable evidence supported the defendants'theory that interpersonal and intra-family disagreements , not the victims'religious beliefs , sparked the attacks , ' according to the documents . mullet was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crimes . four of his followers were sentenced to seven years , three received five-year sentences , two were sentenced to two years and six were sentenced to a year and a day , according to the justice department . the jury also had convicted various defendants with separate assaults , and mullet with concealing or attempting to conceal evidence , including a camera and pictures of the attacks , the u.s. attorney 's office said . those charges , which were not part of the appeal , still stand . it is unclear if any defendants will be released as a result of the overturned hate crime convictions . u.s. attorney steven dettelbach released a statement following the decision . we respectfully disagree with the two judges who reversed the defendants'hate crime convictions based on a jury instruction , ' the statement said . we remain in awe of the courage of the victims in this case , who were subject to violent attacks by the defendants . we are reviewing the opinion and considering our options . ' usually , the amish resolve disputes without involving law enforcement , but some amish members reported the beard-cutting incidents to police . mullet 's group , which had broken away from a larger amish community , is made up primarily of his relatives living on and around an 800-acre compound in a remote valley outside bergholz , ohio . to the amish , a beard is a significant symbol of faith and manhood , and the way amish women wear their hair also is a symbol of faith . calls to defense attorney wendi overmyer by cnn were not immediately returned . cnn 's tricia escobedo , jason hanna and mallory simon contributed to this report . | amish leader was sentenced to 15 years in prison |
amish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- an ohio appeals court wednesday overturned hate-crime convictions of 16 amish men and women in connection with a spate of beard- and hair-cutting attacks on members of their faith , according to court documents . the 6th u.s . circuit court of appeals in cincinnati found that the jury in the original case was given incorrect instructions on how to deliberate the role of religion in the attacks , the documents say . the leader of a breakaway amish community , samuel mullet sr. , and 15 of his followers were found guilty in 2012 in connection with what authorities said were the religiously motivated attacks on several amish people . mullet and others were convicted of conspiracy to violate a federal hate-crime law . prosecutors said mullet 's followers , at his instruction , shaved the beards and cut the hair of amish people who had left his group over various religious disagreements . five attacks happened in four eastern ohio counties between september and november 2011 . no one questions that the assaults occurred , and only a few defendants question their participation in them . the central issue at trial was whether the defendants committed the assaults'because of'the religion of the victims , ' according to decision . two of the three judges on the appeals panel found that when all is said and done , considerable evidence supported the defendants'theory that interpersonal and intra-family disagreements , not the victims'religious beliefs , sparked the attacks , ' according to the documents . mullet was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crimes . four of his followers were sentenced to seven years , three received five-year sentences , two were sentenced to two years and six were sentenced to a year and a day , according to the justice department . the jury also had convicted various defendants with separate assaults , and mullet with concealing or attempting to conceal evidence , including a camera and pictures of the attacks , the u.s. attorney 's office said . those charges , which were not part of the appeal , still stand . it is unclear if any defendants will be released as a result of the overturned hate crime convictions . u.s. attorney steven dettelbach released a statement following the decision . we respectfully disagree with the two judges who reversed the defendants'hate crime convictions based on a jury instruction , ' the statement said . we remain in awe of the courage of the victims in this case , who were subject to violent attacks by the defendants . we are reviewing the opinion and considering our options . ' usually , the amish resolve disputes without involving law enforcement , but some amish members reported the beard-cutting incidents to police . mullet 's group , which had broken away from a larger amish community , is made up primarily of his relatives living on and around an 800-acre compound in a remote valley outside bergholz , ohio . to the amish , a beard is a significant symbol of faith and manhood , and the way amish women wear their hair also is a symbol of faith . calls to defense attorney wendi overmyer by cnn were not immediately returned . cnn 's tricia escobedo , jason hanna and mallory simon contributed to this report . | appeals court overturned hate crime convictions of 16 amish men and women wednesday |
windermere <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of mourners remembered fallen windermere , florida , police officer robert german on thursday in a moving tribute that elicited both laughter and tears . german , 31 , was fatally shot on duty saturday by two teens who had run away from home , police said . it appears the teenagers later turned the gun on themselves . german 's death has profoundly affected the small town , where he was employed as a police officer for five years . just west of orlando , windermere is known for its luxurious homes and close-knit residents . german was one of only 12 full-time officers in the town with about 2,500 people . he left behind parents tim and deborah german as well as twin sisters . debbie and i have been complimented routinely this week by many on what a great job we as parents did in raising robbie : someone so loyal , fun , helpful , prankish , caring of others -- a hero , ' tim german said , his voice quavering during the memorial thursday in longwood , florida . son , we love you so much , and we 'll miss you dearly beyond earthly measure ... but your legacy of caring , in your robbie way , will live on through all of us who remember you , knew you , loved you . ' tim spoke with affection about his son 's fun-loving , endearing personality that dovetailed with his drive to become a law enforcement officer . for robert german , that meant working during the day and going to night school . he did n't give up . he had a dream , finally got a job at windermere . he was thrilled and very excited . from that point , we saw him grow again , and he became increasingly service-oriented and caring of others , ' the father said . at the time of his shooting , german had just returned to the force after being on light-duty status ' following surgery for an injury he suffered six months earlier . he had responded to a scene involving an autistic person , windermere police chief dave ogden said , standing before german 's flag-draped casket . recognizing the situation , german de-escalated the situation , he went hands-on , and he ended up receiving the injury . ' following the matter , german simply asked after the other individual involved . 'chief , i 'm ok , but i really hope that boy 's ok . i know he did n't mean it ,'' ogden recalled german telling him . but that 's robbie . without care or concern for himself , he knew the situation . ' investigators are still trying to piece together the events leading up to german 's death . two days before the shooting , brandon goode , 18 , and alexandria alex ' hollinghurst , 17 , both of davenport , florida , reportedly ran away from home , leaving only letters behind for their families to find . to my loving parents , i am sorry for all the pain and misery i have brought you both , not just now but from these past few years as well , ' begins goode 's note , handwritten in neat , even letters . i do n't want to go through life knowing because of my mistakes that i amounted to nothing and was there fore a disappointment . do n't take that as me putting the blame on you because that is the furthest thing from the truth . both of you have been so amazing with your constant help and support through my life . ' goode was arrested in february on charges of possession of alcohol while underage and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia . he had also been arrested in 2012 in an alleged aggravated assault on his mother , according to incident reports from the polk county sheriff 's office . i love you with all my heart , ' the letter continues . please do n't be sad , this is what i want now , i get to die peacefully with the woman i love , the woman of my dreams , my fiancã© ( yes we were engaged ! ) . i miss you both so much already . ' hollinghurst penned two loving missives addressed to her sister and father , but to her mother , she directed a bitter letter that suggests the two had a turbulent relationship . once the letters were found , the couple 's parents called police to alert them to the teens'disappearances . using cell phone tracking technology , kissimmee police officers found the two parked in goode 's car . when the officer asked goode to step out of the automobile , he cranked the vehicle , put the vehicle in drive and sped away , ' according to a polk county sheriff 's office incident report . later , kissimmee police filed a warrant to charge goode with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and reckless driving . early saturday , german encountered the duo walking along a street and called for assistance . when deputies responded to the scene , they found german lying on the roadway , mortally wounded , ' the orange county sheriff 's office said . the deputies performed what is called a tactical rescue , using a patrol car to shield their fallen comrade . that 's when they heard two gunshots . upon searching nearby woods , orange county sheriff 's deputies found goode and hollinghurst dead , lying in some brush , from what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds . it 's perhaps the lack of any available explanations after goode 's death that will haunt his parents the most . we can not comprehend the senseless loss of officer german 's life , the death of alexandria hollinghurst and for our family , the loss of our 18-year-old son , brandon , ' ricke and connie goode said in a statement issued wednesday to cnn affiliates wesh-tv and central florida news 13 . words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness . our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of officer german . we are so , so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers . we know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community , we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy . we have no answers , only questions . ' | robert german , 31 , was one of 12 officers in windermere , florida , a town of 2,500 |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of mourners remembered fallen windermere , florida , police officer robert german on thursday in a moving tribute that elicited both laughter and tears . german , 31 , was fatally shot on duty saturday by two teens who had run away from home , police said . it appears the teenagers later turned the gun on themselves . german 's death has profoundly affected the small town , where he was employed as a police officer for five years . just west of orlando , windermere is known for its luxurious homes and close-knit residents . german was one of only 12 full-time officers in the town with about 2,500 people . he left behind parents tim and deborah german as well as twin sisters . debbie and i have been complimented routinely this week by many on what a great job we as parents did in raising robbie : someone so loyal , fun , helpful , prankish , caring of others -- a hero , ' tim german said , his voice quavering during the memorial thursday in longwood , florida . son , we love you so much , and we 'll miss you dearly beyond earthly measure ... but your legacy of caring , in your robbie way , will live on through all of us who remember you , knew you , loved you . ' tim spoke with affection about his son 's fun-loving , endearing personality that dovetailed with his drive to become a law enforcement officer . for robert german , that meant working during the day and going to night school . he did n't give up . he had a dream , finally got a job at windermere . he was thrilled and very excited . from that point , we saw him grow again , and he became increasingly service-oriented and caring of others , ' the father said . at the time of his shooting , german had just returned to the force after being on light-duty status ' following surgery for an injury he suffered six months earlier . he had responded to a scene involving an autistic person , windermere police chief dave ogden said , standing before german 's flag-draped casket . recognizing the situation , german de-escalated the situation , he went hands-on , and he ended up receiving the injury . ' following the matter , german simply asked after the other individual involved . 'chief , i 'm ok , but i really hope that boy 's ok . i know he did n't mean it ,'' ogden recalled german telling him . but that 's robbie . without care or concern for himself , he knew the situation . ' investigators are still trying to piece together the events leading up to german 's death . two days before the shooting , brandon goode , 18 , and alexandria alex ' hollinghurst , 17 , both of davenport , florida , reportedly ran away from home , leaving only letters behind for their families to find . to my loving parents , i am sorry for all the pain and misery i have brought you both , not just now but from these past few years as well , ' begins goode 's note , handwritten in neat , even letters . i do n't want to go through life knowing because of my mistakes that i amounted to nothing and was there fore a disappointment . do n't take that as me putting the blame on you because that is the furthest thing from the truth . both of you have been so amazing with your constant help and support through my life . ' goode was arrested in february on charges of possession of alcohol while underage and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia . he had also been arrested in 2012 in an alleged aggravated assault on his mother , according to incident reports from the polk county sheriff 's office . i love you with all my heart , ' the letter continues . please do n't be sad , this is what i want now , i get to die peacefully with the woman i love , the woman of my dreams , my fiancã© ( yes we were engaged ! ) . i miss you both so much already . ' hollinghurst penned two loving missives addressed to her sister and father , but to her mother , she directed a bitter letter that suggests the two had a turbulent relationship . once the letters were found , the couple 's parents called police to alert them to the teens'disappearances . using cell phone tracking technology , kissimmee police officers found the two parked in goode 's car . when the officer asked goode to step out of the automobile , he cranked the vehicle , put the vehicle in drive and sped away , ' according to a polk county sheriff 's office incident report . later , kissimmee police filed a warrant to charge goode with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and reckless driving . early saturday , german encountered the duo walking along a street and called for assistance . when deputies responded to the scene , they found german lying on the roadway , mortally wounded , ' the orange county sheriff 's office said . the deputies performed what is called a tactical rescue , using a patrol car to shield their fallen comrade . that 's when they heard two gunshots . upon searching nearby woods , orange county sheriff 's deputies found goode and hollinghurst dead , lying in some brush , from what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds . it 's perhaps the lack of any available explanations after goode 's death that will haunt his parents the most . we can not comprehend the senseless loss of officer german 's life , the death of alexandria hollinghurst and for our family , the loss of our 18-year-old son , brandon , ' ricke and connie goode said in a statement issued wednesday to cnn affiliates wesh-tv and central florida news 13 . words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness . our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of officer german . we are so , so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers . we know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community , we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy . we have no answers , only questions . ' | chief : german injured in earlier incident with autistic boy but more concerned about boy |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of mourners remembered fallen windermere , florida , police officer robert german on thursday in a moving tribute that elicited both laughter and tears . german , 31 , was fatally shot on duty saturday by two teens who had run away from home , police said . it appears the teenagers later turned the gun on themselves . german 's death has profoundly affected the small town , where he was employed as a police officer for five years . just west of orlando , windermere is known for its luxurious homes and close-knit residents . german was one of only 12 full-time officers in the town with about 2,500 people . he left behind parents tim and deborah german as well as twin sisters . debbie and i have been complimented routinely this week by many on what a great job we as parents did in raising robbie : someone so loyal , fun , helpful , prankish , caring of others -- a hero , ' tim german said , his voice quavering during the memorial thursday in longwood , florida . son , we love you so much , and we 'll miss you dearly beyond earthly measure ... but your legacy of caring , in your robbie way , will live on through all of us who remember you , knew you , loved you . ' tim spoke with affection about his son 's fun-loving , endearing personality that dovetailed with his drive to become a law enforcement officer . for robert german , that meant working during the day and going to night school . he did n't give up . he had a dream , finally got a job at windermere . he was thrilled and very excited . from that point , we saw him grow again , and he became increasingly service-oriented and caring of others , ' the father said . at the time of his shooting , german had just returned to the force after being on light-duty status ' following surgery for an injury he suffered six months earlier . he had responded to a scene involving an autistic person , windermere police chief dave ogden said , standing before german 's flag-draped casket . recognizing the situation , german de-escalated the situation , he went hands-on , and he ended up receiving the injury . ' following the matter , german simply asked after the other individual involved . 'chief , i 'm ok , but i really hope that boy 's ok . i know he did n't mean it ,'' ogden recalled german telling him . but that 's robbie . without care or concern for himself , he knew the situation . ' investigators are still trying to piece together the events leading up to german 's death . two days before the shooting , brandon goode , 18 , and alexandria alex ' hollinghurst , 17 , both of davenport , florida , reportedly ran away from home , leaving only letters behind for their families to find . to my loving parents , i am sorry for all the pain and misery i have brought you both , not just now but from these past few years as well , ' begins goode 's note , handwritten in neat , even letters . i do n't want to go through life knowing because of my mistakes that i amounted to nothing and was there fore a disappointment . do n't take that as me putting the blame on you because that is the furthest thing from the truth . both of you have been so amazing with your constant help and support through my life . ' goode was arrested in february on charges of possession of alcohol while underage and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia . he had also been arrested in 2012 in an alleged aggravated assault on his mother , according to incident reports from the polk county sheriff 's office . i love you with all my heart , ' the letter continues . please do n't be sad , this is what i want now , i get to die peacefully with the woman i love , the woman of my dreams , my fiancã© ( yes we were engaged ! ) . i miss you both so much already . ' hollinghurst penned two loving missives addressed to her sister and father , but to her mother , she directed a bitter letter that suggests the two had a turbulent relationship . once the letters were found , the couple 's parents called police to alert them to the teens'disappearances . using cell phone tracking technology , kissimmee police officers found the two parked in goode 's car . when the officer asked goode to step out of the automobile , he cranked the vehicle , put the vehicle in drive and sped away , ' according to a polk county sheriff 's office incident report . later , kissimmee police filed a warrant to charge goode with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and reckless driving . early saturday , german encountered the duo walking along a street and called for assistance . when deputies responded to the scene , they found german lying on the roadway , mortally wounded , ' the orange county sheriff 's office said . the deputies performed what is called a tactical rescue , using a patrol car to shield their fallen comrade . that 's when they heard two gunshots . upon searching nearby woods , orange county sheriff 's deputies found goode and hollinghurst dead , lying in some brush , from what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds . it 's perhaps the lack of any available explanations after goode 's death that will haunt his parents the most . we can not comprehend the senseless loss of officer german 's life , the death of alexandria hollinghurst and for our family , the loss of our 18-year-old son , brandon , ' ricke and connie goode said in a statement issued wednesday to cnn affiliates wesh-tv and central florida news 13 . words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness . our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of officer german . we are so , so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers . we know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community , we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy . we have no answers , only questions . ' | robert german , 31 , was one of 12 officers in windermere , florida , a town of 2,500 |
german <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hundreds of mourners remembered fallen windermere , florida , police officer robert german on thursday in a moving tribute that elicited both laughter and tears . german , 31 , was fatally shot on duty saturday by two teens who had run away from home , police said . it appears the teenagers later turned the gun on themselves . german 's death has profoundly affected the small town , where he was employed as a police officer for five years . just west of orlando , windermere is known for its luxurious homes and close-knit residents . german was one of only 12 full-time officers in the town with about 2,500 people . he left behind parents tim and deborah german as well as twin sisters . debbie and i have been complimented routinely this week by many on what a great job we as parents did in raising robbie : someone so loyal , fun , helpful , prankish , caring of others -- a hero , ' tim german said , his voice quavering during the memorial thursday in longwood , florida . son , we love you so much , and we 'll miss you dearly beyond earthly measure ... but your legacy of caring , in your robbie way , will live on through all of us who remember you , knew you , loved you . ' tim spoke with affection about his son 's fun-loving , endearing personality that dovetailed with his drive to become a law enforcement officer . for robert german , that meant working during the day and going to night school . he did n't give up . he had a dream , finally got a job at windermere . he was thrilled and very excited . from that point , we saw him grow again , and he became increasingly service-oriented and caring of others , ' the father said . at the time of his shooting , german had just returned to the force after being on light-duty status ' following surgery for an injury he suffered six months earlier . he had responded to a scene involving an autistic person , windermere police chief dave ogden said , standing before german 's flag-draped casket . recognizing the situation , german de-escalated the situation , he went hands-on , and he ended up receiving the injury . ' following the matter , german simply asked after the other individual involved . 'chief , i 'm ok , but i really hope that boy 's ok . i know he did n't mean it ,'' ogden recalled german telling him . but that 's robbie . without care or concern for himself , he knew the situation . ' investigators are still trying to piece together the events leading up to german 's death . two days before the shooting , brandon goode , 18 , and alexandria alex ' hollinghurst , 17 , both of davenport , florida , reportedly ran away from home , leaving only letters behind for their families to find . to my loving parents , i am sorry for all the pain and misery i have brought you both , not just now but from these past few years as well , ' begins goode 's note , handwritten in neat , even letters . i do n't want to go through life knowing because of my mistakes that i amounted to nothing and was there fore a disappointment . do n't take that as me putting the blame on you because that is the furthest thing from the truth . both of you have been so amazing with your constant help and support through my life . ' goode was arrested in february on charges of possession of alcohol while underage and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia . he had also been arrested in 2012 in an alleged aggravated assault on his mother , according to incident reports from the polk county sheriff 's office . i love you with all my heart , ' the letter continues . please do n't be sad , this is what i want now , i get to die peacefully with the woman i love , the woman of my dreams , my fiancã© ( yes we were engaged ! ) . i miss you both so much already . ' hollinghurst penned two loving missives addressed to her sister and father , but to her mother , she directed a bitter letter that suggests the two had a turbulent relationship . once the letters were found , the couple 's parents called police to alert them to the teens'disappearances . using cell phone tracking technology , kissimmee police officers found the two parked in goode 's car . when the officer asked goode to step out of the automobile , he cranked the vehicle , put the vehicle in drive and sped away , ' according to a polk county sheriff 's office incident report . later , kissimmee police filed a warrant to charge goode with resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and reckless driving . early saturday , german encountered the duo walking along a street and called for assistance . when deputies responded to the scene , they found german lying on the roadway , mortally wounded , ' the orange county sheriff 's office said . the deputies performed what is called a tactical rescue , using a patrol car to shield their fallen comrade . that 's when they heard two gunshots . upon searching nearby woods , orange county sheriff 's deputies found goode and hollinghurst dead , lying in some brush , from what are believed to be self-inflicted wounds . it 's perhaps the lack of any available explanations after goode 's death that will haunt his parents the most . we can not comprehend the senseless loss of officer german 's life , the death of alexandria hollinghurst and for our family , the loss of our 18-year-old son , brandon , ' ricke and connie goode said in a statement issued wednesday to cnn affiliates wesh-tv and central florida news 13 . words do not exist to express the measure of our sorrow and sadness . our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt prayers go out to the friends and family of officer german . we are so , so sorry to them for what happened and they will be forever in our prayers . we know a community grieves and like everyone else in our community , we ourselves are struggling to understand this most horrific tragedy . we have no answers , only questions . ' | police say german was fatally shot by two teens who then apparently committed suicide |
london <tsp> ( cnn ) -- four men accused of involvement in a foiled terrorist plot against western targets went on trial wednesday in germany . fritz gelowicz appears in court on april 22 in dusseldorf , northern germany . three of the men -- two germans and a turk -- were arrested in september 2007 . authorities said they had begun mixing a huge amount of explosive material that could have resulted in a strong blast , bigger than the attacks in madrid in 2004 and london in 2005 . the three -- fritz gelowicz , martin schneider , and adem yilmaz -- are charged with membership in foreign and domestic terrorist groups , preparation of explosives , plotting to murder , and plotting to commit a crime using explosives , the court said . schneider is also accused of attempted murder , the court said . the fourth person , identified in german media reports as attila selek , is a german citizen of turkish descent . the german magazine der spiegel said prosecutors are still searching for a fifth man they believe played a central role in the alleged plot . the trial is taking place at the higher regional court in the northern city of dusseldorf . when gelowicz , schneider and yilmaz were arrested , they were found with sophisticated and difficult-to-obtain detonators , authorities with knowledge of the arrests have said . u.s. interests in germany were among the targets of the plot , michael chertoff , who was the u.s. homeland security secretary , said at the time . gelowicz and schneider are germans who converted to islam . gelowicz was a leading member of a radical islamist center in ulm in southern germany and was well known to german authorities , officials said . the trial could last up to two years , der spiegel reported . the trial 's paperwork reportedly fills some 530 folders and the prosecution plans to call 219 witnesses , the magazine said . a little-known uzbek militant group , the islamic jihad union , claimed responsibility for the plot days after the arrests . it said the intention was to target both u.s. and uzbek targets , said german interior ministry spokesman christian sachs . german authorities had said the three men trained at the group 's camps in northern pakistan . the group said it wanted to target the united states'ramstein air base and other u.s. and uzbek military and diplomatic installations in germany , sachs said . another of the group 's goals , he said , was to force germany to stop using an air base in uzbekistan as a stopover point for moving equipment and personnel into and out of northern afghanistan . the group is believed to have ties to al qaeda . the islamic jihad union was unknown until april 2004 , when it conducted a series of suicide bombings in uzbekistan , killing 47 people , according to the memorial institute for the prevention of terrorism , a non-profit organization funded by the department of homeland security . | could have caused bigger blast than attacks in madrid in 2004 and london in 2005 |
germany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- four men accused of involvement in a foiled terrorist plot against western targets went on trial wednesday in germany . fritz gelowicz appears in court on april 22 in dusseldorf , northern germany . three of the men -- two germans and a turk -- were arrested in september 2007 . authorities said they had begun mixing a huge amount of explosive material that could have resulted in a strong blast , bigger than the attacks in madrid in 2004 and london in 2005 . the three -- fritz gelowicz , martin schneider , and adem yilmaz -- are charged with membership in foreign and domestic terrorist groups , preparation of explosives , plotting to murder , and plotting to commit a crime using explosives , the court said . schneider is also accused of attempted murder , the court said . the fourth person , identified in german media reports as attila selek , is a german citizen of turkish descent . the german magazine der spiegel said prosecutors are still searching for a fifth man they believe played a central role in the alleged plot . the trial is taking place at the higher regional court in the northern city of dusseldorf . when gelowicz , schneider and yilmaz were arrested , they were found with sophisticated and difficult-to-obtain detonators , authorities with knowledge of the arrests have said . u.s. interests in germany were among the targets of the plot , michael chertoff , who was the u.s. homeland security secretary , said at the time . gelowicz and schneider are germans who converted to islam . gelowicz was a leading member of a radical islamist center in ulm in southern germany and was well known to german authorities , officials said . the trial could last up to two years , der spiegel reported . the trial 's paperwork reportedly fills some 530 folders and the prosecution plans to call 219 witnesses , the magazine said . a little-known uzbek militant group , the islamic jihad union , claimed responsibility for the plot days after the arrests . it said the intention was to target both u.s. and uzbek targets , said german interior ministry spokesman christian sachs . german authorities had said the three men trained at the group 's camps in northern pakistan . the group said it wanted to target the united states'ramstein air base and other u.s. and uzbek military and diplomatic installations in germany , sachs said . another of the group 's goals , he said , was to force germany to stop using an air base in uzbekistan as a stopover point for moving equipment and personnel into and out of northern afghanistan . the group is believed to have ties to al qaeda . the islamic jihad union was unknown until april 2004 , when it conducted a series of suicide bombings in uzbekistan , killing 47 people , according to the memorial institute for the prevention of terrorism , a non-profit organization funded by the department of homeland security . | u.s. interests in germany were among the targets of the plot |
south sudan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south sudan , the newest country in the world , is already facing a crisis . with more than 170,000 refugees on its northern border , and hundreds of thousands of people who have returned since independence , the newborn country is struggling . in july , the u.n . refugee agency accompanied south sudanese supermodel alek wek to her native country during the one-year anniversary of its independence . wek , a refugee herself , has used her celebrity status to raise awareness about refugee issues for more than a decade ; last year a partnership between her and unhcr began to gel . i went home for the independence with an open mind and to see how the returnees and refugees were doing , ' wek said . in spite of the jubilee and pride that punctuated the independence festivities , the refugee situation is going from bad to worse . unhcr is the lead agency managing seven camps on the contentious border between the north and the south . torrential rains and complicated terrain are becoming lethal forces for the aid agency as it works to stave off an increasingly alarming situation . at the yusuf batil camp in maban county , where wek visited last month , 15 % of the children are being rushed into acute malnutrition programs . in upper nile , nearly half the refugees are children under 11 , and this group is suffering the most . after talking with refugees who had recently arrived in the camp , wek said , i ca n't believe it 's been 20 years and people are still fleeing violence . ' wek participated in handing out soap and mosquito nets as part of a widespread health and sanitation program . in spite of these efforts , the camp is seizing from the impact of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea . at a mobile health clinic , many people show signs of malaria , including aid workers . i am so impressed by unhcr staff who live and work side by side with the refugees , ' wek said . it 's really remarkable . ' all is not bleak though . wek visited her hometown , wau , where dozens of children greeted her before she went to see a new returnee village . unhcr is assisting more than 330,000 south sudanese who returned home from khartoum , sudan , and neighboring countries . this step in the process is exciting because it 's the end of a long struggle , ' said vincent cochetel , the u.s. representative for unhcr . what we work so hard for is for people to be able to go home . ' while talking with a mother who was sharing her joy over finally coming home , wek also learned that programs to help people restart their lives are at risk of being cut because of competing needs in the country . i was told that 100 more houses and a school program had to be cut because of the expense of the crisis on the border . i think we as the international community have a social responsibility to help , ' she said . the unhcr 's sudan refugee emergency appeal of $ 219 million is only 34 % met . concerned about the funding gap , citizens are stepping up to help . pierre omidyar , who founded ebay , and his wife , pam , made a donation of $ 500,000 , with the hope their contribution spurs more . but even a little goes a long way . a container to transport clean water can literally save a life and just $ 20 can provide 10 jerrycans for refugees . similarly , $ 55 can buy five mosquito nets to protect children from the deadly threat of malaria . for $ 100 , donors can provide kitchen sets for five families , and $ 345 will provide a family with much needed shelter . wek plans to work with unhcr not only on generating awareness for the emergency but also by helping the agency generate funds to support the returnees and their access to education . education is the key to the future . south sudanese people are rich like the soil ; they just need a little water and they will grow , ' the beaming supermodel said . unhcr is the lead agency on the frontlines of three raging emergencies . with the situations in syria , sudan/south sudan and mali continuing to worsen , the organization is facing challenges in staffing and funding . in the past six months , the agency has assisted more than 800,000 people who have been forced to escape deadly conflict . the agency is working around the clock to ensure families are safe and receive shelter , water , food and health care . to help south sudan , go to unrefugees.org/alek . | supermodel alek wek traveled to south sudan with the u.n . refugee agency |
south sudan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south sudan , the newest country in the world , is already facing a crisis . with more than 170,000 refugees on its northern border , and hundreds of thousands of people who have returned since independence , the newborn country is struggling . in july , the u.n . refugee agency accompanied south sudanese supermodel alek wek to her native country during the one-year anniversary of its independence . wek , a refugee herself , has used her celebrity status to raise awareness about refugee issues for more than a decade ; last year a partnership between her and unhcr began to gel . i went home for the independence with an open mind and to see how the returnees and refugees were doing , ' wek said . in spite of the jubilee and pride that punctuated the independence festivities , the refugee situation is going from bad to worse . unhcr is the lead agency managing seven camps on the contentious border between the north and the south . torrential rains and complicated terrain are becoming lethal forces for the aid agency as it works to stave off an increasingly alarming situation . at the yusuf batil camp in maban county , where wek visited last month , 15 % of the children are being rushed into acute malnutrition programs . in upper nile , nearly half the refugees are children under 11 , and this group is suffering the most . after talking with refugees who had recently arrived in the camp , wek said , i ca n't believe it 's been 20 years and people are still fleeing violence . ' wek participated in handing out soap and mosquito nets as part of a widespread health and sanitation program . in spite of these efforts , the camp is seizing from the impact of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea . at a mobile health clinic , many people show signs of malaria , including aid workers . i am so impressed by unhcr staff who live and work side by side with the refugees , ' wek said . it 's really remarkable . ' all is not bleak though . wek visited her hometown , wau , where dozens of children greeted her before she went to see a new returnee village . unhcr is assisting more than 330,000 south sudanese who returned home from khartoum , sudan , and neighboring countries . this step in the process is exciting because it 's the end of a long struggle , ' said vincent cochetel , the u.s. representative for unhcr . what we work so hard for is for people to be able to go home . ' while talking with a mother who was sharing her joy over finally coming home , wek also learned that programs to help people restart their lives are at risk of being cut because of competing needs in the country . i was told that 100 more houses and a school program had to be cut because of the expense of the crisis on the border . i think we as the international community have a social responsibility to help , ' she said . the unhcr 's sudan refugee emergency appeal of $ 219 million is only 34 % met . concerned about the funding gap , citizens are stepping up to help . pierre omidyar , who founded ebay , and his wife , pam , made a donation of $ 500,000 , with the hope their contribution spurs more . but even a little goes a long way . a container to transport clean water can literally save a life and just $ 20 can provide 10 jerrycans for refugees . similarly , $ 55 can buy five mosquito nets to protect children from the deadly threat of malaria . for $ 100 , donors can provide kitchen sets for five families , and $ 345 will provide a family with much needed shelter . wek plans to work with unhcr not only on generating awareness for the emergency but also by helping the agency generate funds to support the returnees and their access to education . education is the key to the future . south sudanese people are rich like the soil ; they just need a little water and they will grow , ' the beaming supermodel said . unhcr is the lead agency on the frontlines of three raging emergencies . with the situations in syria , sudan/south sudan and mali continuing to worsen , the organization is facing challenges in staffing and funding . in the past six months , the agency has assisted more than 800,000 people who have been forced to escape deadly conflict . the agency is working around the clock to ensure families are safe and receive shelter , water , food and health care . to help south sudan , go to unrefugees.org/alek . | the newly independent country of south sudan is facing a refugee crisis |
wek <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south sudan , the newest country in the world , is already facing a crisis . with more than 170,000 refugees on its northern border , and hundreds of thousands of people who have returned since independence , the newborn country is struggling . in july , the u.n . refugee agency accompanied south sudanese supermodel alek wek to her native country during the one-year anniversary of its independence . wek , a refugee herself , has used her celebrity status to raise awareness about refugee issues for more than a decade ; last year a partnership between her and unhcr began to gel . i went home for the independence with an open mind and to see how the returnees and refugees were doing , ' wek said . in spite of the jubilee and pride that punctuated the independence festivities , the refugee situation is going from bad to worse . unhcr is the lead agency managing seven camps on the contentious border between the north and the south . torrential rains and complicated terrain are becoming lethal forces for the aid agency as it works to stave off an increasingly alarming situation . at the yusuf batil camp in maban county , where wek visited last month , 15 % of the children are being rushed into acute malnutrition programs . in upper nile , nearly half the refugees are children under 11 , and this group is suffering the most . after talking with refugees who had recently arrived in the camp , wek said , i ca n't believe it 's been 20 years and people are still fleeing violence . ' wek participated in handing out soap and mosquito nets as part of a widespread health and sanitation program . in spite of these efforts , the camp is seizing from the impact of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea . at a mobile health clinic , many people show signs of malaria , including aid workers . i am so impressed by unhcr staff who live and work side by side with the refugees , ' wek said . it 's really remarkable . ' all is not bleak though . wek visited her hometown , wau , where dozens of children greeted her before she went to see a new returnee village . unhcr is assisting more than 330,000 south sudanese who returned home from khartoum , sudan , and neighboring countries . this step in the process is exciting because it 's the end of a long struggle , ' said vincent cochetel , the u.s. representative for unhcr . what we work so hard for is for people to be able to go home . ' while talking with a mother who was sharing her joy over finally coming home , wek also learned that programs to help people restart their lives are at risk of being cut because of competing needs in the country . i was told that 100 more houses and a school program had to be cut because of the expense of the crisis on the border . i think we as the international community have a social responsibility to help , ' she said . the unhcr 's sudan refugee emergency appeal of $ 219 million is only 34 % met . concerned about the funding gap , citizens are stepping up to help . pierre omidyar , who founded ebay , and his wife , pam , made a donation of $ 500,000 , with the hope their contribution spurs more . but even a little goes a long way . a container to transport clean water can literally save a life and just $ 20 can provide 10 jerrycans for refugees . similarly , $ 55 can buy five mosquito nets to protect children from the deadly threat of malaria . for $ 100 , donors can provide kitchen sets for five families , and $ 345 will provide a family with much needed shelter . wek plans to work with unhcr not only on generating awareness for the emergency but also by helping the agency generate funds to support the returnees and their access to education . education is the key to the future . south sudanese people are rich like the soil ; they just need a little water and they will grow , ' the beaming supermodel said . unhcr is the lead agency on the frontlines of three raging emergencies . with the situations in syria , sudan/south sudan and mali continuing to worsen , the organization is facing challenges in staffing and funding . in the past six months , the agency has assisted more than 800,000 people who have been forced to escape deadly conflict . the agency is working around the clock to ensure families are safe and receive shelter , water , food and health care . to help south sudan , go to unrefugees.org/alek . | wek helps raise funds for unhcr education programs serving returning refugees |
wek <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south sudan , the newest country in the world , is already facing a crisis . with more than 170,000 refugees on its northern border , and hundreds of thousands of people who have returned since independence , the newborn country is struggling . in july , the u.n . refugee agency accompanied south sudanese supermodel alek wek to her native country during the one-year anniversary of its independence . wek , a refugee herself , has used her celebrity status to raise awareness about refugee issues for more than a decade ; last year a partnership between her and unhcr began to gel . i went home for the independence with an open mind and to see how the returnees and refugees were doing , ' wek said . in spite of the jubilee and pride that punctuated the independence festivities , the refugee situation is going from bad to worse . unhcr is the lead agency managing seven camps on the contentious border between the north and the south . torrential rains and complicated terrain are becoming lethal forces for the aid agency as it works to stave off an increasingly alarming situation . at the yusuf batil camp in maban county , where wek visited last month , 15 % of the children are being rushed into acute malnutrition programs . in upper nile , nearly half the refugees are children under 11 , and this group is suffering the most . after talking with refugees who had recently arrived in the camp , wek said , i ca n't believe it 's been 20 years and people are still fleeing violence . ' wek participated in handing out soap and mosquito nets as part of a widespread health and sanitation program . in spite of these efforts , the camp is seizing from the impact of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea . at a mobile health clinic , many people show signs of malaria , including aid workers . i am so impressed by unhcr staff who live and work side by side with the refugees , ' wek said . it 's really remarkable . ' all is not bleak though . wek visited her hometown , wau , where dozens of children greeted her before she went to see a new returnee village . unhcr is assisting more than 330,000 south sudanese who returned home from khartoum , sudan , and neighboring countries . this step in the process is exciting because it 's the end of a long struggle , ' said vincent cochetel , the u.s. representative for unhcr . what we work so hard for is for people to be able to go home . ' while talking with a mother who was sharing her joy over finally coming home , wek also learned that programs to help people restart their lives are at risk of being cut because of competing needs in the country . i was told that 100 more houses and a school program had to be cut because of the expense of the crisis on the border . i think we as the international community have a social responsibility to help , ' she said . the unhcr 's sudan refugee emergency appeal of $ 219 million is only 34 % met . concerned about the funding gap , citizens are stepping up to help . pierre omidyar , who founded ebay , and his wife , pam , made a donation of $ 500,000 , with the hope their contribution spurs more . but even a little goes a long way . a container to transport clean water can literally save a life and just $ 20 can provide 10 jerrycans for refugees . similarly , $ 55 can buy five mosquito nets to protect children from the deadly threat of malaria . for $ 100 , donors can provide kitchen sets for five families , and $ 345 will provide a family with much needed shelter . wek plans to work with unhcr not only on generating awareness for the emergency but also by helping the agency generate funds to support the returnees and their access to education . education is the key to the future . south sudanese people are rich like the soil ; they just need a little water and they will grow , ' the beaming supermodel said . unhcr is the lead agency on the frontlines of three raging emergencies . with the situations in syria , sudan/south sudan and mali continuing to worsen , the organization is facing challenges in staffing and funding . in the past six months , the agency has assisted more than 800,000 people who have been forced to escape deadly conflict . the agency is working around the clock to ensure families are safe and receive shelter , water , food and health care . to help south sudan , go to unrefugees.org/alek . | a former refugee , wek fled a violent civil war in the region more than 20 years ago |
wek <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south sudan , the newest country in the world , is already facing a crisis . with more than 170,000 refugees on its northern border , and hundreds of thousands of people who have returned since independence , the newborn country is struggling . in july , the u.n . refugee agency accompanied south sudanese supermodel alek wek to her native country during the one-year anniversary of its independence . wek , a refugee herself , has used her celebrity status to raise awareness about refugee issues for more than a decade ; last year a partnership between her and unhcr began to gel . i went home for the independence with an open mind and to see how the returnees and refugees were doing , ' wek said . in spite of the jubilee and pride that punctuated the independence festivities , the refugee situation is going from bad to worse . unhcr is the lead agency managing seven camps on the contentious border between the north and the south . torrential rains and complicated terrain are becoming lethal forces for the aid agency as it works to stave off an increasingly alarming situation . at the yusuf batil camp in maban county , where wek visited last month , 15 % of the children are being rushed into acute malnutrition programs . in upper nile , nearly half the refugees are children under 11 , and this group is suffering the most . after talking with refugees who had recently arrived in the camp , wek said , i ca n't believe it 's been 20 years and people are still fleeing violence . ' wek participated in handing out soap and mosquito nets as part of a widespread health and sanitation program . in spite of these efforts , the camp is seizing from the impact of diseases such as malaria and diarrhea . at a mobile health clinic , many people show signs of malaria , including aid workers . i am so impressed by unhcr staff who live and work side by side with the refugees , ' wek said . it 's really remarkable . ' all is not bleak though . wek visited her hometown , wau , where dozens of children greeted her before she went to see a new returnee village . unhcr is assisting more than 330,000 south sudanese who returned home from khartoum , sudan , and neighboring countries . this step in the process is exciting because it 's the end of a long struggle , ' said vincent cochetel , the u.s. representative for unhcr . what we work so hard for is for people to be able to go home . ' while talking with a mother who was sharing her joy over finally coming home , wek also learned that programs to help people restart their lives are at risk of being cut because of competing needs in the country . i was told that 100 more houses and a school program had to be cut because of the expense of the crisis on the border . i think we as the international community have a social responsibility to help , ' she said . the unhcr 's sudan refugee emergency appeal of $ 219 million is only 34 % met . concerned about the funding gap , citizens are stepping up to help . pierre omidyar , who founded ebay , and his wife , pam , made a donation of $ 500,000 , with the hope their contribution spurs more . but even a little goes a long way . a container to transport clean water can literally save a life and just $ 20 can provide 10 jerrycans for refugees . similarly , $ 55 can buy five mosquito nets to protect children from the deadly threat of malaria . for $ 100 , donors can provide kitchen sets for five families , and $ 345 will provide a family with much needed shelter . wek plans to work with unhcr not only on generating awareness for the emergency but also by helping the agency generate funds to support the returnees and their access to education . education is the key to the future . south sudanese people are rich like the soil ; they just need a little water and they will grow , ' the beaming supermodel said . unhcr is the lead agency on the frontlines of three raging emergencies . with the situations in syria , sudan/south sudan and mali continuing to worsen , the organization is facing challenges in staffing and funding . in the past six months , the agency has assisted more than 800,000 people who have been forced to escape deadly conflict . the agency is working around the clock to ensure families are safe and receive shelter , water , food and health care . to help south sudan , go to unrefugees.org/alek . | supermodel alek wek traveled to south sudan with the u.n . refugee agency |
mls western conference championship <tsp> ( cnn ) -- david beckham believes the furore that followed his return to the la galaxy from his loan spell with ac milan earlier this year has galvanized the team . the galaxy won the mls western conference championship with a 2-0 win at home to houston dynamo on friday night , beckham setting up gregg berhalter 's 102nd-minute opener . they will face real salt lake , who upset the favored chicago fire 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the eastern conference title on saturday to reach the mls cup final in seattle next sunday . beckham had been subjected to abuse by his own fans after missing the start of the mls season when he was in italy , while galaxy captain landon donovan questioned his commitment to the la franchise . however , the england midfielder -- who missed saturday 's 1-0 friendly defeat by brazil in qatar to play for his club -- thinks the situation helped bring the team together . there 's nothing wrong with a bit of controversy in a club , it brings players and teams together and it 's done that , ' beckham told espn in a post-match interview . i do n't have to say anything about myself , i leave that down to other people to decide . i love playing soccer . i work hard for my teammates , myself , my manager , the fans and i hope that 's enough for people . ' beckham joined the galaxy from real madrid in 2007 but they struggled to make an impact during the englishman 's time with the team until the arrival of former usa national team coach bruce arena . beckham , who returns to milan in january as he bids to win a place in england 's world cup squad , believes this season 's achievements have already gone some way for making up for the previous two seasons . we want to win next week but reaching it is the biggest thing , ' he told the uk press association . we 've done that , done the hard work and this team deserves it . ' | la galaxy beat houston dynamo 2-0 to win the mls western conference championship |
harris <tsp> ( cnn ) -- e. lynn harris , the author who introduced millions of readers to the invisible life ' of black gay men , was a literary pioneer whose generosity was as huge as his courage , friends said friday . e. lynn harris touched fans with his courage and his kindness , friends say . harris , 54 , died thursday night while on a business trip to los angeles , california , said laura gilmore , his publicist . harris wrote a series of novels that exposed readers to characters rarely depicted in literature : black , affluent gay men who were masculine , complex and , sometimes , tormented . keith boykin , an author and friend , said harris encouraged the black community to talk openly about homosexuality . we have a'do n't ask , do n't tell'policy in the black community , ' boykin said . e. lynn harris encouraged people to ask and to tell . ' how harris broke ground in books like invisible life , ' a love of my own , ' and his new york times best-selling memoir , what becomes of the brokenhearted , ' harris virtually invented a new genre : books that depicted black gay men living double lives . though harris wrote primarily about black gay men , some of his biggest fans were black women . his books became staples in black beauty salons , bookstores and book clubs . it was hard to go on a subway in places in new york or d.c. and not see some black woman reading an e. lynn harris novel , ' boykin said . harris was an unlikely literary pioneer . he was a former ibm executive who decided to write about his life . he started off in 1991 selling books from the trunk of his car to african-american beauty salons and bookstores . he eventually became one of the nation 's most popular writers with an estimated 4 million of his books in print . tina mcelroy ansa , author of taking after mudear , ' met harris at the beginning of his literary career when he was selling his first book invisible life . ' she said they were both so poor they only had enough money to buy each other 's book . ansa said she took harris' invisible life ' home and was stunned by the time she reached page 20 . she came across a scene where harris depicted two black men playing in the snow with one another . she immediately dropped the book , called harris and told him she had never read such a scene before . i had never seen homosexual love in african-american men portrayed that way , ' she says . it was playful , loving , and it was n't hidden . ' years later , when harris became successful , he thanked ansa for her early encouragement . he gave me a string of pearls , ' ansa said . in 2000 , harris told the magazine entertainment weekly how important invisible life ' was for him . ' when i wrote invisible life , ' it had to be the first book out of me -- it helped me to deal with my own sexuality , ' harris said . 'for me , my 20s and early 30s were spent just hiding and running , because there was no one to tell me that my life had value and the way i felt was okay . ' standing room only at his book events ' it 's heartbreaking ; he had such a generous spirit , ' said tananarive due , author of blood colony . ' when i was just starting out , he flew me to an event out of his own pocket and put me up just because he thought more people should know my work , ' due said . harris was as generous with his fans as he was with his friends , some said . they describe an author who held dinner parties for aspiring writers at his home , loved meeting and hugging fans at book readings , and never seemed to let his fame change him . you could get trampled at an e. lynn harris reading , ' ansa said . people loved him . ' due said harris would answer up to 200 e-mails from his fans each day . she said harris had been a cheerleader in college and a spirit of joy followed him through his life . ' he genuinely loved being around people and remembered names , ' due said . i remember seeing him at an event in florida , and one woman in the crowd raised her hand and he said ,'oh , mary , you were here for my hardcover book signing .'' nonetheless , harris had his share of personal pain . he was born in flint , michigan , and grew up in little rock , arkansas . in his 2003 memoir , he wrote about enduring abuse by his stepfather and an attempted suicide in 1990 . and he had critics . some said harris was a mediocre writer who stumbled on a winning literary formula . boykin says harris was stung by some of the criticism . he always said'i 'm not a james baldwin ,'' boykin said , referring to the openly gay black author from the 1960s . he was writing accessible literature for the masses . ' boykin said harris received most of his criticism not from outraged straight critics , but people within the black community . he was hurt by some of the criticism from some black gay men who felt he was n't portraying them accurately and others who thought he was telling too much , ' boykin said . in a 2003 detroit free press interview , harris said he resisted becoming an advocate for gay rights . it 's such a small part of who i am , he said . it 's what i do when i 'm with my partner that puts this label on me . most of my friends are straight . i tend to have a regular life , if you will . ' due said there has traditionally been a lot of pain associated with homosexuality in the black community . harris took a little of that pain away with his life and his books . he really helped let the air in , ' due said . he helped us all breathe a little better . ' | harris created a new genre in black literature |
chicago <tsp> nato leaders signed off monday on president barack obama 's exit strategy from afghanistan that calls for an end to combat operations next year and the withdrawal of the u.s.-led international military force by the end of 2014 . secretary general anders fogh rasmussen told reporters at the conclusion of a two-day summit of the alliance leaders that the plan calls for handing over security responsibilities to afghan forces in 2013 , then withdrawing foreign forces the following year . after that , a new and different nato mission will advise , train and assist the expected 350,000-strong afghanistan force , rasmussen said . the plan is backed by afghan president hamid karzai , who sat down monday to speak exclusively with cnn 's wolf blitzer . time : obama 's afghanistan problem : the afghans ' we have finalized plans so 2014 will be a year in which the united states will not be spending as much money in afghanistan as it is spending today . it will save money and we will be providing security ourselves , ' he said . that transition and the eventual withdrawal in 2014 of the u.s. forces and other nato forces from afghanistan is good for afghanistan and good for our allied countries . ' obama said nato leaders were leaving chicago with a clear road map ' to bring the war in afghanistan to a responsible end . ' i do n't think that there 's ever going to be an optimal point where we say -- this is all done , this is perfect , this is just the way we wanted it and now we can wrap up all our equipment and go home . this is a process , and it 's sometimes a messy process , just as it was in iraq , ' he said . the second day of their two-day summit focused on afghanistan , with karzai and the heads of other countries contributing to the u.s.-led international security assistance force also in attendance . why al-assad should n't worry about nato obama wanted nato to commit to long-range support for afghanistan , and rasmussen said the alliance would support afghan forces after the combat mission ends . today we reaffirmed our strong commitment to support their training , equipping , financing and capability development in the years to come , ' rasmussen said , adding it will be a new mission with a new role for nato , ' not isaf with a different name . ' rasmussen confirmed that some nato members have agreed to contribute money for the $ 4 billion a year needed to help fund the afghanistan security forces after the nato mission ends , but said the summit was never intended to secure that funding . while the afghanistan force is expected to number 350,000 in 2014 , rasmussen said the size would likely decrease in future years depending on the security situation on the ground and other factors . he also said he expected an agreement soon for pakistan to reopen its border with afghanistan to military shipments of departing nato forces , which would resolve a sticky issue in planning the withdrawal of foreign forces . so far , the closure of the transit routes has not had a major impact on our operations , ' rasmussen said , but added the transit routes were very important and that he expected their reopening in the very near future . ' pakistan closed the ground routes after a nato airstrike in november killed two dozen of its soldiers . nato insists the incident was an accident . obama offered his condolences but refused to apologize . the united states and pakistan have not come to an agreement on the price of reopening the supply lines , according to senior administration officials , who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue . without a deal , officials said obama would not meet with president asif ali zardari at the summit . however , obama and zardari had a brief conversation monday morning on the sidelines of the nato session . zakaria : nato seeks relevance the united states and pakistan are making diligent progress ' on the question of reopening the supply routes , the u.s. president said . ultimately it is in our interest to see a successful , stable pakistan and it is in pakistan 's interests to work with us and the world community to ensure that they themselves are not consumed by extremism that is in their midst , ' obama told reporters . when asked about turning over security responsibility to afghan forces next year , rasmussen denied it was an acceleration of the transition , saying the plan all along was to withdraw troops in 2014 after shifting the lead security role to afghan forces . it has been within our road map right from the outset , ' he said . asked monday by blitzer whether afghanistan will be ready by 2014 to assume full responsibility for the country 's security , karzai responded : absolutely . ' we 've already worked out a plan to have in six months time 75 % of the country taken over , with regard to security by the afghan security forces , ' he said . outside the nato meeting , protesters marched and rallied on monday , a day after violent clashes with police . obama thanked the city 's mayor and its police force for their work , which he said was done under significant pressure and a lot of scrutiny . ' this is part of what nato defends -- is free speech and freedom of assembly , ' he said . earlier monday , obama told the dozens of heads of state in attendance that the goal is to responsibly bring this war to an end ' in the next 19 months . he cited a recent strategic partnership agreement he signed with karzai as a step toward ensuring that as afghans stand up , they will not stand alone . ' full coverage : nato summit obama and karzai , who met a day ahead of monday 's nato talks on afghanistan , both agreed that the end of the war was close . following their meeting , obama said the transition of the nato-led force from a combat role to one of support of afghan forces paints a vision post-2014 in which we have ended our combat role , the afghan war as we understand it is over . ' karzai reiterated his commitment to the timetable , so that afghanistan is no longer a burden on the shoulder of our friends in the international community , on the shoulders of the united states and our other allies . afghanistan , indeed , mr. president , as you very rightly put it , is looking forward to an end to this war , and a transformational decade , ' he said . | president obama says nato leaders are leaving chicago with a clear road map ' |
nielsen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- western companies operating in africa have long underestimated the continent 's consumers , according to a top executive in one of the world 's biggest consumer goods groups . frank braeken , executive vice president of unilever in africa , said that for a long time multinationals have thought of the vast continent as a monolithic ' market , failing to address its diversity . the african consumer has been underestimated , underserved and underserviced , ' said braeken . what i mean is we have looked at it a little bit generically , like'the africans ,'a little bit patronizing generically . now we start to take the african consumer seriously . ' unilever , the maker of brands such as lipton and knorr , has been active in the continent for more than a century , with a presence in 15 countries and employing thousands of workers there . read more : are one in three africans really middle class ? yet , despite its long history and deep presence , braeken acknowledged that the company had been slow in engaging with the diverse types of consumers in the continent . i 'm almost somewhat ashamed to admit that we are still very much in learning mode about what the differences are within africa . ' braeken said that it was becoming increasingly clear that there were major differences between the different countries in the continent . what we now increasingly do is we think much more in terms of sub-clusters , where you have east africa , where you have west africa , where you have southern africa , ' he said . it is more about how you define the brand mix , how you bring it to the consumer , that we localize and that we make it relevant for the local consumer . ' a recent survey by nielsen has identified seven types of consumers that companies targeting african markets need to be aware of . rather than just a continent , africa must be viewed as 54 separate and distinct countries with a wide array of political , economic , geographical , cultural and social features , ' said nielsen 's the diverse people of africa ' report . according to the research firm , there is no single african consumer . ' instead , nielsen says its seven types of consumers can be grouped in three tiers based on monthly income and average spending . in the first tier belong the trendy aspirants ' and progressive affluents ' ( wealthy , urban , well-educated africans with high income and consumer packaged goods spending ( cpg ) ) . the second group is comprised of balanced seniors ' and struggling traditionals ' ( middle aged , mid-income africans with average cpg category spend ) , while the third one includes evolving juniors , ' wannabe bachelors ' and female conservatives ' ( this is the continent 's biggest tier , consisting of consumers who spend much less than average on cpg categories -- see fact box ) . meanwhile , household spending in africa is projected to increase from $ 860 billion in 2008 to $ 1.4 trillion in 2020 , according to a report by mckinsey . the growth in spending on consumer goods , telecoms and banking can turn africa 's consumers into an increasingly attractive business proposition , creating markets large enough to be appealing for multinational firms , said mckinsey . read more : easyjet founder to launch low-cost airline in africa braeken said the emergence of a stronger middle class is only one part of the story . he argued that the focus should be on how companies can foster innovation and organizational capability to tap the collective spending power of both the high and low ends of the continent 's consumer market . by having a product that is more affordable you reach down , so certainly you have more consumers in your catchment area , ' he said , noting that unilever has doubled the number of stores it goes to physically in the last few years to over 400,000 . so certainly your products can be found in more places in africa , so you expand your catchment area -- that to us is the real story of our growth in africa at this moment . ' looking ahead , braeken said he was very positive about the continent 's future but warned that there were still many issues that needed to be addressed , citing infrastructure , good governance , corruption and fostering local talent . i 'm very optimistic about africa , but i say it always with a tinge of hesitation because one of the big risks is that we get carried away and therefore forget to talk about the real challenges that are still ahead of it , ' he said . we have to keep on talking about the real issues and then i am sure that africa can continue that path that it 's on now , and we will see not only unilever but many other companies easily double in size from what they are today . ' | a nielsen report has identified seven types of african consumers |
african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- western companies operating in africa have long underestimated the continent 's consumers , according to a top executive in one of the world 's biggest consumer goods groups . frank braeken , executive vice president of unilever in africa , said that for a long time multinationals have thought of the vast continent as a monolithic ' market , failing to address its diversity . the african consumer has been underestimated , underserved and underserviced , ' said braeken . what i mean is we have looked at it a little bit generically , like'the africans ,'a little bit patronizing generically . now we start to take the african consumer seriously . ' unilever , the maker of brands such as lipton and knorr , has been active in the continent for more than a century , with a presence in 15 countries and employing thousands of workers there . read more : are one in three africans really middle class ? yet , despite its long history and deep presence , braeken acknowledged that the company had been slow in engaging with the diverse types of consumers in the continent . i 'm almost somewhat ashamed to admit that we are still very much in learning mode about what the differences are within africa . ' braeken said that it was becoming increasingly clear that there were major differences between the different countries in the continent . what we now increasingly do is we think much more in terms of sub-clusters , where you have east africa , where you have west africa , where you have southern africa , ' he said . it is more about how you define the brand mix , how you bring it to the consumer , that we localize and that we make it relevant for the local consumer . ' a recent survey by nielsen has identified seven types of consumers that companies targeting african markets need to be aware of . rather than just a continent , africa must be viewed as 54 separate and distinct countries with a wide array of political , economic , geographical , cultural and social features , ' said nielsen 's the diverse people of africa ' report . according to the research firm , there is no single african consumer . ' instead , nielsen says its seven types of consumers can be grouped in three tiers based on monthly income and average spending . in the first tier belong the trendy aspirants ' and progressive affluents ' ( wealthy , urban , well-educated africans with high income and consumer packaged goods spending ( cpg ) ) . the second group is comprised of balanced seniors ' and struggling traditionals ' ( middle aged , mid-income africans with average cpg category spend ) , while the third one includes evolving juniors , ' wannabe bachelors ' and female conservatives ' ( this is the continent 's biggest tier , consisting of consumers who spend much less than average on cpg categories -- see fact box ) . meanwhile , household spending in africa is projected to increase from $ 860 billion in 2008 to $ 1.4 trillion in 2020 , according to a report by mckinsey . the growth in spending on consumer goods , telecoms and banking can turn africa 's consumers into an increasingly attractive business proposition , creating markets large enough to be appealing for multinational firms , said mckinsey . read more : easyjet founder to launch low-cost airline in africa braeken said the emergence of a stronger middle class is only one part of the story . he argued that the focus should be on how companies can foster innovation and organizational capability to tap the collective spending power of both the high and low ends of the continent 's consumer market . by having a product that is more affordable you reach down , so certainly you have more consumers in your catchment area , ' he said , noting that unilever has doubled the number of stores it goes to physically in the last few years to over 400,000 . so certainly your products can be found in more places in africa , so you expand your catchment area -- that to us is the real story of our growth in africa at this moment . ' looking ahead , braeken said he was very positive about the continent 's future but warned that there were still many issues that needed to be addressed , citing infrastructure , good governance , corruption and fostering local talent . i 'm very optimistic about africa , but i say it always with a tinge of hesitation because one of the big risks is that we get carried away and therefore forget to talk about the real challenges that are still ahead of it , ' he said . we have to keep on talking about the real issues and then i am sure that africa can continue that path that it 's on now , and we will see not only unilever but many other companies easily double in size from what they are today . ' | a nielsen report has identified seven types of african consumers |
african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- western companies operating in africa have long underestimated the continent 's consumers , according to a top executive in one of the world 's biggest consumer goods groups . frank braeken , executive vice president of unilever in africa , said that for a long time multinationals have thought of the vast continent as a monolithic ' market , failing to address its diversity . the african consumer has been underestimated , underserved and underserviced , ' said braeken . what i mean is we have looked at it a little bit generically , like'the africans ,'a little bit patronizing generically . now we start to take the african consumer seriously . ' unilever , the maker of brands such as lipton and knorr , has been active in the continent for more than a century , with a presence in 15 countries and employing thousands of workers there . read more : are one in three africans really middle class ? yet , despite its long history and deep presence , braeken acknowledged that the company had been slow in engaging with the diverse types of consumers in the continent . i 'm almost somewhat ashamed to admit that we are still very much in learning mode about what the differences are within africa . ' braeken said that it was becoming increasingly clear that there were major differences between the different countries in the continent . what we now increasingly do is we think much more in terms of sub-clusters , where you have east africa , where you have west africa , where you have southern africa , ' he said . it is more about how you define the brand mix , how you bring it to the consumer , that we localize and that we make it relevant for the local consumer . ' a recent survey by nielsen has identified seven types of consumers that companies targeting african markets need to be aware of . rather than just a continent , africa must be viewed as 54 separate and distinct countries with a wide array of political , economic , geographical , cultural and social features , ' said nielsen 's the diverse people of africa ' report . according to the research firm , there is no single african consumer . ' instead , nielsen says its seven types of consumers can be grouped in three tiers based on monthly income and average spending . in the first tier belong the trendy aspirants ' and progressive affluents ' ( wealthy , urban , well-educated africans with high income and consumer packaged goods spending ( cpg ) ) . the second group is comprised of balanced seniors ' and struggling traditionals ' ( middle aged , mid-income africans with average cpg category spend ) , while the third one includes evolving juniors , ' wannabe bachelors ' and female conservatives ' ( this is the continent 's biggest tier , consisting of consumers who spend much less than average on cpg categories -- see fact box ) . meanwhile , household spending in africa is projected to increase from $ 860 billion in 2008 to $ 1.4 trillion in 2020 , according to a report by mckinsey . the growth in spending on consumer goods , telecoms and banking can turn africa 's consumers into an increasingly attractive business proposition , creating markets large enough to be appealing for multinational firms , said mckinsey . read more : easyjet founder to launch low-cost airline in africa braeken said the emergence of a stronger middle class is only one part of the story . he argued that the focus should be on how companies can foster innovation and organizational capability to tap the collective spending power of both the high and low ends of the continent 's consumer market . by having a product that is more affordable you reach down , so certainly you have more consumers in your catchment area , ' he said , noting that unilever has doubled the number of stores it goes to physically in the last few years to over 400,000 . so certainly your products can be found in more places in africa , so you expand your catchment area -- that to us is the real story of our growth in africa at this moment . ' looking ahead , braeken said he was very positive about the continent 's future but warned that there were still many issues that needed to be addressed , citing infrastructure , good governance , corruption and fostering local talent . i 'm very optimistic about africa , but i say it always with a tinge of hesitation because one of the big risks is that we get carried away and therefore forget to talk about the real challenges that are still ahead of it , ' he said . we have to keep on talking about the real issues and then i am sure that africa can continue that path that it 's on now , and we will see not only unilever but many other companies easily double in size from what they are today . ' | he says african consumers have been underserviced by western firms |
the big bang theory <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) it may be time to light the lights . abc is filming a proof of concept for a revival of the muppets , ' the hollywood reporter has learned . the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at may 's upfront presentation to madison avenue advertisers . sources tell thr that the project , if all goes well , could go straight to series . bob kushell ( anger management , ' 3rd rock from the sun ' ) will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner , with wilfred 's randall einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation . abc 's muppets ' revival is being produced by abc studios and the muppet studios , which disney owns . the presentation is set to film next weekend on the disney lot in burbank with some of the original muppet performers returning . sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by jim henson — kermit the frog , fozzie bear , gonzo and animal , among others — gathering at abc studios for a meeting about the new muppet show . ' however , the show wo n't move forward unless miss piggy signs on , and her current relationship with frequent love kermit is on the rocks , preventing the show from getting off the ground . early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including miss piggy 's current co-star — as well as new roles including fozzie 's girlfriend and her parents . for prady , the revived muppets ' — which landed at abc after initial interest from netflix — marks a return to his roots . the producer , who currently does not have an overall deal , started his career working for henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for the jim henson hour , ' remaining on the series until a year after henson 's death in 1990 . this marks the second time prady has attempted to revive the muppets . ' the writer-producer shot some test footage before cbs' the big bang theory ' that disney ultimately passed on . for his part , prady earned an emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute the muppets celebrate jim henson ' in 1990 and has contributed writing to disney 's muppet-themed attractions . should abc order muppets ' to series , prady would juggle both that project and cbs' the big bang theory , ' which he exec produces . created in 1955 by henson , the original muppet characters appeared on sam and friends ' from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of sesame street ' in 1969 . the muppet show ' launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81 , with kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the u.k . the franchise has spawned multiple movies ( 1979 's the muppet movie , ' 1981 's the great muppet caper , ' 1984 's the muppets take manhattan ' ) as well as nbc 's 1989 series the jim henson hour . ' following henson 's death , the franchise continued with muppets tonight ' airing on abc in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling disney channel from 1997-2000 . that was the last television series to feature the muppets characters . on the feature side , the franchise featured 1992 's the muppet christmas carol , ' 1996 's muppet treasure island ' and 1999 's muppets from space , ' the latter two of which were co-produced by disney , who acquired rights to the muppets in 2004 and formed the muppets studio . the company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with jason segel 's the muppets , ' with an eighth feature in the franchise , muppets most wanted ' bowing in 2014 . for abc , the muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks . nbc has made the format a priority , unspooling marlon wayans-hosted celebrity variety series i can do that ! ' in the summer and has neil patrick harris entry saturday night takeaway ' in the works . the decision to revive the muppets ' also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen , as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space . on the comedy side , the muppets ' arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours . prady is repped by rothman brecher and lichter grossman ; kushell is with icm partners ; einhorn is with wme , odenkirk provissiero and bloom hergott . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing a pilot script |
bill prady <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) it may be time to light the lights . abc is filming a proof of concept for a revival of the muppets , ' the hollywood reporter has learned . the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at may 's upfront presentation to madison avenue advertisers . sources tell thr that the project , if all goes well , could go straight to series . bob kushell ( anger management , ' 3rd rock from the sun ' ) will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner , with wilfred 's randall einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation . abc 's muppets ' revival is being produced by abc studios and the muppet studios , which disney owns . the presentation is set to film next weekend on the disney lot in burbank with some of the original muppet performers returning . sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by jim henson — kermit the frog , fozzie bear , gonzo and animal , among others — gathering at abc studios for a meeting about the new muppet show . ' however , the show wo n't move forward unless miss piggy signs on , and her current relationship with frequent love kermit is on the rocks , preventing the show from getting off the ground . early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including miss piggy 's current co-star — as well as new roles including fozzie 's girlfriend and her parents . for prady , the revived muppets ' — which landed at abc after initial interest from netflix — marks a return to his roots . the producer , who currently does not have an overall deal , started his career working for henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for the jim henson hour , ' remaining on the series until a year after henson 's death in 1990 . this marks the second time prady has attempted to revive the muppets . ' the writer-producer shot some test footage before cbs' the big bang theory ' that disney ultimately passed on . for his part , prady earned an emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute the muppets celebrate jim henson ' in 1990 and has contributed writing to disney 's muppet-themed attractions . should abc order muppets ' to series , prady would juggle both that project and cbs' the big bang theory , ' which he exec produces . created in 1955 by henson , the original muppet characters appeared on sam and friends ' from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of sesame street ' in 1969 . the muppet show ' launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81 , with kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the u.k . the franchise has spawned multiple movies ( 1979 's the muppet movie , ' 1981 's the great muppet caper , ' 1984 's the muppets take manhattan ' ) as well as nbc 's 1989 series the jim henson hour . ' following henson 's death , the franchise continued with muppets tonight ' airing on abc in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling disney channel from 1997-2000 . that was the last television series to feature the muppets characters . on the feature side , the franchise featured 1992 's the muppet christmas carol , ' 1996 's muppet treasure island ' and 1999 's muppets from space , ' the latter two of which were co-produced by disney , who acquired rights to the muppets in 2004 and formed the muppets studio . the company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with jason segel 's the muppets , ' with an eighth feature in the franchise , muppets most wanted ' bowing in 2014 . for abc , the muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks . nbc has made the format a priority , unspooling marlon wayans-hosted celebrity variety series i can do that ! ' in the summer and has neil patrick harris entry saturday night takeaway ' in the works . the decision to revive the muppets ' also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen , as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space . on the comedy side , the muppets ' arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours . prady is repped by rothman brecher and lichter grossman ; kushell is with icm partners ; einhorn is with wme , odenkirk provissiero and bloom hergott . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing a pilot script |
abc <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) it may be time to light the lights . abc is filming a proof of concept for a revival of the muppets , ' the hollywood reporter has learned . the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at may 's upfront presentation to madison avenue advertisers . sources tell thr that the project , if all goes well , could go straight to series . bob kushell ( anger management , ' 3rd rock from the sun ' ) will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner , with wilfred 's randall einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation . abc 's muppets ' revival is being produced by abc studios and the muppet studios , which disney owns . the presentation is set to film next weekend on the disney lot in burbank with some of the original muppet performers returning . sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by jim henson — kermit the frog , fozzie bear , gonzo and animal , among others — gathering at abc studios for a meeting about the new muppet show . ' however , the show wo n't move forward unless miss piggy signs on , and her current relationship with frequent love kermit is on the rocks , preventing the show from getting off the ground . early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including miss piggy 's current co-star — as well as new roles including fozzie 's girlfriend and her parents . for prady , the revived muppets ' — which landed at abc after initial interest from netflix — marks a return to his roots . the producer , who currently does not have an overall deal , started his career working for henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for the jim henson hour , ' remaining on the series until a year after henson 's death in 1990 . this marks the second time prady has attempted to revive the muppets . ' the writer-producer shot some test footage before cbs' the big bang theory ' that disney ultimately passed on . for his part , prady earned an emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute the muppets celebrate jim henson ' in 1990 and has contributed writing to disney 's muppet-themed attractions . should abc order muppets ' to series , prady would juggle both that project and cbs' the big bang theory , ' which he exec produces . created in 1955 by henson , the original muppet characters appeared on sam and friends ' from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of sesame street ' in 1969 . the muppet show ' launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81 , with kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the u.k . the franchise has spawned multiple movies ( 1979 's the muppet movie , ' 1981 's the great muppet caper , ' 1984 's the muppets take manhattan ' ) as well as nbc 's 1989 series the jim henson hour . ' following henson 's death , the franchise continued with muppets tonight ' airing on abc in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling disney channel from 1997-2000 . that was the last television series to feature the muppets characters . on the feature side , the franchise featured 1992 's the muppet christmas carol , ' 1996 's muppet treasure island ' and 1999 's muppets from space , ' the latter two of which were co-produced by disney , who acquired rights to the muppets in 2004 and formed the muppets studio . the company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with jason segel 's the muppets , ' with an eighth feature in the franchise , muppets most wanted ' bowing in 2014 . for abc , the muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks . nbc has made the format a priority , unspooling marlon wayans-hosted celebrity variety series i can do that ! ' in the summer and has neil patrick harris entry saturday night takeaway ' in the works . the decision to revive the muppets ' also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen , as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space . on the comedy side , the muppets ' arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours . prady is repped by rothman brecher and lichter grossman ; kushell is with icm partners ; einhorn is with wme , odenkirk provissiero and bloom hergott . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the muppets ' might return to television on abc |
muppet <tsp> ( the hollywood reporter ) it may be time to light the lights . abc is filming a proof of concept for a revival of the muppets , ' the hollywood reporter has learned . the big bang theory ' co-creator bill prady is co-writing the script for a pilot presentation that sources say could be unspooled at may 's upfront presentation to madison avenue advertisers . sources tell thr that the project , if all goes well , could go straight to series . bob kushell ( anger management , ' 3rd rock from the sun ' ) will also co-write and is attached to serve as showrunner , with wilfred 's randall einhorn attached to exec produce and direct the presentation . abc 's muppets ' revival is being produced by abc studios and the muppet studios , which disney owns . the presentation is set to film next weekend on the disney lot in burbank with some of the original muppet performers returning . sources say the concept for the presentation includes the regular cast of characters created by jim henson — kermit the frog , fozzie bear , gonzo and animal , among others — gathering at abc studios for a meeting about the new muppet show . ' however , the show wo n't move forward unless miss piggy signs on , and her current relationship with frequent love kermit is on the rocks , preventing the show from getting off the ground . early plans call for two celebrity cameos — including miss piggy 's current co-star — as well as new roles including fozzie 's girlfriend and her parents . for prady , the revived muppets ' — which landed at abc after initial interest from netflix — marks a return to his roots . the producer , who currently does not have an overall deal , started his career working for henson in 1982 and ultimately started writing for the jim henson hour , ' remaining on the series until a year after henson 's death in 1990 . this marks the second time prady has attempted to revive the muppets . ' the writer-producer shot some test footage before cbs' the big bang theory ' that disney ultimately passed on . for his part , prady earned an emmy nomination in 1991 for writing tribute the muppets celebrate jim henson ' in 1990 and has contributed writing to disney 's muppet-themed attractions . should abc order muppets ' to series , prady would juggle both that project and cbs' the big bang theory , ' which he exec produces . created in 1955 by henson , the original muppet characters appeared on sam and friends ' from 1955-61 before going on to appear on late-night talk shows and commercials and becoming a regular part of sesame street ' in 1969 . the muppet show ' launched on its own as a comedy-variety series and ran from 1976-81 , with kermit serving as the de-facto showrunner on the syndicated series that was produced out of the u.k . the franchise has spawned multiple movies ( 1979 's the muppet movie , ' 1981 's the great muppet caper , ' 1984 's the muppets take manhattan ' ) as well as nbc 's 1989 series the jim henson hour . ' following henson 's death , the franchise continued with muppets tonight ' airing on abc in 1996 with reruns airing on sibling disney channel from 1997-2000 . that was the last television series to feature the muppets characters . on the feature side , the franchise featured 1992 's the muppet christmas carol , ' 1996 's muppet treasure island ' and 1999 's muppets from space , ' the latter two of which were co-produced by disney , who acquired rights to the muppets in 2004 and formed the muppets studio . the company rebranded the franchise in 2008 with jason segel 's the muppets , ' with an eighth feature in the franchise , muppets most wanted ' bowing in 2014 . for abc , the muppets revival comes as variety shows are in the midst of a resurgence on the broadcast networks . nbc has made the format a priority , unspooling marlon wayans-hosted celebrity variety series i can do that ! ' in the summer and has neil patrick harris entry saturday night takeaway ' in the works . the decision to revive the muppets ' also comes as remakes and reboots are having their moment in the sun on the small-screen , as broadcast networks look to fan bases for existing franchises to help cut through the clutter and draw eyeballs in an increasingly crowded scripted space . on the comedy side , the muppets ' arrives as it has become increasingly challenging to launch original scripted half-hours . prady is repped by rothman brecher and lichter grossman ; kushell is with icm partners ; einhorn is with wme , odenkirk provissiero and bloom hergott . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the old muppet gang would return for the variety show |
u.s . <tsp> trust needs to be rebuilt . ' that 's what german chancellor angela merkel firmly asserted early friday -- as she had the previous day -- in the wake of reports the u.s. national security agency had eavesdropped on her cell phone . this claim and others that she and other world leaders have been spied on had severely shaken ' relationships between europe and the united states , the german leader said . obviously , words will not be sufficient , ' merkel said in the wee hours friday at a summit of european union leaders . true change is necessary . ' talk of the nsa 's reported spying on germany and other allies dominated merkel 's news conference in brussels , belgium . it illustrated the anger over this story in europe and the challenges facing washington because of it . the chancellor insisted she is n't the only one concerned ; other european leaders , she said , voiced similar sentiments during the first day of the summit thursday . her comments echoed some she 'd made upon arriving thursday in belgium , when she said that discussions of what sort of data protection do we need and what transparency is there ' should now be on european leaders'agenda . we need trust , ... ' she said . spying among friends is never acceptable . ' germany : u.s. might have monitored merkel 's phone u.s. president barack obama understands it 's a necessity ' for change from his nation 's perspective , according to merkel , who spoke with the american leader on wednesday after germany 's government said it had information the united states might have monitored her phone . she told obama that eavesdropping among friends is never acceptable , no matter in what situation , ' she said . on thursday , white house spokesman jay carney repeated what he said wednesday -- that obama assured merkel that the united states is not monitoring and will not monitor her communications . and in a usa today op-ed published online thursday night , obama 's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser lisa monaco conceded that recent disclosures have created significant challenges in our relationships . ' to address them , the president has ordered a review ( of ) our surveillance capabilities , including with our foreign partners , ' she wrote . we want to ensure we are collecting information because we need it and not because we can , ' said monaco . the german allegation comes in the same week that french daily newspaper le monde reported claims the nsa intercepted more than 70 million phone calls in france over 30 days . and the guardian newspaper -- citing a document obtained from u.s. government contractor-turned-whistleblower edward snowden -- reported thursday that the nsa monitored phone conversations of 35 world leaders . the confidential memo is from 2006 , which is before obama became president . none of the monitored world leaders is identified . the phone numbers were among 200 handed over to the nsa by a u.s. official , the memo states . others were encouraged to share their rolodexes ' with the agency , according to the document , even though tracking until then had yielded little reportable intelligence . ' like carney , nsa spokeswoman caitlin haden refused to comment publicly on every specific intelligence activity . ' as we have made clear , ' she added , ... the united states gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations . ' european leaders push for data protection it 's not clear how well such explanations will be received by washington 's allies in europe elsewhere , or how significantly it has and will continue to affect the european council meeting . the two-day summit was supposed to focus on the digital economy and economic and social policy issues , as well as concerns about eu migration after a recent shipwreck off an italian island in which hundreds of migrants from africa died . but french prime minister jean-marc ayrault told the french national assembly on tuesday that france would ask for the question of electronic surveillance to be added to the agenda . the eu leaders were expected to discuss data protection issues as part of their debate on the digital economy . viviane reding , vice president of the european commission , called for eu nations to commit to adopting a data protection law in light of the recent spying scandals . data protection must apply to everyone -- whether we are talking about citizens'e-mails or angela merkel 's mobile phone , ' she said . we now need big european rules to counter big fears of surveillance . at the summit today , europe 's heads of state and government must follow words with action : they should commit to adopting the eu data protection reform by spring 2014 . this would be europe 's declaration of independence . only then can europe credibly face the united states . ''completely unacceptable' even before the latest allegations , germany and other nations had expressed concerns about alleged u.s. spying after snowden -- a former national security agency contractor -- leaked classified information about american surveillance programs . spy chief : reports of nsa logging french phone calls are false german news magazine der spiegel reported in june that leaks from snowden detailed how the agency bugged eu offices in washington and new york , and conducted an electronic eavesdropping operation ' that tapped into an eu building in brussels . merkel spoke with obama by phone in july about allegations that the united states was conducting surveillance on its european allies . merkel made it clear that if the information about the u.s. having monitored her phone were true , it would be completely unacceptable , ' spokesman steffen seibert said of wednesday 's call with obama . a spokesman for david cameron declined to answer questions thursday about whether the british prime minister 's phone had been tapped by the united states , following germany 's suspicion about u.s. monitoring of merkel 's cell phone . i am not going to comment on matters of security or intelligence , ' the spokesman told reporters at a regular briefing . ayrault :'shocking'claims ayrault described the report of widespread spying by the nsa on french calls as worrying ' and shocking , ' saying that security should not be guaranteed at the price of a loss of freedom . report : u.s. intercepts french phone calls on a'massive scale' however , u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper suggested that the claims made by le monde were false . the articles contain inaccurate and misleading information regarding u.s. foreign intelligence activities , ' a written statement from his office said tuesday . it added that the united states does gather intelligence of the type gathered by all nations . ' nonetheless , the allegations prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity this week between the united states and france . obama and french president francois hollande spoke about the claims monday . the president and president hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press -- some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed , ' a white house statement said . the president made clear that the united states has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence , so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share . ' hollande 's office said the president expressed his deep disapproval with regard to these practices ' to obama and that such alleged activities would be unacceptable between allies and friends . the two presidents agreed that french and american intelligence services would cooperate on investigating the report , according to the statement from the french president 's office . french foreign minister laurent fabius and u.s. secretary of state john kerry also met tuesday to discuss the claims . the u.s. ambassador to france , charles rivkin , was summoned to the french foreign ministry in paris on monday to discuss the alleged spying . claims of u.s. spying , resulting from leaks by snowden , have also soured u.s. relations with mexico and brazil . der spiegel recently published allegations , citing snowden as its source , that the u.s. national security agency systematically ' eavesdropped on the mexican government and hacked the public e-mail account of former mexican president felipe calderon . mexico to summon u.s. ambassador over spying allegations | german leader : true change is necessary ' on part of the u.s . |
oakland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- organs donated by a slain oakland , california , police officer saved four lives , and his donated tissue will enhance the lives of up to 50 others , the california transplant donor network said wednesday . officer john hege was one of four police officers fatally shot saturday in oakland , california . officer john hege , 41 , was pronounced brain dead on sunday but was kept on life support pending a decision on organ donation . he was the fourth oakland officer to die after a gunman fired on police in two weekend incidents . officer hege was registered on the donate life california organ and tissue registry , which his family also supports , ' the donor network said in a news release . he chose in death as he did in life to help those in need . his organ donations saved the lives of four adult males from california . ' hege 's liver , kidneys and heart were donated , the network said , and the transplants were successfully completed tuesday and early wednesday . in a written statement , hege 's family said , our son john never met a stranger . ' john 's courage and strength was enhanced by his ability to perceive the realities of life , ' the family said in the statement . in june 2008 , he registered on the donate life california organ and tissue donor registry . we completely and proudly support his decision , and it gives us a great deal of comfort to know that four individuals have received the gift of life because of our selfless and beloved john . even in death he gave to the lives of those in our community whom he had always loved and supported . ' hege had been with the oakland police force about 10 years . the man accused of shooting the officers -- lovelle mixon , 26 , of oakland -- was fatally shot in a gun battle with swat officers in an apartment complex where he was hiding , police said . authorities said saturday night that mixon had an extensive criminal history and was in violation of parole for assault with a deadly weapon . the incidents began about 1 p.m. saturday in east oakland , when two motorcycle officers tried to pull over a car for a fairly routine traffic stop , ' said dave kozicki , deputy police chief . emergency dispatchers received reports that two officers had been shot and needed help , he said . those officers were hege and sgt . mark dunakin , 40 , an 18-year veteran of the force . dunakin died saturday . police launched an intense manhunt to track down the gunman . an anonymous caller directed authorities to a building on an adjacent street where the man was believed to be barricaded , acting police chief howard jordan said . the gunman fired on swat officers who entered the apartment , hitting two of them before police shot and killed the man , jordan said . those two officers -- sgt . ervin romans , 43 , and sgt . daniel sakai , 35 -- died . police said romans had been with the department since 1996 and sakai since 2000 . a fifth officer who was grazed by a bullet was treated at a hospital and released , police spokesman jeff thomason said saturday . | john hege , three other oakland police officers fatally wounded over weekend |
samoa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- throngs of revelers gathered around times square in new york city early sunday to ring in the new year amid cheers , glittering confetti and fireworks in one of many festivities worldwide . crowds erupted in cheers , kissed and hugged as the giant ball dropped at midnight to mark the start of 2012 . this is crazy , it 's doggone warm , ' said gary grieco of college point new york , who attended the unusually warm festivities this year . grieco said he hopes this year is better than the last and outlined his resolutions for the new year . quit smoking , that 's my promise ... today is the day , ' he said . from london to samoa , the world ushered in 2012 and said goodbye to a year marked by natural disasters , economic turmoil and other highlights such as the end of the iraq war . natural disasters were pretty brutal and the end of the iraq war was long overdue , ' grieco said . fireworks lit up the sky over london 's river thames as the clock struck midnight -- one of many festivities worldwide . as big ben chimed on midnight , the sky exploded with pyrotechnics to mark the start of what mayor boris johnson promised to be the most extraordinary and exciting year we are likely to see in our lifetime in this city . ' in 2012 , london will host the summer olympics and pay tribute to queen elizabeth 's diamond jubilee marking her 50 years on the throne . england was relatively late to the party , which began 14 hours earlier ( at 5 a.m . et ) in samoa , tokelau and the christmas islands in the western pacific . samoa and tokelau -- historically the last to celebrate the new year -- reveled in being the first to party this time round , after skipping west across the international dateline , missing out on december 30 entirely in the process , in a move intended to boost trade . from there , the midnight revelry worked its way west . the final ones set to ring in the new year will also be in the pacific , specifically on the u.s. midway islands and american samoa . new zealand bid farewell to a year that brought more than its share of natural disasters , with fireworks bursting through a blanket of fog to light up auckland 's sky tower . dazzling pyrotechnics above sydney harbour got 2012 off to a spectacular start in australia , with huge crowds gathered to watch . in south korea , the boshingak bell in downtown seoul chimed 33 times to celebrate the occasion , while in japan , many families ate a bowl of long noodles together to symbolize the bridge from one year to the next . crowds of onlookers cheered as fireworks and bright lights flashed over hong kong 's victoria harbour and boats filled with revelers drifted below . in laos and cambodia , buddhist temples struck their gongs 108 times to cast out 108 types of human weakness . the atmosphere was far more subdued in vatican , where the pope presided over a mass at st. peter 's basilica . the celebrations then moved across europe . russia started by kicking off its new year in a grand way with fireworks over the kremlin . three hours later , much of the continent -- including greece , italy , france , spain and germany -- were officially in 2012 , before england and ireland finally joined in the next hour . never known to shy away from a party , brazilians in sao paulo , rio de janeiro and beyond celebrated the new year with characteristic flair and explosive pyrotechnics . they were followed one hour later by another large swath of south america that included argentina , paraguay and chile . cnn 's kim segal , laura smith-spark , holly yan and david ariosto contributed to this report . | from london to samoa , the world ushers in 2012 |
sracic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on tuesday , there will be a vote in ohio that may turn out to be the first major skirmish in the 2012 battle for the white house . at issue is a law known as senate bill 5 . the law , passed by the ohio legislature at the end of march , restricts the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining . even before the ink on ohio gov . john kasich 's signature on senate bill 5 had time to dry , public employee unions in ohio and their allies began the process of gathering the signatures necessary to invoke a provision in the ohio constitution that allows legislation to be placed before the state 's voters . within a few months , senate bill 5 opponents had managed to collect nearly 1 million valid signatures , more than three times what they needed to place the law on the november ballot . the campaign to repeal senate bill 5 , led by a group called we are ohio , ' quickly went national . for example , the national education association donated $ 2 million to we are ohio , while , the american federation of state , county , and municipal employees ( afscme ) and the communication workers of american kicked in more than $ 1 million apiece . as election day draws near , those who support senate bill 5 have also attracted out- of-state assistance . citizens united , the group whose legal challenge led to the watershed 2010 supreme court campaign finance decision , spent $ 100,000 on pro-senate bill 5 commercials . why all this national interest in an ohio issue ? former house speaker tip o'neill was famous for saying that all politics is local . ' well , in ohio , all politics is also national . ohio is the quintessential swing state . although shrinking in population relative to the rest of the country ( after the 2010 census , the buckeye state lost two seats in congress ) , ohio 's electoral vote total is seen by the republicans and the democrats as being both up-for-grabs , and crucial to putting together an electoral majority . it is no accident , therefore , that since becoming president , obama has visited ohio more than any other state . still , president obama 's laser-like focus on ohio has yielded little in the way of political support for him or his party . during the 2010 midterm election , democrats in ohio were swept out of power . republicans managed to capture the governor 's mansion and every other statewide office , 13 of the state 's 18 congressional seats ( a gain of 5 seats ) , and a majority in the ohio house of representatives ( they already controlled the ohio senate ) . republicans in ohio and nationwide saw in the results of the 2010 elections a mandate to trim back government at all levels . taking on public employee unions was a logical step in this plan . still , one ca n't ignore the fact that , in seeking to weaken public employee unions , the republicans were also taking on the very groups who would be expected to bankroll democrats in 2012 . but if senate bill 5 was fueled as much by politics as by ideology , the approach may have backfired . polls have shown senate bill 5 to be enormously unpopular . even the bill 's supporters are not optimistic that it will survive tuesday 's vote . the fear now among republicans is not only that senate bill 5 will be repealed , but that organized labor in ohio will emerge from this victory newly energized and better positioned to achieve its goals . this will not bode well for the gop in 2012 . there is a fascinating historical parallel to all of this . back in 1958 , business owners in ohio got together and placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the state 's ballot that would have made ohio a right-to-work state . the proposal was soundly defeated , with 60 % of the voters rejecting the measure . the voters of ohio , however , did not just vote against the amendment ; they also voted against the republican party that was seen to have backed the measure . in the election of 1958 , the incumbent republican governor , a longtime republican senator and nearly every statewide republican office holder went down in defeat . polls showing senate bill 5 losing by nearly the same margin as the 1958 right-to-work measure ought to be sending chills down the spines of buckeye republicans . of course , gov . kasich and the other statewide office holders who were elected in 2010 are not on the ballot this tuesday , and in fact will not have to face the voters again until 2014 . but there will be a republican presidential candidate on the ballot next year . it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself . since no one has been elected president in more than 50 years without winning ohio , it may well be that vote to repeal senate bill 5 in ohio helps determine who will be taking the presidential oath in january of 2013 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul sracic . | sracic : if the law is repealed , it may embolden and strengthen obama 's allies |
sracic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on tuesday , there will be a vote in ohio that may turn out to be the first major skirmish in the 2012 battle for the white house . at issue is a law known as senate bill 5 . the law , passed by the ohio legislature at the end of march , restricts the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining . even before the ink on ohio gov . john kasich 's signature on senate bill 5 had time to dry , public employee unions in ohio and their allies began the process of gathering the signatures necessary to invoke a provision in the ohio constitution that allows legislation to be placed before the state 's voters . within a few months , senate bill 5 opponents had managed to collect nearly 1 million valid signatures , more than three times what they needed to place the law on the november ballot . the campaign to repeal senate bill 5 , led by a group called we are ohio , ' quickly went national . for example , the national education association donated $ 2 million to we are ohio , while , the american federation of state , county , and municipal employees ( afscme ) and the communication workers of american kicked in more than $ 1 million apiece . as election day draws near , those who support senate bill 5 have also attracted out- of-state assistance . citizens united , the group whose legal challenge led to the watershed 2010 supreme court campaign finance decision , spent $ 100,000 on pro-senate bill 5 commercials . why all this national interest in an ohio issue ? former house speaker tip o'neill was famous for saying that all politics is local . ' well , in ohio , all politics is also national . ohio is the quintessential swing state . although shrinking in population relative to the rest of the country ( after the 2010 census , the buckeye state lost two seats in congress ) , ohio 's electoral vote total is seen by the republicans and the democrats as being both up-for-grabs , and crucial to putting together an electoral majority . it is no accident , therefore , that since becoming president , obama has visited ohio more than any other state . still , president obama 's laser-like focus on ohio has yielded little in the way of political support for him or his party . during the 2010 midterm election , democrats in ohio were swept out of power . republicans managed to capture the governor 's mansion and every other statewide office , 13 of the state 's 18 congressional seats ( a gain of 5 seats ) , and a majority in the ohio house of representatives ( they already controlled the ohio senate ) . republicans in ohio and nationwide saw in the results of the 2010 elections a mandate to trim back government at all levels . taking on public employee unions was a logical step in this plan . still , one ca n't ignore the fact that , in seeking to weaken public employee unions , the republicans were also taking on the very groups who would be expected to bankroll democrats in 2012 . but if senate bill 5 was fueled as much by politics as by ideology , the approach may have backfired . polls have shown senate bill 5 to be enormously unpopular . even the bill 's supporters are not optimistic that it will survive tuesday 's vote . the fear now among republicans is not only that senate bill 5 will be repealed , but that organized labor in ohio will emerge from this victory newly energized and better positioned to achieve its goals . this will not bode well for the gop in 2012 . there is a fascinating historical parallel to all of this . back in 1958 , business owners in ohio got together and placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the state 's ballot that would have made ohio a right-to-work state . the proposal was soundly defeated , with 60 % of the voters rejecting the measure . the voters of ohio , however , did not just vote against the amendment ; they also voted against the republican party that was seen to have backed the measure . in the election of 1958 , the incumbent republican governor , a longtime republican senator and nearly every statewide republican office holder went down in defeat . polls showing senate bill 5 losing by nearly the same margin as the 1958 right-to-work measure ought to be sending chills down the spines of buckeye republicans . of course , gov . kasich and the other statewide office holders who were elected in 2010 are not on the ballot this tuesday , and in fact will not have to face the voters again until 2014 . but there will be a republican presidential candidate on the ballot next year . it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself . since no one has been elected president in more than 50 years without winning ohio , it may well be that vote to repeal senate bill 5 in ohio helps determine who will be taking the presidential oath in january of 2013 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul sracic . | paul sracic says the battle over the repeal could be first skirmish in 2012 election |
senate bill 5 <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on tuesday , there will be a vote in ohio that may turn out to be the first major skirmish in the 2012 battle for the white house . at issue is a law known as senate bill 5 . the law , passed by the ohio legislature at the end of march , restricts the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining . even before the ink on ohio gov . john kasich 's signature on senate bill 5 had time to dry , public employee unions in ohio and their allies began the process of gathering the signatures necessary to invoke a provision in the ohio constitution that allows legislation to be placed before the state 's voters . within a few months , senate bill 5 opponents had managed to collect nearly 1 million valid signatures , more than three times what they needed to place the law on the november ballot . the campaign to repeal senate bill 5 , led by a group called we are ohio , ' quickly went national . for example , the national education association donated $ 2 million to we are ohio , while , the american federation of state , county , and municipal employees ( afscme ) and the communication workers of american kicked in more than $ 1 million apiece . as election day draws near , those who support senate bill 5 have also attracted out- of-state assistance . citizens united , the group whose legal challenge led to the watershed 2010 supreme court campaign finance decision , spent $ 100,000 on pro-senate bill 5 commercials . why all this national interest in an ohio issue ? former house speaker tip o'neill was famous for saying that all politics is local . ' well , in ohio , all politics is also national . ohio is the quintessential swing state . although shrinking in population relative to the rest of the country ( after the 2010 census , the buckeye state lost two seats in congress ) , ohio 's electoral vote total is seen by the republicans and the democrats as being both up-for-grabs , and crucial to putting together an electoral majority . it is no accident , therefore , that since becoming president , obama has visited ohio more than any other state . still , president obama 's laser-like focus on ohio has yielded little in the way of political support for him or his party . during the 2010 midterm election , democrats in ohio were swept out of power . republicans managed to capture the governor 's mansion and every other statewide office , 13 of the state 's 18 congressional seats ( a gain of 5 seats ) , and a majority in the ohio house of representatives ( they already controlled the ohio senate ) . republicans in ohio and nationwide saw in the results of the 2010 elections a mandate to trim back government at all levels . taking on public employee unions was a logical step in this plan . still , one ca n't ignore the fact that , in seeking to weaken public employee unions , the republicans were also taking on the very groups who would be expected to bankroll democrats in 2012 . but if senate bill 5 was fueled as much by politics as by ideology , the approach may have backfired . polls have shown senate bill 5 to be enormously unpopular . even the bill 's supporters are not optimistic that it will survive tuesday 's vote . the fear now among republicans is not only that senate bill 5 will be repealed , but that organized labor in ohio will emerge from this victory newly energized and better positioned to achieve its goals . this will not bode well for the gop in 2012 . there is a fascinating historical parallel to all of this . back in 1958 , business owners in ohio got together and placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the state 's ballot that would have made ohio a right-to-work state . the proposal was soundly defeated , with 60 % of the voters rejecting the measure . the voters of ohio , however , did not just vote against the amendment ; they also voted against the republican party that was seen to have backed the measure . in the election of 1958 , the incumbent republican governor , a longtime republican senator and nearly every statewide republican office holder went down in defeat . polls showing senate bill 5 losing by nearly the same margin as the 1958 right-to-work measure ought to be sending chills down the spines of buckeye republicans . of course , gov . kasich and the other statewide office holders who were elected in 2010 are not on the ballot this tuesday , and in fact will not have to face the voters again until 2014 . but there will be a republican presidential candidate on the ballot next year . it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself . since no one has been elected president in more than 50 years without winning ohio , it may well be that vote to repeal senate bill 5 in ohio helps determine who will be taking the presidential oath in january of 2013 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul sracic . | ohioans will vote tuesday on whether to repeal senate bill 5 |
democrats <tsp> ( cnn ) -- on tuesday , there will be a vote in ohio that may turn out to be the first major skirmish in the 2012 battle for the white house . at issue is a law known as senate bill 5 . the law , passed by the ohio legislature at the end of march , restricts the ability of public employees to engage in collective bargaining . even before the ink on ohio gov . john kasich 's signature on senate bill 5 had time to dry , public employee unions in ohio and their allies began the process of gathering the signatures necessary to invoke a provision in the ohio constitution that allows legislation to be placed before the state 's voters . within a few months , senate bill 5 opponents had managed to collect nearly 1 million valid signatures , more than three times what they needed to place the law on the november ballot . the campaign to repeal senate bill 5 , led by a group called we are ohio , ' quickly went national . for example , the national education association donated $ 2 million to we are ohio , while , the american federation of state , county , and municipal employees ( afscme ) and the communication workers of american kicked in more than $ 1 million apiece . as election day draws near , those who support senate bill 5 have also attracted out- of-state assistance . citizens united , the group whose legal challenge led to the watershed 2010 supreme court campaign finance decision , spent $ 100,000 on pro-senate bill 5 commercials . why all this national interest in an ohio issue ? former house speaker tip o'neill was famous for saying that all politics is local . ' well , in ohio , all politics is also national . ohio is the quintessential swing state . although shrinking in population relative to the rest of the country ( after the 2010 census , the buckeye state lost two seats in congress ) , ohio 's electoral vote total is seen by the republicans and the democrats as being both up-for-grabs , and crucial to putting together an electoral majority . it is no accident , therefore , that since becoming president , obama has visited ohio more than any other state . still , president obama 's laser-like focus on ohio has yielded little in the way of political support for him or his party . during the 2010 midterm election , democrats in ohio were swept out of power . republicans managed to capture the governor 's mansion and every other statewide office , 13 of the state 's 18 congressional seats ( a gain of 5 seats ) , and a majority in the ohio house of representatives ( they already controlled the ohio senate ) . republicans in ohio and nationwide saw in the results of the 2010 elections a mandate to trim back government at all levels . taking on public employee unions was a logical step in this plan . still , one ca n't ignore the fact that , in seeking to weaken public employee unions , the republicans were also taking on the very groups who would be expected to bankroll democrats in 2012 . but if senate bill 5 was fueled as much by politics as by ideology , the approach may have backfired . polls have shown senate bill 5 to be enormously unpopular . even the bill 's supporters are not optimistic that it will survive tuesday 's vote . the fear now among republicans is not only that senate bill 5 will be repealed , but that organized labor in ohio will emerge from this victory newly energized and better positioned to achieve its goals . this will not bode well for the gop in 2012 . there is a fascinating historical parallel to all of this . back in 1958 , business owners in ohio got together and placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the state 's ballot that would have made ohio a right-to-work state . the proposal was soundly defeated , with 60 % of the voters rejecting the measure . the voters of ohio , however , did not just vote against the amendment ; they also voted against the republican party that was seen to have backed the measure . in the election of 1958 , the incumbent republican governor , a longtime republican senator and nearly every statewide republican office holder went down in defeat . polls showing senate bill 5 losing by nearly the same margin as the 1958 right-to-work measure ought to be sending chills down the spines of buckeye republicans . of course , gov . kasich and the other statewide office holders who were elected in 2010 are not on the ballot this tuesday , and in fact will not have to face the voters again until 2014 . but there will be a republican presidential candidate on the ballot next year . it will be interesting to see if history repeats itself . since no one has been elected president in more than 50 years without winning ohio , it may well be that vote to repeal senate bill 5 in ohio helps determine who will be taking the presidential oath in january of 2013 . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of paul sracic . | he says unions and democrats mobilized to repeal law restricting collective bargaining |
o'neill <tsp> ( cnn ) the former navy seal who says he fired the shot that killed osama bin laden says he does n't care if people believe him . the most important thing that i 've learned in the last two years is to me it does n't matter anymore if i am'the shooter .'the team got him , ' robert o'neill said in an audio interview with freelance journalist alex quade , a former cnn correspondent , that aired friday on cnn 's ac360 . ' regardless of the negativity that comes with it , i do n't give a f * * * . we got him . ' ac360 ' obtained the audio interview from quade , who conducted a series of interviews with o'neill over the past 18 months . the killing of bin laden will go down in history , o'neill said . but i do n't care if i 'm'the shooter ,'and there are people who think i 'm not . so whatever . ' the audio interview follows an interview published this week in the washington post , in which o'neill publicly identified himself as the seal who killed the leader of al qaeda in 2011 . the 38-year-old o'neill had previously revealed details of the mission to esquire magazine . but he was hesitant to attach his name to the account until his identity was linked to the story on a military blog earlier this week without his consent . o'neill told the post that other seal team members were involved in the raid , including matt bissonnette , who detailed the group 's experiences in his memoir , no easy day , ' written under the pseudonym mark owen . o'neill , who had been serving as a seal for 15 years at the time of the bin laden raid , had participated in other missions , but he said he feared this mission would be his most difficult . in the audio interview with quade , he said the members of seal team six talked about the september 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . he and other team members believed they would not return alive from the mission to get bin laden . well , you have to go pump yourself up to go die . so we would talk about this , ' o'neill said . ... ( it was a ) group of guys who knew time on earth was up , so you could be honest with each other . and we all accepted and nobody was afraid . it was really cool . ' he also said when he identified himself as the shooter to the families of 9/11 victims , they thanked him for closure . he died afraid , and he knew we were there to kill him . and that 's closure , ' he said in the audio interview . did robert o'neill really kill bin laden ? o'neill 's move to go public is a controversial one , as it violates an unspoken military rule : do n't seek attention for your service . we do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety or financial gain , ' said an october 31 letter to the naval special warfare ranks from commanding officer b.l . losey and force master sgt . m.l . margaraci . in the audio interview , o'neill says he believes some details about the bin laden mission , such as how he was killed , were no longer classified because they had been repeatedly leaked in the aftermath by high-level officials . once anyone says anything at that level , it 's not classified , ' he said . ... i was told by people that i ca n't even say i 'm a navy seal , so i do n't give a f * * * what they think . ' twenty-three seals and their interpreter launched the assault on the bin laden compound just after midnight on the morning of may 2 , 2011 . they shot and killed bin laden 's two bodyguards , one of bin laden 's sons and the wife of one of the bodyguards . they also wounded two other women . o'neill has told his story before in a lengthy profile in esquire in 2013 , in which o'neill was described not with his real name but only as the shooter . ' in the esquire piece , o'neill/the shooter was said to have encountered al qaeda 's leader face-to-face in the top-floor bedroom of the compound in abbottabad where he had been hiding for more than five years . the shooter said the al qaeda leader was standing up and had a gun within reach , ' and it was only then that the shooter fired two shots into bin laden 's forehead , killing him . that account was in conflict with the narrative in no easy day . ' another member of the secretive seal team 6 , which executed the bin laden raid , told cnn 's peter bergen the story of the shooter as presented in esquire is false . according to this serving seal team 6 operator , the story is complete bs . ' but in the audio interview , o'neill dismissed the criticism . even now , i mean , there are guys now saying that i am full of s * * * , ' he said . ... you only know what you were told unless you were in the room . and unfortunately for me , there was two people in the room , and one of us is dead and that 's osama bin laden . ' cnn 's slma shelbayah , peter bergen , anderson cooper , jack gray and charlie moore contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | o'neill says in an audio interview that he does n't care about the criticism |
o'neill <tsp> ( cnn ) the former navy seal who says he fired the shot that killed osama bin laden says he does n't care if people believe him . the most important thing that i 've learned in the last two years is to me it does n't matter anymore if i am'the shooter .'the team got him , ' robert o'neill said in an audio interview with freelance journalist alex quade , a former cnn correspondent , that aired friday on cnn 's ac360 . ' regardless of the negativity that comes with it , i do n't give a f * * * . we got him . ' ac360 ' obtained the audio interview from quade , who conducted a series of interviews with o'neill over the past 18 months . the killing of bin laden will go down in history , o'neill said . but i do n't care if i 'm'the shooter ,'and there are people who think i 'm not . so whatever . ' the audio interview follows an interview published this week in the washington post , in which o'neill publicly identified himself as the seal who killed the leader of al qaeda in 2011 . the 38-year-old o'neill had previously revealed details of the mission to esquire magazine . but he was hesitant to attach his name to the account until his identity was linked to the story on a military blog earlier this week without his consent . o'neill told the post that other seal team members were involved in the raid , including matt bissonnette , who detailed the group 's experiences in his memoir , no easy day , ' written under the pseudonym mark owen . o'neill , who had been serving as a seal for 15 years at the time of the bin laden raid , had participated in other missions , but he said he feared this mission would be his most difficult . in the audio interview with quade , he said the members of seal team six talked about the september 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . he and other team members believed they would not return alive from the mission to get bin laden . well , you have to go pump yourself up to go die . so we would talk about this , ' o'neill said . ... ( it was a ) group of guys who knew time on earth was up , so you could be honest with each other . and we all accepted and nobody was afraid . it was really cool . ' he also said when he identified himself as the shooter to the families of 9/11 victims , they thanked him for closure . he died afraid , and he knew we were there to kill him . and that 's closure , ' he said in the audio interview . did robert o'neill really kill bin laden ? o'neill 's move to go public is a controversial one , as it violates an unspoken military rule : do n't seek attention for your service . we do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety or financial gain , ' said an october 31 letter to the naval special warfare ranks from commanding officer b.l . losey and force master sgt . m.l . margaraci . in the audio interview , o'neill says he believes some details about the bin laden mission , such as how he was killed , were no longer classified because they had been repeatedly leaked in the aftermath by high-level officials . once anyone says anything at that level , it 's not classified , ' he said . ... i was told by people that i ca n't even say i 'm a navy seal , so i do n't give a f * * * what they think . ' twenty-three seals and their interpreter launched the assault on the bin laden compound just after midnight on the morning of may 2 , 2011 . they shot and killed bin laden 's two bodyguards , one of bin laden 's sons and the wife of one of the bodyguards . they also wounded two other women . o'neill has told his story before in a lengthy profile in esquire in 2013 , in which o'neill was described not with his real name but only as the shooter . ' in the esquire piece , o'neill/the shooter was said to have encountered al qaeda 's leader face-to-face in the top-floor bedroom of the compound in abbottabad where he had been hiding for more than five years . the shooter said the al qaeda leader was standing up and had a gun within reach , ' and it was only then that the shooter fired two shots into bin laden 's forehead , killing him . that account was in conflict with the narrative in no easy day . ' another member of the secretive seal team 6 , which executed the bin laden raid , told cnn 's peter bergen the story of the shooter as presented in esquire is false . according to this serving seal team 6 operator , the story is complete bs . ' but in the audio interview , o'neill dismissed the criticism . even now , i mean , there are guys now saying that i am full of s * * * , ' he said . ... you only know what you were told unless you were in the room . and unfortunately for me , there was two people in the room , and one of us is dead and that 's osama bin laden . ' cnn 's slma shelbayah , peter bergen , anderson cooper , jack gray and charlie moore contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | o'neill , 38 , gave the interview to former cnn correspondent alex quade |
o'neill <tsp> ( cnn ) the former navy seal who says he fired the shot that killed osama bin laden says he does n't care if people believe him . the most important thing that i 've learned in the last two years is to me it does n't matter anymore if i am'the shooter .'the team got him , ' robert o'neill said in an audio interview with freelance journalist alex quade , a former cnn correspondent , that aired friday on cnn 's ac360 . ' regardless of the negativity that comes with it , i do n't give a f * * * . we got him . ' ac360 ' obtained the audio interview from quade , who conducted a series of interviews with o'neill over the past 18 months . the killing of bin laden will go down in history , o'neill said . but i do n't care if i 'm'the shooter ,'and there are people who think i 'm not . so whatever . ' the audio interview follows an interview published this week in the washington post , in which o'neill publicly identified himself as the seal who killed the leader of al qaeda in 2011 . the 38-year-old o'neill had previously revealed details of the mission to esquire magazine . but he was hesitant to attach his name to the account until his identity was linked to the story on a military blog earlier this week without his consent . o'neill told the post that other seal team members were involved in the raid , including matt bissonnette , who detailed the group 's experiences in his memoir , no easy day , ' written under the pseudonym mark owen . o'neill , who had been serving as a seal for 15 years at the time of the bin laden raid , had participated in other missions , but he said he feared this mission would be his most difficult . in the audio interview with quade , he said the members of seal team six talked about the september 11 , 2001 , terror attacks . he and other team members believed they would not return alive from the mission to get bin laden . well , you have to go pump yourself up to go die . so we would talk about this , ' o'neill said . ... ( it was a ) group of guys who knew time on earth was up , so you could be honest with each other . and we all accepted and nobody was afraid . it was really cool . ' he also said when he identified himself as the shooter to the families of 9/11 victims , they thanked him for closure . he died afraid , and he knew we were there to kill him . and that 's closure , ' he said in the audio interview . did robert o'neill really kill bin laden ? o'neill 's move to go public is a controversial one , as it violates an unspoken military rule : do n't seek attention for your service . we do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety or financial gain , ' said an october 31 letter to the naval special warfare ranks from commanding officer b.l . losey and force master sgt . m.l . margaraci . in the audio interview , o'neill says he believes some details about the bin laden mission , such as how he was killed , were no longer classified because they had been repeatedly leaked in the aftermath by high-level officials . once anyone says anything at that level , it 's not classified , ' he said . ... i was told by people that i ca n't even say i 'm a navy seal , so i do n't give a f * * * what they think . ' twenty-three seals and their interpreter launched the assault on the bin laden compound just after midnight on the morning of may 2 , 2011 . they shot and killed bin laden 's two bodyguards , one of bin laden 's sons and the wife of one of the bodyguards . they also wounded two other women . o'neill has told his story before in a lengthy profile in esquire in 2013 , in which o'neill was described not with his real name but only as the shooter . ' in the esquire piece , o'neill/the shooter was said to have encountered al qaeda 's leader face-to-face in the top-floor bedroom of the compound in abbottabad where he had been hiding for more than five years . the shooter said the al qaeda leader was standing up and had a gun within reach , ' and it was only then that the shooter fired two shots into bin laden 's forehead , killing him . that account was in conflict with the narrative in no easy day . ' another member of the secretive seal team 6 , which executed the bin laden raid , told cnn 's peter bergen the story of the shooter as presented in esquire is false . according to this serving seal team 6 operator , the story is complete bs . ' but in the audio interview , o'neill dismissed the criticism . even now , i mean , there are guys now saying that i am full of s * * * , ' he said . ... you only know what you were told unless you were in the room . and unfortunately for me , there was two people in the room , and one of us is dead and that 's osama bin laden . ' cnn 's slma shelbayah , peter bergen , anderson cooper , jack gray and charlie moore contributed to this report . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 8pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | robert o'neill says he was told he ca n't even identify himself as a navy seal |
congress <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cnn and the cartoon network 's presentation of the ac360â° special feature , the bully effect , ' spotlight a serious issue affecting children across our nation . the film underscores the damaging consequences of bullying and the need to prevent and respond to it . lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that our schools are safe , which is why i have made addressing this problem a priority in the united states senate . i firmly believe that all children have a right to an education free from fear of being bullied . the denial of this basic right is a betrayal of children who simply want to learn . anderson cooper : say no to bullying the impact of bullying for students and for our nation are severe . in an era when a quality education matters greatly in a competitive global economy , students must be able to focus on their studies . bullying distracts students who worry more about surviving the day unscathed than about the grades on their report card . research has indicated that bullying causes increased absenteeism , dropout rates and academic underachievement , all of which undermine a child 's ability to succeed in the classroom and beyond . i am particularly disturbed by stories of bullied youth who feel powerless to change their situation and who choose not to seek help from adults . a recent report from a newspaper in my home state of pennsylvania told the story of a 12-year-old boy who regularly asks his parents not to report when he has been bullied because he fears possible retaliation . rather than speak up about the threatening environment at school , he felt that his only option was to keep quiet or risk making things worse . putting an end to bullying will require a consistent message from adults , including lawmakers , that young people can make a real difference in their lives and the lives of others when they speak up about bullying and harassment . recently , i reintroduced bipartisan legislation to help prevent bullying and harassment -- the safe schools improvement act . my bill , which i 'm proposing with co-sponsor sen. mark kirk , r-illinois , will require school districts that receive federal funding to develop codes of conduct that specifically ban bullying and harassment . this includes cyberbullying and bullying based on a student 's actual or perceived race , color , national origin , sex , disability , sexual orientation , gender identity or religion . at the end of the 112th congress , 41 senators had joined senator kirk and me in supporting this important , commonsense legislation . a new study found that the psychological side effects of bullying can extend up to a decade after the harassment has ended . moreover , this elevated risk of mental health effects occurs not only with victims of bullying but also with the bullies themselves . faced with the possibility of such far reaching consequences , it is more important than ever that we put a stop to the intimidation of our youth . i applaud those who are already working to make schools a place where all children can achieve their full potential without fear of being bullied , and i urge my colleagues in congress to work with me in passing the safe schools improvement act . watch the ac360 special documentary , the bully effect , ' on march 3 and march 9 at 8 p.m . et on cnn . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of robert casey . watch anderson cooper 360° weeknights 10pm et . for the latest from ac360° click here . | casey : i urge my colleagues in congress to pass the safe schools improvement act |
michigan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after 25 years , robin thomas had just about lost hope . her brother , jim wolf , suffers from depression , alcoholism , unresolved grief and chronic homelessness , she says . no one disputes wolf has been arrested dozens and dozens of times , mostly for misdemeanors such as public intoxication . thomas says her brother lives in survival mode ' and nearly died after an altercation with a bouncer left him with a crushed sternum and broken foot , she says . recently , wolf was featured in a fundraising video created by rob bliss for dégagé ministries . the group provides shelter , meals and other services daily to more than 400 homeless people in grand rapids , michigan . wolf is one of their regular clients . the video features wolf getting a makeover that included a haircut with highlights , beard grooming and a beautiful new suit . the video received more than 14 million views in just a few weeks and helped raise more than $ 30,000 for dégagé ministries . bliss says his hope was for the makeover to provide a start down a new path . thomas says wolf has started on that path before . it 's our hope he 'll take steps , ' thomas says . the makeover took a couple of hours . he 's had alcoholism for 25 years . ' wolf joined the u.s. army at age 18 and spent a few years in the national guard . thomas says wolf trained to deploy with an infantry unit but never deployed . she does n't know exactly how many years he served . the nation 's homeless veterans are predominantly male , according the department of veterans affairs . the majority are single , live in urban areas and suffer from mental illness , alcohol and/or substance abuse , or co-occurring disorders . about 13 % of the adult homeless population are veterans . thomas says wolf never saw combat ; she suspects the life event that continues to haunt him was the sudden death of their mother . but that , his sister says , was years ago . neither thomas nor bliss seemed surprised or anxious when wolf was arrested shortly after the video was released . that wolf is drinking but not using drugs is something of a relief . if he gets arrested fewer times this year than last , that 's progress , ' bliss says . thomas agrees . she does n't take responsibility for wolf or make excuses for him . when speaking of her brother , she seems quiet , respectful and a bit sad . she knows he is not the same big brother who was there for her growing up . she does n't question why her three other brothers have been less involved in helping wolf than she is . she says wolf is a great guy , has always been a great guy , but he 's never dealt with the reality of the havoc he 's created . since the video was posted , people have shown willingness to help in various ways , bliss and thomas say . dentists , rehabilitation facilities and doctors have offered assistance . wolf was recently interviewed for a spot at a long-term residential treatment facility and received a complete physical , thomas said . this week , he visited the hairstylist who cut his hair in the video for a trim . he shows people his picture in the paper , ' thomas says . he 's always sought attention , whether it 's by telling a joke or leaving a cabinet door open while passing through the kitchen . ' she knows all these things are good things . she also admits that perhaps the video did not give wolf the glimpse into the future ' that others had hoped . he did not view it as a life-changing event , thomas says . walking into dégagé ministries this week , thomas says , she had the sudden realization that the day center held 300 jims . ' my hope for him is to get clean and sober , ' she said , then get help with his depression . and for him to gain back hopefulness . i think he 's hopeless . i do n't think he can see the trees through the forest . ' as for the rest of us who will click on the video , then later in the day walk by a man or woman holding a sign , or huddling in a cardboard box , thomas hopes we will be willing to extend a hand of support instead of a dollar bill . volunteer to give them some purpose . talk to them . have a simple conversation , ' she said . i may have almost lost hope , but i will never give up . ' | it helped raise more than $ 30,000 for homeless mission in grand rapids , michigan |
nidetch <tsp> ( cnn ) combining healthy eating with moral support , jean nidetch became a heavyweight in the weight-loss industry . the founder of weight watchers died wednesday at her home in florida . she was 91 . what would become weight watchers started as a group of friends meeting in her queens , new york , living room in 1961 . nidetch described herself as an overweight housewife obsessed with cookies . ' after countless fad diets , nidetch figured that accountability was the key to keeping the weight off . at the time , she was 38 years old and weighed more than 200 pounds . her guiding philosophy : it 's choice -- not chance -- that determines your destiny . ' through the program of regular weigh-ins , peer support and accountability , not only did nidetch lose 72 pounds , but she inspired millions more to shed pounds too . she officially launched weight watchers in 1963 and took the company public five years later . jean was an inspiration and an innovator who leaves behind a legacy and program that has positively impacted the health and well-being of millions of people around the world , ' said jim chambers , president and ceo weight watchers international . it is our honor and responsibility to carry on her legacy to help more people to transform their lives . ' | nidetch 's philosophy : it 's choice -- not chance -- that determines your destiny ' |
nidetch <tsp> ( cnn ) combining healthy eating with moral support , jean nidetch became a heavyweight in the weight-loss industry . the founder of weight watchers died wednesday at her home in florida . she was 91 . what would become weight watchers started as a group of friends meeting in her queens , new york , living room in 1961 . nidetch described herself as an overweight housewife obsessed with cookies . ' after countless fad diets , nidetch figured that accountability was the key to keeping the weight off . at the time , she was 38 years old and weighed more than 200 pounds . her guiding philosophy : it 's choice -- not chance -- that determines your destiny . ' through the program of regular weigh-ins , peer support and accountability , not only did nidetch lose 72 pounds , but she inspired millions more to shed pounds too . she officially launched weight watchers in 1963 and took the company public five years later . jean was an inspiration and an innovator who leaves behind a legacy and program that has positively impacted the health and well-being of millions of people around the world , ' said jim chambers , president and ceo weight watchers international . it is our honor and responsibility to carry on her legacy to help more people to transform their lives . ' | jean nidetch started weight watchers in 1963 |
weight watchers <tsp> ( cnn ) combining healthy eating with moral support , jean nidetch became a heavyweight in the weight-loss industry . the founder of weight watchers died wednesday at her home in florida . she was 91 . what would become weight watchers started as a group of friends meeting in her queens , new york , living room in 1961 . nidetch described herself as an overweight housewife obsessed with cookies . ' after countless fad diets , nidetch figured that accountability was the key to keeping the weight off . at the time , she was 38 years old and weighed more than 200 pounds . her guiding philosophy : it 's choice -- not chance -- that determines your destiny . ' through the program of regular weigh-ins , peer support and accountability , not only did nidetch lose 72 pounds , but she inspired millions more to shed pounds too . she officially launched weight watchers in 1963 and took the company public five years later . jean was an inspiration and an innovator who leaves behind a legacy and program that has positively impacted the health and well-being of millions of people around the world , ' said jim chambers , president and ceo weight watchers international . it is our honor and responsibility to carry on her legacy to help more people to transform their lives . ' | jean nidetch started weight watchers in 1963 |
tadashi shoji <tsp> ( cnn ) -- most oscar-bound celebrities spend the better part of that sunday prepping themselves for the cameras -- and the fashion critics . they get their hair , makeup and nails done , shimmy into the proper shapewear , adorn themselves with millions of dollars worth of jewelry , slip on a pair of stilettos , and zip up their one-of-a-kind gowns . yet , seconds after they step onto the red carpet , we 've already decided whether or not their primping paid off . while it takes a mere moment to wind up on the worst-dressed list , it takes a stunning comeback , or two , before redemption is bestowed . and with everything that goes into achieving a best-dressed ' -worthy look , attendees are lucky they have an entire season to perfect their red carpet style . each awards show has a different personality style-wise , and people have learned to dress accordingly , ' said sarah bernard , host of the thread ' on yahoo ! 's shine . the academy awards calls for classic , formal attire , she said , but celebrities can have a little more fun with the golden globes , the screen actors guild awards and the grammy awards , which allow for edgier ensembles . but even a classic look is n't a surefire way to keep the scrutiny at bay . see , not taking a fashion risk is a risk in itself , bernard said , adding , it 's important to mix it up . ' gallery : golden globe couture that 's exactly what bridesmaids'' actress rose byrne did when she showed up at the sag awards wearing an elie saab jumpsuit . it 's so great to see anybody step out of the box and do something not so traditional , ' said stylist to the stars nicole chavez , whose clients include rachel bilson , scarlett johansson and kristen bell . ( celebrities ) do n't take as many risks on the carpet as they should . ... because people are so quick to criticize , they 're more careful about their selections . ' but red carpet couture is n't about setting a trend . it 's about wearing something flattering in a style you love , said the new mom , who has n't outfitted anyone this awards season . one red-carpet regular who has stunned this season , wearing gowns that complement her shape , is the help 's ' octavia spencer , said yahoo ! 's bernard . and with so many nominations for best actress in a supporting role -- she won the award at the globes and the sag awards , among other shows -- spencer is being watched closely . the actress has developed a relationship with tadashi shoji , the japanese designer behind the lavender gown she wore to the globes , and the silver number she donned for the sag awards . my mom always taught us to dance with the one that brung ya , and ( shoji ) gave me a lot of clothes while we were on ( the help ' ) publicity tour , ' spencer told e ! it 's common for a celebrity to have a relationship with certain designers , bernard said , referencing charlize theron , who wore a standout pale pink dior gown to the globes . ( theron is a spokesperson for dior . ) bernard anticipates that spencer will continue her classy and fashion forward ' streak at the academy awards on sunday , possibly with another shoji creation . gallery : couture at the screen actors guild awards ' the red carpet is a very intense situation , and you want to be comfortable out there , ' chavez said . if you 're confident and comfortable , it reads . it you 're uncomfortable , no matter how beautiful your dress is , it can end up not working . ' the potential for discomfort is one reason footwear expert meghan cleary says shoes are the most important part of any red carpet look . ( shoes ) have the biggest effect on how you feel , ' said cleary , the author of shoe are you ? ' they have an actual physiological effect on you -- the way you walk and carry yourself , and the way you stand . ' even for the academy awards , which calls for mostly floor-length gowns , shoes are still in the game , ' she said . cleary expects most shoes on oscar night to be delicate stiletto sandals , with jewels and metallic detail . a lot of times the shoe becomes part of the jewelry . ' and with so much focus on the dress , shoes become a way for celebrities to experiment , and maybe take a fashion risk . cleary says pairing a purple metallic stiletto with a red dress would create a fashion-forward and edgy formal look . i say go for it . kudos to you , ' she said . but will you be excoriated on the red carpet for that ? i do n't know . ' as a celebrity stylist , chavez says she gravitates toward the rich colors during awards season , because the hues tend to show off detail better than pastels or black numbers . plus , she said , publications are more likely to run photos of stars wearing bright-colored gowns -- like the scarlet valentino that michelle williams wore to the sag awards . the saturated , rich jewel tones are all over the red carpet this season , like the jade green oscar de la renta dress emily blunt wore to the sag awards , or the fuchsia marchesa gown sofia vergara donned the same night . on the flip side , nude-colored gowns have also been all the rage this awards season -- jessica biel , kristen wiig and piper perabo have all tried out the trend , somewhat unsuccessfully . ( each celebrity ended up on at least one media outlet 's worst-dressed list , in addition to getting burned on e ! 's fashion police . ' ) a nude gown is so incredibly stunning in real life , yet , just does n't translate on tv or in photos , ' chavez said . just because a gown looks good in person , she added , it does n't mean it will translate for the cameras , which is why chavez always photographs her clients in a gown before a final decision is made . chavez said she expects to see a mix of vibrant , nude and sherbet colors take over at the academy awards . but she 's excited to see what some of the newcomers will pull out on the carpet . there are a bunch of ... cool , young , beautiful girls experimenting with fashion , ' she said , giving a nod to rooney mara , who has been playing with cutouts and black and white . in the end , any celebrity can end up on a list of best- or worst-dressed stars . but the fashionistas who push the envelope are the ones we 'll be talking about long after awards season . | the help 's ' octavia spencer has stunned in tadashi shoji gowns |
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