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the haunting in connecticut <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the box office fright flick the haunting in connecticut ' earned $ 23 million and a second-place ranking the first weekend of its release , satiating the moviegoer appetite for psychological thrills . carmen reed 's family lived in a former funeral home . their stories inspired the haunting in connecticut . ' but what is entertainment for many was reportedly true life for carmen reed , who insists on using her maiden name to protect her children and grandchildren . reed , her husband and four children rented an old colonial home in southington , connecticut , in the mid-1980s in order to be close to a hospital where her 13-year-old son was receiving cancer treatment . soon after , two nieces also joined them in the house that they learned had once been a funeral home . it was n't long before that son began telling stories about noises he 'd heard and visions he 'd seen , including the one of the tall , thin man with long jet-black hair ' whom the boy said he saw every night , reed said . i was the biggest skeptic of all , ' she explained . i put my son in a mental hospital because i did n't believe him . ' watch reed talk about life in a haunted house » reed sat down with cnn to talk about the spooky stories that later became her own and how what her family experienced inspired a blockbuster film . cnn : tell me more about sending your son to a mental institution , where he arrived in a straitjacket and where you say he stayed for 45 days . why did you do this , and what happened next ? carmen reed : at first i thought it was his cancer treatment . ... i took him to a psychologist , but he got darker and darker . and this one time , he got so bad , he attacked my niece . ... an ambulance came and took him to a mental hospital . ... he was saying , mom , do n't leave me ! it 's going to come after you now . ' and it did . cnn : you mentioned seeing a hand that grasped your niece and that mop water would turn a deep , dark red . what are some other things you saw or heard ? reed : mattresses would breathe . they had a pulse . ... there was the normal banging on walls , but it always came in threes . ... there was a deep , gravelly voice . cnn : and yet you stayed for two years ! if what you were experiencing did n't drive you to move away , what did ? reed : i could n't go to the grocery store without people telling me their ghost stories . i was usually there for three hours . cnn : you talk about how you read from the bible in an attempt to drive away demons . how did your experiences in this home influence your faith ? reed : i 've learned that most people just believe in this physical world . some people question if there is a god or angels or demons . i do n't need to question that . i found that answer in this house . cnn : are you still haunted by your experiences in that home ? reed : i do dream about it , and i remember things , but one of the biggest mottos i have is be not afraid . ' when people are afraid to go somewhere , i 'll go into the deepest , darkest part of it because i know i 'm not alone . cnn : you 've consulted on this new film and are writing a book about your story . why do you insist on using your maiden name ? reed : to protect my children . ... my daughter was more scarred by the publicity than she was by the house . and i have 11 grandchildren , and i want to protect them . cnn : what lesson do you hope people will take away from the film and the increased exposure to what you experienced in that connecticut home ? reed : leave the occult alone . you think you can control it , but it 's going to backfire on you . | big-screen thriller the haunting in connecticut ' is based on true story |
tiller <tsp> bellevue , nebraska ( cnn ) -- if leroy carhart 's abortion clinic had a terror alert scale , it would be at code red this weekend . anti-abortion protesters plan demonstrations this weekend outside dr. leroy carhart 's clinic in bellevue , nebraska . i feel safer on an airplane than i do in my clinic , ' carhart said , sitting at his desk in his windowless office in bellevue , nebraska . you try to think about every way an attack could happen . you try to do all you can to prevent it , but obviously dr. [ george ] tiller thought he was safe in church . ' it 's been nearly three months since tiller , one of the world 's most well-known doctors performing abortions , was shot in the head at point-blank range on may 31 as services began at reformation lutheran church in wichita , kansas . anti-abortion groups , led by operation rescue , plan to launch protests outside carhart 's clinic this weekend in bellevue , just south of omaha . they will be the first major anti-abortion protests since the tiller killing . the demonstrations are set to culminate saturday with so-called truth trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside carhart 's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods . protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected . operation rescue president troy newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media . his group scaled down plans to protest at carhart 's facility friday when it learned women 's rights groups , including the national organization for women , would be there . operation rescue will hold a rally at a church instead friday . operation rescue has said dr. carhart is the next target ... , ' said katherine spillar , executive vice president with the feminist majority foundation . we fear that these kinds of activities can eventually erupt in violence , and i urge the community to make sure violence does n't happen . ' abortion rights supporters were predominant in the 50 to 75 people gathered outside the clinic friday morning . welcome , welcome , this clinic stays open , ' some shouted when cars pulled into the clinic 's driveway . newman said earlier , i 'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up . i 'm very confident about our side . they 're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs . ' he said he abhorred the killing of tiller . shooting someone in the head in a church , ' he said , is not a pro-life act . sorry , it does n't qualify . ' scott roeder , a 51-year-old anti-abortion activist , is charged in tiller 's killing . he has pleaded not guilty . newman said he wants carhart shut down -- through legal means . he said he was confident his organization would have shut down tiller this summer through a legal battle . i vehemently disagreed with what mr. tiller did , as well as all abortionists for what they do . but they 're still human beings , and they deserve due process , ' newman said . tiller was one of about a dozen u.s. doctors who performed late-term abortions . in the wake of his death , his family decided to close his clinic permanently . carhart was a close friend and understudy of tiller 's . he performed abortions at tiller 's clinic for a week every month , including late-term procedures . carhart has vowed to open an office in kansas and said he 'll keep doing abortions as long as he 's healthy . he said he 's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades . about 400 of those were after 24 weeks , he said . staring across the room at a poster of tiller , he said , i do n't want his death to be in vain . he spent his whole life trying to ensure better health care for women . ' carhart was performing an abortion in his clinic when tiller was killed that sunday morning . he learned of the news by phone from tiller 's head nurse . that 's when she told me that george had been shot in church and that he was dead . ' carhart is unlike many abortion doctors . he 's does n't parse his words about his profession . the outside of his office has the name of his clinic in bold letters : abortion & contraception clinic of nebraska . he said he takes pride in the term abortionist . i do abortions , and that is what i do , ' he said . on friday , carhart teared up when talking about the abortion rights supporters outside his clinic . it 's unbelievable , ' he said of the support . mark gietzen , the driver of a truck for operation rescue , beamed with pride ahead of the protests . he stood outside his truck in wichita adorned with a poster showing the dismembered hand of a fetus on a quarter . across the top of the van , it reads , abortion is an obamanation.com . ' he said he knew tiller quite well ' from the vantage point of a peaceful common enemy over the years and said the killing was a setback for pro-lifers . ' he 's only had one encounter with carhart -- when the doctor drove his car by protesters and quacked like a duck . ' carhart acknowledges he might 've done that . gietzen 's message to carhart : please respect the life of the babies . stop the killing , stop committing such a horrible act for money . ' newman , the head of operation rescue , said he 'll keep praying carhart turns back to the healing arts and not taking babies'lives . ' carhart remains unmoved . when they 're ready to accept our position , then we 'll sit down . we say choice is right . if you do n't want to have an abortion , do n't have one . ' here in america 's heartland , a battle is being waged and both sides are entrenched . there is no middle ground . | dr. leroy carhart of nebraska was understudy of tiller 's |
tiller <tsp> bellevue , nebraska ( cnn ) -- if leroy carhart 's abortion clinic had a terror alert scale , it would be at code red this weekend . anti-abortion protesters plan demonstrations this weekend outside dr. leroy carhart 's clinic in bellevue , nebraska . i feel safer on an airplane than i do in my clinic , ' carhart said , sitting at his desk in his windowless office in bellevue , nebraska . you try to think about every way an attack could happen . you try to do all you can to prevent it , but obviously dr. [ george ] tiller thought he was safe in church . ' it 's been nearly three months since tiller , one of the world 's most well-known doctors performing abortions , was shot in the head at point-blank range on may 31 as services began at reformation lutheran church in wichita , kansas . anti-abortion groups , led by operation rescue , plan to launch protests outside carhart 's clinic this weekend in bellevue , just south of omaha . they will be the first major anti-abortion protests since the tiller killing . the demonstrations are set to culminate saturday with so-called truth trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside carhart 's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods . protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected . operation rescue president troy newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media . his group scaled down plans to protest at carhart 's facility friday when it learned women 's rights groups , including the national organization for women , would be there . operation rescue will hold a rally at a church instead friday . operation rescue has said dr. carhart is the next target ... , ' said katherine spillar , executive vice president with the feminist majority foundation . we fear that these kinds of activities can eventually erupt in violence , and i urge the community to make sure violence does n't happen . ' abortion rights supporters were predominant in the 50 to 75 people gathered outside the clinic friday morning . welcome , welcome , this clinic stays open , ' some shouted when cars pulled into the clinic 's driveway . newman said earlier , i 'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up . i 'm very confident about our side . they 're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs . ' he said he abhorred the killing of tiller . shooting someone in the head in a church , ' he said , is not a pro-life act . sorry , it does n't qualify . ' scott roeder , a 51-year-old anti-abortion activist , is charged in tiller 's killing . he has pleaded not guilty . newman said he wants carhart shut down -- through legal means . he said he was confident his organization would have shut down tiller this summer through a legal battle . i vehemently disagreed with what mr. tiller did , as well as all abortionists for what they do . but they 're still human beings , and they deserve due process , ' newman said . tiller was one of about a dozen u.s. doctors who performed late-term abortions . in the wake of his death , his family decided to close his clinic permanently . carhart was a close friend and understudy of tiller 's . he performed abortions at tiller 's clinic for a week every month , including late-term procedures . carhart has vowed to open an office in kansas and said he 'll keep doing abortions as long as he 's healthy . he said he 's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades . about 400 of those were after 24 weeks , he said . staring across the room at a poster of tiller , he said , i do n't want his death to be in vain . he spent his whole life trying to ensure better health care for women . ' carhart was performing an abortion in his clinic when tiller was killed that sunday morning . he learned of the news by phone from tiller 's head nurse . that 's when she told me that george had been shot in church and that he was dead . ' carhart is unlike many abortion doctors . he 's does n't parse his words about his profession . the outside of his office has the name of his clinic in bold letters : abortion & contraception clinic of nebraska . he said he takes pride in the term abortionist . i do abortions , and that is what i do , ' he said . on friday , carhart teared up when talking about the abortion rights supporters outside his clinic . it 's unbelievable , ' he said of the support . mark gietzen , the driver of a truck for operation rescue , beamed with pride ahead of the protests . he stood outside his truck in wichita adorned with a poster showing the dismembered hand of a fetus on a quarter . across the top of the van , it reads , abortion is an obamanation.com . ' he said he knew tiller quite well ' from the vantage point of a peaceful common enemy over the years and said the killing was a setback for pro-lifers . ' he 's only had one encounter with carhart -- when the doctor drove his car by protesters and quacked like a duck . ' carhart acknowledges he might 've done that . gietzen 's message to carhart : please respect the life of the babies . stop the killing , stop committing such a horrible act for money . ' newman , the head of operation rescue , said he 'll keep praying carhart turns back to the healing arts and not taking babies'lives . ' carhart remains unmoved . when they 're ready to accept our position , then we 'll sit down . we say choice is right . if you do n't want to have an abortion , do n't have one . ' here in america 's heartland , a battle is being waged and both sides are entrenched . there is no middle ground . | first major abortion protests set since killing of dr. george tiller in may |
navy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has captured seven suspected pirates in the gulf of aden , the first arrests by a u.s.-led task force set up to curb rampant piracy off the horn of africa , a navy spokesman said wednesday . seven men suspected of trying to pirate a tanker raise their hands before their arrest in the gulf of aden . sailors from the cruiser uss vella gulf arrested the men wednesday in the western gulf of aden -- a waterway between africa and the middle east -- after a distress call from the 420-foot ( 128-meter ) tanker polaris . the tanker reported that men aboard a small skiff were attempting to board the ship using ladders , but its crew removed them before the would-be hijackers could get aboard , the navy said . the vella gulf found and boarded the skiff , and the tanker 's crew identified the men aboard the skiff as their would-be hijackers . the skiff 's men were taken aboard the vella gulf , the flagship of the task force now patrolling the western gulf of aden , and eventually will be transferred to kenya for trial , said lt. nate christensen , a spokesman for the u.s. 5th fleet . piracy has become a chronic problem off the horn of africa in recent years , with some pirates operating from largely lawless somalia . pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of somalia in 2008 , according to the international maritime bureau . the task force led by the vella gulf was set up in january in an effort to clamp down on the attacks in the region , the southern approach to the red sea and the suez canal . | seven men captured after failed attack on ship , u.s. navy says |
navy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has captured seven suspected pirates in the gulf of aden , the first arrests by a u.s.-led task force set up to curb rampant piracy off the horn of africa , a navy spokesman said wednesday . seven men suspected of trying to pirate a tanker raise their hands before their arrest in the gulf of aden . sailors from the cruiser uss vella gulf arrested the men wednesday in the western gulf of aden -- a waterway between africa and the middle east -- after a distress call from the 420-foot ( 128-meter ) tanker polaris . the tanker reported that men aboard a small skiff were attempting to board the ship using ladders , but its crew removed them before the would-be hijackers could get aboard , the navy said . the vella gulf found and boarded the skiff , and the tanker 's crew identified the men aboard the skiff as their would-be hijackers . the skiff 's men were taken aboard the vella gulf , the flagship of the task force now patrolling the western gulf of aden , and eventually will be transferred to kenya for trial , said lt. nate christensen , a spokesman for the u.s. 5th fleet . piracy has become a chronic problem off the horn of africa in recent years , with some pirates operating from largely lawless somalia . pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of somalia in 2008 , according to the international maritime bureau . the task force led by the vella gulf was set up in january in an effort to clamp down on the attacks in the region , the southern approach to the red sea and the suez canal . | men tried to board tanker from skiff , but crew removed ladders , navy says |
navy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the u.s. navy has captured seven suspected pirates in the gulf of aden , the first arrests by a u.s.-led task force set up to curb rampant piracy off the horn of africa , a navy spokesman said wednesday . seven men suspected of trying to pirate a tanker raise their hands before their arrest in the gulf of aden . sailors from the cruiser uss vella gulf arrested the men wednesday in the western gulf of aden -- a waterway between africa and the middle east -- after a distress call from the 420-foot ( 128-meter ) tanker polaris . the tanker reported that men aboard a small skiff were attempting to board the ship using ladders , but its crew removed them before the would-be hijackers could get aboard , the navy said . the vella gulf found and boarded the skiff , and the tanker 's crew identified the men aboard the skiff as their would-be hijackers . the skiff 's men were taken aboard the vella gulf , the flagship of the task force now patrolling the western gulf of aden , and eventually will be transferred to kenya for trial , said lt. nate christensen , a spokesman for the u.s. 5th fleet . piracy has become a chronic problem off the horn of africa in recent years , with some pirates operating from largely lawless somalia . pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of somalia in 2008 , according to the international maritime bureau . the task force led by the vella gulf was set up in january in an effort to clamp down on the attacks in the region , the southern approach to the red sea and the suez canal . | navy cruiser found skiff after tanker made distress call |
leighton aspell <tsp> ( cnn ) it was all set for a fairytale ending for record breaking jockey ap mccoy . in the end it was a different but familiar name who won the grand national on saturday . 25-1 outsider many clouds , who had shown little form going into the race , won by a length and a half , ridden by jockey leighton aspell . aspell won last year 's grand national too , making him the first jockey since the 1950s to ride back-to-back winners on different horses . it feels wonderful , i asked big questions , ' aspell said of many clouds , moments after his victory . over the fences he was awesome . i was just hoping his batteries would last and they did , ' he added . no fairytale yet for much of the grand national -- arguably the world 's most famous and certainly the sport 's most prestigious jump race -- it looked as if ap mccoy was about to write an ending befitting the career of a man who has dominated jump racing for two decades . his horse shutthefrontdoor was in the leading group as it negotiated the likes for becher 's brooke and the chair , some of the toughest jumps in racing . last week the 40-year-old ulsterman , who has won an astonishing 4,356 races , announced he would retire if he won the grand national for the second time in his career . shutthefrontdoor was heavily backed by the betting public sensing a storybook conclusion to mccoy 's career . uk and irish betting firms even predicted they would lose as much as $ 73 million if mccoy won . he was well placed going into the final straight but just could n't keep up after many clouds cut lose , and finished back in fifth . third time winner but for trevor hemmings , the owner of many clouds , it was his third victory in the grand national . i always dreamed of winning my first national , ' a shocked hemmings told channel 4 . then along comes a second . that 's special . and when a third comes along , it 's such a wonderful , wonderful feeling . ' hemming went on to praise aspell 's performance . this morning talking we talked about the achievers , ' said hemmings . they are quiet , confident and experienced . he has all of them . ' mccoy 's fifth placed finish means he will race again at least once more , in two weeks time at sandown . | second win a row for jockey leighton aspell |
grand national <tsp> ( cnn ) it was all set for a fairytale ending for record breaking jockey ap mccoy . in the end it was a different but familiar name who won the grand national on saturday . 25-1 outsider many clouds , who had shown little form going into the race , won by a length and a half , ridden by jockey leighton aspell . aspell won last year 's grand national too , making him the first jockey since the 1950s to ride back-to-back winners on different horses . it feels wonderful , i asked big questions , ' aspell said of many clouds , moments after his victory . over the fences he was awesome . i was just hoping his batteries would last and they did , ' he added . no fairytale yet for much of the grand national -- arguably the world 's most famous and certainly the sport 's most prestigious jump race -- it looked as if ap mccoy was about to write an ending befitting the career of a man who has dominated jump racing for two decades . his horse shutthefrontdoor was in the leading group as it negotiated the likes for becher 's brooke and the chair , some of the toughest jumps in racing . last week the 40-year-old ulsterman , who has won an astonishing 4,356 races , announced he would retire if he won the grand national for the second time in his career . shutthefrontdoor was heavily backed by the betting public sensing a storybook conclusion to mccoy 's career . uk and irish betting firms even predicted they would lose as much as $ 73 million if mccoy won . he was well placed going into the final straight but just could n't keep up after many clouds cut lose , and finished back in fifth . third time winner but for trevor hemmings , the owner of many clouds , it was his third victory in the grand national . i always dreamed of winning my first national , ' a shocked hemmings told channel 4 . then along comes a second . that 's special . and when a third comes along , it 's such a wonderful , wonderful feeling . ' hemming went on to praise aspell 's performance . this morning talking we talked about the achievers , ' said hemmings . they are quiet , confident and experienced . he has all of them . ' mccoy 's fifth placed finish means he will race again at least once more , in two weeks time at sandown . | 25-1 shot many clouds wins grand national |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) hillary clinton 's most vocal critics have long tried to tie the former secretary of state to president barack obama , hoping that her 2016 run would be dragged down by the somewhat unpopular president . but ahead of tuesday 's state of the union address , critics say clinton is making their job easy . tim miller , the executive director of america rising , an anti-clinton communications and research super pac , argues in talking points to other republicans that clinton is tying herself to obama by working with and hiring many of his staffers ahead of her all-but-certain 2016 run . by hiring his key political and policy staff and making no public moves to place clear distance between herself and the president on issues likely to be front and center in the coming congress , clinton is signaling that she 's not just from the same party as the president , but that she 's an obama democrat , who will back his policies , pursue his agenda , and represent a third term of the obama administration , ' miller argues in a memo to the group 's supporters . since last year , clinton has been meeting with a broad array of democratic operatives and possible campaign staffers ahead of a possible 2016 run . but in the last month , clinton has reportedly began to tap certain democratic operatives -- many with ties to obama 's two successful presidential runs -- for certain jobs on her nascent campaign . john podesta , a top aide on the obama white house , has said a number of times that he plans to leave the white house in early february and would happily work for clinton is she runs . if she runs , as i hope she will , i will do whatever she asks me to do , ' podesta , who previously worked as chief of staff to former president bill clinton , said on the charlie rose show in november . right now she has n't made a decision to run , so i am expecting to return to what i was doing before . ' democrats widely expect -- and other outlets have reported -- that podesta will serve as clinton 's campaign chairman , should she run . in the memo , miller argues that podesta 's inclusion on team clinton is the biggest sign of her joining with obama . he [ podesta ] will bring that same policy agenda , willingness to subvert congress and rhetoric to team clinton , ' he writes . what 's more , clinton has reportedly selected pollsters joel benenson , john anzalone , david binder and media adviser jim margolis for top roles in the campaign . all have worked in similar capacities for either the president 's 2008 or 2012 campaigns . clinton allies have long expressed concern that one of the most effective critiques could be that her presidency , should she run and be elected , would be nothing more than president barack obama 's third term . but clinton allies have become more upbeat about being tied to obama in the last few months given improved economic indicators . adrienne elrod , spokeswoman for correct the record , a pro-clinton super pac , said miller 's energy behind the clinton memo could have been dedicated at another possible 2016 candidate . america rising , ​the super pac where tim miller works , is essentially a pro-romney organization founded by staffers from mitt romney 's failed 2012 presidential campaign . they would serve themselves better to focus on their growing romney shadow campaign for their party 's nomination . ' republicans have been closely watching for clinton to break with obama on certain issues , while at the same time labeling her 2016 run as obama 's third term . ' beyond clinton 's issues agenda , her campaign 's political leadership is shaping up to be staffed not by her own former campaign advisers , but rely heavily on president obama 's 2012 campaign leadership , ' miller writes . put bluntly : the state of the obama-clinton 2016 union is strong . ' | a key republican attack on a would-be hillary clinton presidential run would be that she 'd be obama 's third term |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) hillary clinton 's most vocal critics have long tried to tie the former secretary of state to president barack obama , hoping that her 2016 run would be dragged down by the somewhat unpopular president . but ahead of tuesday 's state of the union address , critics say clinton is making their job easy . tim miller , the executive director of america rising , an anti-clinton communications and research super pac , argues in talking points to other republicans that clinton is tying herself to obama by working with and hiring many of his staffers ahead of her all-but-certain 2016 run . by hiring his key political and policy staff and making no public moves to place clear distance between herself and the president on issues likely to be front and center in the coming congress , clinton is signaling that she 's not just from the same party as the president , but that she 's an obama democrat , who will back his policies , pursue his agenda , and represent a third term of the obama administration , ' miller argues in a memo to the group 's supporters . since last year , clinton has been meeting with a broad array of democratic operatives and possible campaign staffers ahead of a possible 2016 run . but in the last month , clinton has reportedly began to tap certain democratic operatives -- many with ties to obama 's two successful presidential runs -- for certain jobs on her nascent campaign . john podesta , a top aide on the obama white house , has said a number of times that he plans to leave the white house in early february and would happily work for clinton is she runs . if she runs , as i hope she will , i will do whatever she asks me to do , ' podesta , who previously worked as chief of staff to former president bill clinton , said on the charlie rose show in november . right now she has n't made a decision to run , so i am expecting to return to what i was doing before . ' democrats widely expect -- and other outlets have reported -- that podesta will serve as clinton 's campaign chairman , should she run . in the memo , miller argues that podesta 's inclusion on team clinton is the biggest sign of her joining with obama . he [ podesta ] will bring that same policy agenda , willingness to subvert congress and rhetoric to team clinton , ' he writes . what 's more , clinton has reportedly selected pollsters joel benenson , john anzalone , david binder and media adviser jim margolis for top roles in the campaign . all have worked in similar capacities for either the president 's 2008 or 2012 campaigns . clinton allies have long expressed concern that one of the most effective critiques could be that her presidency , should she run and be elected , would be nothing more than president barack obama 's third term . but clinton allies have become more upbeat about being tied to obama in the last few months given improved economic indicators . adrienne elrod , spokeswoman for correct the record , a pro-clinton super pac , said miller 's energy behind the clinton memo could have been dedicated at another possible 2016 candidate . america rising , ​the super pac where tim miller works , is essentially a pro-romney organization founded by staffers from mitt romney 's failed 2012 presidential campaign . they would serve themselves better to focus on their growing romney shadow campaign for their party 's nomination . ' republicans have been closely watching for clinton to break with obama on certain issues , while at the same time labeling her 2016 run as obama 's third term . ' beyond clinton 's issues agenda , her campaign 's political leadership is shaping up to be staffed not by her own former campaign advisers , but rely heavily on president obama 's 2012 campaign leadership , ' miller writes . put bluntly : the state of the obama-clinton 2016 union is strong . ' | clinton has also reportedly hired advisers from obama 's 2008 and 2012 runs for top jobs in her campaign |
ouattara <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the president of botswana has invited the internationally recognized president of ivory coast , alassane ouattara , for an official state visit , the foreign affairs ministry of botswana announced wednesday . president seretse khama ian khama has discussed the visit with ouattara , the ministry said in a statement , and the two leaders agreed that the visit should take place at a mutually convenient time . ' but it 's not clear when that time may come , since ouattara is virtually blocked inside the golf hotel in abidjan , ivory coast , by troops sent by laurent gbagbo , who claimed the presidency after the november 28 runoff . while an independent electoral commission declared ouattara the winner , the country 's constitutional council invalidated the results in some provinces and proclaimed that gbagbo , the incumbent president , had won . gbagbo is refusing to step down ' botswana continues to support all efforts aimed at ensuring that ouattara assumes the presidency in cote d'ivore , ' the ministry statement said , using the french name for the country . immediately after the election in ivory coast , botswana joined the african union , the united nations , the european union and the united states in endorsing ouattara as the winner of the disputed presidential elections . at the time , khama 's government called upon all political entities , including the constitutional council of ivory coast , to respect the decision of the independent electoral commission in declaring ouattara the rightful winner of the elections . the government of botswana is deeply concerned about african leaders who reject elections results that are not in their favour . such actions not only deny people the right to have leaders of their choice , but also thwart efforts to maintain peace and security on the african continent , ' the statement from the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation says . botswana took similar actions two years ago after controversial parliamentary and presidential elections in neighboring zimbabwe , declaring that robert mugabe was not democratically elected and saying it would not recognize him as that country 's leader . botswana officials also vowed not to attend any au or southern african development community ( sadc ) meetings if mugabe was invited . however , the government of botswana softened its stance after mugabe and his rival , morgan tsvangirai , formed a national unity government to ease zimbabwe 's economic and political predicament . botswana also did not recognise the leadership of andry rajoelina , after he was sworn in early last year as the transitional president of madagascar . the government of botswana issued a statement saying the former disc jockey and mayor of madagascar 's capital should hand over power to the constitutionally elected leader marc ravalomanana . rajoelina and his military-led supporters forced ravalomanana to step down , and although rajoelina entered into a power-sharing agreement , it has yet to be implemented . | botswana recognizes ouattara as the rightful winner of ivory coast 's election |
kelly clarkson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a ring once owned by the 19th century novelist jane austen is to remain in britain after a museum successfully raised funds to buy it from american singer kelly clarkson . the gold and turquoise ring is one of just three pieces of jewelry in existence known to have belonged to austen , the author of novels including pride and prejudice ' and emma . ' jane austen 's house museum , in chawton , southern england , said it had been unable to meet the sale price of â£152,450 ( $ 231,227 ) when the ring was auctioned by sotheby 's last year . clarkson , a long time austen devotee ' bought the item instead , it said . the sale price was more than five times the estimate sotheby 's had placed on the ring . in august , uk culture minister ed vaizey placed a temporary export bar on the ring on the grounds that it is so closely connected with [ britain 's ] history and national life that its departure would be a misfortune . ' read more : clarkson purchase of ring hits snag the jane austen 's house museum launched an appeal to buy the ring . it said its fundraising was given a great boost with an anonymous donor coming forward immediately with a pledge of â£100,000 . ' the museum has now announced that its offer to buy the ring has been accepted and that the item will be put on display in the new year . the museum has been stunned by the generosity and light-footedness of all those who have supported our campaign to meet the costs of acquiring jane austen 's ring for our permanent collection , ' curator mary guyatt said . read more : walking in the footsteps of jane austen clarkson also welcomed the news , saying in a statement : the ring is a beautiful national treasure and i am happy to know that so many jane austen fans will get to see it at jane austen 's house museum . ' the other two items of jewelry known to have belonged to austen -- a topaz cross and a turquoise and ivory bracelet -- are already on display at the museum , in the building where the author spent the last eight years of her life . read more : 200 years of'pride and prejudice ' | american singer kelly clarkson bought the ring , which had sale price of â£152,450 |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australian tim cahill dealt liverpool a desperate and potentially damaging blow with the goal that salvaged a 1-1 draw for bitter rivals everton and stopped the reds returning to the top of the premier league . tim cahill earned everton the point they deserved with a header three minutes from the end to deny liverpool . liverpool had grabbed the lead when steven gerrard , captaining the anfield club for the 250th time , swept home a low drive midway through the second half for his 14th goal of the season . but cahill earned everton the draw their contribution deserved when he met mikel arteta 's 87th minute free-kick with a powerful header from inside the six-yard box . spain striker fernando torres returned to liverpool 's starting line-up for the first time since november following hamstring problems , for the 209th merseyside derby . and torres should have broken the deadlock in the first half when he surged between joleon lescott and phil jagielka only to prod his shot against a post from a few meters . referee howard webb was kept busy as the tackles flew in and he lectured phil neville , joleon lescott and arteta after a series of fouls on gerrard . webb later refused liverpool a penalty two minutes after the interval when torres went down theatrically after being nudged by jagielka . everton believed they were entitled to a spot kick when martin skrtel looked to send victor anichebe tumbling . the referee again waved away the appeals , and the complaints were still raging on the pitch -- and the touchline -- as liverpool surged away for gerrard to crash home a 30-yard drive to put the hosts ahead after 68 minutes . it had been more than 10 hours since everton had conceded a goal and it looked as though it would be enough to send liverpool back to the top ahead of manchester united . cahill had other ideas -- and the sides will go through it all again on sunday when liverpool host everton in an fa cup fourth round clash . | australian tim cahill denies liverpool win with late goal as everton draw 1-1 |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australian tim cahill dealt liverpool a desperate and potentially damaging blow with the goal that salvaged a 1-1 draw for bitter rivals everton and stopped the reds returning to the top of the premier league . tim cahill earned everton the point they deserved with a header three minutes from the end to deny liverpool . liverpool had grabbed the lead when steven gerrard , captaining the anfield club for the 250th time , swept home a low drive midway through the second half for his 14th goal of the season . but cahill earned everton the draw their contribution deserved when he met mikel arteta 's 87th minute free-kick with a powerful header from inside the six-yard box . spain striker fernando torres returned to liverpool 's starting line-up for the first time since november following hamstring problems , for the 209th merseyside derby . and torres should have broken the deadlock in the first half when he surged between joleon lescott and phil jagielka only to prod his shot against a post from a few meters . referee howard webb was kept busy as the tackles flew in and he lectured phil neville , joleon lescott and arteta after a series of fouls on gerrard . webb later refused liverpool a penalty two minutes after the interval when torres went down theatrically after being nudged by jagielka . everton believed they were entitled to a spot kick when martin skrtel looked to send victor anichebe tumbling . the referee again waved away the appeals , and the complaints were still raging on the pitch -- and the touchline -- as liverpool surged away for gerrard to crash home a 30-yard drive to put the hosts ahead after 68 minutes . it had been more than 10 hours since everton had conceded a goal and it looked as though it would be enough to send liverpool back to the top ahead of manchester united . cahill had other ideas -- and the sides will go through it all again on sunday when liverpool host everton in an fa cup fourth round clash . | liverpool had grabbed the lead when steven gerrard struck after 68 minutes |
tim cahill <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australian tim cahill dealt liverpool a desperate and potentially damaging blow with the goal that salvaged a 1-1 draw for bitter rivals everton and stopped the reds returning to the top of the premier league . tim cahill earned everton the point they deserved with a header three minutes from the end to deny liverpool . liverpool had grabbed the lead when steven gerrard , captaining the anfield club for the 250th time , swept home a low drive midway through the second half for his 14th goal of the season . but cahill earned everton the draw their contribution deserved when he met mikel arteta 's 87th minute free-kick with a powerful header from inside the six-yard box . spain striker fernando torres returned to liverpool 's starting line-up for the first time since november following hamstring problems , for the 209th merseyside derby . and torres should have broken the deadlock in the first half when he surged between joleon lescott and phil jagielka only to prod his shot against a post from a few meters . referee howard webb was kept busy as the tackles flew in and he lectured phil neville , joleon lescott and arteta after a series of fouls on gerrard . webb later refused liverpool a penalty two minutes after the interval when torres went down theatrically after being nudged by jagielka . everton believed they were entitled to a spot kick when martin skrtel looked to send victor anichebe tumbling . the referee again waved away the appeals , and the complaints were still raging on the pitch -- and the touchline -- as liverpool surged away for gerrard to crash home a 30-yard drive to put the hosts ahead after 68 minutes . it had been more than 10 hours since everton had conceded a goal and it looked as though it would be enough to send liverpool back to the top ahead of manchester united . cahill had other ideas -- and the sides will go through it all again on sunday when liverpool host everton in an fa cup fourth round clash . | australian tim cahill denies liverpool win with late goal as everton draw 1-1 |
bangladesh <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australia 's new captain michael clarke admits that he will have to earn the respect of the nation 's cricket fans after being confirmed as the successor to ricky ponting on wednesday . the 36-year-old ponting stood down as skipper of australia 's test and one-day teams on tuesday following last week 's world cup quarterfinal exit , but will continue as a batsman after being named in the 14-man squad to tour bangladesh next month . clarke has long been groomed as ponting 's successor , having filled in when his captain was unavailable or being rested , but acknowledges that he is not the most popular choice to replace him . i do n't know the exact reasons why it 's there , but it is and i 've had it probably my whole career , ' he told the cricket australia website . when cricket means more than just a match ' so i certainly do n't sit here and think that i can get the whole of this country to like me . people are always going to have their own views , but for me it 's about respect . it 's about earning that respect , leading the team in the right way , playing cricket in the right manner and hopefully i can earn the respect of the doubters that are out there . ' ponting was one of the most successful captains in modern cricket , having led australia to victory at the 2003 and 2007 world cups before last week 's defeat by india . clarke , who turns 30 on sunday , said he was happy to have ponting in the team for the short trip to bangladesh , which comprises three one-day internationals in dhaka from april 9-13 . bangladesh is going to be a great test for that , to see how it all unfolds , ' he said . i know he will allow me to do my job to the best of my ability , i have a very good working relationship with'punter'and i 'm confident that if he can continue to play as well as he has done for such a long time , i 'm certain it can work . ' | ponting has been included in 14-man squad for brief tour of bangladesh |
ivan cameron <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- the disabled young son of uk opposition leader david cameron has died . david cameron leaves the family home after the death of his 6-year-old son on february 25 . ivan cameron , six , passed away early wednesday , the uk 's press association reported a conservative party spokesman as saying . it is with great sadness that david and samantha cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son ivan , ' the spokesman said according to the agency . the spokesman said that ivan , who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy , was taken ill overnight and died at st mary 's hospital , paddington , central london early wednesday morning . david and samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time , ' the spokesman added . meanwhile , the queen sent a private message of sympathy to the camerons , buckingham palace said . prime minister gordon brown said the thoughts and prayers of the whole country ' would be with the conservative leader and his family , the guardian newspaper reported , while prime minister 's question time -- which offers cameron a weekly opportunity to grill brown in parliament -- was cancelled at brown 's suggestion . the prime minister , together with other senior british politicians , instead offered their condolences in the parliament chamber . i know that the whole house will want to express their sorrow at the death of ivan cameron , ' brown told lawmakers , according to the guardian . he brought joy to all those around him . every child is precious and irreplaceable . the death of a child is an unbearable sorrow no parents should have to endure . ' brown and his wife sarah lost their first child , jennifer jane , in 2001 after she was born prematurely and died 10 days later . they have two sons , john and fraser , who suffers from cystic fibrosis . | ivan cameron suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy |
ivan cameron <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- the disabled young son of uk opposition leader david cameron has died . david cameron leaves the family home after the death of his 6-year-old son on february 25 . ivan cameron , six , passed away early wednesday , the uk 's press association reported a conservative party spokesman as saying . it is with great sadness that david and samantha cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son ivan , ' the spokesman said according to the agency . the spokesman said that ivan , who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy , was taken ill overnight and died at st mary 's hospital , paddington , central london early wednesday morning . david and samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time , ' the spokesman added . meanwhile , the queen sent a private message of sympathy to the camerons , buckingham palace said . prime minister gordon brown said the thoughts and prayers of the whole country ' would be with the conservative leader and his family , the guardian newspaper reported , while prime minister 's question time -- which offers cameron a weekly opportunity to grill brown in parliament -- was cancelled at brown 's suggestion . the prime minister , together with other senior british politicians , instead offered their condolences in the parliament chamber . i know that the whole house will want to express their sorrow at the death of ivan cameron , ' brown told lawmakers , according to the guardian . he brought joy to all those around him . every child is precious and irreplaceable . the death of a child is an unbearable sorrow no parents should have to endure . ' brown and his wife sarah lost their first child , jennifer jane , in 2001 after she was born prematurely and died 10 days later . they have two sons , john and fraser , who suffers from cystic fibrosis . | ivan cameron , six , passed away early wednesday , conservative party says |
conservative party <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- the disabled young son of uk opposition leader david cameron has died . david cameron leaves the family home after the death of his 6-year-old son on february 25 . ivan cameron , six , passed away early wednesday , the uk 's press association reported a conservative party spokesman as saying . it is with great sadness that david and samantha cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son ivan , ' the spokesman said according to the agency . the spokesman said that ivan , who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy , was taken ill overnight and died at st mary 's hospital , paddington , central london early wednesday morning . david and samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time , ' the spokesman added . meanwhile , the queen sent a private message of sympathy to the camerons , buckingham palace said . prime minister gordon brown said the thoughts and prayers of the whole country ' would be with the conservative leader and his family , the guardian newspaper reported , while prime minister 's question time -- which offers cameron a weekly opportunity to grill brown in parliament -- was cancelled at brown 's suggestion . the prime minister , together with other senior british politicians , instead offered their condolences in the parliament chamber . i know that the whole house will want to express their sorrow at the death of ivan cameron , ' brown told lawmakers , according to the guardian . he brought joy to all those around him . every child is precious and irreplaceable . the death of a child is an unbearable sorrow no parents should have to endure . ' brown and his wife sarah lost their first child , jennifer jane , in 2001 after she was born prematurely and died 10 days later . they have two sons , john and fraser , who suffers from cystic fibrosis . | ivan cameron , six , passed away early wednesday , conservative party says |
schrade <tsp> ( cnn ) -- several large circus tents previously used by cirque du soleil are on their way to haiti to be used as a temporary headquarters for the port-au-prince government , according to the man donating them . the self-contained tents would replace government buildings destroyed a month ago by the devastating earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people , nevada real estate developer tom schrade said thursday . an urgent effort is under way to provide shelter for in haiti , ahead of the rainy season expected to hit the island nation at the end of march . much of the government is operating in small tents or cramped quarters in buildings that survived the january 12 earthquake . schrade , who bought the tents after cirque du soleil retired them , said his wife got the idea to donate them while they were watching coverage of haiti relief efforts . it seemed like a good thing to do , ' schrade said . the tents have 33,000 square feet of interior floor space , including heating and air conditioning systems , interior and exterior lighting , toilets and 900 padded chairs , schrade said . thirteen steel shipping containers hold the 400,000 pounds of cargo , he said . even the shipping containers can serve as apartments , ' schrade said . after an aide to the port-au-prince mayor confirmed the government would welcome the tents , schrade said he called barron hilton -- the son of hilton hotel founder conrad hilton -- for help in getting them from storage in reno , nevada , to haiti . the conrad hilton foundation , already involved in haiti relief projects , agreed to finance the shipment , he said . gregory anderson , the international project manager for the hilton foundation , confirmed its participation . the william j. clinton foundation -- the former u.s. president 's nonprofit group -- will coordinate getting the big tents to port-au-prince , he said . full coverage of the earthquake 's aftermath a convoy of tractor-trailer trucks left reno monday night with the tents bound for the port of miami , florida , he said . they 'll be loaded onto a ship chartered by the clinton foundation next week for the voyage to port-au-prince , he said . technicians hired by schrade will travel there to supervise the set up , he said . ireport : looking for loved ones in haiti the tents , which initially cost about $ 5 million , were first used by cirque du soleil at the mirage hotel in las vegas a decade ago . they also spent time at a myrtle beach , south carolina , theme park before schrade bought them with the idea of using them at a reno hotel , he said . the economic downturn derailed schrade 's plan to use the tents at a hotel in reno , he said . cirque du soleil is a canadian-based traveling circus based on street performance art . | nevada real estate developer tom schrade bought the tents to help in haiti |
schrade <tsp> ( cnn ) -- several large circus tents previously used by cirque du soleil are on their way to haiti to be used as a temporary headquarters for the port-au-prince government , according to the man donating them . the self-contained tents would replace government buildings destroyed a month ago by the devastating earthquake that killed at least 200,000 people , nevada real estate developer tom schrade said thursday . an urgent effort is under way to provide shelter for in haiti , ahead of the rainy season expected to hit the island nation at the end of march . much of the government is operating in small tents or cramped quarters in buildings that survived the january 12 earthquake . schrade , who bought the tents after cirque du soleil retired them , said his wife got the idea to donate them while they were watching coverage of haiti relief efforts . it seemed like a good thing to do , ' schrade said . the tents have 33,000 square feet of interior floor space , including heating and air conditioning systems , interior and exterior lighting , toilets and 900 padded chairs , schrade said . thirteen steel shipping containers hold the 400,000 pounds of cargo , he said . even the shipping containers can serve as apartments , ' schrade said . after an aide to the port-au-prince mayor confirmed the government would welcome the tents , schrade said he called barron hilton -- the son of hilton hotel founder conrad hilton -- for help in getting them from storage in reno , nevada , to haiti . the conrad hilton foundation , already involved in haiti relief projects , agreed to finance the shipment , he said . gregory anderson , the international project manager for the hilton foundation , confirmed its participation . the william j. clinton foundation -- the former u.s. president 's nonprofit group -- will coordinate getting the big tents to port-au-prince , he said . full coverage of the earthquake 's aftermath a convoy of tractor-trailer trucks left reno monday night with the tents bound for the port of miami , florida , he said . they 'll be loaded onto a ship chartered by the clinton foundation next week for the voyage to port-au-prince , he said . technicians hired by schrade will travel there to supervise the set up , he said . ireport : looking for loved ones in haiti the tents , which initially cost about $ 5 million , were first used by cirque du soleil at the mirage hotel in las vegas a decade ago . they also spent time at a myrtle beach , south carolina , theme park before schrade bought them with the idea of using them at a reno hotel , he said . the economic downturn derailed schrade 's plan to use the tents at a hotel in reno , he said . cirque du soleil is a canadian-based traveling circus based on street performance art . | schrade said his wife got the idea to donate them while watching coverage of haiti relief efforts |
kansas <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- early-morning commuters in much of the deep south , braced for the possibility of a second round of snow and ice , had an easier-than-expected ride monday as warmer temperatures kept winter weather at bay . most winter weather advisories and warnings were canceled early monday except for portions of northern alabama and georgia at higher elevations . however , the advisories and warnings stretched into ohio and pennsylvania . forecasters had warned of an additional 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation in the south on sunday night into monday morning . the deep south had up to 6 inches of snow in some areas friday . but the accumulating snow that was in last night 's forecast is n't going to happen , ' cnn meteorologist sean morris said monday . it is now too warm . ' as of 5:30 a.m . et , the temperature in atlanta was 41 degrees , well above the freezing mark , and rain was falling . forecasters initially had expected the rain to turn into snow after 1 a.m. monday . snow flurries are forecast later monday as an arctic front moves through , morris said , but no accumulation was expected outside mountainous areas . the weather will be not nearly as bad as what was forecast , ' cnn meteorologist rob marciano said . hundreds of flights were canceled out of atlanta in anticipation of the newest round of winter weather . delta air lines said sunday that it was canceling 400 flights from early morning through noon monday , the majority in the carolinas , tennessee and georgia . airtran airways canceled 48 flights scheduled to depart or arrive in atlanta between 8 and 10 a.m. monday , and a spokesman said more cancellations were possible . beleaguered states in the mid-atlantic region also may catch a break from the heavy snowfall initially predicted . a snow emergency set to take effect monday morning in washington will not happen . the national weather service was forecasting a slight chance of snow before noon , then a mix of rain and snow , with an above-freezing high of 36 degrees . the area already has shoveled itself out of a season record snowfall of 55.9 inches , according to preliminary national weather service estimates . ireport : share your pictures and videos slick conditions in kansas on sunday caused at least two massive pileups , one of which involved as many as 30 vehicles . video showed cars , vans and trucks sandwiched on a small bridge , with emergency workers climbing over vehicles to reach the injured . the extent of injuries was not immediately known . portions of interstates 70 and 35 were closed for hours , according to the kansas department of transportation . drivers involved in the i-70 pileup described poor visibility conditions to cnn affiliate kshb in kansas city , missouri . it happened too fast , ' said motorist sam skramstad , who was driving home to colorado . it was just there and i headed for the guardrail and it did n't move . and then i just kept getting nailed from behind . ' he said his wife went to the hospital with chest pains after the crash . friday 's storm system crawled from texas to the atlantic coast , starting before dawn thursday and lasting until saturday morning . during that period , 8.8 inches of snow fell on harkers island , north carolina , according to weather service data . other notable snowfall totals include : 14.9 inches in duncanville , texas ; 6 inches in belleville , alabama ; 6.1 inches in shreveport , louisiana ; 8 inches in dekalb , mississippi ; and 7.3 inches in columbia , south carolina . as of friday , according to the national weather service , 68.1 percent of the united states was covered with snow , compared with 51.2 percent in january . every state except hawaii had some snow cover . | slick conditions in kansas cause at least two massive pileups |
carl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india and the united states have become embroiled in a full-scale diplomatic row involving the case of devyani khobragade , an indian diplomat who was arrested last week and charged with visa fraud by u.s. authorities . prosecutors claim she imported and employed an indian housekeeper to whom she paid only a small fraction of her promised wages . after khobragade 's arrest , she was strip-searched in a private setting by a female u.s. marshal . this in particular caused a firestorm of criticism in india , though prosecutors and police claim all standard procedures were followed and that khobragade was even given special considerations due to her diplomatic status . opinion : u.s. actually owes india apology over strip-search while the courts will eventually resolve the welter of claims and counterclaims -- even the most basic facts in the case are currently in dispute and the diplomat 's attorney says the charges are false -- it is clear that this arrest was the result of an investigation lasting several months . given the sensitivity of arresting a diplomat representing a major u.s. ally , it seems likely that prosecutors feel that the case against khobragade is very strong . however , even without being able to determine khobragade 's guilt or innocence with respect to the charges , l'affaire khobragade shines an unflattering light on several elements of india 's diplomacy and its politics of privilege . first , whether or not the charges and manner of arrest were proper , the intemperate reaction of the indian government in response shows that , despite its status as an aspiring great power , india still frequently lacks the maturity on the world stage to behave like one . in the wake of the arrest , india announced a number of steps against u.s. diplomats , including revoking government-issued ids for u.s. diplomats in india , stopping the u.s. embassy from importing most goods , and most provocatively removing a concrete security barricade at the u.s. embassy in delhi . the sensitivity of such a threat to the embassy can not be taken lightly , and the willingness of the indian government to take such a step indicates a situation in which politics has run roughshod over any sensible understanding of diplomacy . even if india feels its diplomat was ill-treated , a responsible power does not inflame the situation , especially against an ally that happens to be the world 's most powerful country . there are many ways to show displeasure without putting the safety of american diplomats at risk . and there are more important moral and political issues that india has to address with the u.s. that do not involve , if the charges are true , vindicating the inalienable right of india 's diplomats to illegally import and underpay domestic servants . meanwhile , khobragade and her father , a retired senior civil servant in the elite indian administrative service ( ias ) have gone on a pr offensive , with mr. khobragade charging , it is nothing but a racial bias . it is simple and clear racial bias to harass the indians . ' in light of such claims , which were frequently echoed in the indian media , it bears mentioning that the u.s. attorney who brought the case , preet bharara , is himself a native of india , and he has strongly defended the action . in addition to the indian government 's extremely provocative steps , the treatment of the case by most of the indian media has also shown a substantial moral blind spot : few members of either the commentariat or the political class , neither of whom were short on outrage over khobragade 's treatment , seemed to evince much sympathy for the maid in question , who , if prosecutors are believed , has been the victim of a crime , not the perpetrator of one . quite to the contrary , according to indian media reports , the maid 's family in india were threatened when she made her initial complaint and eventually were temporarily brought to the u.s. to assure their safety during the prosecution . the deafening silence in the maid 's defense , in favor of a full-throated defense of an alleged criminal of the higher social class , tells a sad story about the reality of power and privilege in india that will be familiar to many foreigners who have spent substantial time in the country . indian politicians play frequent lip service to the aam admi ' or common man , but the indian press is daily filled with accounts of horrific mistreatment meted out by upper-class indians against india 's common citizens ' ( for example , just last month a member of india 's parliament was arrested for beating a servant to death -- allegedly over the quality of her dusting ) . in that context , it is worth noting that this is not the first recent case of alleged abuse of domestic servants at india 's new york consulate . in 2011 , a member of the household staff sued india 's consul general in new york , accusing him of forced labor . he denied the accusation ; the case was subsequently settled but the terms of the settlement do not appear to be public . less than a year later another indian maid won a similar case against the consulate 's former press and culture counselor . in that case , according to the christian science monitor , the indian diplomat has refused to pay the amount , a position supported by an indian court . ' the ultimate disposition of the khobragade case is uncertain -- perhaps u.s. prosecutors will have been found to have made a catastrophic blunder . but no matter what the result in the court of law , the case shines a disturbing light on the politics of privilege in india -- and on the ability of the indian government to conduct diplomacy befitting a great power , one that seeks to ease tensions with allies over disagreements rather than needlessly inflaming them . opinion : u.s. actually owes india apology over strip-search the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jeremy carl . | carl : few observers in india focused on the apparent plight of the domestic worker |
carl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india and the united states have become embroiled in a full-scale diplomatic row involving the case of devyani khobragade , an indian diplomat who was arrested last week and charged with visa fraud by u.s. authorities . prosecutors claim she imported and employed an indian housekeeper to whom she paid only a small fraction of her promised wages . after khobragade 's arrest , she was strip-searched in a private setting by a female u.s. marshal . this in particular caused a firestorm of criticism in india , though prosecutors and police claim all standard procedures were followed and that khobragade was even given special considerations due to her diplomatic status . opinion : u.s. actually owes india apology over strip-search while the courts will eventually resolve the welter of claims and counterclaims -- even the most basic facts in the case are currently in dispute and the diplomat 's attorney says the charges are false -- it is clear that this arrest was the result of an investigation lasting several months . given the sensitivity of arresting a diplomat representing a major u.s. ally , it seems likely that prosecutors feel that the case against khobragade is very strong . however , even without being able to determine khobragade 's guilt or innocence with respect to the charges , l'affaire khobragade shines an unflattering light on several elements of india 's diplomacy and its politics of privilege . first , whether or not the charges and manner of arrest were proper , the intemperate reaction of the indian government in response shows that , despite its status as an aspiring great power , india still frequently lacks the maturity on the world stage to behave like one . in the wake of the arrest , india announced a number of steps against u.s. diplomats , including revoking government-issued ids for u.s. diplomats in india , stopping the u.s. embassy from importing most goods , and most provocatively removing a concrete security barricade at the u.s. embassy in delhi . the sensitivity of such a threat to the embassy can not be taken lightly , and the willingness of the indian government to take such a step indicates a situation in which politics has run roughshod over any sensible understanding of diplomacy . even if india feels its diplomat was ill-treated , a responsible power does not inflame the situation , especially against an ally that happens to be the world 's most powerful country . there are many ways to show displeasure without putting the safety of american diplomats at risk . and there are more important moral and political issues that india has to address with the u.s. that do not involve , if the charges are true , vindicating the inalienable right of india 's diplomats to illegally import and underpay domestic servants . meanwhile , khobragade and her father , a retired senior civil servant in the elite indian administrative service ( ias ) have gone on a pr offensive , with mr. khobragade charging , it is nothing but a racial bias . it is simple and clear racial bias to harass the indians . ' in light of such claims , which were frequently echoed in the indian media , it bears mentioning that the u.s. attorney who brought the case , preet bharara , is himself a native of india , and he has strongly defended the action . in addition to the indian government 's extremely provocative steps , the treatment of the case by most of the indian media has also shown a substantial moral blind spot : few members of either the commentariat or the political class , neither of whom were short on outrage over khobragade 's treatment , seemed to evince much sympathy for the maid in question , who , if prosecutors are believed , has been the victim of a crime , not the perpetrator of one . quite to the contrary , according to indian media reports , the maid 's family in india were threatened when she made her initial complaint and eventually were temporarily brought to the u.s. to assure their safety during the prosecution . the deafening silence in the maid 's defense , in favor of a full-throated defense of an alleged criminal of the higher social class , tells a sad story about the reality of power and privilege in india that will be familiar to many foreigners who have spent substantial time in the country . indian politicians play frequent lip service to the aam admi ' or common man , but the indian press is daily filled with accounts of horrific mistreatment meted out by upper-class indians against india 's common citizens ' ( for example , just last month a member of india 's parliament was arrested for beating a servant to death -- allegedly over the quality of her dusting ) . in that context , it is worth noting that this is not the first recent case of alleged abuse of domestic servants at india 's new york consulate . in 2011 , a member of the household staff sued india 's consul general in new york , accusing him of forced labor . he denied the accusation ; the case was subsequently settled but the terms of the settlement do not appear to be public . less than a year later another indian maid won a similar case against the consulate 's former press and culture counselor . in that case , according to the christian science monitor , the indian diplomat has refused to pay the amount , a position supported by an indian court . ' the ultimate disposition of the khobragade case is uncertain -- perhaps u.s. prosecutors will have been found to have made a catastrophic blunder . but no matter what the result in the court of law , the case shines a disturbing light on the politics of privilege in india -- and on the ability of the indian government to conduct diplomacy befitting a great power , one that seeks to ease tensions with allies over disagreements rather than needlessly inflaming them . opinion : u.s. actually owes india apology over strip-search the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jeremy carl . | jeremy carl : india 's government and media overreacted to the events |
west point <tsp> ( cnn ) -- shortly after president obama tapped stanley mcchrystal in june 2009 to be the top commander in afghanistan , cnn reported that mcchrystal would never let a reporter in the room during classified morning meetings he led among senior military officers . mcchrystal was known in washington for his discretion . he kept a low profile , briefly interrupted by two major news events . the general was criticized for the way he handled the circumstances of u.s. soldier pat tillman 's friendly fire death in afghanistan in 2004 . in 2006 , mcchrystal was lauded for the death of abu musab al-zarqawi , the leader of al qaeda in iraq . the media spotlight on mcchrystal this week , however , may be the hottest in the general 's storied military career . on tuesday , mcchrystal flew from afghanistan to washington . his boss , president obama , has asked the general to explain in person the derisive comments he and his aides made to a rolling stone reporter . the magazine 's profile on mcchrystal , due out friday , depicts an angry , snarky and foulmouthed general lambasting how the war in afghanistan is being conducted . mcchrystal does not directly criticize obama in the article , but reporter michael hastings writes that the general and obama failed from the outset to connect ' after the president took office . sources familiar with their first meeting said mcchrystal thought obama looked uncomfortable and intimidated ' by the room full of top military officials , according to the article . the journalist writes that an unnamed aide to mcchrystal mocks vice president joe biden . are you asking about vice president biden ?'' mcchrystal says with a laugh . who 's that ? biden ? ' suggests a top adviser . 'did you say : bite me ? ' mcchrystal has n't denied the article 's accuracy . in a statement , he called his comments a mistake ' and apologized for poor judgment . ' the general has also fired a press aide over the article , two defense department sources told cnn . mcchrystal , a west point graduate and former green beret , was a senior official on the staff of chairman of the joint chiefs of staff adm. michael mullen . between 2003 and 2008 , he was the commander of the highly clandestine joint special operations command , which oversees the military 's most sensitive forces , including the army 's delta force . in 2009 , defense secretary robert gates asked for the resignation of gen. david d. mckiernan , the former u.s. and nato commander in afghanistan . mcchrystal would have fresh eyes on the problem ' in afghanistan , gates said at the time . mcchrystal has pushed a counterinsurgency strategy in afghanistan intended to empower the civilian population so much that the insurgency will slowly be demoralized , fractured and defeated . part of that plan means a prohibition in some areas on lethal air strikes and other attack methods so that civilian injuries and deaths can be avoided . some u.s. service members have been critical of the move , arguing that the rules have left them vulnerable . in a july 2009 interview with time , mcchrystal explained his approach . first thing is , if you take a very small area , you have to try and figure out what is going on in that area . ... it 's like knowing what is going on in your neighborhood , ' he said . not just the traffic on the road , but how money is made , who is running rule of law , who do they go to when they have dispute adjudication -- do they go to a taliban shadow court , a government of afghanistan official entity ? ' ... you have to get at the attitudes of the people . and that is why i say you have to immerse yourself in it and understand it before you can confidently assess it , ' he told time . just who the man is behind the strategy is tougher to assess . he 's lanky , smart , tough , a sneaky stealth soldier , ' maj. gen. william nash , a retired officer , told the new york times in may 2009 . he 's got all the special ops attributes , plus an intellect . ' the times reported that mcchrystal thrives on a few hours of sleep a night and often eats only one meal a day . he has for years been an avid distance runner . when he did a yearlong fellowship at the council on foreign relations in new york , he reportedly ran 12 miles a day from his home in brooklyn to manhattan . mcchrystal 's last public apology came during his senate confirmation hearing for the top post in afghanistan . he said he was sorry for his role in the way the pentagon handled pat tillman 's death . tillman gave up an nfl contract to join the army and fight in afghanistan . he was killed by friendly fire in 2004 . a pentagon investigation found that mcchrystal was notified that the soldier was a victim of fratricide . but tillman 's family said they were led to believe he was killed by insurgents . tillman 's mother said last year that mcchrystal knew at her son 's memorial service that he had died of friendly fire , but did not tell the family . she said mcchrystal was lying . ' investigations by the army 's criminal investigation division and the defense department 's inspector general concluded that officers in tillman 's chain of command knew almost immediately that he had been killed by fire from his own platoon . that information , however , was withheld from his family for more than a month , in violation of army regulations . mcchrystal told the senate armed services committee that he helped expedite the silver star award for tillman before confirming that tillman was killed by friendly fire . the army did not take action against mcchrystal . | a west point graduate and former green beret , he leads afghanistan mission |
south sudan <tsp> it 's been almost two decades since i was separated from my family , my home and my past as a war child . last year i was able to travel back to east africa to find my parents , reconnect with others who survived the war and place my vote in the referendum that would eventually lead to the division of sudan into two independent states . on july 9 2011 , the republic of south sudan was born . it 's hard to describe how i felt that day as i stood among tens of thousands of south sudanese men , women and children waving our new flag and screaming south oye ! separation oye ! ' through two civil wars that lasted a total of 39 years , this is what we had hoped , prayed and fought for ; it was hard to believe it was happening in my lifetime . yes , each one of us has fears , hopes and dreams about how we are transforming into a nation . as a citizen , i do n't mind us having to crawl and take small steps in our progress . development is not a race and for it to be sustainable it should be holistic . we 're starting from scratch and have a lot of ground to cover . i was born into sudan 's civil war and before i could read or write i was using an ak47 in the conflict between the muslim north and animist/christian south over the land and natural resources . i protected myself , survived and ended up in the western world where i had to play catch-up with youth who had much calmer childhoods . it was never easy , but i always tried my best and kept complaints out of my heart by holding tightly onto the hope that one day , i would read and write . this is a dream for many boys and girls who were born on the battlefields of sudan simply because during the civil war there were no schools at all . now there are a few in juba and a significant need for more all across the country . my main concern for the newest nation in the world is not tribalism or corruption -- though they both exist , it 's the fact that we are still at war with the national congress ( ncp ) of sudan , the governing official party of sudan , and this needs to be permanently addressed before moving onto smaller issues . five months ago i went to south sudan to vote and raise the flag on the soil of my new country . while we were beginning the countdown to independence the ncp , which is headed by sudan president omar hassan ahmad al bashir , raided abyei and forced innocent people from their land . why ? well , the region produces 70 % of our oil . as i write this article there are still many innocent people suffering and dying all across the country . if the international criminal court does not increase its pressure on president al bashir , a return to war and bloodshed over the republic of south sudan 's land and natural resources is very likely . that being said , i am very optimistic about the future of my country . we all feel a strong sense of ownership when we think of the republic of south sudan because everybody sacrificed and suffered to get us to where we are now . we need to feel the same sense of ownership towards finding solutions to our problems ; homemade solutions need to be found to fix what we messed up . to do this we need to work together with world powers while ensuring that the resulting plans hold the interests of south sudan at heart . the republic of south sudan is still a baby ; our leaders should be willing to take small steps towards developments and not move too fast . the solutions we put into place need to be in line with our long-term interests while offering short-term relief , which is not always that easy to do . but if the government of south sudan can provide security and education , the rest will begin to fall into place and matters such as finding alternative energy sources for juba city can be taken care of . as the youngest nation in the world we have the advantage of learning from the experiences of others , starting with sustainable solutions from the beginning -- electricity made by generators can only take us so far ! with my fellow brothers i walked to ethiopia barefoot without adequate food or water in the rain and burning sun , eating unripe mangoes and dodging the corpses of those who perished along the way . it took 18 years for me to find my way home again and through it , i was blessed to not experience any forms of physical war . but it became clear to me that human drama is unavoidable . all around the world there is corruption , tribalism and division , as many find it easier to pick on those that are different , which is why we need to hold tightly to the good in this world . we are all trying to make it the best way we know how , so when we look at each other as individuals and nations we should do so with compassion . | the former lost boy ' is optimistic about the future of south sudan |
south sudan <tsp> it 's been almost two decades since i was separated from my family , my home and my past as a war child . last year i was able to travel back to east africa to find my parents , reconnect with others who survived the war and place my vote in the referendum that would eventually lead to the division of sudan into two independent states . on july 9 2011 , the republic of south sudan was born . it 's hard to describe how i felt that day as i stood among tens of thousands of south sudanese men , women and children waving our new flag and screaming south oye ! separation oye ! ' through two civil wars that lasted a total of 39 years , this is what we had hoped , prayed and fought for ; it was hard to believe it was happening in my lifetime . yes , each one of us has fears , hopes and dreams about how we are transforming into a nation . as a citizen , i do n't mind us having to crawl and take small steps in our progress . development is not a race and for it to be sustainable it should be holistic . we 're starting from scratch and have a lot of ground to cover . i was born into sudan 's civil war and before i could read or write i was using an ak47 in the conflict between the muslim north and animist/christian south over the land and natural resources . i protected myself , survived and ended up in the western world where i had to play catch-up with youth who had much calmer childhoods . it was never easy , but i always tried my best and kept complaints out of my heart by holding tightly onto the hope that one day , i would read and write . this is a dream for many boys and girls who were born on the battlefields of sudan simply because during the civil war there were no schools at all . now there are a few in juba and a significant need for more all across the country . my main concern for the newest nation in the world is not tribalism or corruption -- though they both exist , it 's the fact that we are still at war with the national congress ( ncp ) of sudan , the governing official party of sudan , and this needs to be permanently addressed before moving onto smaller issues . five months ago i went to south sudan to vote and raise the flag on the soil of my new country . while we were beginning the countdown to independence the ncp , which is headed by sudan president omar hassan ahmad al bashir , raided abyei and forced innocent people from their land . why ? well , the region produces 70 % of our oil . as i write this article there are still many innocent people suffering and dying all across the country . if the international criminal court does not increase its pressure on president al bashir , a return to war and bloodshed over the republic of south sudan 's land and natural resources is very likely . that being said , i am very optimistic about the future of my country . we all feel a strong sense of ownership when we think of the republic of south sudan because everybody sacrificed and suffered to get us to where we are now . we need to feel the same sense of ownership towards finding solutions to our problems ; homemade solutions need to be found to fix what we messed up . to do this we need to work together with world powers while ensuring that the resulting plans hold the interests of south sudan at heart . the republic of south sudan is still a baby ; our leaders should be willing to take small steps towards developments and not move too fast . the solutions we put into place need to be in line with our long-term interests while offering short-term relief , which is not always that easy to do . but if the government of south sudan can provide security and education , the rest will begin to fall into place and matters such as finding alternative energy sources for juba city can be taken care of . as the youngest nation in the world we have the advantage of learning from the experiences of others , starting with sustainable solutions from the beginning -- electricity made by generators can only take us so far ! with my fellow brothers i walked to ethiopia barefoot without adequate food or water in the rain and burning sun , eating unripe mangoes and dodging the corpses of those who perished along the way . it took 18 years for me to find my way home again and through it , i was blessed to not experience any forms of physical war . but it became clear to me that human drama is unavoidable . all around the world there is corruption , tribalism and division , as many find it easier to pick on those that are different , which is why we need to hold tightly to the good in this world . we are all trying to make it the best way we know how , so when we look at each other as individuals and nations we should do so with compassion . | he fears a return to war with south sudan 's northern neighbor |
miller <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the remains of an air force major missing since the vietnam war have been identified after years of searches , the department of defense said . air force maj. curtis daniel miller of palacios , texas , was one of 14 men whose plane was shot down on march 29 , 1972 . miller and his crew were flying over southern laos when a missile struck their plane , the defense department said tuesday . after the shoot-down , rescue teams had to call off the search after two days because of heavy fighting near the crash site in savannakhet province . in 1986 , u.s. and laotian search teams found the remains of nine of the men who were on the plane . in 2005 and 2006 , search teams found more remains . dna tests have confirmed that they belong to miller and the other missing crew members . miller will be buried with full military honors at the dallas-ft. worth national cemetery on march 29 . | maj. curtis daniel miller of palacios , texas , was shot down on march 29 , 1972 |
miller <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the remains of an air force major missing since the vietnam war have been identified after years of searches , the department of defense said . air force maj. curtis daniel miller of palacios , texas , was one of 14 men whose plane was shot down on march 29 , 1972 . miller and his crew were flying over southern laos when a missile struck their plane , the defense department said tuesday . after the shoot-down , rescue teams had to call off the search after two days because of heavy fighting near the crash site in savannakhet province . in 1986 , u.s. and laotian search teams found the remains of nine of the men who were on the plane . in 2005 and 2006 , search teams found more remains . dna tests have confirmed that they belong to miller and the other missing crew members . miller will be buried with full military honors at the dallas-ft. worth national cemetery on march 29 . | miller and his crew were flying over southern laos when a missile struck their plane |
miller <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the remains of an air force major missing since the vietnam war have been identified after years of searches , the department of defense said . air force maj. curtis daniel miller of palacios , texas , was one of 14 men whose plane was shot down on march 29 , 1972 . miller and his crew were flying over southern laos when a missile struck their plane , the defense department said tuesday . after the shoot-down , rescue teams had to call off the search after two days because of heavy fighting near the crash site in savannakhet province . in 1986 , u.s. and laotian search teams found the remains of nine of the men who were on the plane . in 2005 and 2006 , search teams found more remains . dna tests have confirmed that they belong to miller and the other missing crew members . miller will be buried with full military honors at the dallas-ft. worth national cemetery on march 29 . | miller will be buried with full military honors at the dallas-ft. worth national cemetery |
kidman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actresss nicole kidman and country music star keith urban revealed monday that they added a daughter to their family last month . faith margaret kidman urban is their biological child but she was born through a gestational carrier ' at the women 's hospital at centennial in nashville on december 28 , 2010 , according to a statement from the couple 's publicists . no words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process , in particular our gestational carrier , ' urban and kidman said in the statement . kidman and urban , both 43 , already share a 2-year-old daughter , sunday rose . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | faith margaret kidman urban was born through a surrogate |
kidman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- actresss nicole kidman and country music star keith urban revealed monday that they added a daughter to their family last month . faith margaret kidman urban is their biological child but she was born through a gestational carrier ' at the women 's hospital at centennial in nashville on december 28 , 2010 , according to a statement from the couple 's publicists . no words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process , in particular our gestational carrier , ' urban and kidman said in the statement . kidman and urban , both 43 , already share a 2-year-old daughter , sunday rose . cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | urban and kidman already have a 2-year-old daughter |
madonna <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i thought she was over . madonna , that is . i thought she was too old to be referring to herself as a girl . ' i thought pop music passed her by . i thought lady gaga had killed her . and then i look at this week 's billboard chart and i see i thought wrong . her 12th cd , mdna ' debuted no . 1 on the album chart and she has two singles on the dance-chart top 10 . she 's 53 and the clubs are banging her new stuff , including give me all your luvin , ' which became her 38th top 10 hit on the pop chart . for those of you keeping score , that 's more than elvis , more than the beatles . i 'm not saying she 's better , but clearly she 's done -- correction -- doing more . this year she won another golden globe and her halftime performance at the super bowl drew more viewers than the game itself , according to nielsen . i know the perception is that only gay men care about madonna , but if that were true , given the 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch her at halftime , maybe do n't ask , do n't tell ' should have been called just assume . ' the reality is it 's hard for pop music to leave behind someone who keeps leading the pack . madonna had the highest grossing tour ever for a solo artist ( 2008 ) and has sold more than 300 million records worldwide . she 's an '80s child whose 2005 single hung up ' holds the guinness book record for topping the charts in 41 countries , while 2012 's mdna was no . 1 on itunes in 40 countries . that 's not over , ' that 's now . when you look at where madonna 's career is today in the same week we learned whitney houston drowned in a foot of water , you 're reminded that god truly does work in mysterious ways . the two pop icons released debut albums within two years of each other , madonna in 1983 and houston in 1985 . of course , houston was the former model with a voice for the ages , while madonna was the thin-voiced tart rolling around on the floor of the mtv music awards in a wedding dress proclaiming that she felt like a virgin . if anyone might have been expected to meet a desperate , tragic end , back then the safe money would have been on madonna . and yet houston 's gone , michael jackson 's gone , prince is semi-retired and everyone else , with the exception of u2 , is making their money off nostalgia . meanwhile , madonna has methodically become , arguably , the greatest recording artist of all time . who would 've thunk it ? as for the music , her latest cd is not breaking any new ground , but it does remind everyone who owns the ground gaga , rihanna , beyonce and others are walking on . in fact , each time they receive a royalty check , they should be sending madonna a cut . while mdna is about three songs too long for my taste , i will tell you the first five songs make it very difficult not to want to dance , and that the track gang bang ' is pure genius . as you could probably figure out from the title , it 's not radio friendly , but likely not because of what you may think . and that , in a nutshell , is why madonna is who she is . you can tell you 're watching a woody allen film with the first five minutes of dialogue . you can identify the beautiful prose of toni morrison within a couple of pages . but my 15-year-old came home one day and asked who i was listening to . i told him madonna and my son , who loves techno and hip hop , thought i was joking . seriously ... like your madonna ? ' he asked . yep , ' i said . well , she 's still old but that song 's not . ' the song was gang bang ' and i 'm glad he left the room before she started singing . as i said , it 's not radio friendly . but then again , it would n't be madonna if a song like that was . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | lz : artists from lady gaga to beyonce are walking on ground madonna broke |
madonna <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i thought she was over . madonna , that is . i thought she was too old to be referring to herself as a girl . ' i thought pop music passed her by . i thought lady gaga had killed her . and then i look at this week 's billboard chart and i see i thought wrong . her 12th cd , mdna ' debuted no . 1 on the album chart and she has two singles on the dance-chart top 10 . she 's 53 and the clubs are banging her new stuff , including give me all your luvin , ' which became her 38th top 10 hit on the pop chart . for those of you keeping score , that 's more than elvis , more than the beatles . i 'm not saying she 's better , but clearly she 's done -- correction -- doing more . this year she won another golden globe and her halftime performance at the super bowl drew more viewers than the game itself , according to nielsen . i know the perception is that only gay men care about madonna , but if that were true , given the 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch her at halftime , maybe do n't ask , do n't tell ' should have been called just assume . ' the reality is it 's hard for pop music to leave behind someone who keeps leading the pack . madonna had the highest grossing tour ever for a solo artist ( 2008 ) and has sold more than 300 million records worldwide . she 's an '80s child whose 2005 single hung up ' holds the guinness book record for topping the charts in 41 countries , while 2012 's mdna was no . 1 on itunes in 40 countries . that 's not over , ' that 's now . when you look at where madonna 's career is today in the same week we learned whitney houston drowned in a foot of water , you 're reminded that god truly does work in mysterious ways . the two pop icons released debut albums within two years of each other , madonna in 1983 and houston in 1985 . of course , houston was the former model with a voice for the ages , while madonna was the thin-voiced tart rolling around on the floor of the mtv music awards in a wedding dress proclaiming that she felt like a virgin . if anyone might have been expected to meet a desperate , tragic end , back then the safe money would have been on madonna . and yet houston 's gone , michael jackson 's gone , prince is semi-retired and everyone else , with the exception of u2 , is making their money off nostalgia . meanwhile , madonna has methodically become , arguably , the greatest recording artist of all time . who would 've thunk it ? as for the music , her latest cd is not breaking any new ground , but it does remind everyone who owns the ground gaga , rihanna , beyonce and others are walking on . in fact , each time they receive a royalty check , they should be sending madonna a cut . while mdna is about three songs too long for my taste , i will tell you the first five songs make it very difficult not to want to dance , and that the track gang bang ' is pure genius . as you could probably figure out from the title , it 's not radio friendly , but likely not because of what you may think . and that , in a nutshell , is why madonna is who she is . you can tell you 're watching a woody allen film with the first five minutes of dialogue . you can identify the beautiful prose of toni morrison within a couple of pages . but my 15-year-old came home one day and asked who i was listening to . i told him madonna and my son , who loves techno and hip hop , thought i was joking . seriously ... like your madonna ? ' he asked . yep , ' i said . well , she 's still old but that song 's not . ' the song was gang bang ' and i 'm glad he left the room before she started singing . as i said , it 's not radio friendly . but then again , it would n't be madonna if a song like that was . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | he says fate of houston puts success of madonna , a bad girl , ' in perspective |
madonna <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i thought she was over . madonna , that is . i thought she was too old to be referring to herself as a girl . ' i thought pop music passed her by . i thought lady gaga had killed her . and then i look at this week 's billboard chart and i see i thought wrong . her 12th cd , mdna ' debuted no . 1 on the album chart and she has two singles on the dance-chart top 10 . she 's 53 and the clubs are banging her new stuff , including give me all your luvin , ' which became her 38th top 10 hit on the pop chart . for those of you keeping score , that 's more than elvis , more than the beatles . i 'm not saying she 's better , but clearly she 's done -- correction -- doing more . this year she won another golden globe and her halftime performance at the super bowl drew more viewers than the game itself , according to nielsen . i know the perception is that only gay men care about madonna , but if that were true , given the 114 million viewers who tuned in to watch her at halftime , maybe do n't ask , do n't tell ' should have been called just assume . ' the reality is it 's hard for pop music to leave behind someone who keeps leading the pack . madonna had the highest grossing tour ever for a solo artist ( 2008 ) and has sold more than 300 million records worldwide . she 's an '80s child whose 2005 single hung up ' holds the guinness book record for topping the charts in 41 countries , while 2012 's mdna was no . 1 on itunes in 40 countries . that 's not over , ' that 's now . when you look at where madonna 's career is today in the same week we learned whitney houston drowned in a foot of water , you 're reminded that god truly does work in mysterious ways . the two pop icons released debut albums within two years of each other , madonna in 1983 and houston in 1985 . of course , houston was the former model with a voice for the ages , while madonna was the thin-voiced tart rolling around on the floor of the mtv music awards in a wedding dress proclaiming that she felt like a virgin . if anyone might have been expected to meet a desperate , tragic end , back then the safe money would have been on madonna . and yet houston 's gone , michael jackson 's gone , prince is semi-retired and everyone else , with the exception of u2 , is making their money off nostalgia . meanwhile , madonna has methodically become , arguably , the greatest recording artist of all time . who would 've thunk it ? as for the music , her latest cd is not breaking any new ground , but it does remind everyone who owns the ground gaga , rihanna , beyonce and others are walking on . in fact , each time they receive a royalty check , they should be sending madonna a cut . while mdna is about three songs too long for my taste , i will tell you the first five songs make it very difficult not to want to dance , and that the track gang bang ' is pure genius . as you could probably figure out from the title , it 's not radio friendly , but likely not because of what you may think . and that , in a nutshell , is why madonna is who she is . you can tell you 're watching a woody allen film with the first five minutes of dialogue . you can identify the beautiful prose of toni morrison within a couple of pages . but my 15-year-old came home one day and asked who i was listening to . i told him madonna and my son , who loves techno and hip hop , thought i was joking . seriously ... like your madonna ? ' he asked . yep , ' i said . well , she 's still old but that song 's not . ' the song was gang bang ' and i 'm glad he left the room before she started singing . as i said , it 's not radio friendly . but then again , it would n't be madonna if a song like that was . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | lz granderson says madonna topping billboard chart with new album ; she 's so not over |
serena williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- defending champion serena williams will face former winner maria sharapova in the fourth round at wimbledon after both players progressed comfortably on saturday . world no . 1 williams thrashed unseeded slovakian dominika cibulkova 6-0 7-5 as she did not lose a game in the opening set for the third successive match . williams is seeking her fourth title at the grass-court grand slam in england , but said she has yet to find the form of last year despite an ominous start to the two-week tournament . i was playing a little better last year , so hopefully i can pick it up -- obviously i 'll have to in the next match , ' the american told reporters . it 's really intense when i play maria . it 's a great match-up and it 's good for the tour that she has come back and is playing well . i 'll have to play better if i 'm to continue to do well . i could have played better in the second set today . i stepped off the gas a little too much , and you just ca n't afford to do that in big grand slams like this . ' sharapova , the 2004 champion , continued her comeback from long-term injury with an error-strewn 7-5 6-3 win over barbora zahlavova strycova of the czech republic . the former world no . 1 , seeded 16th this year , made 35 unforced errors against a player ranked 68th in the world who has never made it past the third round at wimbledon . she beat williams to claim the title as a 17-year-old , but has fallen down the rankings after a difficult past year . it 'll be a really tough match . she 's a defending champion and playing really well , ' the 23-year-old russian told reporters . the winner of the williams-sharapova tie will take on either polish seventh seed agnieszka radwanska or chinese no . 9 li na . radwanska won 6-3 6-1 against italian 32nd seed sara errani on saturday , while na beat australia-based russian anastasia rodionova 6-1 6-3 . third seed caroline wozniacki , who is in the same half of the draw , progressed into the last 16 with a 7-5 6-4 victory over russian 29th seed anastasia pavlyuchenkova . the 19-year-old dane will next face unseeded czech petra kvitova after the 20-year-old knocked out 14th seed victoria azarenka of belarus with a 7-5 6-0 victory . italian 10th seed flavia pennetta also exited , losing 6-2 6-3 to klara zakopalova . the unseeded czech will appear in the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time when she takes on estonia 's kaia kanepi , who has never before been past the second round at wimbledon . | defending champion serena williams cruises into the fourth round at wimbledon |
mann <tsp> ( cnn ) -- imagine you are sitting in your office simply doing your job and a nasty e-mail pops into your inbox accusing you of being a fraud . you go online and find that some bloggers have written virulent posts about you . that night , you 're at home with your family watching the news and a talking head is lambasting you by name . later , a powerful politician demands all your e-mails from your former employer . it sounds surreal . but it all happened to me . what was my offense ? i worked on climate change research that indicated the world is a lot warmer today than it was in the past . because that research caught the public 's attention when it was released in 1998 , i became one of dozens of climate researchers who have been systematically targeted by a well-funded anti-science campaign . ironically , as these attacks have grown , the scientific facts have become ever clearer . climate scientists know the world is warming and human activity -- particularly burning coal and oil -- is the primary driver . the idea of addressing climate change threatens some people in the fossil fuel industry . and a vocal minority of corporate interests and their ideological allies are spending a lot of money to hijack the public debate about climate change . i call all this the scientization ' of politics . attacks on science and scientists are an effort to advance a political agenda , not an effort to better understand science or the risks it uncovers . the tobacco industry did it when scientists linked cigarettes to cancer . the lead industry tried to discredit a scientist who found that lead exposure hurt children 's cognitive abilities . now , it 's climate scientists'turn . in the most infamous episode , somebody stole thousands of e-mails and documents from leading climate researchers , including me . they cherry picked key phrases from the e-mails and published them out of context , like a black-and-white political attack ad with ominous music . fossil fuel industry-funded groups gleefully spread the e-mails online and badgered the mainstream media into covering the controversy ' they had manufactured . it was no accident that this happened on the eve of a major international climate change meeting . saudi arabia , the world 's largest exporter of oil , was the first to call for an investigation . the dozen independent investigations that did follow -- all of which exonerated the scientists -- got much less media coverage than the original nonscandal . last year , the inspector general of the national science foundation found the charges against me were all baseless and reaffirmed mainstream climate science . larger political factors helped sink the climate change talks . but the stolen e-mail scandal ' has lived on . virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli ( also a candidate for governor ) cited it in his demand from my former employer -- the university of virginia -- for all my documents and e-mails dating back several years . on march 2 , the virginia supreme court ruled in our favor -- a pyrrhic victory considering all of the money and resources wasted that could have been invested , for example , in measures to protect virginia 's coastline from the damaging effects of the sea level rise it is already seeing . these attacks have prompted me to tell my own story in a new book , the hockey stick and the climate wars : dispatches from the front lines . ' before it even came out , a coal industry front group ran radio advertisements condemning my employer , penn state , for allowing me to speak on my own campus . later , a former tobacco industry apologist offered $ 500 to anyone who would ask me a challenging question at another talk and provide him with video . this is a silly -- and indeed , dangerous -- way to have a climate change debate in this country . what keeps climate scientists working away in our labs and in the field , is that we keep uncovering more evidence of how climate change will impact our planet and our lives . in the face of these attacks , scientists are doing more to speak out , forming a climate science rapid response team to connect scientists with journalists and a climate science legal defense fund to help scientists defray legal costs . groups like the union of concerned scientists are redoubling their efforts to defend scientists and advance public understanding of climate change . and scientific societies are starting to do more to help their members deal with the poisonous political environment around climate change . i first tackled climate science as a graduate student in theoretical physics , looking around for a topic that would be worthy of a lifetime 's work . attacked both professionally and personally , i became a reluctant public figure in the climate wars . and now , as the father of a 6-year-old girl , i want to make sure the planet we leave her is at least as beautiful and healthy as the one we grew up on . at the very least , our nation 's political and business leaders deserve to have a debate about her future that is grounded in reality . my daughter , and all of our children , deserve no less . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael mann . | mann : poisonous politics must not hijack the conversation about climate change |
mann <tsp> ( cnn ) -- imagine you are sitting in your office simply doing your job and a nasty e-mail pops into your inbox accusing you of being a fraud . you go online and find that some bloggers have written virulent posts about you . that night , you 're at home with your family watching the news and a talking head is lambasting you by name . later , a powerful politician demands all your e-mails from your former employer . it sounds surreal . but it all happened to me . what was my offense ? i worked on climate change research that indicated the world is a lot warmer today than it was in the past . because that research caught the public 's attention when it was released in 1998 , i became one of dozens of climate researchers who have been systematically targeted by a well-funded anti-science campaign . ironically , as these attacks have grown , the scientific facts have become ever clearer . climate scientists know the world is warming and human activity -- particularly burning coal and oil -- is the primary driver . the idea of addressing climate change threatens some people in the fossil fuel industry . and a vocal minority of corporate interests and their ideological allies are spending a lot of money to hijack the public debate about climate change . i call all this the scientization ' of politics . attacks on science and scientists are an effort to advance a political agenda , not an effort to better understand science or the risks it uncovers . the tobacco industry did it when scientists linked cigarettes to cancer . the lead industry tried to discredit a scientist who found that lead exposure hurt children 's cognitive abilities . now , it 's climate scientists'turn . in the most infamous episode , somebody stole thousands of e-mails and documents from leading climate researchers , including me . they cherry picked key phrases from the e-mails and published them out of context , like a black-and-white political attack ad with ominous music . fossil fuel industry-funded groups gleefully spread the e-mails online and badgered the mainstream media into covering the controversy ' they had manufactured . it was no accident that this happened on the eve of a major international climate change meeting . saudi arabia , the world 's largest exporter of oil , was the first to call for an investigation . the dozen independent investigations that did follow -- all of which exonerated the scientists -- got much less media coverage than the original nonscandal . last year , the inspector general of the national science foundation found the charges against me were all baseless and reaffirmed mainstream climate science . larger political factors helped sink the climate change talks . but the stolen e-mail scandal ' has lived on . virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli ( also a candidate for governor ) cited it in his demand from my former employer -- the university of virginia -- for all my documents and e-mails dating back several years . on march 2 , the virginia supreme court ruled in our favor -- a pyrrhic victory considering all of the money and resources wasted that could have been invested , for example , in measures to protect virginia 's coastline from the damaging effects of the sea level rise it is already seeing . these attacks have prompted me to tell my own story in a new book , the hockey stick and the climate wars : dispatches from the front lines . ' before it even came out , a coal industry front group ran radio advertisements condemning my employer , penn state , for allowing me to speak on my own campus . later , a former tobacco industry apologist offered $ 500 to anyone who would ask me a challenging question at another talk and provide him with video . this is a silly -- and indeed , dangerous -- way to have a climate change debate in this country . what keeps climate scientists working away in our labs and in the field , is that we keep uncovering more evidence of how climate change will impact our planet and our lives . in the face of these attacks , scientists are doing more to speak out , forming a climate science rapid response team to connect scientists with journalists and a climate science legal defense fund to help scientists defray legal costs . groups like the union of concerned scientists are redoubling their efforts to defend scientists and advance public understanding of climate change . and scientific societies are starting to do more to help their members deal with the poisonous political environment around climate change . i first tackled climate science as a graduate student in theoretical physics , looking around for a topic that would be worthy of a lifetime 's work . attacked both professionally and personally , i became a reluctant public figure in the climate wars . and now , as the father of a 6-year-old girl , i want to make sure the planet we leave her is at least as beautiful and healthy as the one we grew up on . at the very least , our nation 's political and business leaders deserve to have a debate about her future that is grounded in reality . my daughter , and all of our children , deserve no less . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael mann . | mann : attack against scientists was funded by fossil fuel industry , anti-science ideologists |
mann <tsp> ( cnn ) -- imagine you are sitting in your office simply doing your job and a nasty e-mail pops into your inbox accusing you of being a fraud . you go online and find that some bloggers have written virulent posts about you . that night , you 're at home with your family watching the news and a talking head is lambasting you by name . later , a powerful politician demands all your e-mails from your former employer . it sounds surreal . but it all happened to me . what was my offense ? i worked on climate change research that indicated the world is a lot warmer today than it was in the past . because that research caught the public 's attention when it was released in 1998 , i became one of dozens of climate researchers who have been systematically targeted by a well-funded anti-science campaign . ironically , as these attacks have grown , the scientific facts have become ever clearer . climate scientists know the world is warming and human activity -- particularly burning coal and oil -- is the primary driver . the idea of addressing climate change threatens some people in the fossil fuel industry . and a vocal minority of corporate interests and their ideological allies are spending a lot of money to hijack the public debate about climate change . i call all this the scientization ' of politics . attacks on science and scientists are an effort to advance a political agenda , not an effort to better understand science or the risks it uncovers . the tobacco industry did it when scientists linked cigarettes to cancer . the lead industry tried to discredit a scientist who found that lead exposure hurt children 's cognitive abilities . now , it 's climate scientists'turn . in the most infamous episode , somebody stole thousands of e-mails and documents from leading climate researchers , including me . they cherry picked key phrases from the e-mails and published them out of context , like a black-and-white political attack ad with ominous music . fossil fuel industry-funded groups gleefully spread the e-mails online and badgered the mainstream media into covering the controversy ' they had manufactured . it was no accident that this happened on the eve of a major international climate change meeting . saudi arabia , the world 's largest exporter of oil , was the first to call for an investigation . the dozen independent investigations that did follow -- all of which exonerated the scientists -- got much less media coverage than the original nonscandal . last year , the inspector general of the national science foundation found the charges against me were all baseless and reaffirmed mainstream climate science . larger political factors helped sink the climate change talks . but the stolen e-mail scandal ' has lived on . virginia attorney general ken cuccinelli ( also a candidate for governor ) cited it in his demand from my former employer -- the university of virginia -- for all my documents and e-mails dating back several years . on march 2 , the virginia supreme court ruled in our favor -- a pyrrhic victory considering all of the money and resources wasted that could have been invested , for example , in measures to protect virginia 's coastline from the damaging effects of the sea level rise it is already seeing . these attacks have prompted me to tell my own story in a new book , the hockey stick and the climate wars : dispatches from the front lines . ' before it even came out , a coal industry front group ran radio advertisements condemning my employer , penn state , for allowing me to speak on my own campus . later , a former tobacco industry apologist offered $ 500 to anyone who would ask me a challenging question at another talk and provide him with video . this is a silly -- and indeed , dangerous -- way to have a climate change debate in this country . what keeps climate scientists working away in our labs and in the field , is that we keep uncovering more evidence of how climate change will impact our planet and our lives . in the face of these attacks , scientists are doing more to speak out , forming a climate science rapid response team to connect scientists with journalists and a climate science legal defense fund to help scientists defray legal costs . groups like the union of concerned scientists are redoubling their efforts to defend scientists and advance public understanding of climate change . and scientific societies are starting to do more to help their members deal with the poisonous political environment around climate change . i first tackled climate science as a graduate student in theoretical physics , looking around for a topic that would be worthy of a lifetime 's work . attacked both professionally and personally , i became a reluctant public figure in the climate wars . and now , as the father of a 6-year-old girl , i want to make sure the planet we leave her is at least as beautiful and healthy as the one we grew up on . at the very least , our nation 's political and business leaders deserve to have a debate about her future that is grounded in reality . my daughter , and all of our children , deserve no less . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of michael mann . | climate scientist michael mann says he was target of nasty campaign to discredit his work |
juventus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- juventus will enter the new year as favorite to retain serie a after it claimed a comfortable victory over atalanta . with nearest rival inter milan slipping up at lazio on saturday , goals from mirko vucinic , andrea pirlo and claudio marchisio ensured juve took full advantage . napoli 's 3-2 home defeat by bologna means juve is seven points clear at the summit following the weekend 's action . with just one more game before the winter break , juve is in great shape heading into the second half of the season , although manager antonio conte remains cautious . klose keeps lazio in italian title race ' it was a good result for us against a difficult team , but the season is far from over , ' he told reporters . winning the title is never easy but through our good organisation and solid play we hope to show it 's within our grasp . ' it took around 90 seconds for juve to move ahead through vucinic , before pirlo produced one of his trademark curling free-kicks to double the lead . marchisio added a third with a low drive after picking up sebastian giovinco 's pass . atalanta 's day grew even worse when it was reduced to 10 men following thomas manfredini 's rash challenge on giorgio chiellini , which earned him a second booking . magical milan elsewhere , milan continued its rich vein of form by defeating pescara 4-1 . alberto nocerino fired the rossoneri ahead after just 36 seconds to register the second fastest goal in serie a this season . an own-goal from elvis abbruscato doubled milan 's lead before pescara hit back through christian terlizzi 's header . another own-goal , this time by jonathas , allowed milan to restore its two-goal lead before stephan el shaarawy fired home his 14th of the season . elsewhere , fiorentina moved into fifth place following a 4-1 win over siena thanks to a double from former italy striker luca toni . roma , now sixth , was beaten 1-0 by chievo following a strike by sergio pellissier . elsewhere , catania sits in eighth place following a 3-1 home win over sampdoria , while two goals from ishak belfodil inspired parma to a 4-1 win over cagliari . police investigate epl racism claim in the english premier league , tottenham moved into fourth position following a narrow 1-0 victory over swansea city . jan vertonghen 's 75th minute goal proved enough for spurs to claim all three points a hard-fought affair . i think if there was one team to win this game it was us , ' tottenham manager andre villas-boas told reporters . we were very patient and persistent in what we were doing and kept moving the ball well . we held on to the win . obviously in this season we will continue to suffer goals in the last minute because football is unpredictable , but i think today the players showed the desire and ambition to put the wrong right and we managed to hang on to the result . ' there was drama in the dying stages of the contest when swansea striker michu was left prostrate on the turf after a collision with tottenham goalkeeper hugo lloris . the home side continued to play on with the spaniard clutching his head on the turf and swansea 's players urging for the ball to be kicked out of play . referee mike dean and his assistants allowed the game to continue and swansea manager michael laudrup was left frustrated by the decision . he told reporters : i was very angry and it was n't because it was n't a free-kick or a red card for lloris or a penalty or whatever , but we always talk about people , there is a debate , should we kick the ball out ? it is the same debate in every country - we have a referee and two linesmen so we just go on until the referee blows the whistle . but with possible head injuries , like this one , there is no doubt , you have all the linesmen and the referee and they are connected . i watched it afterward on the television and when it happened , when michu is going down to the ground the referee is watching them , the linesman is watching them and still they let the game go on , it is such a poor decision and dangerous as well . ' in the day 's other game , west bromwich albion was held to a goalless draw by west ham united . bayern 's bid for bundesliga record falters in germany , defending champion borussia dortmund claimed a 3-1 win to move back into third place . mario goetze , kevin grosskreutz and robert lewandowski were all on target for dortmund , which sits 12 points behind league leaders bayern munich . goetze 's stunning strike put dortmund ahead after 20 minutes , only for hoffenheim to draw level soon after thanks to sven schipplock 's close-range finish . but dortmund pushed on after the interval and grosskreutz fired home on 58 minutes before lewandowski sealed the win eight minutes later . hoffenheim , which has lost its past six games , is now seven points from safety in 16th position , having sacked coach markus babbel on december 3 . new manager meanwhile , schalke has announced that it has parted company with dutch coach huub stevens following saturday 's 3-1 home defeat by freiburg . a statement on the club 's website read : in light of the recent poor run of form in the bundesliga , schalke have opted to release huub stevens from his duties as head coach with immediate effect . club officials reached the decision by mutual agreement with stevens at a meeting on sunday morning . ' former vfb stuttgart coach jens keller will take over for the rest of the season with his side seventh in the league and still in the champions league . the players gave me a positive reception and i could tell they were totally focused on the cup game , ' keller told the club 's official website . though i 've watched the first team train on a regular basis , looking on from a distance is not the same as being in charge yourself . i 'm now going to spend time considering how best to approach the game against mainz . if we are to do well the psychological side of things will be very important . ' elsewhere , werder bremen needed a late equalizer to draw 1-1 at home with nuremberg . in france , paris saint-germain moved to the top of the league on goal difference following a 1-0 win over lyon . blaise matuidi scored the only goal of the game , while lyon 's lisandro lopez hit a post as the visitor threatened to take a point . elsewhere , saint etienne suffered a 2-0 home defeat by lorient , while nancy held bordeaux to a 1-1 draw . | juventus ease to 3-0 win over atalanta to strengthen position at top of serie a |
china <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- flooding in china 's north and south caused by heavy rain has left at least 107 dead and inundated roads and farmland , the government and state media said . three provinces in china 's northeast bore the brunt of the floods with 85 dead and 105 missing in heilongjiang , jilin and liaoning as of 4pm on monday , the government said . a total of 37 million residents in that region were affected by flood waters , xinhua said , which were described by a local newspaper as the worst in 50 years in liaoning province . more than 787,000 hectares of farmland in the region , a major grain growing area , were flooded and pictures showed roads in many urban areas looking more like rivers . xinhua said that the people 's liberation army had been mobilized to carry out rescue work . at the opposite end of the country , rainfall in the wake of typhoon utor , which made landfall in the southern chinese province of guangdong last week , has killed 22 people and caused 8.6 billion yuan ( $ 1.4 billion ) of damage there . dykes ruptured near shantou in eastern guangdong flooding low-lying homes and killing 10 . some internet users criticized the official response to the floods . government rescue is too slow . they send troops overseas for military exercise , but do n't care about its own people , ' said a user of the twitter-like sina weibo with the name @ lingchenliangdinan . our farmland is completely flooded . the past year 's effort is all gone , ' said another user @ woxiaotarenkanbuchuanl . feng ke reported from beijing , katie hunt wrote from hong kong | three provinces in china 's northeast bore the brunt of the floods |
china <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- flooding in china 's north and south caused by heavy rain has left at least 107 dead and inundated roads and farmland , the government and state media said . three provinces in china 's northeast bore the brunt of the floods with 85 dead and 105 missing in heilongjiang , jilin and liaoning as of 4pm on monday , the government said . a total of 37 million residents in that region were affected by flood waters , xinhua said , which were described by a local newspaper as the worst in 50 years in liaoning province . more than 787,000 hectares of farmland in the region , a major grain growing area , were flooded and pictures showed roads in many urban areas looking more like rivers . xinhua said that the people 's liberation army had been mobilized to carry out rescue work . at the opposite end of the country , rainfall in the wake of typhoon utor , which made landfall in the southern chinese province of guangdong last week , has killed 22 people and caused 8.6 billion yuan ( $ 1.4 billion ) of damage there . dykes ruptured near shantou in eastern guangdong flooding low-lying homes and killing 10 . some internet users criticized the official response to the floods . government rescue is too slow . they send troops overseas for military exercise , but do n't care about its own people , ' said a user of the twitter-like sina weibo with the name @ lingchenliangdinan . our farmland is completely flooded . the past year 's effort is all gone , ' said another user @ woxiaotarenkanbuchuanl . feng ke reported from beijing , katie hunt wrote from hong kong | flooding in china 's north and south has left at least 107 dead |
kentucky <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- hillary clinton 's midterm schedule -- which until now has been marked just by a handful of closed fundraisers and events -- is about to fill up with commitments to democrats across the country . democratic sources familiar with the clinton campaign plan say the former secretary of state will help raise money and excitement for a number of vulnerable democrats in the month before voters go to the polls in november . the states clinton will campaign are also markedly important states in presidential races -- namely iowa , new hampshire and pennsylvania -- a fact that further raises the specter of clinton running for president in 2016 . clinton will headline her first public campaign rally next thursday , when she travels to philadelphia to stump for tom wolf , pennsylvania democratic gubernatorial nominee . the event is focused specifically on women supporting wolf , a voting bloc that democratic operatives hope clinton can help turnout in november . secretary clinton is the right person at the right time for democrats who are focused on turning out the vote and persuading undecided voters , particularly women , in the remaining days of the election , ' said guy cecil , the director of the democratic senatorial campaign committee . clinton will also headline events and fundraisers for democratic senate candidates in kentucky , iowa , new hampshire , georgia , north carolina and colorado , according to a democratic source . for months clinton aides have said the former secretary of state will be active in the midterms and these newest additions , which were first reported by politico , appear to be proof of that . hillary knows firsthand the importance of keeping our majority in the senate and i could n't be happier that she is helping us turn out the democratic vote , ' senate majority leader harry reid said . clinton is not helping all vulnerable democrats in 2014 , however . missing from her list of events are tough democratic races in louisiana and alaska . former president bill clinton is headed to arkansas this weekend to campaign for sen. mark pryor and other state democrats . hillary clinton , according to erik dorey , pryor 's campaign spokesman , will not attend those events but will host a fundraiser for the senator in new york next week . clinton will also stump for a number of democratic gubernatorial hopefuls , according to a source familiar with the planning . while in new hampshire to stump for sen. jeanne shaheen , clinton will also headline an event for gov . maggie hassan and the all female ticket in the critical presidential primary state . clinton 's trip to new hampshire will be nov. 2 , a democratic source in the state tells cnn . a grimes campaign official said clinton will be in kentucky for a series of events in mid-october . clinton is also set to campaign for illinois gov . pat quinn next week and will headline an event for martha coakley , massachusetts'gubernatorial hopeful , before election day . on thursday , clinton was in florida to stump for charlie crist . - cnn 's brianna keilar and rachel streitfeld contributed to this report . | clinton will also be spending time in kentucky , iowa and new hampshire . |
liverpool <tsp> ( cnn ) -- france international footballer patrice evra is determined to follow up his complaint of racism against uruguay striker luis suarez , according to his club manager . manchester united defender evra accused his liverpool opponent of racially abusing him during saturday 's 1-1 premier league draw , and the english football association said it would investigate after match referee andre marriner reported the incident . suarez denied the claims in a statement on his facebook page , but united manager alex ferguson told reporters on monday that evra stands by his comments to french television channel canal plus . i spoke to patrice today . he is adamant he wants to follow it on , ' ferguson said ahead of tuesday 's champions league clash with romanian minnows otelul galati . it is not an easy one for us . it is not something we would want to level against liverpool , and it is not against liverpool . obviously patrice feels very aggrieved at what was said to him . it rests in the hands of the fa now . ' ask samuel eto'o and roberto carlos your questions united and liverpool are bitter rivals , and ferguson appealed to both sets of fans before the match at anfield , asking them not to sing abusive chants about the clubs'respective tragedies in munich and hillsborough . eight of united 's players were killed in the 1958 german air crash that claimed 23 lives , while 96 liverpool supporters died during an fa cup semifinal in 1989 . saturday was terrific . both sets of fans were good , ' ferguson said . there was not any of that silly chanting we have had in previous years . both sets of fans deserve praise for that . ' united midfielder ashley young was racially abused by bulgaria fans during england 's euro 2012 qualifier in sofia in september , but ferguson said there are no such problems in the premier league . i am not aware of any instances in terms of british football , ' the 69-year-old scot said . it does n't happen in england . there are very few examples of that . maybe this is what surprised patrice evra . he thought he was slighted on saturday . we do n't want to see it . it is as simple as that . ' ferguson said evra would be in contention to play in romania , with last season 's champions league finalists united seeking to kickstart a faltering european campaign after picking up just two points from two group c matches . yes , yes . there is no problem , ' he said , while confirming that england striker wayne rooney would play despite sunday 's top-of-the-table derby clash with manchester city looming . rooney started on the bench against liverpool following the news that he will be banned for all three of england 's euro 2012 finals group matches after his red card against montenegro . when the initial news came through it was a definite blow for him . he did n't expect that . none of us did , ' ferguson said . in tuesday 's other group c game , swiss side basel host portugal 's benfica with both clubs on four points . in group b , italy 's internazionale travel to french side lille on the back of another domestic defeat at the weekend , while turkey 's trabzonspor will seek to extend their lead at home to cska moscow . group a leaders bayern munich visit italy 's napoli in search of a third successive win , while manchester city host spain 's villarreal with both teams in search of a first victory . nine-time european champions real madrid will seek a third successive group d victory at home to french side lyon in the clubs'ninth meeting in six years . dutch club ajax , whose fourth european title came in 1995 , travel to croatia 's dinamo zagreb -- with neither team having won yet this season . | liverpool striker suarez has denied the claims by united defender evra |
south africa <tsp> ( budget travel ) -- many americans do n't realize that there 's a world of reliable hotel chains beyond marriott and motel 6 . here are 39 chains worth a stay . the taj view hotel , in agra , india , is one of 77 mostly high-end hotels with western-style amenities . the sample rates are for a double room on a weekday in september . worldwide barceló hotels & resorts properties : 129 properties , in 14 countries , that include the moderately priced barceló comfort hotels and the more stylish barceló brand . based in spain . sample rate : $ 161 , at barceló valencia . barcelo.es domina hotels & resorts properties : 11 hotels in europe and north africa , often with locally influenced decor , on-demand movies , and concierges . based in italy . sample rate : $ 136 , at the domina inn fiesta in budapest . dominahotels.com etap hotel properties : 370 low-budget locations in 11 countries . standard rooms contain a double bed , a bunk and a bathroom . based in france . sample rate : $ 59 , at the etap hotel nice palais nikaïa in france . etaphotel.com husa hoteles properties : more than 160 properties that run the gamut from remote resorts to inexpensive city hotels , in countries like spain , belgium , france , argentina and egypt . based in spain . sample rate : $ 88 , at the husa arcipreste de hita in madrid . husa.es iberostar hotels & resorts properties : 100 properties , most located beachside with swimming pools and large gardens , in europe , south america , the caribbean and north africa . based in spain . sample rate : $ 248 , at the iberostar playa de muro in majorca . iberostar.com ibis hotels properties : 800 mid-level hotels , with 24/7 reception and other services , in 38 countries . based in france . sample rate : $ 94 , at the ibis warszawa centrum in poland . ibishotel.com mercure properties : 762 properties that are spread around the world ( 52 countries ) and vary widely -- some are stylish and chic , while others are more motel-like . based in france . sample rate : $ 145 , at mercure sydney . mercure.com novotel properties : 397 large hotels with restaurants and lounges , in 54 countries . based in france . sample rate : $ 79 , at the novotel xin qiao beijing in china . novotel.com pestana hotels & resorts properties : 38 properties that include beachfront high-rises and spa resorts , with a variety of room sizes and styles -- many equipped with kitchens -- in portugal , brazil , mozambique , south africa , cape verde , and são tomé and principe . based in portugal . sample rate : $ 94 , at the pestana atalaia , in madeira , portugal . pestana.com riu hotels & resorts properties : 105 locations , many all-inclusive , in resort areas of north africa , mexico , the caribbean and europe . based in spain . sample rate : $ 179 per person ( all-inclusive ) , at the hotel riu palace cabo san lucas . riu.com sol meliã properties : 318 properties in 30 countries operating under six brands that include sol hotels , which are typically near a beach and have kid-friendly restaurants ; tryp hotels , which also target families but are more likely to be in cities ; and the new boutique-style me by meliã . based in spain . sample rate : $ 64 , at tryp burlada in pamplona , spain . solmelia.com taj hotels resorts and palaces properties : 77 mostly high-end hotels with western-style amenities in india , as well as in other parts of asia , the u.k. , the u.s. , africa , the middle east and australia . based in india . sample rate : $ 90 , at the taj view hotel , in agra , india . tajhotels.com asia & the pacific amari hotels and resorts properties : 15 hotels in thai beach-resort areas and major cities . sample rate : $ 62 , at the amari coral beach resort and spa in phuket . amari.com apa hotel properties : 52 high-rise hotels in japan ( apa stands for always pleasant amenity ) . sample rate : $ 61 , at tokyo-ojima . apahotel.com dusit hotels & resorts properties : 18 properties with gourmet restaurants ( some with poolside chalets ) in thailand , the philippines , myanmar and the united arab emirates . based in thailand . sample rate : $ 110 , at the d2hotel chiang mai in thailand . dusit.com evergreen international hotels properties : nine sleek , modern hotels ( five in taiwan ) with soundproof rooms , plasma tvs and marble bathrooms . based in taiwan . sample rate : $ 146 , at the evergreen laurel hotel taipei . evergreen-hotels.com ginger hotels properties : eight locations in india with self-serve check-in , well-equipped gyms , and flat-screen tvs . sample rate : $ 45 , at ginger bangalore . gingerhotels.com jin jiang hotels properties : 192 properties in china , ranging from high-end jin jiang hotels to budget-priced jin jiang inns . sample rate : $ 138 , at the jin jiang hotel shanghai . jinjianghotels.com europe cab inn properties : five cheery , efficiently designed hotels in denmark -- small , simple rooms modeled on cruise ship cabins ( hence the name ) . some rooms have bunk beds . sample rate : $ 118 , at the copenhagen cab inn city . cabinn.com dedeman hotels & resorts international properties : 17 locations that tend to be either chic and modern ( in big cities ) or traditional ( in resort areas ) , primarily in turkey , northern cyprus , eastern europe and uzbekistan . based in turkey . sample rate : $ 130 , at the hotel dedeman istanbul . dedemanhotels.com fosshótel properties : 13 unexciting , moderately priced hotels and guesthouses in normally expensive iceland . sample rate : $ 113 , at the flóki inn in reykjavík . fosshotel.is grecotel properties : 20 luxury properties with spas , infinity pools and other high-end amenities in the resort areas of greece . sample rate : $ 300 , at the grecotel eva palace in corfu . grecotel.com intercityhotel properties : 28 mid-level hotels in germany and austria , often located near train stations and airports . based in germany . sample rate : $ 170 , at the intercityhotel berlin . intercityhotel.com jjw hotels & resorts properties : 40 properties , mostly located in france , including the jjw luxury collection at the high end , stars hotels at the low , and the median brand -- no surprise -- in the middle . based in the u.k . sample rate : $ 81 , at the median lyon . jjwhotels.com new hotel properties : 13 small hotels in france and one in brussels . sample rate : $ 123 , at the new hotel la baume in nímes . new-hotel.com omena hotels properties : five automated hotels in finland ; guests check themselves in with a preset door code and contact housekeeping through interactive tvs . sample rate : $ 49 , at the omena hotel eerikinkatu in helsinki . omena.com premier travel inn properties : 480 mid-level u.k. locations with a king- or queen-size bed in every room ; kids under 16 stay free and get breakfast free . sample rate : $ 135 , at the oxford premier travel inn . premiertravelinn.com sorat hotels properties : 17 german hotels converted from , among other things , a grain silo , a blacksmith 's shop , and a medieval inn . sample rate : $ 123 , at the sorat hotel görlitz . sorat-hotels.com thon hotels properties : 54 sleek , simple , ecofriendly hotels in norway , belgium and the netherlands . based in norway . sample rate : $ 137 , at the thon hotel astoria in oslo . thonhotels.com middle east/ north africa dan hotels properties : 12 moderate to upscale hotels in israel . sample rate : $ 85 , at the dan gardens haifa hotel . danhotels.com safir hotels & resorts properties : 16 mid-range , straightforward business hotels in kuwait , egypt , syria , lebanon and algeria . based in kuwait . sample rate : $ 174 , at the safir international hotel kuwait . safirhotels.com mexico fiesta americana/fiesta inn properties : 70 properties throughout the country , including full-service resorts in places like puerto vallarta ( fiesta americana ) and more-standard , business-style accommodations ( fiesta inns ) . sample rate : $ 151 , at the fiesta americana condesa cancún ; $ 106 , at the fiesta inn centro histórico , in mexico city . fiestamericana.com , fiestainn.com sub-saharan africa city lodge hotels properties : 40 properties , all in south africa . the company 's courtyard brand is at the high end of the spectrum , its motel-like road lodge is at the lower end , and city lodge and town lodge are situated in between . sample rate : $ 48 , at the road lodge durban . citylodge.co.za protea hotels properties : 113 properties , mostly in south africa with a few in tanzania , nigeria , namibia , zimbabwe and even the u.k. hotels range from mid-level city properties to deluxe safari lodges . based in south africa . sample rate : $ 154 , at the protea hotel aishi machame , near mount kilimanjaro , in tanzania . proteahotels.com read about five hot boutique-style brands in the u.s. e-mail to a friend get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you free - click here ! copyright © 2009 newsweek budget travel , inc. , all rights reserved . note : this story was accurate when it was published . please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip . | protea hotels has 113 properties , mostly in south africa |
iranians <tsp> hamid dabashi is the author of iran : a people interrupted . ' he is hagop kevorkian professor of iranian studies and comparative literature at columbia university in new york . his web site is http : //www.hamiddabashi.com/ . hamid dabashi says muslim americans can send a powerful message of support for baha'i minority in iran . ( cnn ) -- in their latest communique regarding the fate of seven arrested members of the baha'i religious minority in iran , amnesty international has expressed grave concern they may face the death penalty if they are found guilty of the charges of espionage for israel , ' insulting religious sanctities , ' and propaganda against the system . ' as the islamic republic of iran experiences the most serious challenge to its legitimacy in its 30-year history , the vulnerability of religious and ethnic minorities is the most accurate barometer of the crisis that all iranians face in these dire circumstances . of all the various iranian minorities , the baha'i community historically has been the weakest and most vulnerable . the world 's attention is rightly drawn to the fate of prominent reformists charged with treason , and to the arbitrary arrest , torture , rape and murder of young iranians . but the fate of the iranian baha'is should not be eclipsed under the cloud of other civil rights abuses , for they represent much more than their own small community . minorities have always been at the mercy of belligerent authorities , particularly when they face a crisis of legitimacy . kurds in western iran , arabic-speaking communities in the south , azaris in the north , as well as turkmans and baluchis in the east have been at the forefront of such discriminations , which has in turn instigated chronic separatist movements in these areas . at the same time , iranian zoroastrians , jews and armenians have also faced varied degrees of discrimination , at official or cultural levels and registers , as they have joined their muslim brothers and sisters in opposing domestic tyranny and foreign intervention alike . among all these minorities , the baha'is remain the most fragile in part because of intra-shia sectarian hostilities that go back to mid-19th century and the rise of a vastly popular messianic movement known as babism , of which the contemporary baha'is are an offshoot . its adherents consider themselves the followers of an entirely new religion , in fact the very latest iranian monotheistic faith with over five million followers scattered over 200 countries . while other religious minorities are specifically protected under the constitution of the islamic republic , this is not the case for the baha'is . article 13 of the constitution has specifically and exclusively recognized zoroastrian , jewish and christian iranians as the only recognized religious minorities , who , within the limits of the law , are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies , and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education . ' the word only ' in this article seems specifically designed to exclude the baha'is from this clause . having the same effect , article 14 of the constitution stipulates the constitutional protection of the minorities to be exclusive to those who refrain from engaging in conspiracy or activity against islam and the islamic republic of iran . the location of the baha'i holy sites in haifa , israel , has been a principal source of harassment and intimidation against the baha'is . this goes back to the late ottoman period and obviously predates the establishment of the jewish state in 1948 . it 's also something over which the baha'is have had no control . in the face of systematic abuse of civil liberties of the baha'is , there is very little that the american government can do , particularly in the aftermath of the bush presidency and eight years of widespread islamophobia in the united states that did not leave even the last presidential campaign unscathed . having waged war on two muslim nations , the u.s. government is in the least favorable position to defend the rights of non-muslim minorities in their own homeland . in addition , during the eight years of bush presidency , and in the aftermath of the events of 9/11 , being a muslim became a liability in the united states , creating pr problems even for president obama 's middle name . it was not until former secretary of state colin powell came out strongly against such vilification of muslims that a prominent public figure put the problem on the national consciousness . as much as the u.s. government is in the worst position to come to the baha'is'aid , muslim americans are perfectly poised to voice their outrage against the abuse of religious minorities in iran or anywhere else in the muslim world , for they know what it feels like to be a political pariah and a religious minority in an overwhelmingly alternate context . since the terrifying events of 9/11 , american muslim communities have endured much religious and racial profiling and suspicion , as they have seen the terms and icons sacrosanct to their faith maligned and ridiculed in western europe , north america and australia . multiply that experience many times and extend it back to the late 19th century and that would be the experience of the iranian baha'is , trapped inside their own homeland , banned from or exercising the terms of their own sacrosanct principles . the experiences of muslims as a minority here in the united states , or in europe for that matter , gives them a unique position to raise their voice against the abuse of non-muslim minorities in iran and the rest of the muslim world . in a world now defined by the presence of multiple faiths inside many nations and as american muslims learn to come together to protect their own constitutional rights in an old democracy , it would only be fitting if they were to raise their voice in defense of other religious minorities seeking to secure their basic rights to religious liberties in countries aspiring to become democracies . the fate of iranian baha'is is not only a matter of their fundamental civil rights in the context of any republic , islamic or otherwise . it is the very cornerstone of democratic citizenship without which the muslim majority of iranians is denied their constitutional protection . watch the fate of the iranian baha'is carefully . the day they are free to practice their religion without fear , iranians at large will have finally secured their civil liberties . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of hamid dabashi . | he says when baha'is are granted liberty , all iranians will have civil rights |
ftc <tsp> ( cnn ) -- thousands of taxpayers across the country are n't getting their refund or stimulus checks because criminals have stolen their social security numbers in an identity theft scam , cnn has learned . some victims do n't learn about identity theft until the irs questions them about income in their name . we see a lot of activity right now , because clearly folks who are trying to perpetrate a fraud have to get their claims in early before a true taxpayer files their return , ' said nina olsen , the national taxpayer advocate for the internal revenue service . olsen , whose independent office is set up to help taxpayers , said her office fielded several thousand complaints this year connected to the scam . the federal trade commission reported that approximately 50,000 taxpayers complained about tax fraud and employment-related identity theft during 2006 , compared with 18,000 in 2002 . it 's a huge nightmare , ' olsen said . basically , their life can be taken over by just about every approach , trying to prove that they are who they are and other people are not . and when you think about how central the social security number is to banking , to credit , to school applications , for financial aid , just for everything you can think of -- plus your taxes -- it has a significant impact on a person 's life . ' that 's what happened to brenton king , a 25-year-old father and student from orem , utah . king said he was 17 when someone stole his wallet at a ski resort . over the past four years , at least five people have used his social security number to report income . and since the criminals earned income on his number and never paid taxes , he and his wife , jennifer , ca n't get any tax refunds from the irs or their government stimulus check even though he reported the theft several years ago to police and the irs . under the government 's economic stimulus plan , 130 million people were supposed to received tax rebate checks from $ 300 and up last year . we want to put that money in the bank , ' jennifer king said . we want to be able to put money down on a home . ' the kings said the ordeal has been frustrating because they know when they file their tax return every year that they wo n't get the money back that they are owed . initially , they said , it was difficult dealing with the irs , which they said made brenton feel as if he were the criminal . the fear is it will happen for the rest of our lives , ' brenton king said . sen. max baucus , d-montana , said it takes the irs an average of about a year to sort out who is the real taxpayer . ' in the meantime , the victim 's tax accounts get frozen , ' baucus , the chairman of the senate finance committee , said in a written statement . the irs issues no refund . the money that the taxpayer was planning on does n't come . the taxpayer waits in tax limbo , for months and months . ' baucus , who led a hearing into the issue in 2008 , said other taxpayers do n't learn that they are victims of identity theft until years later . victims first realize that other people are using their identities when the irs contacts them . the irs asks them why they did not report the income that appears on w-2 forms with their names on them , ' he said . and sen. chuck grassley , the ranking republican on baucus'committee , said the irs does n't do enough to combat tax-related identity theft . he said the irs does not prosecute , and that 's not very helpful . it sends a signal that you get a free pass if you 're using irs instruments . ' but irs spokesman dean patterson called preventing identity theft a top priority ' for federal tax collectors and said , we are committing significant resources to address the challenges posed in protecting taxpayers'identity information . ' we have established a special unit dedicated to resolving tax issues incurred by identity theft victims and special tracking codes to monitor returns and prevent further fraud , ' patterson said in a written statement . potential identity theft victims can contact the irs if they suspect fraud . ' the irs said it vigorously prosecutes identity thieves to the fullest extent of the law using tax-related laws that result in the toughest penalties possible . ' the agency said it was unable to provide details of how many cases it prosecuted , however . in the meantime , the kings have signed up with lifelock , a private company that helps identity-theft victims . todd davis , the company 's ceo , said cases like theirs are like getting a disease that 's incurable . ' look , once your information has been compromised , it 's not like when they steal your car , ' davis said . once they steal your car , you file a police report , you do an insurance claim or whatever it may be , you get your replacement car , it 's over . once they have your personal information , as exemplified by this couple in utah , this information could be used over and over by multiple people . ' | tax fraud reports jump between 2002 and 2006 , ftc reports |
de laurentiis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tv chef giada de laurentiis and her husband are calling it quits . after an amicable separation since july , todd ( thompson ) and i have decided to end our marriage . although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness , our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family 's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate , yet always connected paths , ' she said in a statement . todd and i share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything . we are so thankful for our friends and family , and really appreciate the support in this time of change , ' the statement read . according to the biography on her website , de laurentiis , the granddaughter of film producer dino de laurentiis , was born in rome . she graduated from the university of california in los angeles , and trained at le cordon bleu in paris . the emmy award winning de laurentiis began work on food network in 2002 , where she hosts the daytime cooking show everyday italian . ' | giada de laurentiis and her husband have been separated since july |
de laurentiis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tv chef giada de laurentiis and her husband are calling it quits . after an amicable separation since july , todd ( thompson ) and i have decided to end our marriage . although our decision to separate comes with a great deal of sadness , our focus on the future and overwhelming desire for our family 's happiness has given us the strength to move forward on separate , yet always connected paths , ' she said in a statement . todd and i share a beautiful daughter and a lifetime of great memories that we both treasure more than anything . we are so thankful for our friends and family , and really appreciate the support in this time of change , ' the statement read . according to the biography on her website , de laurentiis , the granddaughter of film producer dino de laurentiis , was born in rome . she graduated from the university of california in los angeles , and trained at le cordon bleu in paris . the emmy award winning de laurentiis began work on food network in 2002 , where she hosts the daytime cooking show everyday italian . ' | de laurentiis is host of the daytime cooking show everyday italian ' |
rockford <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one person died and six were injured when a cargo train derailed , causing an explosion and massive fire in illinois , a fire chief said saturday . a train carrying chemicals derailed and burned for hours , forcing the evacuation of about 600 homes crews were still fighting the blaze at midday , but expected to have it fully contained in the afternoon , said rockford fire chief derek bergsten . it 's under control and we 're taking every precaution not to harm firefighters or residents , ' bergsten said , adding that federal and state environmental officials were on scene monitoring air and soil samples . the fatality was a woman , said winnebago county coroner sue fiduccia . the cause of death had not been determined because fiduccia was unable to get close enough to examine the body . bergsten said six people were injured , and all train workers were accounted for . the train was carrying chemicals that burned for hours , forcing the evacuation of about 600 homes in the town about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) northwest of chicago , authorities said . officers were called to the scene near rockford about 8:30 p.m. friday , a city police spokeswoman said . the derailment involved automobiles , but it was unclear whether they were on the tracks , she said . three motorists who were stopped at a train crossing were burned , one severely , bergsten said . one of the victims , who tried to run from the blaze , suffered second-degree burns on his hand while trying to shield his neck from flames , according to bergsten . at least 14 cars of the 114-car train caught fire after the derailment , officials said . the rest of the canadian national railway train -- including 70 cars carrying ethanol , a colorless , highly flammable liquid -- was disconnected and moved away from the blaze , bergsten said . cnn 's greg morrison and shawn nottingham contributed to this report . | new : woman dead after train derails , erupts into flames in rockford , illinois |
belize <tsp> ( cnn ) -- american technology pioneer john mcafee said he faked a heart attack while detained in guatemala to buy time for his attorney to file a series of appeals that ultimately prevented his deportation to belize , hastening the government 's decision to send him back to the united states . after weeks on the run and days in immigration detention , mcafee arrived in miami on wednesday . he said belize authorities in april 2011 accused him of running a methamphetamine lab , before the november 11 killing of his neighbor , american businessman gregory faull , and have since persecuted him . i have absolutely nothing to do with the murder in belize , ' he said thursday . this is not about a murder in belize . this began on the 30th of april of last year when 42 armed soldiers stormed my property . ' mystery follows mcafee to miami after weeks in hiding , the 67-year-old antivirus software company founder emerged in guatemala 's capital last week to ask for asylum . guatemalan authorities took him into custody on accusations of entering the country illegally , and his asylum bid was rejected . mcafee then waged a public battle , requesting asylum and arguing that police in belize were after him following his apparent decision to shed light on corruption in the country . he also said the breach resulted in belize soldiers shooting his dog . cnn can not independently verify his account . he opted to return to his country of origin , ' said attorney telesforo guerra , who has represented mcafee since he arrived in guatemala last week . on sunday , mcafee told reporters that he hoped to go back to the united states . our intent is to return to america , if at all possible , and settle down to whatever normal life we can settle down to under the circumstances , ' he said . there is no hope for my life if i am ever returned to belize . ' authorities in belize , where mcafee had lived since 2008 , say they want to talk to him about faull 's death . mcafee 's home on ambergris caye , an island off belize 's mainland , was raided after faull 's death . national police spokesman raphael martinez said authorities went into the house amid suspicions there were illicit weapons and drugs inside , but neither were found . | mcafee has said belize authorities are corrupt and have been trying to get him |
belize <tsp> ( cnn ) -- american technology pioneer john mcafee said he faked a heart attack while detained in guatemala to buy time for his attorney to file a series of appeals that ultimately prevented his deportation to belize , hastening the government 's decision to send him back to the united states . after weeks on the run and days in immigration detention , mcafee arrived in miami on wednesday . he said belize authorities in april 2011 accused him of running a methamphetamine lab , before the november 11 killing of his neighbor , american businessman gregory faull , and have since persecuted him . i have absolutely nothing to do with the murder in belize , ' he said thursday . this is not about a murder in belize . this began on the 30th of april of last year when 42 armed soldiers stormed my property . ' mystery follows mcafee to miami after weeks in hiding , the 67-year-old antivirus software company founder emerged in guatemala 's capital last week to ask for asylum . guatemalan authorities took him into custody on accusations of entering the country illegally , and his asylum bid was rejected . mcafee then waged a public battle , requesting asylum and arguing that police in belize were after him following his apparent decision to shed light on corruption in the country . he also said the breach resulted in belize soldiers shooting his dog . cnn can not independently verify his account . he opted to return to his country of origin , ' said attorney telesforo guerra , who has represented mcafee since he arrived in guatemala last week . on sunday , mcafee told reporters that he hoped to go back to the united states . our intent is to return to america , if at all possible , and settle down to whatever normal life we can settle down to under the circumstances , ' he said . there is no hope for my life if i am ever returned to belize . ' authorities in belize , where mcafee had lived since 2008 , say they want to talk to him about faull 's death . mcafee 's home on ambergris caye , an island off belize 's mainland , was raided after faull 's death . national police spokesman raphael martinez said authorities went into the house amid suspicions there were illicit weapons and drugs inside , but neither were found . | he 's been on the run since his belize neighbor was found dead november 11 |
belize <tsp> ( cnn ) -- american technology pioneer john mcafee said he faked a heart attack while detained in guatemala to buy time for his attorney to file a series of appeals that ultimately prevented his deportation to belize , hastening the government 's decision to send him back to the united states . after weeks on the run and days in immigration detention , mcafee arrived in miami on wednesday . he said belize authorities in april 2011 accused him of running a methamphetamine lab , before the november 11 killing of his neighbor , american businessman gregory faull , and have since persecuted him . i have absolutely nothing to do with the murder in belize , ' he said thursday . this is not about a murder in belize . this began on the 30th of april of last year when 42 armed soldiers stormed my property . ' mystery follows mcafee to miami after weeks in hiding , the 67-year-old antivirus software company founder emerged in guatemala 's capital last week to ask for asylum . guatemalan authorities took him into custody on accusations of entering the country illegally , and his asylum bid was rejected . mcafee then waged a public battle , requesting asylum and arguing that police in belize were after him following his apparent decision to shed light on corruption in the country . he also said the breach resulted in belize soldiers shooting his dog . cnn can not independently verify his account . he opted to return to his country of origin , ' said attorney telesforo guerra , who has represented mcafee since he arrived in guatemala last week . on sunday , mcafee told reporters that he hoped to go back to the united states . our intent is to return to america , if at all possible , and settle down to whatever normal life we can settle down to under the circumstances , ' he said . there is no hope for my life if i am ever returned to belize . ' authorities in belize , where mcafee had lived since 2008 , say they want to talk to him about faull 's death . mcafee 's home on ambergris caye , an island off belize 's mainland , was raided after faull 's death . national police spokesman raphael martinez said authorities went into the house amid suspicions there were illicit weapons and drugs inside , but neither were found . | new : belize authorities want to talk to mcafee , a spokesman says |
monaco <tsp> ( cnn ) -- atlantic bluefin tuna will not be added to a list of banned exports , following a vote on thursday afternoon in doha , qatar . the vote was held among the 115-member nations who have signed the convention on international trade on endangered species . the popular sushi staple has been the focus of international attention as east atlantic and mediterranean populations of the fish have decreased by an estimated nearly 61 percent in the last decade , according to international commission for the conservation of atlantic tunas ( iccat ) , the inter-governmental group that manages tuna fisheries in the atlantic ocean . the proposal to ban export of bluefin tuna was defeated by an outright majority , according to john donaldson , the chairman of the committee tasked with hearing the proposal . the proposal , originally raised by monaco , aimed to reduce the overall harvest of atlantic bluefin tuna . iccat has been the target of criticism for what many see as lax enforcement of its own limits . the proposal by monaco noted that , in 2007 , an independent review of iccat , ' conducted by reviewers that iccat appointed concluded that iccat contracting parties'performance in managing fisheries on bluefin tuna particularly in the eastern atlantic and mediterranean is widely regarded as an international disgrace . ' monaco 's proposal noted that , on iccat 's watch in 2007 , over 32,000 tons of bluefin tuna were exported to japan alone . the total allowable catch for that year for the whole of the atlantic ocean was just 29,500 tons . | brought to the table by monaco , it aimed to reduce the overall harvest |
3-d <tsp> ( cnn ) -- humans can see 3-d images with only one eye , according to new research , suggesting a future in which the technology could become cheaper and more accessible . simply looking through a small hole is enough to experience 3-d , says dhanraj vishwanath , a psychologist at the university of st. andrews in scotland . his research was published in the journal psychological science . the 3-d technology that 's currently used in movies and other media relies on two visual images , one from each eye , combining in the viewer 's brain to produce 3-d 's extra layer of depth . but vishwanath 's research suggests that both eyes are n't needed . we have demonstrated experimentally , for the first time , that the same'special way'in which depth is experienced in 3d movies can also be experienced by looking at a normal picture with one eye viewing through a small aperture ( circular hole ) . while this effect has been known for a long time , it is usually dismissed , ' he said in a release from the university . now we have shown that it is in fact real , and the perceptual results are exactly like stereoscopic 3d , the kind seen in 3d movies . ' in recent years , 3-d has become an emerging technology for blockbuster movies , video games , tv and other media . but it also causes headaches , dizziness and even nausea for as many as 10 % of the people who watch it . some experts believe that cumbersome 3-d glasses are a primary reason why the technology has n't caught on with tv viewers . the st. andrews researchers say that , with the approach they explored , people with only one eye or those with problems watching 3-d with both eyes could still experience its compelling ' effect . many of these people do n't know what it means to see in 3d because they have never experienced it , ' vishwanath said . our findings and preliminary results suggest that our method could be used to allow people with misaligned eyes ... to experience what it is like to actually see in 3d . ' he said the study could have implications for movie producers and other industries . vishwanath suggested that 3-d could one day be produced by dramatically increasing the resolution of images . that method would also decrease eye fatigue and some of the other side effects people report from wearing 3-d glasses . the st. andrews team is now testing the theory with a larger group of subjects . they plan to release more findings on 3-d this year . | some people feel nausea and dizziness from 3-d |
3-d <tsp> ( cnn ) -- humans can see 3-d images with only one eye , according to new research , suggesting a future in which the technology could become cheaper and more accessible . simply looking through a small hole is enough to experience 3-d , says dhanraj vishwanath , a psychologist at the university of st. andrews in scotland . his research was published in the journal psychological science . the 3-d technology that 's currently used in movies and other media relies on two visual images , one from each eye , combining in the viewer 's brain to produce 3-d 's extra layer of depth . but vishwanath 's research suggests that both eyes are n't needed . we have demonstrated experimentally , for the first time , that the same'special way'in which depth is experienced in 3d movies can also be experienced by looking at a normal picture with one eye viewing through a small aperture ( circular hole ) . while this effect has been known for a long time , it is usually dismissed , ' he said in a release from the university . now we have shown that it is in fact real , and the perceptual results are exactly like stereoscopic 3d , the kind seen in 3d movies . ' in recent years , 3-d has become an emerging technology for blockbuster movies , video games , tv and other media . but it also causes headaches , dizziness and even nausea for as many as 10 % of the people who watch it . some experts believe that cumbersome 3-d glasses are a primary reason why the technology has n't caught on with tv viewers . the st. andrews researchers say that , with the approach they explored , people with only one eye or those with problems watching 3-d with both eyes could still experience its compelling ' effect . many of these people do n't know what it means to see in 3d because they have never experienced it , ' vishwanath said . our findings and preliminary results suggest that our method could be used to allow people with misaligned eyes ... to experience what it is like to actually see in 3d . ' he said the study could have implications for movie producers and other industries . vishwanath suggested that 3-d could one day be produced by dramatically increasing the resolution of images . that method would also decrease eye fatigue and some of the other side effects people report from wearing 3-d glasses . the st. andrews team is now testing the theory with a larger group of subjects . they plan to release more findings on 3-d this year . | new research says viewing images through a small hole can produce a 3-d effect |
bae jun ho <tsp> north korea has arrested a u.s. citizen for committing an unspecified crime against the country , state media reported friday , 10 days after u.s. officials said an american had been detained by the reclusive nation . bae jun ho entered north korea on november 3 to carry out a tour , the country 's official korean central news agency , or kcna , reported . he was detained and evidence was uncovered proving that he had committed a crime against the country , the news agency said . the american then confessed to the offense , it said , and faces legal action . a u.s. official told cnn last week that an american citizen named kenneth bae had been detained in north korea for more than a month . the u.s. official said bae had made several trips to north korea previously , and that he was not believed to have been mistreated in detention . neither washington nor seoul has yet confirmed that bae is the same man referred to by north korean state media . his detention was first reported by south korean newspapers , which said that bae , a tour operator , entered north korea at the port city of rajin accompanied by five other tourists . bae and the group were on a five-day trip to the country , according to south korea 's yonhap news . one of the tour members was carrying a computer hard disk that apparently contained sensitive information , ' yonhap news reported , citing a korean-language paper . u.s. state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said last week that the united states was aware of the reports of bae 's detention , but that it would not discuss the issue further because of privacy issues . we obviously have no higher priority than the welfare of our citizens . as you may know we have no representation in pyongyang . the embassy of sweden acts as our protecting power for issues involving u.s. citizens in north korea , ' nuland said then . consular officials from the swedish embassy visited bae on friday , kcna said . the united states and north korea do not have diplomatic relations . | bae jun ho is accused of committing a crime against north korea , state media says |
borger <tsp> editor 's note : gloria borger is a senior political analyst for cnn , appearing regularly on cnn 's the situation room , ' campbell brown , ' ac360° ' and state of the union with john king , ' as well as special event coverage . gloria borger says we could be in for a month of venting sessions aimed at members of congress . washington ( cnn ) -- ah , the summer . time for all those members of congress to go home , meet with their constituents , get their input on health care reform and take back what they have learned from the voters . not exactly . in some town hall meetings around the country , anger and fear are trumping any constructive argument -- at least so far . recently , for instance , sen. arlen specter held a town hall meeting with kathleen sebelius , the health and human services secretary . in attempting to answer questions , they were shouted down by folks more interested in venting than discussing . on the conservative freedomworks web site , the display was headlined specter gets schooled . ' above the video of the event , the site says ... this is a must watch and a must emulate at town halls across the country over the next month . ' really ? what about those folks who are actually interested in debating and discussing a very complex issue they 're trying to digest ? there are some who may actually want to figure out the best way to solve the health care problem . what ever happened to asking questions about the quality of care , the cost of insurance , the impact of any public plan on the health care system ? after all , this has been a turbulent economic time for this country , and another huge shock to the system is naturally worrisome . especially when it comes to an issue as complex as health care . but it 's not just the folks at these town halls who have learned how to heckle . their bad behavior is a derivative of the questionable quality of the political debate they listen to every day . indeed , if there 's one thing we 've gotten really good at over the years , it 's this : reducing complicated problems to bite-sized slogans . it seems to work , so we keep doing it . ipso facto , obama 's reform ideas become socialism ' to his republican critics . and the administration is not above creating a handy bogeyman of its own : the insurance companies . at least according to house speaker nancy pelosi , who accuses them of full-force carpet-bombing and shock and awe against the public option . ' too bad they actually support the rest of reform , and are still running positive ads about the effort . they were n't at the table at all 16 years ago when hillary clinton 's effort at reform failed . the world has changed since then , and the congressional plans for reforming health care have changed , too . but the invective of the debate , sad to say , has not . the effort on capitol hill has been serious . i hate to sound like pollyanna , but members of congress are actually doing some real work . some policy differences may never get resolved because they are too ideological ; others are regional , and that 's tough , too . but they 're working at it , for hours on end , behind closed doors . no cameras , no grandstanding . one of those working the hardest , republican sen. charles grassley of iowa , was derided at a town hall recently on the matter of his own health insurance . so here 's the fellow who is spending every waking hour trying to get a bipartisan measure that can pass the senate -- and be fair to iowans -- and he goes home and gets an earful . maybe the discourse will become more productive as the summer progresses . and maybe not . but the health care dilemma remains , no matter how loud the discussion . as john f. kennedy told us , to govern is to choose . ' especially when the choices are not easy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger . | borger : stop reducing complicated issues to simplistic sound bites |
borger <tsp> editor 's note : gloria borger is a senior political analyst for cnn , appearing regularly on cnn 's the situation room , ' campbell brown , ' ac360° ' and state of the union with john king , ' as well as special event coverage . gloria borger says we could be in for a month of venting sessions aimed at members of congress . washington ( cnn ) -- ah , the summer . time for all those members of congress to go home , meet with their constituents , get their input on health care reform and take back what they have learned from the voters . not exactly . in some town hall meetings around the country , anger and fear are trumping any constructive argument -- at least so far . recently , for instance , sen. arlen specter held a town hall meeting with kathleen sebelius , the health and human services secretary . in attempting to answer questions , they were shouted down by folks more interested in venting than discussing . on the conservative freedomworks web site , the display was headlined specter gets schooled . ' above the video of the event , the site says ... this is a must watch and a must emulate at town halls across the country over the next month . ' really ? what about those folks who are actually interested in debating and discussing a very complex issue they 're trying to digest ? there are some who may actually want to figure out the best way to solve the health care problem . what ever happened to asking questions about the quality of care , the cost of insurance , the impact of any public plan on the health care system ? after all , this has been a turbulent economic time for this country , and another huge shock to the system is naturally worrisome . especially when it comes to an issue as complex as health care . but it 's not just the folks at these town halls who have learned how to heckle . their bad behavior is a derivative of the questionable quality of the political debate they listen to every day . indeed , if there 's one thing we 've gotten really good at over the years , it 's this : reducing complicated problems to bite-sized slogans . it seems to work , so we keep doing it . ipso facto , obama 's reform ideas become socialism ' to his republican critics . and the administration is not above creating a handy bogeyman of its own : the insurance companies . at least according to house speaker nancy pelosi , who accuses them of full-force carpet-bombing and shock and awe against the public option . ' too bad they actually support the rest of reform , and are still running positive ads about the effort . they were n't at the table at all 16 years ago when hillary clinton 's effort at reform failed . the world has changed since then , and the congressional plans for reforming health care have changed , too . but the invective of the debate , sad to say , has not . the effort on capitol hill has been serious . i hate to sound like pollyanna , but members of congress are actually doing some real work . some policy differences may never get resolved because they are too ideological ; others are regional , and that 's tough , too . but they 're working at it , for hours on end , behind closed doors . no cameras , no grandstanding . one of those working the hardest , republican sen. charles grassley of iowa , was derided at a town hall recently on the matter of his own health insurance . so here 's the fellow who is spending every waking hour trying to get a bipartisan measure that can pass the senate -- and be fair to iowans -- and he goes home and gets an earful . maybe the discourse will become more productive as the summer progresses . and maybe not . but the health care dilemma remains , no matter how loud the discussion . as john f. kennedy told us , to govern is to choose . ' especially when the choices are not easy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger . | gloria borger : congressional recess provides chance for health care discussion |
taylor <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was taylor anderson 's dream come true to be living in japan . then , the march 11 earthquake hit . the 24-year-old american had been teaching english to elementary and middle school students in ishinomaki , a coastal city of about 160,000 in miyagi prefecture for more than two years . but her passion for the japanese culture was ignited long before she arrived in the country . she began studying the language in middle school , her parents said . as a student at randolph-macon college in ashland , virginia , she constantly sought ways to share all things japan with the community . she led book readings of japanese literature and organized trips to photography exhibits , friends say . she often showed up at the alpha gamma delta sorority house with japanese snacks to share with her housemates . she was never afraid to have such a love of another culture . some people would hold it back ... but she shared it with us ; i felt like we were a part of it , ' katie garin langley said . when she found out she was going to japan , it was such a blessing for her . it was just her dream come true . ' anderson , the oldest of andy and jeanne anderson 's three children , joined the japan exchange and teaching program shortly after graduation in august 2008 and was scheduled to return in august . her parents last heard from her two days before the march 11 earthquake , which triggered a massive tsunami that devastated parts of northeast japan , including the town where anderson lived . her parents said she was last seen after the earthquake riding her bike away from an elementary school after making sure parents picked up their children . her family spread the word of her disappearance on facebook ; her high school , st. catherine 's school , held a prayer vigil in her honor last thursday . on monday , her family announced that the wait had ended . it is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the u.s. embassy in japan that they had found our beloved taylor 's body , ' her family said in a statement . we would like to thank all those whose prayers and support have carried us through this crisis . please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of japan . we ask that you respect our privacy during this hard time . ' her death sent shockwaves through her hometown of chesterfield , virginia , as well as her college community . there 's a great lesson in the fact that taylor followed her passion , went to japan and taught youngsters and did exactly what she wanted to do and loved doing it and did very well , ' robert lindgren , president of randolph-macon college said in a statement . her exuberance for japan permeated all aspects of her , her friends said . she was just so happy to be alive . she took each day as it was and she was just so thrilled to be here and be alive and to make someone happy . she was just infectious . if you were in a bad mood and you saw taylor , you could n't help but be in a good mood , ' langley said . she always put people first . she always cared about other people more than herself . it showed how genuine of a person she was and how nice she really was , ' friend and fellow sorority sister mary anne dalle valle said . she leaves behind a legacy of kindness -- and the memory of a bright smile -- that her friends say will stick with them . she was just absolutely lovely and she was completely genuine and so much fun and easy going and a friend to everyone , ' friend and sorority sister virginia seatherton said . we may have lost her as a person but she 'll live on in everything she did and in each of us . she 'll always be with us . ' cnn 's eric fiegel contributed to this report . | there 's a great lesson in the fact that taylor followed her passion , ' school president says |
taylor <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was taylor anderson 's dream come true to be living in japan . then , the march 11 earthquake hit . the 24-year-old american had been teaching english to elementary and middle school students in ishinomaki , a coastal city of about 160,000 in miyagi prefecture for more than two years . but her passion for the japanese culture was ignited long before she arrived in the country . she began studying the language in middle school , her parents said . as a student at randolph-macon college in ashland , virginia , she constantly sought ways to share all things japan with the community . she led book readings of japanese literature and organized trips to photography exhibits , friends say . she often showed up at the alpha gamma delta sorority house with japanese snacks to share with her housemates . she was never afraid to have such a love of another culture . some people would hold it back ... but she shared it with us ; i felt like we were a part of it , ' katie garin langley said . when she found out she was going to japan , it was such a blessing for her . it was just her dream come true . ' anderson , the oldest of andy and jeanne anderson 's three children , joined the japan exchange and teaching program shortly after graduation in august 2008 and was scheduled to return in august . her parents last heard from her two days before the march 11 earthquake , which triggered a massive tsunami that devastated parts of northeast japan , including the town where anderson lived . her parents said she was last seen after the earthquake riding her bike away from an elementary school after making sure parents picked up their children . her family spread the word of her disappearance on facebook ; her high school , st. catherine 's school , held a prayer vigil in her honor last thursday . on monday , her family announced that the wait had ended . it is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the u.s. embassy in japan that they had found our beloved taylor 's body , ' her family said in a statement . we would like to thank all those whose prayers and support have carried us through this crisis . please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of japan . we ask that you respect our privacy during this hard time . ' her death sent shockwaves through her hometown of chesterfield , virginia , as well as her college community . there 's a great lesson in the fact that taylor followed her passion , went to japan and taught youngsters and did exactly what she wanted to do and loved doing it and did very well , ' robert lindgren , president of randolph-macon college said in a statement . her exuberance for japan permeated all aspects of her , her friends said . she was just so happy to be alive . she took each day as it was and she was just so thrilled to be here and be alive and to make someone happy . she was just infectious . if you were in a bad mood and you saw taylor , you could n't help but be in a good mood , ' langley said . she always put people first . she always cared about other people more than herself . it showed how genuine of a person she was and how nice she really was , ' friend and fellow sorority sister mary anne dalle valle said . she leaves behind a legacy of kindness -- and the memory of a bright smile -- that her friends say will stick with them . she was just absolutely lovely and she was completely genuine and so much fun and easy going and a friend to everyone , ' friend and sorority sister virginia seatherton said . we may have lost her as a person but she 'll live on in everything she did and in each of us . she 'll always be with us . ' cnn 's eric fiegel contributed to this report . | taylor anderson 's passion for japan led her to miyagi prefecture to teach english |
ceylanpinar <tsp> residents of this sleepy turkish border town breathed a sigh of relief on thursday . for the first time in a week , there were no explosions , bullets or bombs coming from the syrian side of the border . the lull led some locals to gloat . read more : blasts may have struck prison of torture in syria ' you 're late , ' announced the owner of a tea shop , as a van full of foreign journalists pulled up to his business , 20 meters from the border fence . but worry was still in the air . it 's quiet today , ' said a grizzled turkish man sipping a glass of tea . i hope that $ * & # guy running that country does n't do something # * & $ today , ' he cursed . fighting first erupted in the area on november 8 , when syrian rebels mounted an assault on syrian government forces in the neighboring syrian town of ras al ain . ras al ain , syria , and ceylanpinar , turkey , are effectively one town , separated by a fence and a parallel line of railroad tracks . read more : after the election , a new push on syria the next day , rebels claimed victory . they raised the opposition flag triumphantly over ras al ain , despite the fact that their offensive had sent thousands of terrified residents streaming across the border to turkey for safety . those refugee numbers swelled when syrian regime forces struck back , pounding ras al ain with artillery , airstrikes and bombardments with barrel bombs ' hurled out of hovering helicopters . as ras al ain shook and shuddered , turkish soldiers and ambulances waited at the nearby border gate , collecting scores of syrians who arrived wounded , and rushing them to nearby hospitals . locals said turkish authorities parked lines of railroad cars on the tracks between the two towns in an effort to protect ceylanpinar from shrapnel and errant bullets . but the turkish government said at least a half dozen turks were wounded during the week of fighting . on wednesday , turkey 's defense minister issued a warning to syria . read more : over 37,000 have died in syria 's civil war , opposition group says ' we will respond to syrian planes or helicopters that violate our borders , ' said ismet yilmaz . syria has been given a note of protest . our citizens , especially residents of the ( border ) regions , should stay calm . our armed forces are on duty full time and the troops on the ground have been authorized to intervene immediately when necessary . ' whether or not damascus heeded ankara 's warning is not clear . but on thursday , after being shuttered for days , shops were once again open in downtown ceylanpinar . mehmet saitavci , a community leader and the owner of a stationery shop , pointed out businesses that had windows shattered by the force of the syrian airstrikes . of course we were afraid , ' he said . jets flew overhead , there were bombardments , the children were terrified . we had to close the schools for their safety ! ' now , houses were packed full of refugees . an officer from the local zabita , a municipal police force , said he was hosting 30 syrian refugees in his home . volunteers at a nearby municipal building distributed yogurt , beans and bread to families , while also hosting scores of refugees . these frightened syrians said ras al ain had been a safe haven until last week 's rebel attack . read more : france , u.s. stand behind new opposition alliance as syria remains defiant ' from the beginning of the revolution , refugees came from all across syria to ras al ain because it was safe , ' said rashid mohammed , a kurdish farmer who was living in the municipal building with 60 of his relatives . he said seven of his cousins were killed by government helicopter attacks . we are angry at both of them ( the rebels and the government ) , because the rebels entered ras al ain and because the regime bombed us with its aircraft , ' mohammed said . most of the kurds want neither the rebels nor the regime . ' the refugee farmer reflected the ambivalence many members of syria 's ethnic kurdish minority have had toward syria 's grinding conflict . since the start of the uprising 19 months ago , various kurdish political parties have resisted joining syrian opposition groups , which are dominated by arabs . last summer , a kurdish militia closely affiliated with the kurdistan workers party , or pkk , assumed control over a number of predominantly kurdish towns along the border with turkey . the power grab triggered alarm bells in turkey , which has fought a 30-year war against pkk guerillas . read more : as u.n. falters , syria 's conflict threatens regional stability roughly half of ras al ain 's population is said to be kurdish . on wednesday , an umbrella group of kurdish political parties issued a public declaration , demanding that all armed groups abandon the border town . it was a warning primarily to the free syrian army rebels , who now patrol ras al ain in pickup trucks jerry-rigged with heavy machine guns . the fsa has to know that their enemy is not in ras al ain and in other kurdish areas . their enemy is in aleppo and damascus , so why do n't you go there to attack your real enemy ? ' said omar aloush , a top official in the kurdish democratic union party , the syrian wing of the pkk . speaking by phone from the kurdish-controlled syrian town of qoubani , aloush said his kurdish faction would not use force to push syrian rebel groups out of ras al ain . but he warned that his movement could withhold food and other supplies to put pressure on the rebels . the threats were met with defiance by a rebel media activist in ras al ain . we do n't care if the kurds say you have to leave , ' said yalmaz basha of the fsa . all syrians have to sacrifice , even the kurds , because they are part of the syrian people . ' the simmering tensions between kurdish militiamen and the fsa have exploded in deadly violence within the past month in the embattled northern city of aleppo . they also underscore the difficulties foreign powers face trying to unify syria 's opposition , while trying to hasten the downfall of syrian president bashar al-assad . on friday , the turkish government once again denounced the syrian regime , claiming it had no legitimacy . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu then announced his government would be recognizing a newly formed western-backed opposition movement known as the national coalition forces of the syrian revolution as the legitimate representative of the syrian people . ' but turkey has failed to deter the syrian military from carrying out operations within sight of the turkish border . on friday , syrian and turkish witnesses told cnn they saw syrian government aircraft bombing targets near the bab el hawa border get between the two countries . | syrian fight overflows to turkish town of ceylanpinar |
ceylanpinar <tsp> residents of this sleepy turkish border town breathed a sigh of relief on thursday . for the first time in a week , there were no explosions , bullets or bombs coming from the syrian side of the border . the lull led some locals to gloat . read more : blasts may have struck prison of torture in syria ' you 're late , ' announced the owner of a tea shop , as a van full of foreign journalists pulled up to his business , 20 meters from the border fence . but worry was still in the air . it 's quiet today , ' said a grizzled turkish man sipping a glass of tea . i hope that $ * & # guy running that country does n't do something # * & $ today , ' he cursed . fighting first erupted in the area on november 8 , when syrian rebels mounted an assault on syrian government forces in the neighboring syrian town of ras al ain . ras al ain , syria , and ceylanpinar , turkey , are effectively one town , separated by a fence and a parallel line of railroad tracks . read more : after the election , a new push on syria the next day , rebels claimed victory . they raised the opposition flag triumphantly over ras al ain , despite the fact that their offensive had sent thousands of terrified residents streaming across the border to turkey for safety . those refugee numbers swelled when syrian regime forces struck back , pounding ras al ain with artillery , airstrikes and bombardments with barrel bombs ' hurled out of hovering helicopters . as ras al ain shook and shuddered , turkish soldiers and ambulances waited at the nearby border gate , collecting scores of syrians who arrived wounded , and rushing them to nearby hospitals . locals said turkish authorities parked lines of railroad cars on the tracks between the two towns in an effort to protect ceylanpinar from shrapnel and errant bullets . but the turkish government said at least a half dozen turks were wounded during the week of fighting . on wednesday , turkey 's defense minister issued a warning to syria . read more : over 37,000 have died in syria 's civil war , opposition group says ' we will respond to syrian planes or helicopters that violate our borders , ' said ismet yilmaz . syria has been given a note of protest . our citizens , especially residents of the ( border ) regions , should stay calm . our armed forces are on duty full time and the troops on the ground have been authorized to intervene immediately when necessary . ' whether or not damascus heeded ankara 's warning is not clear . but on thursday , after being shuttered for days , shops were once again open in downtown ceylanpinar . mehmet saitavci , a community leader and the owner of a stationery shop , pointed out businesses that had windows shattered by the force of the syrian airstrikes . of course we were afraid , ' he said . jets flew overhead , there were bombardments , the children were terrified . we had to close the schools for their safety ! ' now , houses were packed full of refugees . an officer from the local zabita , a municipal police force , said he was hosting 30 syrian refugees in his home . volunteers at a nearby municipal building distributed yogurt , beans and bread to families , while also hosting scores of refugees . these frightened syrians said ras al ain had been a safe haven until last week 's rebel attack . read more : france , u.s. stand behind new opposition alliance as syria remains defiant ' from the beginning of the revolution , refugees came from all across syria to ras al ain because it was safe , ' said rashid mohammed , a kurdish farmer who was living in the municipal building with 60 of his relatives . he said seven of his cousins were killed by government helicopter attacks . we are angry at both of them ( the rebels and the government ) , because the rebels entered ras al ain and because the regime bombed us with its aircraft , ' mohammed said . most of the kurds want neither the rebels nor the regime . ' the refugee farmer reflected the ambivalence many members of syria 's ethnic kurdish minority have had toward syria 's grinding conflict . since the start of the uprising 19 months ago , various kurdish political parties have resisted joining syrian opposition groups , which are dominated by arabs . last summer , a kurdish militia closely affiliated with the kurdistan workers party , or pkk , assumed control over a number of predominantly kurdish towns along the border with turkey . the power grab triggered alarm bells in turkey , which has fought a 30-year war against pkk guerillas . read more : as u.n. falters , syria 's conflict threatens regional stability roughly half of ras al ain 's population is said to be kurdish . on wednesday , an umbrella group of kurdish political parties issued a public declaration , demanding that all armed groups abandon the border town . it was a warning primarily to the free syrian army rebels , who now patrol ras al ain in pickup trucks jerry-rigged with heavy machine guns . the fsa has to know that their enemy is not in ras al ain and in other kurdish areas . their enemy is in aleppo and damascus , so why do n't you go there to attack your real enemy ? ' said omar aloush , a top official in the kurdish democratic union party , the syrian wing of the pkk . speaking by phone from the kurdish-controlled syrian town of qoubani , aloush said his kurdish faction would not use force to push syrian rebel groups out of ras al ain . but he warned that his movement could withhold food and other supplies to put pressure on the rebels . the threats were met with defiance by a rebel media activist in ras al ain . we do n't care if the kurds say you have to leave , ' said yalmaz basha of the fsa . all syrians have to sacrifice , even the kurds , because they are part of the syrian people . ' the simmering tensions between kurdish militiamen and the fsa have exploded in deadly violence within the past month in the embattled northern city of aleppo . they also underscore the difficulties foreign powers face trying to unify syria 's opposition , while trying to hasten the downfall of syrian president bashar al-assad . on friday , the turkish government once again denounced the syrian regime , claiming it had no legitimacy . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu then announced his government would be recognizing a newly formed western-backed opposition movement known as the national coalition forces of the syrian revolution as the legitimate representative of the syrian people . ' but turkey has failed to deter the syrian military from carrying out operations within sight of the turkish border . on friday , syrian and turkish witnesses told cnn they saw syrian government aircraft bombing targets near the bab el hawa border get between the two countries . | ceylanpinar and syria 's ras al ain are one town separated by a border |
turkish <tsp> residents of this sleepy turkish border town breathed a sigh of relief on thursday . for the first time in a week , there were no explosions , bullets or bombs coming from the syrian side of the border . the lull led some locals to gloat . read more : blasts may have struck prison of torture in syria ' you 're late , ' announced the owner of a tea shop , as a van full of foreign journalists pulled up to his business , 20 meters from the border fence . but worry was still in the air . it 's quiet today , ' said a grizzled turkish man sipping a glass of tea . i hope that $ * & # guy running that country does n't do something # * & $ today , ' he cursed . fighting first erupted in the area on november 8 , when syrian rebels mounted an assault on syrian government forces in the neighboring syrian town of ras al ain . ras al ain , syria , and ceylanpinar , turkey , are effectively one town , separated by a fence and a parallel line of railroad tracks . read more : after the election , a new push on syria the next day , rebels claimed victory . they raised the opposition flag triumphantly over ras al ain , despite the fact that their offensive had sent thousands of terrified residents streaming across the border to turkey for safety . those refugee numbers swelled when syrian regime forces struck back , pounding ras al ain with artillery , airstrikes and bombardments with barrel bombs ' hurled out of hovering helicopters . as ras al ain shook and shuddered , turkish soldiers and ambulances waited at the nearby border gate , collecting scores of syrians who arrived wounded , and rushing them to nearby hospitals . locals said turkish authorities parked lines of railroad cars on the tracks between the two towns in an effort to protect ceylanpinar from shrapnel and errant bullets . but the turkish government said at least a half dozen turks were wounded during the week of fighting . on wednesday , turkey 's defense minister issued a warning to syria . read more : over 37,000 have died in syria 's civil war , opposition group says ' we will respond to syrian planes or helicopters that violate our borders , ' said ismet yilmaz . syria has been given a note of protest . our citizens , especially residents of the ( border ) regions , should stay calm . our armed forces are on duty full time and the troops on the ground have been authorized to intervene immediately when necessary . ' whether or not damascus heeded ankara 's warning is not clear . but on thursday , after being shuttered for days , shops were once again open in downtown ceylanpinar . mehmet saitavci , a community leader and the owner of a stationery shop , pointed out businesses that had windows shattered by the force of the syrian airstrikes . of course we were afraid , ' he said . jets flew overhead , there were bombardments , the children were terrified . we had to close the schools for their safety ! ' now , houses were packed full of refugees . an officer from the local zabita , a municipal police force , said he was hosting 30 syrian refugees in his home . volunteers at a nearby municipal building distributed yogurt , beans and bread to families , while also hosting scores of refugees . these frightened syrians said ras al ain had been a safe haven until last week 's rebel attack . read more : france , u.s. stand behind new opposition alliance as syria remains defiant ' from the beginning of the revolution , refugees came from all across syria to ras al ain because it was safe , ' said rashid mohammed , a kurdish farmer who was living in the municipal building with 60 of his relatives . he said seven of his cousins were killed by government helicopter attacks . we are angry at both of them ( the rebels and the government ) , because the rebels entered ras al ain and because the regime bombed us with its aircraft , ' mohammed said . most of the kurds want neither the rebels nor the regime . ' the refugee farmer reflected the ambivalence many members of syria 's ethnic kurdish minority have had toward syria 's grinding conflict . since the start of the uprising 19 months ago , various kurdish political parties have resisted joining syrian opposition groups , which are dominated by arabs . last summer , a kurdish militia closely affiliated with the kurdistan workers party , or pkk , assumed control over a number of predominantly kurdish towns along the border with turkey . the power grab triggered alarm bells in turkey , which has fought a 30-year war against pkk guerillas . read more : as u.n. falters , syria 's conflict threatens regional stability roughly half of ras al ain 's population is said to be kurdish . on wednesday , an umbrella group of kurdish political parties issued a public declaration , demanding that all armed groups abandon the border town . it was a warning primarily to the free syrian army rebels , who now patrol ras al ain in pickup trucks jerry-rigged with heavy machine guns . the fsa has to know that their enemy is not in ras al ain and in other kurdish areas . their enemy is in aleppo and damascus , so why do n't you go there to attack your real enemy ? ' said omar aloush , a top official in the kurdish democratic union party , the syrian wing of the pkk . speaking by phone from the kurdish-controlled syrian town of qoubani , aloush said his kurdish faction would not use force to push syrian rebel groups out of ras al ain . but he warned that his movement could withhold food and other supplies to put pressure on the rebels . the threats were met with defiance by a rebel media activist in ras al ain . we do n't care if the kurds say you have to leave , ' said yalmaz basha of the fsa . all syrians have to sacrifice , even the kurds , because they are part of the syrian people . ' the simmering tensions between kurdish militiamen and the fsa have exploded in deadly violence within the past month in the embattled northern city of aleppo . they also underscore the difficulties foreign powers face trying to unify syria 's opposition , while trying to hasten the downfall of syrian president bashar al-assad . on friday , the turkish government once again denounced the syrian regime , claiming it had no legitimacy . turkish foreign minister ahmet davutoglu then announced his government would be recognizing a newly formed western-backed opposition movement known as the national coalition forces of the syrian revolution as the legitimate representative of the syrian people . ' but turkey has failed to deter the syrian military from carrying out operations within sight of the turkish border . on friday , syrian and turkish witnesses told cnn they saw syrian government aircraft bombing targets near the bab el hawa border get between the two countries . | syrian fight overflows to turkish town of ceylanpinar |
senate <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- it should have been a happy day for raymond jose : he had been accepted to college , with scholarships to help pay for it . but when he told his parents , his mother started to cry . i was puzzled why she was crying after hearing such great news , ' said jose , who was to attend montgomery college in maryland . that was when she started to explain to me we were undocumented , that we had overstayed our tourist visas . ' jose 's family had come to the united states from the philippines in 2000 , when jose was 9 . they first lived in the tampa bay , florida , area but moved four years later to maryland . jose had been assimilated into american life and culture and did n't know that he was undocumented until that day . when he found out , he was heartbroken . his undocumented status prevented him from using scholarship money to help pay for school . every day after that , it was really hard to get out of bed , ' jose said . the debate over immigration reform has been focused on border security and immigrants from latin america . but the asian population in the u.s. grew by more than 40 % between 2000 and 2010 , according to the u.s. census bureau . the number of those identifying themselves as asians , either alone or in combination with another racial group , grew from 11.9 million to 17.3 million . u.s. settles case in immigration raids , must follow new guidelines of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the u.s. , 1.3 million are from asia , according to the department of homeland security . as this year 's immigration reform efforts began , asian-american advocacy groups laid out their priorities to the gang of eight negotiating a bill in the senate , along with other key legislators like house speaker john boehner and minority leader nancy pelosi . their priorities in the immigration debate include establishing a humane pathway to citizenship , restricting the use of electronic employment verification systems such as e-verify and reducing visa backlogs . the groups are also trying to fight efforts to increase the number of business-related visas at the expense of those that allow immigrants to join resident family in the u.s. and change the policy of deportations for minor offenses . the asian american justice center , based in washington , has been focused on family visas . lindsey graham and others have been very public on eliminating the married adult children category and brother-sister category , ' mee moua , president and executive director , said of the republican senator from south carolina . the justice center has met with legislators to argue that such visa categories should n't be eliminated and has provided information for asian-americans , latino americans and those in the african and caribbean communities on the impact if these visas were to be eliminated . our aim is to fight for and be the champion for a common-sense solution for the family visa situation , ' moua said . meeran mahmud , a staff attorney at the asian pacific american legal center , has an older sister in pakistan who is waiting to be reunited with her family in the u.s . her uncle applied for their papers in 1986 . mahmud was able to come to the u.s. 10 years later , but her sister had turned 22 and was no longer eligible . her sister has since married and had children of her own . been waiting since she was a little girl , and she will be turning 40 this year , ' mahmud said . another major issue for the asian pacific american legal center is the detention and deportation of immigrants and refugees . anoop prasad , a staff attorney for immigrant rights at the asian law caucus , points to the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act of 1996 as increasing deportations . prasad says that under the law , the u.s. can deport someone who was convicted of minor offenses as a teenager , like possession of a small amount of drugs or shoplifting . springtime for immigration reform ? the law has severely affected the cambodian , laotian and vietnamese communities , prasad said . it is a complicated question but has a good deal to do with issues with refugee resettlement issues in the '80s . many were dealing with mental health issues from the ( vietnam ) war . almost all cambodian refugees had lost a relative in the genocide , and many had seen relatives killed or starved to death . ' post-traumatic stress disorder and depression rates among cambodian refugees are over 80 % , prasad said . yet mental health services were n't available when they arrived . most were resettled in neighborhoods with high unemployment and poverty rates along with drugs and high incarceration rates . in the absence of a strong family support structure , many joined gangs when they were in high school and picked up convictions . ' prasad wants more discretion when dealing with deportation cases rather than having someone 's fate decided simply by a look at their convictions . these are actual people with names and stories and families , ' prasad said , and it 's our job to make sure their voices get heard . ' the chicago-based asian american institute has also been meeting with legislators and organizing asian-americans to talk with their congressmen about issues like immigration . the institute has been collecting and posting personal stories from asian-americans . for example , connie wants to bring her son from the philippines to live with her in the u.s. ' applications where her son 's is categorized normally take 11-12 years , ' connie 's story says . in the interim they have tried to spend every christmas together for the past 8 years since connie came to the us . it 's a form of bonding ; a pact that only gets more painful and emotional every goodbye time -- and expensive . ' as for jose , he 's making do , whatever ultimately happens in washington . after he graduated high school , his father handed him an envelope with enough money for one semester at community college .'illegal immigrant'title seen as a challenge since then , his family has been helping him pay for school . his father does landscaping and sometimes works as a vendor at rfk stadium in washington . his mother babysits , take cares of the elderly and cleans houses . even his older sister has taken odd jobs to help . jose has had to skip semesters so he could work and help his family financially . he also took part in the campaign to help pass the maryland dream act , which grants in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants , last year and has continued to raise awareness about others like him . we 're here , and we 're not leaving , and we want a just and inclusive immigration reform , ' jose said . | the gang of eight in the senate is negotiating a sweeping immigration reform bill |
vips <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a military officer trained in using psychological tactics to influence the emotions and actions of enemy troops told cnn thursday her unit was ordered to used those skills to manipulate visiting lawmakers into securing more troops and funding for the war in afghanistan . after a fellow officer questioned the legality of using psychological operations ' on elected u.s. officers , both received reprimands that could threaten their military careers , she said . we 're not allowed to do that against any u.s. citizen , whether it is a congressman or my neighbor three doors down , ' said texas national guard maj. laural levine . that is the first thing you are taught -- never target americans , ever . ' gen. david petraeus , the top u.s. commander in afghanistan , is ordering an investigation into allegations made by the leader of levine 's unit , lt. col. michael holmes . the allegations are contained in a scathing rolling stone magazine report that was published wednesday . pentagon spokesman col. david lapan did not offer an outright denial of the story and said the probe would focus on determining the facts and circumstances raised ' in it . holmes told the magazine that a military team at afghanistan 's camp eggers was ordered by gen. william caldwell , a three-star general in charge of training afghan troops , to perform psychological operations on visiting vips over a four-month period last year . when the team devoted to what is known as information operations refused on grounds that it was illegal , it was subjected to a campaign of retaliation , the magazine said . my job in psy-ops is to play with people 's heads , to get the enemy to behave the way we want them to behave , ' holmes , the head of the information operations ' unit , told rolling stone reporter michael hastings , who also wrote an article last year that led to the dismissal of gen. stanley mcchrystal . i 'm prohibited from doing that to our own people , ' he said . when you ask me to try to use these skills on senators and congressmen , you 're crossing a line . ' caldwell said in a statement to rolling stone that he categorically denies the assertion that the command used an information operations cell to influence distinguished visitors . ' but holmes told the magazine he was reprimanded for refusing to carry out orders . lapan , the pentagon spokesman , said it was not necessarily improper for an information operations unit to create a dossier on visiting vips . it all depends on the circumstance and how it 's done , ' he said . it 's the actions , not just the assignment . ' he said the investigation will determine whether any of those actions were illegal . defense secretary robert gates did not respond directly to the allegations contained in the rolling stone article . but his office issued a written statement . secretary gates is aware of the allegations in the rolling stone article and believes it is important to determine what the facts are , ' the statement read , so he fully supports general petraeus 's decision to investigate this matter before drawing any conclusions . ' the department of defense describes the role of psychological operations as the following : induce or reinforce foreign attitudes and behavior favorable to the u.s. or friendly nation objectives by planning and conducting operations to convey information to foreign audiences to influence their emotions , motives , objective reasoning , and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments , organizations , groups , and individuals . ' federal law delineates the boundaries of such operations and states they will not target u.s. citizens at any time , in any location globally , or under any circumstances . ' holmes told rolling stone that caldwell wanted the information operations team to provide a deeper analysis of pressure points we could use to leverage ' visiting lawmakers for increased funding . the magazine said that caldwell 's chief of staff also asked holmes how the general could secretly manipulate the lawmakers without their knowledge . how do we get these guys to give us more people ? what do i have to plant inside their heads ? ' he said , according to hastings'article . the report said that among those singled out in the campaign were sens . john mccain , joe lieberman , jack reed , al franken and carl levin and adm. mike mullen , chairman of the joint chiefs of staff . reed told cnn 's john king that he was n't aware of any attempt by military personnel to manipulate him psychologically during trips to afghanistan . the democratic senator from rhode island said he 's traveled to afghanistan 11 times in within the past decade . i never experienced anything unusual last year in contrast with my other visits , ' said reed . levin , chairman of the senate armed services , said he was confident the chain of command will review any allegation that information operations have been improperly used in afghanistan . ' | the magazine said a special information operations ' team was ordered to manipulate vips |
marrakech <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the silverware keeps coming for bayern munich . when bayern defeated outsider raja casablanca 2-0 in the final of fifa 's club world cup in marrakech on saturday , it collected a fifth trophy this year . bayern won the bundesliga , champions league and german cup last season under jupp heynckes , with the european super cup and now club world cup coming with pep guardiola at the helm . bayern 's lone blip was losing the german super cup to borussia dortmund in july . raja casablanca failed in its bid to become the first african side to win the competition , although the moroccan champion did well to reach the finale after upsetting south america 's atletico mineiro . bayern was hardly threatened , even without the likes of arjen robben , bastian schweinsteiger , mario mandzukic , javi martinez and mario gotze in the starting lineup , and scored twice within 25 minutes to end any hopes of a shock upset . brazilian defender dante put bayern ahead in the seventh minute when he was unmarked in the penalty area and raja casablanca keeper khalid askri made two good saves before thiago alcantara 's strike in the 22nd doubled the score . and only a minor miracle , it seems , can stop bayern from repeating as german champion after its main rivals stumbled saturday . bayer leverkusen lost its second straight league game , 1-0 at werder bremen , while borussia dortmund -- bayern 's victim in the champions league final -- fell 2-1 at home to promoted hertha berlin . it was dortmund 's fourth defeat in the past six games so the bundesliga 's christmas break falls at just the right time for jurgen klopp 's men . we can really use this break now , but it is only our fault , ' klopp told reporters . something that started well has ended badly . i can say a lot of things in support of the team but we should have lost none of the games that we lost this season . ' bayern has a seven-point lead over leverkusen and 12-point cushion over dortmund , with a game less played . third-place in the club world cup went to atletico mineiro , which beat guangzhou evergrande 3-2 thanks to a stoppage time winner from luan . former world player of the year ronaldinho scored for brazili 's atletico mineiro but was sent off in the 87th minute when he retaliated after being fouled . | bayern beats morocco 's raja casablanca 2-0 in saturday 's final in marrakech |
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a frenchman was captured among jihadists fighting international forces in northern mali and is being extradited to france , the french defense minister said friday . french forces are dealing with determined terrorists ' in mali , said defense minister jean yves le drian , speaking to french radio station europe 1 from the african nation 's capital , bamako . mali : the long , troubled desert road ahead and the presence of the french citizen among them , as well as a french-algerian man who was arrested last weekend , demonstrates how northern mali had become a magnet for extremists , he said . this shows that there existed a kind of terrorist war network , which would welcome young people in search of a radical destiny , as some have done in afghanistan or syria , ' he told the radio station . the french-algerian man , who was sought by french police , was detained by malian officers in northern mali , le drian said . he was extradited thursday to france , he said . read more : what 's behind the instability in mali ? we knew that this part of mali was potentially the sanctuary of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb . we were not mistaken , this is the case , ' le drian said . we are dealing with determined terrorists , who are heavily armed and who are waging significant battles and inflicting major damage . ' islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party mnla . the militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . french involvement in the conflict began on january 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako , the capital . nearly 4,000 french soldiers are now deployed in mali , according to the french defense ministry website , alongside about 6,300 troops from chad and the african-led international support mission to mali . q & a : what 's behind the instability in mali ? in the past few weeks , french and african forces have helped malian troops drive the militants out of their strongholds in the north , including cities like gao , kidal and timbuktu . some of their number are believed to now to be hiding out in remote mountains near the border with algeria . french troops are continuing to comb ' through the adrar des ifoghas mountains for the militants , french foreign minister laurent fabius said thursday , and are keeping a strong presence in gao , where important pockets of terrorist groups remain . ' france is using dna tests to identify the islamist fighters killed in recent battles in northern mali , fabius said . those tests could establish whether moktar belmoktar or abdelhamid abou zeid -- two men who have been major forces in al qaeda in the islamic maghreb -- are among the dead , as has been suggested by others but not confirmed by france . france will begin to reduce its troop levels in mali next month in an effort to have west african forces , with the support of the united nations , take over and maintain security in the country , fabius said . | a frenchman found among jihadists in mali is being extradited , french official says |
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a frenchman was captured among jihadists fighting international forces in northern mali and is being extradited to france , the french defense minister said friday . french forces are dealing with determined terrorists ' in mali , said defense minister jean yves le drian , speaking to french radio station europe 1 from the african nation 's capital , bamako . mali : the long , troubled desert road ahead and the presence of the french citizen among them , as well as a french-algerian man who was arrested last weekend , demonstrates how northern mali had become a magnet for extremists , he said . this shows that there existed a kind of terrorist war network , which would welcome young people in search of a radical destiny , as some have done in afghanistan or syria , ' he told the radio station . the french-algerian man , who was sought by french police , was detained by malian officers in northern mali , le drian said . he was extradited thursday to france , he said . read more : what 's behind the instability in mali ? we knew that this part of mali was potentially the sanctuary of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb . we were not mistaken , this is the case , ' le drian said . we are dealing with determined terrorists , who are heavily armed and who are waging significant battles and inflicting major damage . ' islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party mnla . the militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . french involvement in the conflict began on january 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako , the capital . nearly 4,000 french soldiers are now deployed in mali , according to the french defense ministry website , alongside about 6,300 troops from chad and the african-led international support mission to mali . q & a : what 's behind the instability in mali ? in the past few weeks , french and african forces have helped malian troops drive the militants out of their strongholds in the north , including cities like gao , kidal and timbuktu . some of their number are believed to now to be hiding out in remote mountains near the border with algeria . french troops are continuing to comb ' through the adrar des ifoghas mountains for the militants , french foreign minister laurent fabius said thursday , and are keeping a strong presence in gao , where important pockets of terrorist groups remain . ' france is using dna tests to identify the islamist fighters killed in recent battles in northern mali , fabius said . those tests could establish whether moktar belmoktar or abdelhamid abou zeid -- two men who have been major forces in al qaeda in the islamic maghreb -- are among the dead , as has been suggested by others but not confirmed by france . france will begin to reduce its troop levels in mali next month in an effort to have west african forces , with the support of the united nations , take over and maintain security in the country , fabius said . | his arrest follows that of a french-algerian man last weekend , he tells french radio |
french <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a frenchman was captured among jihadists fighting international forces in northern mali and is being extradited to france , the french defense minister said friday . french forces are dealing with determined terrorists ' in mali , said defense minister jean yves le drian , speaking to french radio station europe 1 from the african nation 's capital , bamako . mali : the long , troubled desert road ahead and the presence of the french citizen among them , as well as a french-algerian man who was arrested last weekend , demonstrates how northern mali had become a magnet for extremists , he said . this shows that there existed a kind of terrorist war network , which would welcome young people in search of a radical destiny , as some have done in afghanistan or syria , ' he told the radio station . the french-algerian man , who was sought by french police , was detained by malian officers in northern mali , le drian said . he was extradited thursday to france , he said . read more : what 's behind the instability in mali ? we knew that this part of mali was potentially the sanctuary of al qaeda in the islamic maghreb . we were not mistaken , this is the case , ' le drian said . we are dealing with determined terrorists , who are heavily armed and who are waging significant battles and inflicting major damage . ' islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party mnla . the militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . french involvement in the conflict began on january 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako , the capital . nearly 4,000 french soldiers are now deployed in mali , according to the french defense ministry website , alongside about 6,300 troops from chad and the african-led international support mission to mali . q & a : what 's behind the instability in mali ? in the past few weeks , french and african forces have helped malian troops drive the militants out of their strongholds in the north , including cities like gao , kidal and timbuktu . some of their number are believed to now to be hiding out in remote mountains near the border with algeria . french troops are continuing to comb ' through the adrar des ifoghas mountains for the militants , french foreign minister laurent fabius said thursday , and are keeping a strong presence in gao , where important pockets of terrorist groups remain . ' france is using dna tests to identify the islamist fighters killed in recent battles in northern mali , fabius said . those tests could establish whether moktar belmoktar or abdelhamid abou zeid -- two men who have been major forces in al qaeda in the islamic maghreb -- are among the dead , as has been suggested by others but not confirmed by france . france will begin to reduce its troop levels in mali next month in an effort to have west african forces , with the support of the united nations , take over and maintain security in the country , fabius said . | nearly 4,000 french troops are deployed in mali , alongside 6,300 from an african-led force |
epl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- who is the first person you call when the sports team you support is experiencing a dire run of results ? in the case of one disgruntled manchester united his first port of call was to british police demanding to speak with the team 's former manager alex ferguson . the drunken fan had seemingly had enough after manchester united , now managed by david moyes , were beaten on penalties by sunderland in the semifinals of the league cup -- england 's second most prestigious cup competition . the desperate plea was revealed on wednesday by great manchester police ( gmp ) , who advised against such calls being made to the emergency services . a man from the crumpsall area of north manchester rang 999 in a drunken state demanding to speak to sir alex ferguson about last night 's result , ' read a gmp statement posted on its facebook page . obviously , it can be a sad and depressing moment when you 're football team loses a game , however , can we all please remember that 999 is to be used for emergencies only . for any other police-related enquiries that are not an emergency , you can ring 101 . ' the english champions'recent run of poor form has left supporters clamoring for a return of the success enjoyed under ferguson . the scot was in the united dugout for 26 years , winning two european cups and 13 english titles before handing the reigns over to moyes at the end of the 2012-13 season . moyes , formerly the manager of everton , has endured a torrid start to his tenure . united sits seventh in the english premier league table , 14 points adrift of leaders arsenal , and has been eliminated from both the league and fa cups . gmp warned that calls such as the one made on wednesday can prevent police from attending genuine emergencies . silly calls like this one are thoughtless and can make a difference in a life and death situation , ' said gmp 's business lead for call handling diane grandidge . as a force we receive thousands of emergency and non-emergency calls , which is why i would urge those considering making such pranks to think twice . gmp suggested that any fan wishing to get hold of ferguson , who has frequently attended united matches since retiring in may , should contact the club directly . if you would like to speak to sir alex about recent football results we here at gmp manchester north can only suggest you try ringing manchester united fc directly as you will probably ( not definitely ) have a much better chance of getting through to him there rather than ringing the police . ' | his replacement david moyes has struggled and united currently sit seventh in the epl |
david moyes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- who is the first person you call when the sports team you support is experiencing a dire run of results ? in the case of one disgruntled manchester united his first port of call was to british police demanding to speak with the team 's former manager alex ferguson . the drunken fan had seemingly had enough after manchester united , now managed by david moyes , were beaten on penalties by sunderland in the semifinals of the league cup -- england 's second most prestigious cup competition . the desperate plea was revealed on wednesday by great manchester police ( gmp ) , who advised against such calls being made to the emergency services . a man from the crumpsall area of north manchester rang 999 in a drunken state demanding to speak to sir alex ferguson about last night 's result , ' read a gmp statement posted on its facebook page . obviously , it can be a sad and depressing moment when you 're football team loses a game , however , can we all please remember that 999 is to be used for emergencies only . for any other police-related enquiries that are not an emergency , you can ring 101 . ' the english champions'recent run of poor form has left supporters clamoring for a return of the success enjoyed under ferguson . the scot was in the united dugout for 26 years , winning two european cups and 13 english titles before handing the reigns over to moyes at the end of the 2012-13 season . moyes , formerly the manager of everton , has endured a torrid start to his tenure . united sits seventh in the english premier league table , 14 points adrift of leaders arsenal , and has been eliminated from both the league and fa cups . gmp warned that calls such as the one made on wednesday can prevent police from attending genuine emergencies . silly calls like this one are thoughtless and can make a difference in a life and death situation , ' said gmp 's business lead for call handling diane grandidge . as a force we receive thousands of emergency and non-emergency calls , which is why i would urge those considering making such pranks to think twice . gmp suggested that any fan wishing to get hold of ferguson , who has frequently attended united matches since retiring in may , should contact the club directly . if you would like to speak to sir alex about recent football results we here at gmp manchester north can only suggest you try ringing manchester united fc directly as you will probably ( not definitely ) have a much better chance of getting through to him there rather than ringing the police . ' | his replacement david moyes has struggled and united currently sit seventh in the epl |
oz <tsp> ( cnn ) it was a masterful performance . i watched in awe on thursday as cardiothoracic surgeon and celebrity talk show host mehmet oz surfed a gargantuan wave of criticism to shore . i should have expected that dr. oz would keep standing in the face of charges from a group of colleagues that he pushed quack treatments ... for personal financial gain . ' and thanks to the ineptitude of his critics this round , he may have actually boosted his media empire . but he 's increasingly serving himself at a cost to columbia university and new york presbyterian hospital . if dr. oz was ever going to go down , surely his ship would 've sunk last summer in the wake of his disastrous testimony before a senate subcommittee . he was ostensibly invited to speak as an expert witness about bogus weight loss products , but sen. claire mccaskill , chairwoman of the senate 's consumer protection panel , instead made him her chief example of the kind of snake oil salesmen that keep hoodwinking consumers into thinking there 's a quick fix for their expanding waistlines . john oliver subsequently eviscerated oz on his hit hbo show last week tonight . ' in a segment that 's now garnered over 6 million youtube views , oliver makes quick work of oz 's claims about magic ' green coffee beans , a product that 's now earned a $ 9 million ftc fine for its false marketing claims . despite his utter humiliation , dr. oz soldiered on , with his university and hospital continuing to stand by him , and with harpo productions and sony , who co-produce the dr. oz show , ' fully behind his program . if the u.s. senate could n't bring him down , what made this particular collection of 10 doctors think they could do it with their recent letter to columbia university , where dr. oz holds a tenured professorship and administrative position in the department of surgery and performs his duties at columbia-affiliated new york presbyterian hospital ? the doctors insisted that the university must disassociate itself from dr. oz for his now well-established tendency to promote cure-alls more befitting 1915 than 2015 . turnabout is fair play . and oz and his producers responded with alacrity , slicing and dicing his ill-prepared challengers with an investigative segment that would 've made dateline ' proud . he and his team score points with me for pointing out the media 's own failings in delightedly circulating the letter without looking into the backgrounds of anyone involved . it 's a simple matter to question ulterior motives when the letter itself takes pains to highlight oz 's critical attitude toward gmo foods , not one of his greatest indiscretions by a long shot . dr. oz after all has conducted experiments on his tv audience , apparently in violation of the rules of his own academic medical center . he has a propensity to spout laughably definitive statements with little to no scientific support , such as his advice that every kid in america ought to be on omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin d from either the sun or a pill ' because this regimen will help them withstand concussions . instead of mounting a defense of the indefensible claims he delivers so easily and often , dr. oz routed his critics by quickly pivoting to the undercurrents of their letter . he correctly pointed out that several of the letter 's signatories are gmo industry shills . one of the writers campaigned against a california proposition requiring gmo labeling , and one of the bunch even served time for felony medicaid fraud . these characters never stood a chance in tipping the scales against dr. oz , but they got their headlines nonetheless . dr. oz was able to transition their critique of his apparent disregard for science on his program into an easily vanquished attack on his straightforward stand for consumers'right to accurate product labeling . when my wife first brought the letter to my attention , i immediately wanted to know whether these were columbia physicians . this whole affair would 've played out quite differently if a slate of credible colleagues based at his own institution were coming out against dr. oz . so far they 've made no demand for his resignation , though some colleagues made their discomfort public in an op-ed for usatoday last week . dr. oz is well-aware that some colleagues question him , discussing that tension in his time magazine op-ed . he says he does n't expect all physicians to understand his approach to health promotion , where he 's willing to entertain just about everything , even seances . the closed , physician-only social network sermo issued dr. oz numerous questions from its membership , none of which dr. oz answered . they are revelatory of physician attitudes toward him nonetheless . one doc asked dr. oz how he could keep up with the fast-changing world of cardiothoracic surgery and carry on with his show every weekday . another asked him how he knows so much about so many areas of medicine -- ru board certified n all these areas ? ' . both types of questions show the profound disconnect between most physicians , who tend not to speak unless they are certain in their expertise on a topic , and the way the media industry works . dr. oz 's show does n't require he stay up late at night prepping for the next day -- he has an office full of production staff behind him . let 's take it as a given that not every physician across america , or at columbia , has to agree with what dr. oz says on his program . i certainly do n't . does he have the right to say it ? yes , but not without challenge . a real case can be made that dr. oz has used his media megaphone to do harm as well as good . he is now a polarizing figure , and while columbia university should be lauded for protecting the free speech of its academic staff , the equation with dr. oz is becoming increasingly complex . he 's no longer simply good pr for the university and new york presbyterian hospital , which is often featured in his show . the letter writers were correct about one thing : columbia 's reputation is now linked with the big kahuna standing right out in front . | he says oz scorned by some in medical community , at senate hearing ; comics joke about him . he serves himself at cost to his hospital |
oz <tsp> ( cnn ) it was a masterful performance . i watched in awe on thursday as cardiothoracic surgeon and celebrity talk show host mehmet oz surfed a gargantuan wave of criticism to shore . i should have expected that dr. oz would keep standing in the face of charges from a group of colleagues that he pushed quack treatments ... for personal financial gain . ' and thanks to the ineptitude of his critics this round , he may have actually boosted his media empire . but he 's increasingly serving himself at a cost to columbia university and new york presbyterian hospital . if dr. oz was ever going to go down , surely his ship would 've sunk last summer in the wake of his disastrous testimony before a senate subcommittee . he was ostensibly invited to speak as an expert witness about bogus weight loss products , but sen. claire mccaskill , chairwoman of the senate 's consumer protection panel , instead made him her chief example of the kind of snake oil salesmen that keep hoodwinking consumers into thinking there 's a quick fix for their expanding waistlines . john oliver subsequently eviscerated oz on his hit hbo show last week tonight . ' in a segment that 's now garnered over 6 million youtube views , oliver makes quick work of oz 's claims about magic ' green coffee beans , a product that 's now earned a $ 9 million ftc fine for its false marketing claims . despite his utter humiliation , dr. oz soldiered on , with his university and hospital continuing to stand by him , and with harpo productions and sony , who co-produce the dr. oz show , ' fully behind his program . if the u.s. senate could n't bring him down , what made this particular collection of 10 doctors think they could do it with their recent letter to columbia university , where dr. oz holds a tenured professorship and administrative position in the department of surgery and performs his duties at columbia-affiliated new york presbyterian hospital ? the doctors insisted that the university must disassociate itself from dr. oz for his now well-established tendency to promote cure-alls more befitting 1915 than 2015 . turnabout is fair play . and oz and his producers responded with alacrity , slicing and dicing his ill-prepared challengers with an investigative segment that would 've made dateline ' proud . he and his team score points with me for pointing out the media 's own failings in delightedly circulating the letter without looking into the backgrounds of anyone involved . it 's a simple matter to question ulterior motives when the letter itself takes pains to highlight oz 's critical attitude toward gmo foods , not one of his greatest indiscretions by a long shot . dr. oz after all has conducted experiments on his tv audience , apparently in violation of the rules of his own academic medical center . he has a propensity to spout laughably definitive statements with little to no scientific support , such as his advice that every kid in america ought to be on omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin d from either the sun or a pill ' because this regimen will help them withstand concussions . instead of mounting a defense of the indefensible claims he delivers so easily and often , dr. oz routed his critics by quickly pivoting to the undercurrents of their letter . he correctly pointed out that several of the letter 's signatories are gmo industry shills . one of the writers campaigned against a california proposition requiring gmo labeling , and one of the bunch even served time for felony medicaid fraud . these characters never stood a chance in tipping the scales against dr. oz , but they got their headlines nonetheless . dr. oz was able to transition their critique of his apparent disregard for science on his program into an easily vanquished attack on his straightforward stand for consumers'right to accurate product labeling . when my wife first brought the letter to my attention , i immediately wanted to know whether these were columbia physicians . this whole affair would 've played out quite differently if a slate of credible colleagues based at his own institution were coming out against dr. oz . so far they 've made no demand for his resignation , though some colleagues made their discomfort public in an op-ed for usatoday last week . dr. oz is well-aware that some colleagues question him , discussing that tension in his time magazine op-ed . he says he does n't expect all physicians to understand his approach to health promotion , where he 's willing to entertain just about everything , even seances . the closed , physician-only social network sermo issued dr. oz numerous questions from its membership , none of which dr. oz answered . they are revelatory of physician attitudes toward him nonetheless . one doc asked dr. oz how he could keep up with the fast-changing world of cardiothoracic surgery and carry on with his show every weekday . another asked him how he knows so much about so many areas of medicine -- ru board certified n all these areas ? ' . both types of questions show the profound disconnect between most physicians , who tend not to speak unless they are certain in their expertise on a topic , and the way the media industry works . dr. oz 's show does n't require he stay up late at night prepping for the next day -- he has an office full of production staff behind him . let 's take it as a given that not every physician across america , or at columbia , has to agree with what dr. oz says on his program . i certainly do n't . does he have the right to say it ? yes , but not without challenge . a real case can be made that dr. oz has used his media megaphone to do harm as well as good . he is now a polarizing figure , and while columbia university should be lauded for protecting the free speech of its academic staff , the equation with dr. oz is becoming increasingly complex . he 's no longer simply good pr for the university and new york presbyterian hospital , which is often featured in his show . the letter writers were correct about one thing : columbia 's reputation is now linked with the big kahuna standing right out in front . | ford vox : when celeb doc mehmet oz slammed by doctors for'quack'medicine , he hit back , but their complaint has some basis |
senate <tsp> ( cnn ) it was a masterful performance . i watched in awe on thursday as cardiothoracic surgeon and celebrity talk show host mehmet oz surfed a gargantuan wave of criticism to shore . i should have expected that dr. oz would keep standing in the face of charges from a group of colleagues that he pushed quack treatments ... for personal financial gain . ' and thanks to the ineptitude of his critics this round , he may have actually boosted his media empire . but he 's increasingly serving himself at a cost to columbia university and new york presbyterian hospital . if dr. oz was ever going to go down , surely his ship would 've sunk last summer in the wake of his disastrous testimony before a senate subcommittee . he was ostensibly invited to speak as an expert witness about bogus weight loss products , but sen. claire mccaskill , chairwoman of the senate 's consumer protection panel , instead made him her chief example of the kind of snake oil salesmen that keep hoodwinking consumers into thinking there 's a quick fix for their expanding waistlines . john oliver subsequently eviscerated oz on his hit hbo show last week tonight . ' in a segment that 's now garnered over 6 million youtube views , oliver makes quick work of oz 's claims about magic ' green coffee beans , a product that 's now earned a $ 9 million ftc fine for its false marketing claims . despite his utter humiliation , dr. oz soldiered on , with his university and hospital continuing to stand by him , and with harpo productions and sony , who co-produce the dr. oz show , ' fully behind his program . if the u.s. senate could n't bring him down , what made this particular collection of 10 doctors think they could do it with their recent letter to columbia university , where dr. oz holds a tenured professorship and administrative position in the department of surgery and performs his duties at columbia-affiliated new york presbyterian hospital ? the doctors insisted that the university must disassociate itself from dr. oz for his now well-established tendency to promote cure-alls more befitting 1915 than 2015 . turnabout is fair play . and oz and his producers responded with alacrity , slicing and dicing his ill-prepared challengers with an investigative segment that would 've made dateline ' proud . he and his team score points with me for pointing out the media 's own failings in delightedly circulating the letter without looking into the backgrounds of anyone involved . it 's a simple matter to question ulterior motives when the letter itself takes pains to highlight oz 's critical attitude toward gmo foods , not one of his greatest indiscretions by a long shot . dr. oz after all has conducted experiments on his tv audience , apparently in violation of the rules of his own academic medical center . he has a propensity to spout laughably definitive statements with little to no scientific support , such as his advice that every kid in america ought to be on omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin d from either the sun or a pill ' because this regimen will help them withstand concussions . instead of mounting a defense of the indefensible claims he delivers so easily and often , dr. oz routed his critics by quickly pivoting to the undercurrents of their letter . he correctly pointed out that several of the letter 's signatories are gmo industry shills . one of the writers campaigned against a california proposition requiring gmo labeling , and one of the bunch even served time for felony medicaid fraud . these characters never stood a chance in tipping the scales against dr. oz , but they got their headlines nonetheless . dr. oz was able to transition their critique of his apparent disregard for science on his program into an easily vanquished attack on his straightforward stand for consumers'right to accurate product labeling . when my wife first brought the letter to my attention , i immediately wanted to know whether these were columbia physicians . this whole affair would 've played out quite differently if a slate of credible colleagues based at his own institution were coming out against dr. oz . so far they 've made no demand for his resignation , though some colleagues made their discomfort public in an op-ed for usatoday last week . dr. oz is well-aware that some colleagues question him , discussing that tension in his time magazine op-ed . he says he does n't expect all physicians to understand his approach to health promotion , where he 's willing to entertain just about everything , even seances . the closed , physician-only social network sermo issued dr. oz numerous questions from its membership , none of which dr. oz answered . they are revelatory of physician attitudes toward him nonetheless . one doc asked dr. oz how he could keep up with the fast-changing world of cardiothoracic surgery and carry on with his show every weekday . another asked him how he knows so much about so many areas of medicine -- ru board certified n all these areas ? ' . both types of questions show the profound disconnect between most physicians , who tend not to speak unless they are certain in their expertise on a topic , and the way the media industry works . dr. oz 's show does n't require he stay up late at night prepping for the next day -- he has an office full of production staff behind him . let 's take it as a given that not every physician across america , or at columbia , has to agree with what dr. oz says on his program . i certainly do n't . does he have the right to say it ? yes , but not without challenge . a real case can be made that dr. oz has used his media megaphone to do harm as well as good . he is now a polarizing figure , and while columbia university should be lauded for protecting the free speech of its academic staff , the equation with dr. oz is becoming increasingly complex . he 's no longer simply good pr for the university and new york presbyterian hospital , which is often featured in his show . the letter writers were correct about one thing : columbia 's reputation is now linked with the big kahuna standing right out in front . | he says oz scorned by some in medical community , at senate hearing ; comics joke about him . he serves himself at cost to his hospital |
non-european <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the european tour is continuing its global expansion by targeting what it calls one of the world 's biggest golf markets . ' it has launched a japanese version of its official website -- the first in a non-european language following french , german and spanish ones . the european tour does not have any tournaments in japan , which has its own circuit , but has made big inroads in other asian venues such as china , south korea , malaysia , hong kong and singapore . it is another important step forward in our strategy of providing a localized experience of the european tour for our fans all over the world , ' director of broadcasting and new media mark lichtenhein said . given the globalization of the european tour and popularity of golf and the tour in japan , this introduction of the first non-european language is an exciting new dimension to our multilingual strategy . ' the ruling body will team up with golf digest online to provide the content , marking the beginning of its 2013 race to dubai season . we believe this agreement will bring huge benefit for japanese audience , and we will make our best effort to showcase the great tournaments and players from the european tour , ' golf digest online editor in chief yasuko mukai said . the news came as masters champion bubba watson tipped young japanese golfer ryo ishikawa to become the first player from his country to win a major title . the american played with the 21-year-old for the first two rounds of this week 's thailand championship -- they were tied for seventh after the third round on saturday . he 's good enough to win at any level -- he can win a major , ' watson said of ishikawa , who finished 108th on the pga tour this year and will play fulltime on the u.s. circuit in 2013 . they were 11 shots behind south africa 's charl schwartzel , who took a five-stroke advantage over sweden 's daniel chopra into sunday 's final round -- when he will seek to win his first title since earning his maiden major at the 2011 masters . the european tour 's opening event for the 2013 season has been plagued by bad weather in south africa , where home hope tim clark shared the lead after a delayed first round on saturday . clark and denmark 's morten orum madsen both carded five-under-par 60 at the nelson mandela championship , while south africa 's lindani ndwandwe was tied for third with england 's chris lloyd on 61 . at the australian open , john senden took a two-shot lead into sunday 's final round as he seeks to win his home event for the second time . the 41-year-old queenslander , champion in 2006 , was being chased by ryder cup star justin rose -- who is bidding to become only the second european to win the tournament , following fellow englishman lee westwood in 1997 . meanwhile , china 's shanshan feng won the ladies european tour 's season-ending event in dubai on saturday , having led from the first round . the world no . 6 preserved her five-shot lead in saturday 's final round to finish with the lowest total since the event began in 2006 -- her 21-under-par 267 beat the 18-under set by sweden 's annika sorenstam and in kyung kim of south korea . however , she was unable to beat sorenstam 's record winning margin of six shots from the inaugural staging as she carded 69 to stay clear of dutch golfer dewi claire schreefel . defending champion lexi thompson of the u.s. was tied for 10th , 12 shots behind the winner . . | it launches a japanese version of its website -- the first non-european language |
iceland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- despite public perception , iceland is hot . sure , summer temperatures rarely rise above 13 c , but the small nordic country has become a holiday superstar . tourism has nearly doubled since 2000 ( last year saw over 565,000 visitors ) , but while tourism has helped jolt iceland out of recession , the country is courting a different demographic : it wants to woo business travelers . the tourism numbers fluctuate a lot , depending on the season , whereas corporate travel is distributed more evenly throughout the year , ' explains thorsteinn orn gudmundsson , managing director of meet in reykjavik , the official convention bureau for the icelandic capital . hoping to tap into the events market , reykjavik has set to work building its conference infrastructure . perhaps the most prominent display of the city 's corporate courtship is the newly built harpa , a combo concert hall and convention center that opened may 2011 . a joint effort by icelandic-danish artist olafur eliasson , henning larsen architects and batteriio architects , harpa is one of the most cutting-edge conference centers in the world . its glittery , disco-like facade is meant to mimic the country 's stunning glacial surrounds , while the interior evokes iceland 's lava fields . see also : best business hotels 2012 the acoustics , however , are the real star . each of harpa 's four concert halls has a large overhead reflector system and acoustics control chambers , all of which are intended to produce a superior sound . we may be a small country , but we 've got big ideas , ' says karitas kjartansdottir , harpa 's conference director . though the venue is in its early days , and kjartansdottir reckons it takes up to five years to market a new conference hall , harpa has already booked some big gigs . if you 're a manager , and you 're risk-adverse , you might be hesitant to send several hundred of your best employees overseas somewhere , especially if you 're not fully sure of how evolved the infrastructure is in that place , ' says gudmundsson . people who have been here already know how state-of-the art our technology and infrastructure are , but there are some who have no idea , and they might think of iceland as primitive , in a sense . our focus right now is in trying to shift that perception . ' see also : iceland bouncing back on tourism boom another advantage that managers may not be privy to is the convenience of iceland 's location . though it may seem like a distant land , the country is a mere three-hour flight from central europe , and five hours from many north american destinations . meet in reykjavik has adopted the slogan meet in the middle , ' a reference to both the country 's handy midway coordinates , and to the historic reykjavik summit , where former u.s. president ronald reagan met with general secretary of the soviet union 's communist party mikhail gorbachev in 1986 , to negotiate arms control . it will be a long time before we get another meeting as prominent as the reykjavik summit , ' says gudmundsson . though one could say that it was the starting point for iceland becoming a destination for meetings . ' the national carrier , icelandair , has also been a major factor in developing the country 's connectivity with the world . over the last few years it has developed its flight network , increasing both the number and frequency of direct routes . we have great connections from the [ united ] states to iceland , and that puts us in a strong market position , ' notes kjartansdottir . watch video : richard quest 's presidential tour of iceland but perhaps the country 's greatest sell is its natural beauty . the blue lagoon -- the most visited sight in iceland -- is also set up for meetings and conferences . there are board rooms and theaters that can accommodate up to 90 guests , and which overlook the lava fields , glaciers , waterfalls and the lagoon itself . some companies even hold meetings in the midst of the steaming waters . the blue lagoon brings more energy to business groups , and makes corporate events more fun and productive , ' notes magnea guomundsdottir , the director of public relations for blue lagoon iceland . gudmundsson attended one such meeting while a management consultant at mckinsey & company . there were 30 of us standing in the blue water , watching the snow come from the sky while discussing the values of the company , ' said gudmundsson . it literally blew the socks off everybody there . six weeks earlier , we 'd had an event in new york . it was very nice , and memorable , but nothing close to how distinctive the blue lagoon was . ' as if the setting was n't unique enough , blue lagoon has also arranged djs , circuses and modern dance performers for corporate events . it 's in keeping with the spirit of the setting , ' notes guomundsdottir . | iceland is trying to attract more business travelers |
chambers <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- celebrity comedians were among hundreds who on friday welcomed a uk court ruling that cleared a man of sending a tweet joking about blowing up an airport . the case has highlighted the arguments for and against the limits of free speech on the internet . paul chambers was originally fined â£385 ( $ 603 ) and ordered to pay thousands in court costs after being found guilty in 2010 of sending a menacing tweet ' that read : crap ! robin hood airport is closed . you 've got a week and a bit to get your s -- - together , otherwise i 'm blowing the airport sky high . ' he claimed it was a joke and sent it during a moment of frustration while the airport in the north of england was closed by snow . the original trial heard that the tweet was discovered when an airport manager , who was not a twitter member , searched for robin hood airport ' on the social networking site . thousands of people joined an online campaign to support chambers , retweeting his message , and recently posting twitter comments under the hashtag # twitterjoketrial . the high-profile british actor , broadcaster and prolific tweeter , stephen fry , said friday : complete vindication and victory for paul chambers in # twitterjoketrial . well done @ davidallengreen and team . ' in its ruling , the court said : the appeal against conviction will be allowed on the basis that this'tweet'did not constitute or include a message of a menacing character . it was treated and addressed as if it was not a credible threat . the airport police took no action . ' the verdict prompted a grateful response from chambers who said to his twitter followers : we could n't have done this without you , we would n't have got close . ' british comedian frankie boyle tweeted : # twitterjoketrial means comedians will feel more secure tweeting jokes and people making threats will try work in some humour . it 's win-win . ' another british actor and comic , ricky gervais , who has notched up major tv successes on both sides of the atlantic , was more provocative in his reaction , tweeting : original judge in the paul chambers twitter joke trial admits he was only joking when he convicted paul . ' ben goldacre , a prominent author and scientist , added : he may have got off , but after years of angst and expense # twitterjoketrial is a disappointing stain on the credibility of the uk judiciary . ' defense solicitor in the case , david allen greene , was equally scathing in his reaction , tweeting : this shameful prosecution should never have been brought . the dpp [ director of public prosecutions ] made the personal decision to oppose the appeal . disgraceful . ' the hashtags # paul chambers and # twitterjoketrial were both trending in the uk friday , but if anyone was opposed to the verdict they were not immediately visible on the social networking site . in contrast , hundreds of tweets supported the court decision , with one poster calling himself the sev , summing up the sentiments of many of them : today the courts ruled you 're allowed to make jokes on twitter . ' | paul chambers was originally fined â£385 ( $ 603 ) for sending a menacing tweet ' |
chambers <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- celebrity comedians were among hundreds who on friday welcomed a uk court ruling that cleared a man of sending a tweet joking about blowing up an airport . the case has highlighted the arguments for and against the limits of free speech on the internet . paul chambers was originally fined â£385 ( $ 603 ) and ordered to pay thousands in court costs after being found guilty in 2010 of sending a menacing tweet ' that read : crap ! robin hood airport is closed . you 've got a week and a bit to get your s -- - together , otherwise i 'm blowing the airport sky high . ' he claimed it was a joke and sent it during a moment of frustration while the airport in the north of england was closed by snow . the original trial heard that the tweet was discovered when an airport manager , who was not a twitter member , searched for robin hood airport ' on the social networking site . thousands of people joined an online campaign to support chambers , retweeting his message , and recently posting twitter comments under the hashtag # twitterjoketrial . the high-profile british actor , broadcaster and prolific tweeter , stephen fry , said friday : complete vindication and victory for paul chambers in # twitterjoketrial . well done @ davidallengreen and team . ' in its ruling , the court said : the appeal against conviction will be allowed on the basis that this'tweet'did not constitute or include a message of a menacing character . it was treated and addressed as if it was not a credible threat . the airport police took no action . ' the verdict prompted a grateful response from chambers who said to his twitter followers : we could n't have done this without you , we would n't have got close . ' british comedian frankie boyle tweeted : # twitterjoketrial means comedians will feel more secure tweeting jokes and people making threats will try work in some humour . it 's win-win . ' another british actor and comic , ricky gervais , who has notched up major tv successes on both sides of the atlantic , was more provocative in his reaction , tweeting : original judge in the paul chambers twitter joke trial admits he was only joking when he convicted paul . ' ben goldacre , a prominent author and scientist , added : he may have got off , but after years of angst and expense # twitterjoketrial is a disappointing stain on the credibility of the uk judiciary . ' defense solicitor in the case , david allen greene , was equally scathing in his reaction , tweeting : this shameful prosecution should never have been brought . the dpp [ director of public prosecutions ] made the personal decision to oppose the appeal . disgraceful . ' the hashtags # paul chambers and # twitterjoketrial were both trending in the uk friday , but if anyone was opposed to the verdict they were not immediately visible on the social networking site . in contrast , hundreds of tweets supported the court decision , with one poster calling himself the sev , summing up the sentiments of many of them : today the courts ruled you 're allowed to make jokes on twitter . ' | high profile comics sent messages supporting the chambers'appeal |
douglas kennedy <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the nurses involved in a maternity ward scuffle with douglas kennedy should be investigated and disciplined , kennedy 's lawyers say . kennedy , robert f. kennedy 's son , was arrested and faces misdemeanor charges over the melee at a new york hospital last month in which he knocked down a nurse while he was holding his newborn son . the only issue is the aggressive and unprofessional conduct of two nurses , ' attorney robert gottlieb said in a letter sent this week to the hospital . gottlieb said the kennedys have asked that a thorough investigation be undertaken immediately of the nurses involved in this disgraceful incident and that appropriate disciplinary action taken against them . ' kennedy was arraigned last week on harassment and child endangerment charges , attorneys for both sides have said . kennedy -- a fox news contributor -- was trying to take his newborn son for a walk to get fresh air ' outside northern westchester hospital in mount kisco on january 7 when two nurses intervened to prevent him from leaving , they said . kennedy , who was accompanied by a hospital doctor , allegedly twisted the arm of one nurse to move her away from a door and kicked another after she approached him , according to elliot taub , the attorney for both nurses . the doctor who accompanied kennedy , timothy haydock , who is a longtime family friend , said the nurses had initially agreed to let kennedy take the baby outside . the nurses were the only aggressors , ' haydock said in a statement delivered by kennedy 's attorney . but taub said neither nurse recognized kennedy as the child 's father and intended to protect the baby , who apparently had not been discharged . they were trying to enforce hospital rules , taub said . northern westchester hospital issued a statement monday in support of the nurses . at northern westchester hospital , patient safety is our priority and we completely support the actions of our nursing staff in this case as they were clearly acting out of concern for the safety of a newborn baby . ' kennedy has denied the allegations , saying that the nurse had no right to grab our child out of his father 's arms . ' the late robert f. kennedy was the younger brother of slain president john f. kennedy and had served as u.s. attorney general and u.s. senator . he was assassinated in 1968 while campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | douglas kennedy is the son of the late u.s. sen. robert f. kennedy |
douglas kennedy <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- the nurses involved in a maternity ward scuffle with douglas kennedy should be investigated and disciplined , kennedy 's lawyers say . kennedy , robert f. kennedy 's son , was arrested and faces misdemeanor charges over the melee at a new york hospital last month in which he knocked down a nurse while he was holding his newborn son . the only issue is the aggressive and unprofessional conduct of two nurses , ' attorney robert gottlieb said in a letter sent this week to the hospital . gottlieb said the kennedys have asked that a thorough investigation be undertaken immediately of the nurses involved in this disgraceful incident and that appropriate disciplinary action taken against them . ' kennedy was arraigned last week on harassment and child endangerment charges , attorneys for both sides have said . kennedy -- a fox news contributor -- was trying to take his newborn son for a walk to get fresh air ' outside northern westchester hospital in mount kisco on january 7 when two nurses intervened to prevent him from leaving , they said . kennedy , who was accompanied by a hospital doctor , allegedly twisted the arm of one nurse to move her away from a door and kicked another after she approached him , according to elliot taub , the attorney for both nurses . the doctor who accompanied kennedy , timothy haydock , who is a longtime family friend , said the nurses had initially agreed to let kennedy take the baby outside . the nurses were the only aggressors , ' haydock said in a statement delivered by kennedy 's attorney . but taub said neither nurse recognized kennedy as the child 's father and intended to protect the baby , who apparently had not been discharged . they were trying to enforce hospital rules , taub said . northern westchester hospital issued a statement monday in support of the nurses . at northern westchester hospital , patient safety is our priority and we completely support the actions of our nursing staff in this case as they were clearly acting out of concern for the safety of a newborn baby . ' kennedy has denied the allegations , saying that the nurse had no right to grab our child out of his father 's arms . ' the late robert f. kennedy was the younger brother of slain president john f. kennedy and had served as u.s. attorney general and u.s. senator . he was assassinated in 1968 while campaigning for the democratic presidential nomination . cnn 's susan candiotti contributed to this report . | douglas kennedy was arraigned last week on misdemeanor charges |
faezeh hashemi <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- faezeh hashemi , the daughter of former iranian president , akbar hashemi rafsanjani , was sentenced to six months in prison for making anti-government statements , semi-official mehr news agency reported tuesday . hashemi was arrested last year for taking part in anti-government protests , and the announcement of her sentence comes as parliamentary elections near . her father , akbar hashemi rafsanjani , is a powerful cleric and former parliament speaker . in the past , rafsanjani has been one of the government 's most vocal critics . rafsanjani served two terms as president from 1989 to 1997 , and is still widely believed to be one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful men in iran . he had long been a staunch critic and bitter political rival of iran 's president mahmoud ahmadinejad . weeks after the 2009 elections , rafsanjani condemned the regime 's violent crackdown against the opposition movement and spoke out for the people 's right to peacefully protest in a speech delivered at tehran 's friday prayers . in recent months , rafsanjani had toned down attacks and made statements of apparent support of the regime and the supreme leader , ayatollah ali khamenei . last march , rafsanjani was replaced as head of iran 's assembly of experts , a powerful committee charged with electing and removing the leader of the islamic revolution and supervising his activities . | faezeh hashemi was arrested last year for taking part in anti-government protests |
remote area medical <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was still dark when stan brock began calling out numbers on his megaphone to admit a crowd of hundreds gathered at a los angeles sports arena tuesday morning . a mobile health clinic offering free services has drawn thousands of people in los angeles in the last week . we opened the door at 5:30 and there were 600-odd people already gathered , ' he told cnn . over the last week , thousands seeking free medical care have turned up at the mobile health care clinic set up by remote area medical , a non-profit organization founded by brock . tuesday marks the final day of its eight-day operation in los angeles , which so far has resulted in the provision of at least $ 2 million in free health care services , according to brock 's early estimates . remote area medical , better known as ram , is a volunteer organization that brings free medical , dental and vision care to people around the world . see other groups that provide much-needed health services » since its launch in 1985 , ram has sent expeditions to developing corners of the world , including haiti , the dominican republic and india . but in recent years , the knoxville , tenn.-based organization has faced increasing demand for its services in the u.s. , including from large urban areas . we 've had to cut back on services to needy places like haiti because of overwhelming need in the u.s. , ' brock told cnn . we have to take care of the home front first . ' on the final day of the los angeles operation , brock said crowds were still gathering with the hope of receiving care . patients have spent hours waiting in line in the past week for the chance to get free care . ram has had to turn away some patients because it did n't have enough volunteers to provide treatment . it has n't reached its target of treating 1,500 patients a day , but brock still considers the operation a success . he said ram has treated at least 4,557 people , and that does n't include figures from the last two days of the operation , which are n't available yet , he said . many patients have used more than one service , resulting in roughly 11,500 patient encounters . that includes the extraction of nearly 1,800 bad teeth and the production of 1,090 pairs of new eyeglasses . while limited access to health care is often associated with developing countries , it 's a problem that faces patients around the world . that 's become increasingly clear as america debates the future of health care . los angeles is by far the largest urban community ram has served so far . the organization has been besieged for requests from a number of metro areas , including detroit , seattle , miami and atlanta , brock said . the lack of accessible health care from an economic standpoint is a problem that has been going on for decades , brock said . we could have come to los angeles 15 years ago and i guarantee there would have been just as big of a turnout of patients , ' he told cnn . brock started ram after spending 15 years in what used to be british guiana -- now known as guyana -- in south america . in that isolated area , it would take 26 days on foot to reach care , brock recalled , and he wanted to find a way to bring medical care to such remote areas . ram usually provides services in the appalachia region of the u.s. where it 's easier for volunteers to work , brock said . medical practitioners providing free care in tennessee can be licensed in any state . unfortunately , he said , other states do n't have similar provisions , making it difficult for ram to recruit enough local volunteers to be able to deal with the demand if they were to set up in areas like new york or washington . running the temporary clinic is practically a 24-hour operation . brock 's day starts at 4 a.m. and runs well into the night . but it 's a rewarding experience for volunteers when they get to see how much their efforts have been appreciated , he said . when you see a patient who has had thousands of dollars of free dental care come out of a dental chair and they 've got tears in their eyes and hug the dentist and dental assistant , it makes it all worthwhile . ' | non-profit remote area medical behind the mobile medical center |
mme <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime : samer khoury , president , engineering & construction , ccc one person keeping a close eye on regional developments is samer khoury . as president of engineering and construction of consolidated contractors company , ccc , he has helped turn the almost 60-year-old family business into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse . mme sat down with the mogul and asked him what impact the arab spring has had on his business . in focus : dubai property upturn the building boom in dubai has taken a hit during the global financial crisis , but the market may be picking up again . as regional uncertainty lingers , many view dubai as a possible safe haven . mme takes a closer look at dubai 's property market as buyers slowly come back in . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1645 , fridays : 0945 , saturdays : 0715,2145 , sundays : 0615 , 1645 | plus , mme takes a closer look at dubai 's property market as buyers slowly come back in |
mme <tsp> ( cnn ) -- facetime : samer khoury , president , engineering & construction , ccc one person keeping a close eye on regional developments is samer khoury . as president of engineering and construction of consolidated contractors company , ccc , he has helped turn the almost 60-year-old family business into a multi-billion dollar powerhouse . mme sat down with the mogul and asked him what impact the arab spring has had on his business . in focus : dubai property upturn the building boom in dubai has taken a hit during the global financial crisis , but the market may be picking up again . as regional uncertainty lingers , many view dubai as a possible safe haven . mme takes a closer look at dubai 's property market as buyers slowly come back in . marketplace middle east airs weekly at the following times ( all gmt ) : thursdays : 1645 , fridays : 0945 , saturdays : 0715,2145 , sundays : 0615 , 1645 | mme talks to samer khoury on what impact the arab spring has had on ccc 's business |
tsa <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a federal appeals court ruled friday the transportation security administration can still use full-body scanners at airports , but said the agency erred in how it deployed the controversial machines . a privacy group , the electronic privacy information center , had sued the tsa claiming the machines violated fourth amendment protections against unreasonable searches . the group further argued that the tsa did not follow the required procedures before making significant policy changes , such as subjecting travelers to the full-body scanners . the three-judge panel of the u.s. court of appeals in washington rejected the first argument , concluding that there was no violation on constitutional grounds . but they agreed on the second point , saying tsa must now go through proper procedures -- though the court , significantly , did not order the agency to stop using the machines immediately . there is an obvious need for the tsa to continue its airport security operations without interruption , ' the judges ruled . either side can appeal to the full appeals court or the supreme court . but another , more likely scenario is that tsa , which is part of the department of homeland security , will go through the public comment and rule-making process . the agency 's decision following that process could then become the basis for future lawsuits . this is not over by any means , ' said marc rotenberg , executive director of the electronic privacy information center . tsa officers operate more than 500 of the body imaging machines , which can see through clothes and reveal concealed objects , including bombs and bomb components . tsa plans to have more than 1,000 machines in use at airports nationwide by the end of this year . passengers are not required to submit to the scans , and may opt for pat-downs . but , the court noted , many passengers ... remain unaware of this right , and some who have exercised the right have complained that the resulting pat-down was unnecessarily aggressive . ' the electronic privacy information center argued that the scanners violate passengers'fourth amendment rights because , the group claimed , the search is more invasive than necessary to detect weapons or explosives . but the court said the government must weigh the degree to which ( the search ) intrudes upon an individual 's privacy and ... the degree to which it is needed for the promotion of legitimate governmental interests . ' the balance clearly favors the government here , ' the court said . yet the judges took a swipe at the tsa 's argument that its plans to implement the technology did not merit a formal public comment and rule-making process . it is clear that by producing an image of the unclothed passenger , an ( automated imaging technology ) scanner intrudes upon his or her personal privacy in a way a magnetometer does not , ' the court noted . the court also debunked the privacy group 's allegation in its lawsuit that tsa had violated the video voyeurism prevention act . the judges also labeled as silly ' the claim that the federal agency is not engaged in law enforcement . the tsa said in a statement that it is reviewing the ruling . rotenberg , meanwhile , called the court 's decision important and said it pins ' down tsa to a policy in which body scans are optional . privacy advocates had worried the use of scanners could become mandatory , as they become more ubiquitous at airports . i think the court would have had a very different conclusion ' had body scans been mandatory , rotenberg said . | judges find the tsa did not go through the right process before deploying the machines |
tsa <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a federal appeals court ruled friday the transportation security administration can still use full-body scanners at airports , but said the agency erred in how it deployed the controversial machines . a privacy group , the electronic privacy information center , had sued the tsa claiming the machines violated fourth amendment protections against unreasonable searches . the group further argued that the tsa did not follow the required procedures before making significant policy changes , such as subjecting travelers to the full-body scanners . the three-judge panel of the u.s. court of appeals in washington rejected the first argument , concluding that there was no violation on constitutional grounds . but they agreed on the second point , saying tsa must now go through proper procedures -- though the court , significantly , did not order the agency to stop using the machines immediately . there is an obvious need for the tsa to continue its airport security operations without interruption , ' the judges ruled . either side can appeal to the full appeals court or the supreme court . but another , more likely scenario is that tsa , which is part of the department of homeland security , will go through the public comment and rule-making process . the agency 's decision following that process could then become the basis for future lawsuits . this is not over by any means , ' said marc rotenberg , executive director of the electronic privacy information center . tsa officers operate more than 500 of the body imaging machines , which can see through clothes and reveal concealed objects , including bombs and bomb components . tsa plans to have more than 1,000 machines in use at airports nationwide by the end of this year . passengers are not required to submit to the scans , and may opt for pat-downs . but , the court noted , many passengers ... remain unaware of this right , and some who have exercised the right have complained that the resulting pat-down was unnecessarily aggressive . ' the electronic privacy information center argued that the scanners violate passengers'fourth amendment rights because , the group claimed , the search is more invasive than necessary to detect weapons or explosives . but the court said the government must weigh the degree to which ( the search ) intrudes upon an individual 's privacy and ... the degree to which it is needed for the promotion of legitimate governmental interests . ' the balance clearly favors the government here , ' the court said . yet the judges took a swipe at the tsa 's argument that its plans to implement the technology did not merit a formal public comment and rule-making process . it is clear that by producing an image of the unclothed passenger , an ( automated imaging technology ) scanner intrudes upon his or her personal privacy in a way a magnetometer does not , ' the court noted . the court also debunked the privacy group 's allegation in its lawsuit that tsa had violated the video voyeurism prevention act . the judges also labeled as silly ' the claim that the federal agency is not engaged in law enforcement . the tsa said in a statement that it is reviewing the ruling . rotenberg , meanwhile , called the court 's decision important and said it pins ' down tsa to a policy in which body scans are optional . privacy advocates had worried the use of scanners could become mandatory , as they become more ubiquitous at airports . i think the court would have had a very different conclusion ' had body scans been mandatory , rotenberg said . | a u.s. appeals court weighs in on a lawsuit against the tsa over full-body scanners |
irs <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- an internal revenue service official involved in a 2010 conference cited for wasteful spending said thursday no rules were broken and no fraud occurred , though he acknowledged that video parodies , fancy hotel suites and other excesses funded by taxpayers never should have happened . it 's embarrassing , and i apologize , ' said faris fink , the irs official who portrayed the mr. spock character in a training video for the conference that parodied the star trek ' television show and films . fink told a congressional hearing that new federal regulations would prevent such a video and conference from occurring today . however , he said planners followed irs and government procedures that were in place at the time . ' he also noted that an inspector general 's audit that revealed high hotel bills and other wasteful spending for the $ 4.1 million cost of the conference found no fraud occurred . in hindsight , many of the expenses that were incurred at the 2010 conference should be been more closely scrutinized or not incurred at all , ' said fink , a 32-year irs veteran . his testimony under oath to the house oversight committee followed fierce criticism from the panel 's top republican and democrat . irs puts two on leave over lavish 2010 conference gop chairman rep. darrell issa of california called the waste by the agency that collects taxes from the public maliciously self-indulgent . ' he noted that in some cases , irs workers who received employee benefits from the conference failed to file w-2 forms for the income , saying the irs effectively was guilty of tax evasion . ' the panel 's ranking democrat , rep. elijah cummings of maryland , berated fink for wasting the money of people who earn less in a year than the cost of the star trek ' parody video . insisting he found no redeeming value ' from the video , cummings cited examples of working people in his neighborhood , such as a hotel cleaning woman he saw at the bus stop on thursday morning . that is her money , the one who makes $ 35,000 , that 's her , ' he told fink . the gentleman up the street from me who makes $ 45,000 hauling trash . that 's their money and so , it was wasted . ' thursday 's hearing was the seventh in recent weeks on controversies at the irs . the others focused mostly on the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status that was uncovered in a separate inspector general 's audit made public last month . despite the public displays of outrage by legislators , issa and cummings conceded that such wasteful irs spending on conferences and travel no longer occurred due to government reforms . it 's not a new occurrence and many of these things may not be happening today , ' issa said , while cummings credited both the committee and the obama administration for taking effective action in response to a similar spending scandal involving the general services administration that was uncovered in 2011 . partisan views of irs targeting : political conspiracy or overzealous scrutiny on wednesday , the irs announced it has placed two employees on administrative leave in connection with the anaheim , california , conference in 2010 . daniel werfel , the acting irs commissioner appointed by president barack obama last month to clean up the mess at the agency , said thursday the move was a step toward firing the two employees , who have not been identified . in his report on the conference spending made public on tuesday , treasury inspector general j. russell george said the irs spent taxpayer dollars on everything from event planners'commissions to speakers'fees to guest prizes to parody videos . questionable expenses ' comprised much of the budget , according to george 's report , which also said $ 3.2 million to pay for the conference expenses came from unused funds allocated for hiring . the august 2010 conference , held by the small business/self-employed division , had 2,600 attendees at three hotels in anaheim . fink said the conference provided valuable training for new managers at the time , despite what he called inappropriate spending . that did n't satisfy the legislators from either party , who questioned how irs employees notorious for being sticklers on compliance with the law did not realize or protest the excess and waste of the conference . democratic rep. gerald connolly of virginia called the problem a culture of arrogance and a real tin ear to the concerns of the public that pays the bill ' rather than something criminal . gregory kutz , an official in the inspector general 's office who helped conduct the spending audit , agreed with connolly , telling the panel it did n't appear to be fraud but rather a case of people who lost sight of the fact they were spending taxpayer money . ' while outrage over the wasteful spending was bipartisan , both sides sought to score political points on thursday . issa , a leading gop messenger in efforts to depict the obama administration as government gone wild , complained of a culture without whistle blowers ' in the federal government and referred specifically to the targeting scandal his panel also is investigating . he wondered out loud how many irs workers involved in the improper targeting could have benefited from better training and more staff paid for by the money spent instead on the anaheim conference . cummings , meanwhile , noted that irs spending on conferences doubled during the final years of the gop bush administration , when the nation headed into recession . it would be legislative malpractice if we do n't figure out what happened there , ' he said . some republicans sought to link the irs controversies to obama 's health care reform law , pointing out the tax agency will enforce compliance with requirements for people to purchase health insurance . gop rep. trey gowdy of south carolina said the problem was a cultural , systemic , moral , character ' issue at the irs that no amount of training would solve . noting that people now will submit health information to the irs , which already has their financial information , gowdy said those are details we do n't share with people we do trust . ' cummings took exception with such remarks , saying that the misdeeds of some at the irs did n't impugn the 90,000-employee agency or its ability to do its work . i do n't buy this because we had some bad players , we ca n't do the job , ' he said , asking werfel if the irs was up to the task of taking on the health care law 's mandate . yes , ' replied werfel , saying the irs has reached all key milestones so far in preparing for its new responsibilities and adding he would be very active in this area because it 's one our critical operational priorities . ' on the targeting issue , werfel said the agency and the inspector general would soon be providing additional information on groups seeking tax-exempt status that came under extra scrutiny . in the inspector general report last month , an irs unit that handles applications for tax-exempt status was found to be using criteria that included conservative labels such as tea party ' to target groups for extra questioning . republicans contend the targeting was political discrimination , but the report blamed poor management in dealing with unclear regulations and an increased workload rather than a political motivation . latest on the irs inquiry cnn 's dana bash and ashley killough contributed to this report . | the hearing is the seventh by congress in recent weeks on irs controversies |
irs <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- an internal revenue service official involved in a 2010 conference cited for wasteful spending said thursday no rules were broken and no fraud occurred , though he acknowledged that video parodies , fancy hotel suites and other excesses funded by taxpayers never should have happened . it 's embarrassing , and i apologize , ' said faris fink , the irs official who portrayed the mr. spock character in a training video for the conference that parodied the star trek ' television show and films . fink told a congressional hearing that new federal regulations would prevent such a video and conference from occurring today . however , he said planners followed irs and government procedures that were in place at the time . ' he also noted that an inspector general 's audit that revealed high hotel bills and other wasteful spending for the $ 4.1 million cost of the conference found no fraud occurred . in hindsight , many of the expenses that were incurred at the 2010 conference should be been more closely scrutinized or not incurred at all , ' said fink , a 32-year irs veteran . his testimony under oath to the house oversight committee followed fierce criticism from the panel 's top republican and democrat . irs puts two on leave over lavish 2010 conference gop chairman rep. darrell issa of california called the waste by the agency that collects taxes from the public maliciously self-indulgent . ' he noted that in some cases , irs workers who received employee benefits from the conference failed to file w-2 forms for the income , saying the irs effectively was guilty of tax evasion . ' the panel 's ranking democrat , rep. elijah cummings of maryland , berated fink for wasting the money of people who earn less in a year than the cost of the star trek ' parody video . insisting he found no redeeming value ' from the video , cummings cited examples of working people in his neighborhood , such as a hotel cleaning woman he saw at the bus stop on thursday morning . that is her money , the one who makes $ 35,000 , that 's her , ' he told fink . the gentleman up the street from me who makes $ 45,000 hauling trash . that 's their money and so , it was wasted . ' thursday 's hearing was the seventh in recent weeks on controversies at the irs . the others focused mostly on the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status that was uncovered in a separate inspector general 's audit made public last month . despite the public displays of outrage by legislators , issa and cummings conceded that such wasteful irs spending on conferences and travel no longer occurred due to government reforms . it 's not a new occurrence and many of these things may not be happening today , ' issa said , while cummings credited both the committee and the obama administration for taking effective action in response to a similar spending scandal involving the general services administration that was uncovered in 2011 . partisan views of irs targeting : political conspiracy or overzealous scrutiny on wednesday , the irs announced it has placed two employees on administrative leave in connection with the anaheim , california , conference in 2010 . daniel werfel , the acting irs commissioner appointed by president barack obama last month to clean up the mess at the agency , said thursday the move was a step toward firing the two employees , who have not been identified . in his report on the conference spending made public on tuesday , treasury inspector general j. russell george said the irs spent taxpayer dollars on everything from event planners'commissions to speakers'fees to guest prizes to parody videos . questionable expenses ' comprised much of the budget , according to george 's report , which also said $ 3.2 million to pay for the conference expenses came from unused funds allocated for hiring . the august 2010 conference , held by the small business/self-employed division , had 2,600 attendees at three hotels in anaheim . fink said the conference provided valuable training for new managers at the time , despite what he called inappropriate spending . that did n't satisfy the legislators from either party , who questioned how irs employees notorious for being sticklers on compliance with the law did not realize or protest the excess and waste of the conference . democratic rep. gerald connolly of virginia called the problem a culture of arrogance and a real tin ear to the concerns of the public that pays the bill ' rather than something criminal . gregory kutz , an official in the inspector general 's office who helped conduct the spending audit , agreed with connolly , telling the panel it did n't appear to be fraud but rather a case of people who lost sight of the fact they were spending taxpayer money . ' while outrage over the wasteful spending was bipartisan , both sides sought to score political points on thursday . issa , a leading gop messenger in efforts to depict the obama administration as government gone wild , complained of a culture without whistle blowers ' in the federal government and referred specifically to the targeting scandal his panel also is investigating . he wondered out loud how many irs workers involved in the improper targeting could have benefited from better training and more staff paid for by the money spent instead on the anaheim conference . cummings , meanwhile , noted that irs spending on conferences doubled during the final years of the gop bush administration , when the nation headed into recession . it would be legislative malpractice if we do n't figure out what happened there , ' he said . some republicans sought to link the irs controversies to obama 's health care reform law , pointing out the tax agency will enforce compliance with requirements for people to purchase health insurance . gop rep. trey gowdy of south carolina said the problem was a cultural , systemic , moral , character ' issue at the irs that no amount of training would solve . noting that people now will submit health information to the irs , which already has their financial information , gowdy said those are details we do n't share with people we do trust . ' cummings took exception with such remarks , saying that the misdeeds of some at the irs did n't impugn the 90,000-employee agency or its ability to do its work . i do n't buy this because we had some bad players , we ca n't do the job , ' he said , asking werfel if the irs was up to the task of taking on the health care law 's mandate . yes , ' replied werfel , saying the irs has reached all key milestones so far in preparing for its new responsibilities and adding he would be very active in this area because it 's one our critical operational priorities . ' on the targeting issue , werfel said the agency and the inspector general would soon be providing additional information on groups seeking tax-exempt status that came under extra scrutiny . in the inspector general report last month , an irs unit that handles applications for tax-exempt status was found to be using criteria that included conservative labels such as tea party ' to target groups for extra questioning . republicans contend the targeting was political discrimination , but the report blamed poor management in dealing with unclear regulations and an increased workload rather than a political motivation . latest on the irs inquiry cnn 's dana bash and ashley killough contributed to this report . | a house committee looks at wasteful irs spending at a $ 4 million conference in 2010 |
irs <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- an internal revenue service official involved in a 2010 conference cited for wasteful spending said thursday no rules were broken and no fraud occurred , though he acknowledged that video parodies , fancy hotel suites and other excesses funded by taxpayers never should have happened . it 's embarrassing , and i apologize , ' said faris fink , the irs official who portrayed the mr. spock character in a training video for the conference that parodied the star trek ' television show and films . fink told a congressional hearing that new federal regulations would prevent such a video and conference from occurring today . however , he said planners followed irs and government procedures that were in place at the time . ' he also noted that an inspector general 's audit that revealed high hotel bills and other wasteful spending for the $ 4.1 million cost of the conference found no fraud occurred . in hindsight , many of the expenses that were incurred at the 2010 conference should be been more closely scrutinized or not incurred at all , ' said fink , a 32-year irs veteran . his testimony under oath to the house oversight committee followed fierce criticism from the panel 's top republican and democrat . irs puts two on leave over lavish 2010 conference gop chairman rep. darrell issa of california called the waste by the agency that collects taxes from the public maliciously self-indulgent . ' he noted that in some cases , irs workers who received employee benefits from the conference failed to file w-2 forms for the income , saying the irs effectively was guilty of tax evasion . ' the panel 's ranking democrat , rep. elijah cummings of maryland , berated fink for wasting the money of people who earn less in a year than the cost of the star trek ' parody video . insisting he found no redeeming value ' from the video , cummings cited examples of working people in his neighborhood , such as a hotel cleaning woman he saw at the bus stop on thursday morning . that is her money , the one who makes $ 35,000 , that 's her , ' he told fink . the gentleman up the street from me who makes $ 45,000 hauling trash . that 's their money and so , it was wasted . ' thursday 's hearing was the seventh in recent weeks on controversies at the irs . the others focused mostly on the targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status that was uncovered in a separate inspector general 's audit made public last month . despite the public displays of outrage by legislators , issa and cummings conceded that such wasteful irs spending on conferences and travel no longer occurred due to government reforms . it 's not a new occurrence and many of these things may not be happening today , ' issa said , while cummings credited both the committee and the obama administration for taking effective action in response to a similar spending scandal involving the general services administration that was uncovered in 2011 . partisan views of irs targeting : political conspiracy or overzealous scrutiny on wednesday , the irs announced it has placed two employees on administrative leave in connection with the anaheim , california , conference in 2010 . daniel werfel , the acting irs commissioner appointed by president barack obama last month to clean up the mess at the agency , said thursday the move was a step toward firing the two employees , who have not been identified . in his report on the conference spending made public on tuesday , treasury inspector general j. russell george said the irs spent taxpayer dollars on everything from event planners'commissions to speakers'fees to guest prizes to parody videos . questionable expenses ' comprised much of the budget , according to george 's report , which also said $ 3.2 million to pay for the conference expenses came from unused funds allocated for hiring . the august 2010 conference , held by the small business/self-employed division , had 2,600 attendees at three hotels in anaheim . fink said the conference provided valuable training for new managers at the time , despite what he called inappropriate spending . that did n't satisfy the legislators from either party , who questioned how irs employees notorious for being sticklers on compliance with the law did not realize or protest the excess and waste of the conference . democratic rep. gerald connolly of virginia called the problem a culture of arrogance and a real tin ear to the concerns of the public that pays the bill ' rather than something criminal . gregory kutz , an official in the inspector general 's office who helped conduct the spending audit , agreed with connolly , telling the panel it did n't appear to be fraud but rather a case of people who lost sight of the fact they were spending taxpayer money . ' while outrage over the wasteful spending was bipartisan , both sides sought to score political points on thursday . issa , a leading gop messenger in efforts to depict the obama administration as government gone wild , complained of a culture without whistle blowers ' in the federal government and referred specifically to the targeting scandal his panel also is investigating . he wondered out loud how many irs workers involved in the improper targeting could have benefited from better training and more staff paid for by the money spent instead on the anaheim conference . cummings , meanwhile , noted that irs spending on conferences doubled during the final years of the gop bush administration , when the nation headed into recession . it would be legislative malpractice if we do n't figure out what happened there , ' he said . some republicans sought to link the irs controversies to obama 's health care reform law , pointing out the tax agency will enforce compliance with requirements for people to purchase health insurance . gop rep. trey gowdy of south carolina said the problem was a cultural , systemic , moral , character ' issue at the irs that no amount of training would solve . noting that people now will submit health information to the irs , which already has their financial information , gowdy said those are details we do n't share with people we do trust . ' cummings took exception with such remarks , saying that the misdeeds of some at the irs did n't impugn the 90,000-employee agency or its ability to do its work . i do n't buy this because we had some bad players , we ca n't do the job , ' he said , asking werfel if the irs was up to the task of taking on the health care law 's mandate . yes , ' replied werfel , saying the irs has reached all key milestones so far in preparing for its new responsibilities and adding he would be very active in this area because it 's one our critical operational priorities . ' on the targeting issue , werfel said the agency and the inspector general would soon be providing additional information on groups seeking tax-exempt status that came under extra scrutiny . in the inspector general report last month , an irs unit that handles applications for tax-exempt status was found to be using criteria that included conservative labels such as tea party ' to target groups for extra questioning . republicans contend the targeting was political discrimination , but the report blamed poor management in dealing with unclear regulations and an increased workload rather than a political motivation . latest on the irs inquiry cnn 's dana bash and ashley killough contributed to this report . | new : new irs head says more information coming on targeting |
louisiana tech <tsp> though initially reported missing , the english bulldog that was the mascot for sports teams at louisiana tech university actually died of heatstroke , officials said wednesday . the veterinarian that kept tech xx said a now-fired employee left the dog outside on sunday . tech xx was a member of our immediate family and a daily part of our lives for the past four years , ' patrick sexton said in a statement . we are devastated over the circumstances of his passing , and there will be a large void in our hearts for some time to come . as with any family member , we will spend considerable time grieving his passing . ' the university , in ruston , said in a statement that since becoming the mascot in 2008 , tech xx got superior care and a loving home from sexton 's team . he will be remembered for being a fan favorite and a symbol of the spirit of louisiana tech , ' the university said . originally the worker said he let the dog out to go to the bathroom and the dog went missing , sexton said . students and residents went looking for the canine . his predecessor , tech xix , was retired in 2007 because of health concerns after suffering heatstroke , the university said on its website . | louisiana tech says dog was a symbol of the spirit ' of the school |
patrick sexton <tsp> though initially reported missing , the english bulldog that was the mascot for sports teams at louisiana tech university actually died of heatstroke , officials said wednesday . the veterinarian that kept tech xx said a now-fired employee left the dog outside on sunday . tech xx was a member of our immediate family and a daily part of our lives for the past four years , ' patrick sexton said in a statement . we are devastated over the circumstances of his passing , and there will be a large void in our hearts for some time to come . as with any family member , we will spend considerable time grieving his passing . ' the university , in ruston , said in a statement that since becoming the mascot in 2008 , tech xx got superior care and a loving home from sexton 's team . he will be remembered for being a fan favorite and a symbol of the spirit of louisiana tech , ' the university said . originally the worker said he let the dog out to go to the bathroom and the dog went missing , sexton said . students and residents went looking for the canine . his predecessor , tech xix , was retired in 2007 because of health concerns after suffering heatstroke , the university said on its website . | the worker has been fired , veterinarian patrick sexton said |
pakistani <tsp> new delhi , india ( cnn ) -- pakistan 's prime minister , syed yousaf raza gilani , arrived in india wednesday to watch a cricket world cup match between the two archrival teams as the nuclear neighbors try to repair ties wounded by the 2008 terror attacks on mumbai . we all must enjoy cricket , ' gilani told reporters after landing at chandigarh , near punjab 's mohali city , which is hosting the semifinal between india and pakistan . the pakistani leader was watching the high-pitched match with his indian counterpart manmohan singh , who had invited him last week to wednesday 's game . the south asian rivals , which have fought three wars since the blood-soaked partition of the asian subcontinent in 1947 , have in the past too used cricket as a platform to ease relations . when cricket means more than just a match in 2005 , singh and then-pakistan president pervez musharraf saw a cricket match at a new delhi stadium . in 1987 , indian prime minister rajiv gandhi and pakistan gen. muhammad zia ul-haq attended a similar game in jaipur . gilani 's visit came a day after his country agreed in principle to allow a tour by an indian commission in connection with the investigations into the mumbai assault blamed on pakistani militant groups . in their talks tuesday in new delhi , indian and pakistani home secretaries also pledged to set up a hotline ' on terror threats . both sides agreed to set up a hotline between ( the ) home secretary of india and ( the ) interior secretary of pakistan to facilitate real-time information-sharing with respect to terrorist threats , ' said a joint statement issued at the end of their talks . more than 160 people were killed in the november 2008 siege of mumbai that derailed a fragile peace process between the two nations . according to the joint statement , india also promised to host a pakistani judicial panel to study the trial proceedings related to the case . dates for the visit of the judicial commission from pakistan in connection with ( the ) mumbai attack trial will be conveyed by india within four ( to ) six weeks , ' the statement read . a mumbai court has imposed a death sentence on mohammed ajmal kasab , the only surviving pakistani gunman from the three-day terror siege of the city . kasab 's lawyers say their client plans to challenge the sentence in india 's supreme court in new delhi . in their discussions , indian home secretary pillai briefed the pakistani side on his country 's investigations into a deadly bombing of a pakistan-bound train , about 80 kilometers from new delhi , four years ago . some hindu nationalists are now the key suspects in the 2007 firebombing on the samjhauta ( friendship ) express train that left 68 passengers dead . the attack was initially believed to be the work of islamist militants . both sides reiterated their commitment to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed the need to bring those responsible for such crimes to justice , ' the statement said . | more than 160 people were killed in the siege of mumbai which is blamed on pakistani militants |
nicholson <tsp> charlotte , north carolina ( cnn ) -- when polygamous sect leader warren jeffs appeared in a las vegas courtroom last august , kathy jo nicholson , a former member of jeffs'sect , felt fearful even though she was only watching him on television . nicholson , roughly 13 years of age , is shown here with five of her sisters and two of her mothers . it devastated me . it elated me . it made me afraid . i looked at this man that was so powerful in my life ... and he was just so thin and pale , ' she said . today , as warren jeffs sits at utah 's purgatory correctional facility awaiting trial , nicholson has started talking publicly about her childhood in the church jeffs led -- the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints ( flds ) . she hopes that by sharing her story she will help others struggling with similar issues . my hope is that they , they 'll see it , and it 'll mean something , ' the 36-year-old said . nicholson recently co-authored an article about leaving her polygamous community for glamour magazine and is planning to write a book as well . jeffs , whose approximately 10,000 followers practice polygamy mainly in hildale , utah , and colorado city , arizona , is charged in utah with being an accomplice to rape by arranging the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin . he faces additional charges in arizona . go inside warren jeffs'world » as a child , nicholson had three mothers and 12 siblings . she considers it a typical flds home . at the age of 14 , nicholson started sewing her wedding dress in anticipation of getting married . she knew that at any moment she could be whisked away to meet her husband and that her future likely would include at least two sister wives . ' but nicholson had doubts whether she could live the life before her . i 've always liked a lot of attention . and when it hit me that i could possibly and most likely absolutely would be sharing my husband , i began doubting that i could live that way , ' she said . that perspective got nicholson in trouble at alta academy , the flds-run high school whose headmaster was warren jeffs . he beat the kids there . he humiliated the kids there . and as time went on and i was n't so devoted to being perfect and sweet , he held me up as an example and humiliated me , ' she said . jeffs would force children -- nicholson included -- to stand on a chair in front of the class and flex their buttocks muscles , according to nicholson . she does n't know how he came upon this particular punishment . as i got more and more rebellious , he would come up behind me while i was in a group and seize me by the back of the neck and lean down and whisper in my ear ,'are you keeping sweet or do you need to be punished ?' she said . jeffs wrote a letter to nicholson 's parents saying that he was concerned about her and a friend , because when around boys , and even younger boys , they would outwardly show their cuteness , seemingly to have the younger boys relate their cute behavior to older boys . ' after getting caught passing notes to a boy , nicholson was expelled from alta academy . she began working in an flds-owned factory full of other youths who openly questioned their religion . it was a common destination for flds kids kicked out of high school . at 18 , she eloped with a young man from within the community . their marriage was not accepted by the flds or their families because they had gone outside of the church , to a justice of the peace , for the ceremony . so they packed up a u-haul and headed toward california . that 's when i cried the very most , ' she said tearfully . because i was leaving my family , everything that i had ever known , my friends and god behind . and i was choosing it . ' that marriage fell apart , but in 2003 nicholson persuaded her family to allow her brother to come live with her . he never went back . within months , her birth mother came for a visit and she also never returned to the church . nicholson feels fortunate she helped two relatives leave the church , but this has not been without consequence . the flds no longer permits nicholson 's relatives to communicate with her and she does n't even know where the rest of her family lives . as glad as nicholson is to see jeffs behind bars and awaiting trial , she finds it unsettling to see a man who led the community in which she was raised now reduced to such a pathetic state . still , she recalls a moment during jeffs'first court appearance that showed he 's not an entirely broken man . he had the downcast look that he would have when he was very disappointed in somebody , right before he 'd start a beating or whatever or give a scolding . ... and then he looked up at the camera and gave this smirk , and that was the smirk that he would give before he damned you straight to hell or gave you the beating of your life or altered a rule that would absolutely devastate your household , ' nicholson said . the flds broke from the mainline church of jesus christ of latter-day saints , based in salt lake city , utah , over the practice of polygamy . the mormon church , which gave up plural marriage more than a century ago , has no ties to jeffs'group . e-mail to a friend | nicholson , who flew from the community , says jeffs was a harsh disciplinarian |
nicholson <tsp> charlotte , north carolina ( cnn ) -- when polygamous sect leader warren jeffs appeared in a las vegas courtroom last august , kathy jo nicholson , a former member of jeffs'sect , felt fearful even though she was only watching him on television . nicholson , roughly 13 years of age , is shown here with five of her sisters and two of her mothers . it devastated me . it elated me . it made me afraid . i looked at this man that was so powerful in my life ... and he was just so thin and pale , ' she said . today , as warren jeffs sits at utah 's purgatory correctional facility awaiting trial , nicholson has started talking publicly about her childhood in the church jeffs led -- the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter-day saints ( flds ) . she hopes that by sharing her story she will help others struggling with similar issues . my hope is that they , they 'll see it , and it 'll mean something , ' the 36-year-old said . nicholson recently co-authored an article about leaving her polygamous community for glamour magazine and is planning to write a book as well . jeffs , whose approximately 10,000 followers practice polygamy mainly in hildale , utah , and colorado city , arizona , is charged in utah with being an accomplice to rape by arranging the marriage of a 14-year-old girl to her 19-year-old cousin . he faces additional charges in arizona . go inside warren jeffs'world » as a child , nicholson had three mothers and 12 siblings . she considers it a typical flds home . at the age of 14 , nicholson started sewing her wedding dress in anticipation of getting married . she knew that at any moment she could be whisked away to meet her husband and that her future likely would include at least two sister wives . ' but nicholson had doubts whether she could live the life before her . i 've always liked a lot of attention . and when it hit me that i could possibly and most likely absolutely would be sharing my husband , i began doubting that i could live that way , ' she said . that perspective got nicholson in trouble at alta academy , the flds-run high school whose headmaster was warren jeffs . he beat the kids there . he humiliated the kids there . and as time went on and i was n't so devoted to being perfect and sweet , he held me up as an example and humiliated me , ' she said . jeffs would force children -- nicholson included -- to stand on a chair in front of the class and flex their buttocks muscles , according to nicholson . she does n't know how he came upon this particular punishment . as i got more and more rebellious , he would come up behind me while i was in a group and seize me by the back of the neck and lean down and whisper in my ear ,'are you keeping sweet or do you need to be punished ?' she said . jeffs wrote a letter to nicholson 's parents saying that he was concerned about her and a friend , because when around boys , and even younger boys , they would outwardly show their cuteness , seemingly to have the younger boys relate their cute behavior to older boys . ' after getting caught passing notes to a boy , nicholson was expelled from alta academy . she began working in an flds-owned factory full of other youths who openly questioned their religion . it was a common destination for flds kids kicked out of high school . at 18 , she eloped with a young man from within the community . their marriage was not accepted by the flds or their families because they had gone outside of the church , to a justice of the peace , for the ceremony . so they packed up a u-haul and headed toward california . that 's when i cried the very most , ' she said tearfully . because i was leaving my family , everything that i had ever known , my friends and god behind . and i was choosing it . ' that marriage fell apart , but in 2003 nicholson persuaded her family to allow her brother to come live with her . he never went back . within months , her birth mother came for a visit and she also never returned to the church . nicholson feels fortunate she helped two relatives leave the church , but this has not been without consequence . the flds no longer permits nicholson 's relatives to communicate with her and she does n't even know where the rest of her family lives . as glad as nicholson is to see jeffs behind bars and awaiting trial , she finds it unsettling to see a man who led the community in which she was raised now reduced to such a pathetic state . still , she recalls a moment during jeffs'first court appearance that showed he 's not an entirely broken man . he had the downcast look that he would have when he was very disappointed in somebody , right before he 'd start a beating or whatever or give a scolding . ... and then he looked up at the camera and gave this smirk , and that was the smirk that he would give before he damned you straight to hell or gave you the beating of your life or altered a rule that would absolutely devastate your household , ' nicholson said . the flds broke from the mainline church of jesus christ of latter-day saints , based in salt lake city , utah , over the practice of polygamy . the mormon church , which gave up plural marriage more than a century ago , has no ties to jeffs'group . e-mail to a friend | kathy jo nicholson grew up in a polygamous home and community |
manning <tsp> fort meade , maryland ( cnn ) -- after four days of testimony and 20 prosecution witnesses , pfc . bradley manning 's defense attorney spent only 35 minutes wednesday questioning just two witnesses before resting their case . manning is accused of committing the biggest intelligence leak in u.s. history . his article 32 hearing is part of the military 's process of determining whether he should face court martial . the first defense witness called was sgt . daniel padgett who served with manning in iraq and witnessed one of several angry outbursts witnesses have described . padgett was the senior enlisted man on the night shift in the intelligence office where manning worked . he testified that in december 2009 , manning was late for duty and they sat down in a conference room so padgett could counsel him . padgett said when they began talking , manning was calm , but that he began to change . at some point , said padgett , manning grabbed the conference room table and turned the table over , knocking a computer and radio to the floor . because there was a rifle in the room , padgett testified that he did n't want manning to get his hands on it , so i coaxed him away from that , put my hands on his shoulder and coaxed him away . ' at that point another soldier came in the room , subdued manning , sat him down and padgett continued counseling him , padgett testified . when asked by manning 's attorney david coombs if padgett remembered master sgt . paul adkins , the senior enlisted man in the unit , talking with him about the incident , padgett said vaguely . ' padgett testified said he did not discuss the outburst with the major who oversaw the intelligence analysis officers , the company 's first sergeant nor the company commander . manning was not moved out of the intelligence office after the outburst and did not lose his security clearance as a result of the outburst . coombs has argued that the army should have known about manning 's emotional issues and kept him away from classified materials . manning is accused of stealing and leaking nearly three-quarters of a million classified documents from the state department and the defense department to the wikileaks website , which published many of them . the leaks occurred while manning was serving as an intelligence analyst in iraq in 2009 and 2010 . prosecution witnesses testified that manning downloaded and leaked 400,000 dod field reports from iraq and 90,0000 similar documents from afghanistan . there was also evidence presented that he downloaded and leaked more than 250,000 state department cables . coomb 's second witness , capt . barclay keay , testified by phone about his time with manning 's unit . for a short time in december 2009 , he was an officer in the intelligence analysis office where manning worked . keay said he often saw soldiers listening to music in the office where classified materials were analyzed . at first he thought it was not proper , but he was told it was an accepted practice ' that was tolerated because it helped soldiers be more productive . ' in news reports before the hearing , manning is said to have bragged in a chat room that he was able to download materials onto a cd while pretending to listen to lady gaga . keay told the hearing , i do feel like he wanted to be a good soldier . he did good analytical work . ' even though he called only two , coombs had requested 48 witnesses , ten of whom were already on the prosecution witness list . the investigating officer overseeing the case granted those ten and two other defense witnesses who were not on the prosecution list . he rejected other requested defense witnesses , including president barack obama and secretary of state hillary clinton . mark zaid , a national security attorney , said the fact the defense called only two witnesses is not surprising . for one thing , an article 32 ( hearing ) serves as an opportunity for the defense to obtain pre-trial discovery , and particularly information they do not know . additionally , the likelihood of stopping charges from going forward is non-existent in this case so there is little value in telegraphing to the prosecution information the defense may possess but might not yet have revealed , ' said zaid . closing arguments from both sides are scheduled to start thursday morning . after that the investigating officer , lt. col. paul almanza , who oversaw the hearing , will consider the testimony and evidence and make a recommendation as to whether manning should face court martial and if so , on which charges . the burden of proof at this level of the military justice system is whether reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged . ' the special court martial convening authority , col. carl coffman , has given almanza until jan. 16 , 2012 to submit his recommendation . but , if needed , almanza can request more time . witnesses for the prosecution have characterized manning as being troubled by army discipline and testified that he allegedly bragged on the internet about the leak of classified documents . army investigators also testified that they found evidence linking manning to the leaked documents on computers he used . prosecutors have leveled 22 charges against the army private , including aiding the enemy . if convicted on all counts , he could face the death penalty . however , army prosecutors have signaled they will not recommend death in the event of a conviction , and it is unlikely they would be overruled by a senior officer . on tuesday , a convicted computer hacker from california who became a confidential informant for the army testified about six days of online chats that he had with someone he believes was manning . adrian lamo said he traded instant messages in a chat format with someone self-identified as bradass87 . lamo testified that based on an e-mail he received from manning , as well as an examination of manning 's facebook page , that bradass87 was manning . army criminal investigation command special agent david shaver later testified that the chat logs that lamo provided to the army largely matched chat logs found on manning 's computer in iraq . | former hacker says he traded e-mails with someone he believes was manning |
manning <tsp> fort meade , maryland ( cnn ) -- after four days of testimony and 20 prosecution witnesses , pfc . bradley manning 's defense attorney spent only 35 minutes wednesday questioning just two witnesses before resting their case . manning is accused of committing the biggest intelligence leak in u.s. history . his article 32 hearing is part of the military 's process of determining whether he should face court martial . the first defense witness called was sgt . daniel padgett who served with manning in iraq and witnessed one of several angry outbursts witnesses have described . padgett was the senior enlisted man on the night shift in the intelligence office where manning worked . he testified that in december 2009 , manning was late for duty and they sat down in a conference room so padgett could counsel him . padgett said when they began talking , manning was calm , but that he began to change . at some point , said padgett , manning grabbed the conference room table and turned the table over , knocking a computer and radio to the floor . because there was a rifle in the room , padgett testified that he did n't want manning to get his hands on it , so i coaxed him away from that , put my hands on his shoulder and coaxed him away . ' at that point another soldier came in the room , subdued manning , sat him down and padgett continued counseling him , padgett testified . when asked by manning 's attorney david coombs if padgett remembered master sgt . paul adkins , the senior enlisted man in the unit , talking with him about the incident , padgett said vaguely . ' padgett testified said he did not discuss the outburst with the major who oversaw the intelligence analysis officers , the company 's first sergeant nor the company commander . manning was not moved out of the intelligence office after the outburst and did not lose his security clearance as a result of the outburst . coombs has argued that the army should have known about manning 's emotional issues and kept him away from classified materials . manning is accused of stealing and leaking nearly three-quarters of a million classified documents from the state department and the defense department to the wikileaks website , which published many of them . the leaks occurred while manning was serving as an intelligence analyst in iraq in 2009 and 2010 . prosecution witnesses testified that manning downloaded and leaked 400,000 dod field reports from iraq and 90,0000 similar documents from afghanistan . there was also evidence presented that he downloaded and leaked more than 250,000 state department cables . coomb 's second witness , capt . barclay keay , testified by phone about his time with manning 's unit . for a short time in december 2009 , he was an officer in the intelligence analysis office where manning worked . keay said he often saw soldiers listening to music in the office where classified materials were analyzed . at first he thought it was not proper , but he was told it was an accepted practice ' that was tolerated because it helped soldiers be more productive . ' in news reports before the hearing , manning is said to have bragged in a chat room that he was able to download materials onto a cd while pretending to listen to lady gaga . keay told the hearing , i do feel like he wanted to be a good soldier . he did good analytical work . ' even though he called only two , coombs had requested 48 witnesses , ten of whom were already on the prosecution witness list . the investigating officer overseeing the case granted those ten and two other defense witnesses who were not on the prosecution list . he rejected other requested defense witnesses , including president barack obama and secretary of state hillary clinton . mark zaid , a national security attorney , said the fact the defense called only two witnesses is not surprising . for one thing , an article 32 ( hearing ) serves as an opportunity for the defense to obtain pre-trial discovery , and particularly information they do not know . additionally , the likelihood of stopping charges from going forward is non-existent in this case so there is little value in telegraphing to the prosecution information the defense may possess but might not yet have revealed , ' said zaid . closing arguments from both sides are scheduled to start thursday morning . after that the investigating officer , lt. col. paul almanza , who oversaw the hearing , will consider the testimony and evidence and make a recommendation as to whether manning should face court martial and if so , on which charges . the burden of proof at this level of the military justice system is whether reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged . ' the special court martial convening authority , col. carl coffman , has given almanza until jan. 16 , 2012 to submit his recommendation . but , if needed , almanza can request more time . witnesses for the prosecution have characterized manning as being troubled by army discipline and testified that he allegedly bragged on the internet about the leak of classified documents . army investigators also testified that they found evidence linking manning to the leaked documents on computers he used . prosecutors have leveled 22 charges against the army private , including aiding the enemy . if convicted on all counts , he could face the death penalty . however , army prosecutors have signaled they will not recommend death in the event of a conviction , and it is unlikely they would be overruled by a senior officer . on tuesday , a convicted computer hacker from california who became a confidential informant for the army testified about six days of online chats that he had with someone he believes was manning . adrian lamo said he traded instant messages in a chat format with someone self-identified as bradass87 . lamo testified that based on an e-mail he received from manning , as well as an examination of manning 's facebook page , that bradass87 was manning . army criminal investigation command special agent david shaver later testified that the chat logs that lamo provided to the army largely matched chat logs found on manning 's computer in iraq . | new : manning 's defense calls only two witnesses |
manning <tsp> fort meade , maryland ( cnn ) -- after four days of testimony and 20 prosecution witnesses , pfc . bradley manning 's defense attorney spent only 35 minutes wednesday questioning just two witnesses before resting their case . manning is accused of committing the biggest intelligence leak in u.s. history . his article 32 hearing is part of the military 's process of determining whether he should face court martial . the first defense witness called was sgt . daniel padgett who served with manning in iraq and witnessed one of several angry outbursts witnesses have described . padgett was the senior enlisted man on the night shift in the intelligence office where manning worked . he testified that in december 2009 , manning was late for duty and they sat down in a conference room so padgett could counsel him . padgett said when they began talking , manning was calm , but that he began to change . at some point , said padgett , manning grabbed the conference room table and turned the table over , knocking a computer and radio to the floor . because there was a rifle in the room , padgett testified that he did n't want manning to get his hands on it , so i coaxed him away from that , put my hands on his shoulder and coaxed him away . ' at that point another soldier came in the room , subdued manning , sat him down and padgett continued counseling him , padgett testified . when asked by manning 's attorney david coombs if padgett remembered master sgt . paul adkins , the senior enlisted man in the unit , talking with him about the incident , padgett said vaguely . ' padgett testified said he did not discuss the outburst with the major who oversaw the intelligence analysis officers , the company 's first sergeant nor the company commander . manning was not moved out of the intelligence office after the outburst and did not lose his security clearance as a result of the outburst . coombs has argued that the army should have known about manning 's emotional issues and kept him away from classified materials . manning is accused of stealing and leaking nearly three-quarters of a million classified documents from the state department and the defense department to the wikileaks website , which published many of them . the leaks occurred while manning was serving as an intelligence analyst in iraq in 2009 and 2010 . prosecution witnesses testified that manning downloaded and leaked 400,000 dod field reports from iraq and 90,0000 similar documents from afghanistan . there was also evidence presented that he downloaded and leaked more than 250,000 state department cables . coomb 's second witness , capt . barclay keay , testified by phone about his time with manning 's unit . for a short time in december 2009 , he was an officer in the intelligence analysis office where manning worked . keay said he often saw soldiers listening to music in the office where classified materials were analyzed . at first he thought it was not proper , but he was told it was an accepted practice ' that was tolerated because it helped soldiers be more productive . ' in news reports before the hearing , manning is said to have bragged in a chat room that he was able to download materials onto a cd while pretending to listen to lady gaga . keay told the hearing , i do feel like he wanted to be a good soldier . he did good analytical work . ' even though he called only two , coombs had requested 48 witnesses , ten of whom were already on the prosecution witness list . the investigating officer overseeing the case granted those ten and two other defense witnesses who were not on the prosecution list . he rejected other requested defense witnesses , including president barack obama and secretary of state hillary clinton . mark zaid , a national security attorney , said the fact the defense called only two witnesses is not surprising . for one thing , an article 32 ( hearing ) serves as an opportunity for the defense to obtain pre-trial discovery , and particularly information they do not know . additionally , the likelihood of stopping charges from going forward is non-existent in this case so there is little value in telegraphing to the prosecution information the defense may possess but might not yet have revealed , ' said zaid . closing arguments from both sides are scheduled to start thursday morning . after that the investigating officer , lt. col. paul almanza , who oversaw the hearing , will consider the testimony and evidence and make a recommendation as to whether manning should face court martial and if so , on which charges . the burden of proof at this level of the military justice system is whether reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged . ' the special court martial convening authority , col. carl coffman , has given almanza until jan. 16 , 2012 to submit his recommendation . but , if needed , almanza can request more time . witnesses for the prosecution have characterized manning as being troubled by army discipline and testified that he allegedly bragged on the internet about the leak of classified documents . army investigators also testified that they found evidence linking manning to the leaked documents on computers he used . prosecutors have leveled 22 charges against the army private , including aiding the enemy . if convicted on all counts , he could face the death penalty . however , army prosecutors have signaled they will not recommend death in the event of a conviction , and it is unlikely they would be overruled by a senior officer . on tuesday , a convicted computer hacker from california who became a confidential informant for the army testified about six days of online chats that he had with someone he believes was manning . adrian lamo said he traded instant messages in a chat format with someone self-identified as bradass87 . lamo testified that based on an e-mail he received from manning , as well as an examination of manning 's facebook page , that bradass87 was manning . army criminal investigation command special agent david shaver later testified that the chat logs that lamo provided to the army largely matched chat logs found on manning 's computer in iraq . | new : witness tells hearing about manning outburst |
curnow <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- what do you say when you meet one of the most iconic statesmen in the world ? mandela holds baby freya as robyn curnow and her husband kim look on . for someone who makes a living out of communications , i have consistently been tongue-tied around nelson mandela . the funny thing is i am not particularly star-struck -- as a cnn correspondent i get to interview and profile all sorts of famous ' people . it 's just a not a big deal for me . however , with madiba ( as mandela is often called ) , i feel like every moment spent with him is a gift , a blessing that i will tell my grandchildren about one day . as a south african he has a place in our hearts that is hard to define . however , my stories about my encounters with nelson mandela are the stuff of comedy clubs . i 've never quite managed to hold my own with him . i always land up somehow embarrassing myself when i am around him ; i 've slipped on shiny presidential floors , got tangled up in camera equipment and made pathetically inane comments . i first met nelson mandela in the early 1990s . i ca n't remember exactly when , but it was at the wanderers cricket stadium in johannesburg . he visited the vip room , during a test match , where i was working during school vacations and everybody lined up to meet him . i stood proudly and waited my turn , he came over to me . he was tall . he said to me , you are so gracious , i am so humbled to meet you . ' i remember thinking , if nelson mandela thinks i am gracious -- fantastic . i promptly turned around and ungraciously tripped on my best shoes , tumbling into the crowd behind me . i was the one humbled . years later , i was a young reporter working for the south african broadcasting corporation during mandela 's presidency . i was n't senior enough to cover the big political stories of the day so news editors only assigned me the light hearted mandela news stories . the one i remember most was around a birthday or christmas during which there was a photo opportunity at one of his grandson 's kindergartens . word had got out among the press that twinkle twinkle little star ' was madiba 's favorite nursery rhyme , so , of course , all the children sang it for him . i sang along too , twinkle-finger actions included , it 's a great song . whether it was or not madiba 's favorite , is not something i have ever asked him . years after that , i was taking a sabbatical from journalism and spent a year studying for my masters degree at cambridge university . mandela just happened to be an honorary fellow at magdalene college , where i was studying . he came to visit that year , giving a speech in the college 's beautiful cloisters . i waved at him , as he passed by all of us students assembled in the quadrangle . of course , he did n't wave back , but i felt gracious and humbled in his presence , protected by magdalene 's great walls . and then i turned to my awe-struck friends and said , did you know his favorite song is'twinkle twinkle little star ?'' -- which kind of killed the moment . fast forward a few more years , i reported on mandela occasionally during my time as a correspondent at cnn london 's bureau . from a distance , i saw him get older and shakier on his feet . his hair got whiter and his public engagements lessened considerably . once in while , i would regale my friends with madiba 's stories -- yes , there are more -- like the time i sneaked into the bathroom in his presidential mansion , desperate for relief , before a long-delayed press conference and phoned a friend from within to ask whether it was morally right to steal some of nelson mandela 's soap . ( i did n't . it is n't very gracious ) . or the time , i asked zelda la grange , his devoted personal assistant , to take a photo of me and madiba together before i went up to cambridge . he agreed and came over to me , throwing his arm around me and giving me squeeze a and joking , ah , i am sure your boyfriend will be jealous . ' did you know that nelson mandela is a terrible flirt ? again , i became self-conscious . i was carrying my handbag over my shoulder and i did n't want the photo to look like i was margaret thatcher or my grandmother , for that matter , constantly clutching a handbag . so with his arm still firm around my middle , i bent down to put my handbag on the floor . that 's when zelda took the photo ... unfortunately ; the automatic flash went off on my camera . that 's a complete no-no around mandela -- his eyes were damaged during his years of imprisonment on robben island and flash photography is forbidden . so they whizzed away , slightly peeved , and i landed up with a me and mandela ' photograph that showed the president grinning into camera , holding me around the waist and me half bent over , lowering my handbag , with my head half cocked and eyes half closed . it was not mantelpiece material . i never thought i 'd meet him again , up close and personal , until , last year when zelda , ever the diplomat , like her boss , invited to me to introduce my newly born daughter , freya , to him . my husband kim and i had just returned back to live in south africa , after nearly six years away in london . it was oddly nerve-racking , and i did what i always do in his presence i acted incredibly gauche , stupid and clumsy . i kept on saying : so how are you ? ' as if he 'd offer me a glass of wine , and say , ya know robyn , my knees are killing me , i 'm bit worried about the situation in zimbabwe and howz about them mets ? ' i offered my baby to him , like a little sacrificial lamb . the pictures tell it all . the ones we sent to friends ( and everybody we knew ) , show us laughing with the world 's greatest statesman . the ones we did n't email to the world show our daughter freaking out and crying . madiba tried to placate her by wagging a finger at her and telling her , i am your great great grandfather . ' she freaked out some more . i think she takes after her mother . | curnow first met mandela in 1990 and has encountered him several times |
curnow <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- what do you say when you meet one of the most iconic statesmen in the world ? mandela holds baby freya as robyn curnow and her husband kim look on . for someone who makes a living out of communications , i have consistently been tongue-tied around nelson mandela . the funny thing is i am not particularly star-struck -- as a cnn correspondent i get to interview and profile all sorts of famous ' people . it 's just a not a big deal for me . however , with madiba ( as mandela is often called ) , i feel like every moment spent with him is a gift , a blessing that i will tell my grandchildren about one day . as a south african he has a place in our hearts that is hard to define . however , my stories about my encounters with nelson mandela are the stuff of comedy clubs . i 've never quite managed to hold my own with him . i always land up somehow embarrassing myself when i am around him ; i 've slipped on shiny presidential floors , got tangled up in camera equipment and made pathetically inane comments . i first met nelson mandela in the early 1990s . i ca n't remember exactly when , but it was at the wanderers cricket stadium in johannesburg . he visited the vip room , during a test match , where i was working during school vacations and everybody lined up to meet him . i stood proudly and waited my turn , he came over to me . he was tall . he said to me , you are so gracious , i am so humbled to meet you . ' i remember thinking , if nelson mandela thinks i am gracious -- fantastic . i promptly turned around and ungraciously tripped on my best shoes , tumbling into the crowd behind me . i was the one humbled . years later , i was a young reporter working for the south african broadcasting corporation during mandela 's presidency . i was n't senior enough to cover the big political stories of the day so news editors only assigned me the light hearted mandela news stories . the one i remember most was around a birthday or christmas during which there was a photo opportunity at one of his grandson 's kindergartens . word had got out among the press that twinkle twinkle little star ' was madiba 's favorite nursery rhyme , so , of course , all the children sang it for him . i sang along too , twinkle-finger actions included , it 's a great song . whether it was or not madiba 's favorite , is not something i have ever asked him . years after that , i was taking a sabbatical from journalism and spent a year studying for my masters degree at cambridge university . mandela just happened to be an honorary fellow at magdalene college , where i was studying . he came to visit that year , giving a speech in the college 's beautiful cloisters . i waved at him , as he passed by all of us students assembled in the quadrangle . of course , he did n't wave back , but i felt gracious and humbled in his presence , protected by magdalene 's great walls . and then i turned to my awe-struck friends and said , did you know his favorite song is'twinkle twinkle little star ?'' -- which kind of killed the moment . fast forward a few more years , i reported on mandela occasionally during my time as a correspondent at cnn london 's bureau . from a distance , i saw him get older and shakier on his feet . his hair got whiter and his public engagements lessened considerably . once in while , i would regale my friends with madiba 's stories -- yes , there are more -- like the time i sneaked into the bathroom in his presidential mansion , desperate for relief , before a long-delayed press conference and phoned a friend from within to ask whether it was morally right to steal some of nelson mandela 's soap . ( i did n't . it is n't very gracious ) . or the time , i asked zelda la grange , his devoted personal assistant , to take a photo of me and madiba together before i went up to cambridge . he agreed and came over to me , throwing his arm around me and giving me squeeze a and joking , ah , i am sure your boyfriend will be jealous . ' did you know that nelson mandela is a terrible flirt ? again , i became self-conscious . i was carrying my handbag over my shoulder and i did n't want the photo to look like i was margaret thatcher or my grandmother , for that matter , constantly clutching a handbag . so with his arm still firm around my middle , i bent down to put my handbag on the floor . that 's when zelda took the photo ... unfortunately ; the automatic flash went off on my camera . that 's a complete no-no around mandela -- his eyes were damaged during his years of imprisonment on robben island and flash photography is forbidden . so they whizzed away , slightly peeved , and i landed up with a me and mandela ' photograph that showed the president grinning into camera , holding me around the waist and me half bent over , lowering my handbag , with my head half cocked and eyes half closed . it was not mantelpiece material . i never thought i 'd meet him again , up close and personal , until , last year when zelda , ever the diplomat , like her boss , invited to me to introduce my newly born daughter , freya , to him . my husband kim and i had just returned back to live in south africa , after nearly six years away in london . it was oddly nerve-racking , and i did what i always do in his presence i acted incredibly gauche , stupid and clumsy . i kept on saying : so how are you ? ' as if he 'd offer me a glass of wine , and say , ya know robyn , my knees are killing me , i 'm bit worried about the situation in zimbabwe and howz about them mets ? ' i offered my baby to him , like a little sacrificial lamb . the pictures tell it all . the ones we sent to friends ( and everybody we knew ) , show us laughing with the world 's greatest statesman . the ones we did n't email to the world show our daughter freaking out and crying . madiba tried to placate her by wagging a finger at her and telling her , i am your great great grandfather . ' she freaked out some more . i think she takes after her mother . | last encounter saw mandela trying placate curnow 's upset daughter |
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