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senate <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after a night rife with primaries in the far-flung four corners of the united states , plus one in the nation 's breadbasket , one race in the far northwest is still up for grabs . in alaska , incumbent sen. lisa murkowski is trailing a political unknown . joe miller , who has the support of the tea party and former gov . sarah palin , is leading by 51 percent to 49 percent , according to election tabulations . the numbers , which show miller clinging to a less-than-2,000-vote lead , are based on a count of roughly 86 percent of the total expected vote . with as many as 16,000 absentee ballots expected to be received over the next couple of weeks , the contest is not likely to be resolved quickly . among tuesday 's big winners was arizona gop sen. john mccain , who fought off former congressman j.d . hayworth . down in florida , democratic rep. kendrick meek 's organizational support trumped political newcomer jeff greene 's billion-dollar bank account in a hard-fought senate primary . miller -- on the cusp of one of the biggest upsets of the year so far -- said on cnn 's american morning ' wednesday that high-profile endorsements helped his campaign , which reflects one central concern , and that is the out-of-control nature of d.c. ' ' bankruptcy is crashing down on this country , ' miller said . unless we end that entitlement mentality , no level of seniority is going to save us from that . ' miller added the problem is a result of a bipartisan crisis of leadership . ' alaska voters also went to the polls tuesday to pick their gubernatorial nominees . gov . sean parnell , who replaced palin when she resigned last year , faced two challengers in the gop primary . with 86 percent of the expected vote in , parnell had almost 50 percent of the vote , according to the unofficial election count . his nearest challenger , bill walker , had 34 percent . on the democratic side , ethan berkowitz led with 49 percent of the vote , while hollis french had 39 percent . in the southeastern corner of the country , two wealthy candidates in florida spent a lot of their own money on campaigns . rick scott 's investment paid off . greene 's did n't . scott , a millionaire political newcomer , defeated state attorney general bill mccollum in the republican primary for governor , cnn projected . scott spent $ 50 million of his fortune since joining the race in april . he claimed victory in front of supporters and alluded to the divisive nature of his fight against mccollum , the party-establishment favorite and former congressman . some of you may have noticed this was a hard-fought race . we talked a lot about our differences , but tonight it 's time to remember those things that bring us together -- to recall our core beliefs and recommit ourselves to fighting for our principles , ' scott said . the republican party will come together , and the reason we will come together is our shared devotion to the values that make america great . ' scott was ahead of mccollum , 47 percent to 43 percent , with 92 percent of precincts reporting , according to election tabulations . scott will face a november general election against alex sink , florida 's chief financial officer , who cnn projected will win the state 's democratic primary for governor . in a different race featuring a political veteran against a self-funded candidate with deep pockets , meek declared victory over greene in florida 's democratic primary for u.s. senate . meek led greene 56 percent to 32 percent , with 78 percent of precincts reporting , according to election tabulations . meek will take on marco rubio -- who cnn projected will win the republican primary for senate -- and gov . charlie crist , a republican turned independent , in the general election . rubio has cast himself as the outsider in the race , painting crist and meek as two people who support the direction that washington is taking our country . ' he said on cnn 's american morning ' on wednesday that washington 's agenda is destructive for america 's future . ' i 'm very proud of my association with the tea party , ' rubio said . but people misunderstand what the tea party movement is in america . it is not a centralized organization or a political party . it 's the sentiment of everyday americans who think that washington has it wrong -- they 're taking our country in the wrong direction . and they are looking for voices in american politics that will stand up to that and offer a clear alternative . ' in northern florida 's 2nd congressional district , blue dog democrat allen boyd faced a tough challenge from his left from al lawson . the associated press projects that boyd won that race by a slim margin . meanwhile , in the southwest , hayworth conceded the gop senate primary tuesday night in arizona after a bitter campaign against mccain . mccain -- seeking a fifth term as senator -- was ahead , 59 percent to 30 percent , with 50 percent of precincts reporting , according to election tabulations . the race between mccain -- the 2008 gop presidential nominee -- and conservative talk show host hayworth started off nasty and did n't get any friendlier down the home stretch . mccain spent $ 20 million to fight off the intraparty challenge , unusual for a four-term incumbent . mccain is expected to easily beat any of the four democratic primary candidates in the solidly red state . a 10-way republican primary in the arizona 3rd congressional district race to replace retiring rep. john shadegg has attracted national attention because ben quayle , son of former vice president dan quayle , is one of the candidates . the associated press projected that quayle has won the primary . quayle would face democrat jon hulburd in the fall in the heavily red district . in the northeast , longtime republican gov . jim douglas is retiring in vermont , giving democrats hope of competing for the seat . five democrats are running in what is considered a tight race . with 89 percent of the precincts reporting , four of those candidates each have more than 20 percent of the vote . the winner will face gop lt. gov . brian dubie . in oklahoma , two u.s. house republican nominations were decided in runoff elections . charles thompson and james lankford trounced their opponents tuesday night . in thompson 's 2nd district , republicans think they have a chance for a pickup this fall against conservative democrat dan boren . lankford will likely replace rep. mary fallin , who 's running for governor . cnn 's peter hamby , steve brusk , rachel streitfeld , jeff simon and mark preston contributed to this report . | florida gop senate nominee says american voters are looking for alternatives |
dutchman <tsp> it 's the thought that counts , right ? tell that to the residents of 32 homes in the dutch town of ijsselstein , who were evacuated after a planned marriage proposal fell through . a dutchman rented a crane intending to reach his girlfriend 's window saturday morning and pop the question , dutch affiliate rtl news said . instead , the crane tipped over , crashing through the roof of a neighboring home . hours later , during an attempt to right the crane , it fell through the roof again , making the hole bigger . as a result , residents of 32 homes were evacuated as a recovery company made another attempt to stabilize the crane . the good news ? no one was injured , and she said yes . the couple went directly to paris to celebrate . 9 of china 's craziest , most creative marriage proposals | dutchman uses crane intending to reach girlfriend 's window and pop question |
google <tsp> san francisco ( cnn ) -- consumer technology giants are battling to provide the place where you store your files , and apple is not about to be left out . capping a slew of software announcements on monday , apple unveiled icloud . the free service lets users synchronize documents , photos and applications between apple devices over the internet . music purchased through the itunes store can be downloaded from any device connected to your account , and for an annual fee , tracks bought from other stores , ripped from cds or procured through other means can be synchronized . when icloud drops this fall , apple will join amazon.com and google , two major players that have already begun rolling out storage services . for music , apple has the incumbent 's advantage . itunes is the world 's most popular jukebox software , highest-volume music retailer and already has cozy ties to the record industry . that relationship enabled apple to secure the deals that competitors are still negotiating for . those agreements resulted in itunes match , which was apple ceo steve jobs'signature one more thing ' to end his presentation on monday . ( it 's a small thing , ' he said . ) itunes match will allow people to pay $ 25 per year to sync as many as 25,000 songs not purchased through the itunes store between their computers and gadgets . it takes minutes , not weeks , ' jobs said . the weeks-long process jobs is referring to is the offerings from amazon and google . because they have n't secured rights with the record labels , they took an alternate route with their services . amazon 's cloud drive and google 's music beta require users to upload their entire libraries to each service before they can be accessed from web and mobile jukeboxes . apple , instead , uses a scan-and-match ' procedure , finding which of your songs are also sold in the itunes store and giving you the keys to access those . for the remainder of live recordings and other obscure songs you have , the system uploads them , just like other services do , but at a fraction of the time . we think we 've got a great system here , ' jobs said . this is the first time we 've seen this in the music industry . ' music files bought from amazon can be automatically stored in a user 's cloud drive . google does not have a music store . cloud drive offers 5 gigabytes ( about 1,000 songs ) free , and provides an extra 20 gigabytes for a year to customers who buy an album from amazon 's mp3 store . each gigabyte after that costs $ 1 . google 's music service is free this year if you can procure an invitation to join , and google has not announced pricing for after that . apple 's icloud provides 5 gigabytes at no charge for e-mail , documents and backup file storage . music , books , apps and pictures do n't count against that total . icloud will only store photos for 30 days . apple did not say how much it will cost to lease internet hard-drive space after filling up on e-mail and such . we want people to see what these devices can really do and what the software can do . so we 're making it free , ' jobs said . amazon 's cloud drive can also store photos and video , but those files do count against a user 's total . amazon has e-book and app stores that provide similar syncing features as part of the package , but it does n't offer e-mail . google breaks its offerings up into a series of applications and storage lockers . music beta is currently storing 20,000 songs free . gmail provides 7.6 gigabytes of free storage and sells more . google docs can keep a gigabyte of files free and charges 25 cents for each extra gigabyte . picasa web albums has an equivalent pricing scheme for photos . google also has an e-book store and has begun offering video services beyond youtube for home movies . microsoft also offers e-mail and document storage . apple has integrated icloud tightly into the mobile and computer systems it makes , starting with mac os x lion and ios 5 , which debut next month and in the fall , respectively . files are saved and pushed to apple 's servers automatically . apple will also have websites for accessing e-mail , calendar and other features , as well as allowing windows-pc users to sync photos to a folder . do n't bet on seeing apps for google 's android phones or for blackberrys . apple has tried this sort of thing before with mobileme , which cost $ 99 per year and was less ambitious in scale . it was viewed as a flop and experienced some embarrassing outages . shortly after the launch of the now three-year-old web service , jobs assembled the team who developed it and told them : you 've tarnished apple 's reputation , ' according to a story in fortune magazine . jobs acknowledged the failure humbly and with good humor on monday . why should i believe them ? they 're the ones that brought me to mobileme , ' jobs said , mimicking the potential response to icloud from critics . it was n't our finest hour . let me just say that . but we learned a lot . ' amazon and google have a proven track record in delivering vast amounts of information over the web . but jobs says apple is ready this time . if you do n't think we 're serious about this , you 're wrong , ' he said , before transitioning to pictures of a massive facility apple built in maiden , north carolina : this is our third data center that we just completed . ... it 's rather large . ' | amazon already has cloud drive , and google has a variety of services |
hosni mubarak <tsp> cairo , egypt ( cnn ) -- smoke billowed into the sky over egypt 's capital wednesday from a fire at the interior ministry compound , a blaze witnesses say was set by protesters upset about labor issues . part of a building , surrounding buildings such as the criminal records building , and several cars had been torched . witnesses said the flames could have been ignited by molotov cocktails . soldiers and police rushed to scene and a couple of men were detained , the witnesses reported . the compound is three blocks away from tahrir square , the epicenter of the sometimes violent clashes that eventually brought down the 30-year regime of president hosni mubarak february 11 . skirmishes also took place near where the fire burned wednesday . the incident comes as egyptians continue to work to create the new leadership structure of the country after the revolution . state-run media reported wednesday that there have been about 1,300 official complaints lodged against former egyptian ministers and government officials . interior minister mahmoud wagdi said he ordered that all of the complaints , many of them about government waste and corruption , be investigated , the state-run egynews website reported . the investigation comes after attorney general abdel meguid mahmoud requested that the assets of mubarak and his family be frozen , according to egynews website . along with the former president 's assets , those belonging to his wife , suzanne , were also frozen , along with the assets of the former president 's eldest son , alaa , and younger son , gamal , and both of the sons'wives , according to the report . as cnn correspondent ivan watson was filming the aftermath of the fire outside the interior ministry wednesday , an egyptian military officer with two stars on his epaulets grabbed watson and demanded he turn over his camera . watson showed the officer his egyptian government press accreditation . saying , be quiet , do n't talk ! ' the officer dragged watson away from bystanders and demanded watson delete video of the incident . if you delete the video , i will let you go free , ' the officer said , identifying himself only as mohammed . ' eventually , another officer intervened , and escorted cnn journalists from the scene . journalists , especially photographers , routinely have been harassed by egyptian authorities since protests erupted last month . cairo-based photographer roy mattieu wrote wednesday on his twitter account , i 've been arrested three times by the army for my camera & lens , afraid to take them out of the bag now , thought it was improving , not . ' egypt has faced a wave of labor unrest since mubarak was ousted . workers at banks , factories , government ministries and at the strategic suez canal have gone on strike , demanding better wages and the resignation of executives accused of corruption . egypt 's new military rulers have repeatedly called for an end to the strikes . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report . | the move comes after authorities froze the assets of former president hosni mubarak |
egyptian <tsp> cairo , egypt ( cnn ) -- smoke billowed into the sky over egypt 's capital wednesday from a fire at the interior ministry compound , a blaze witnesses say was set by protesters upset about labor issues . part of a building , surrounding buildings such as the criminal records building , and several cars had been torched . witnesses said the flames could have been ignited by molotov cocktails . soldiers and police rushed to scene and a couple of men were detained , the witnesses reported . the compound is three blocks away from tahrir square , the epicenter of the sometimes violent clashes that eventually brought down the 30-year regime of president hosni mubarak february 11 . skirmishes also took place near where the fire burned wednesday . the incident comes as egyptians continue to work to create the new leadership structure of the country after the revolution . state-run media reported wednesday that there have been about 1,300 official complaints lodged against former egyptian ministers and government officials . interior minister mahmoud wagdi said he ordered that all of the complaints , many of them about government waste and corruption , be investigated , the state-run egynews website reported . the investigation comes after attorney general abdel meguid mahmoud requested that the assets of mubarak and his family be frozen , according to egynews website . along with the former president 's assets , those belonging to his wife , suzanne , were also frozen , along with the assets of the former president 's eldest son , alaa , and younger son , gamal , and both of the sons'wives , according to the report . as cnn correspondent ivan watson was filming the aftermath of the fire outside the interior ministry wednesday , an egyptian military officer with two stars on his epaulets grabbed watson and demanded he turn over his camera . watson showed the officer his egyptian government press accreditation . saying , be quiet , do n't talk ! ' the officer dragged watson away from bystanders and demanded watson delete video of the incident . if you delete the video , i will let you go free , ' the officer said , identifying himself only as mohammed . ' eventually , another officer intervened , and escorted cnn journalists from the scene . journalists , especially photographers , routinely have been harassed by egyptian authorities since protests erupted last month . cairo-based photographer roy mattieu wrote wednesday on his twitter account , i 've been arrested three times by the army for my camera & lens , afraid to take them out of the bag now , thought it was improving , not . ' egypt has faced a wave of labor unrest since mubarak was ousted . workers at banks , factories , government ministries and at the strategic suez canal have gone on strike , demanding better wages and the resignation of executives accused of corruption . egypt 's new military rulers have repeatedly called for an end to the strikes . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report . | egyptian military officer demands cnn delete footage |
cnn <tsp> cairo , egypt ( cnn ) -- smoke billowed into the sky over egypt 's capital wednesday from a fire at the interior ministry compound , a blaze witnesses say was set by protesters upset about labor issues . part of a building , surrounding buildings such as the criminal records building , and several cars had been torched . witnesses said the flames could have been ignited by molotov cocktails . soldiers and police rushed to scene and a couple of men were detained , the witnesses reported . the compound is three blocks away from tahrir square , the epicenter of the sometimes violent clashes that eventually brought down the 30-year regime of president hosni mubarak february 11 . skirmishes also took place near where the fire burned wednesday . the incident comes as egyptians continue to work to create the new leadership structure of the country after the revolution . state-run media reported wednesday that there have been about 1,300 official complaints lodged against former egyptian ministers and government officials . interior minister mahmoud wagdi said he ordered that all of the complaints , many of them about government waste and corruption , be investigated , the state-run egynews website reported . the investigation comes after attorney general abdel meguid mahmoud requested that the assets of mubarak and his family be frozen , according to egynews website . along with the former president 's assets , those belonging to his wife , suzanne , were also frozen , along with the assets of the former president 's eldest son , alaa , and younger son , gamal , and both of the sons'wives , according to the report . as cnn correspondent ivan watson was filming the aftermath of the fire outside the interior ministry wednesday , an egyptian military officer with two stars on his epaulets grabbed watson and demanded he turn over his camera . watson showed the officer his egyptian government press accreditation . saying , be quiet , do n't talk ! ' the officer dragged watson away from bystanders and demanded watson delete video of the incident . if you delete the video , i will let you go free , ' the officer said , identifying himself only as mohammed . ' eventually , another officer intervened , and escorted cnn journalists from the scene . journalists , especially photographers , routinely have been harassed by egyptian authorities since protests erupted last month . cairo-based photographer roy mattieu wrote wednesday on his twitter account , i 've been arrested three times by the army for my camera & lens , afraid to take them out of the bag now , thought it was improving , not . ' egypt has faced a wave of labor unrest since mubarak was ousted . workers at banks , factories , government ministries and at the strategic suez canal have gone on strike , demanding better wages and the resignation of executives accused of corruption . egypt 's new military rulers have repeatedly called for an end to the strikes . cnn 's amir ahmed contributed to this report . | egyptian military officer demands cnn delete footage |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sri lanka 's coconut development minister has banned the felling of coconut trees in an effort to increase coconut production in the face of a severe shortage . minister jagath pushpakumara said that over the past few years , coconut production has decreased because coconut palms are being cut down . he was addressing a media briefing monday at the government information department . the ban requires that approval for cutting coconut trees be obtained from the provincial managers of the coconut development board . the ban will not apply to trees affected by the coconut leaf wilt disease in the weligama area on the nation 's southern coast . sri lanka 's annual coconut production is 2.7 billion nuts , and the ministry expects to increase this to 3.5 billion , pushpakumara said . in an effort to curb a coconut black market , the sri lankan government last week set a ceiling retail price of 30 rupees ( 27 us cents ) per coconut in state-owned stores , but stocks quickly sold out and then reappeared at more than double the price on the black market . the island nation-state in the indian ocean is approximately the size of the state of west virginia and has a population of 21.3 million . the island counts coconuts as a dietary staple and one of its biggest exports , along with trademarked ceylon tea and rubber . | sri lanka acts to boost coconut production , which has been dropping |
obama <tsp> editor 's note : on cnn 's state of the union , ' host and chief national correspondent john king goes outside the beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country . the cleveland clinic is consistently among the country 's best in quality ratings , and its costs are among the lowest . cleveland , ohio ( cnn ) -- as he walks the halls of the cleveland clinic , dr. steven nissen makes the next generation of health care in america sound quite simple . everything that we do is done with the patient at the center of the picture , not the doctor at the center , ' nissen says as he takes a visitor on a tour of the clinic 's world-renowned cardiac center . the clinic is consistently among the country 's best in quality ratings , and its costs are among the lowest -- which is why president obama often cites the cleveland clinic as an example of how health care in america should be , and why nissen and other leading doctors here are frequently consulted by lawmakers and administration officials pushing major reforms this year . nissen says the clinic 's organizational structure -- and its pay structure -- are what make it different . go inside the cleveland clinic on state of the union with john king , 9 a.m . et , sunday . the traditional model is for the nonsurgeons and surgeons to be organized in separate groups -- - imagine a department of medicine and a department of surgery . the cardiologist works in the former , the cardiac surgeon in the latter . add in a financial model where doctors are paid on a fee-for-service ' basis . everyone wants to do their procedure , ' is how nissen explains the most frequent result . one of the things we say in medicine is , to a man with a hammer , everything looks like a nail . and so if you are a cardiologist you want to do your procedures , if you are a surgeon you want to do your procedures and frankly people sometimes end up getting multiple procedures when a single collaborative procedure would have actually solved the problem . one of the ways you facilitate collaboration is you take the issue of personal income out of the equation . ' at the cleveland clinic , nissen and other doctors are paid a fixed salary . i get the same check at the end of the month whether i do a thousand procedures or one , ' he said . and so i 'm not incentivized to do more than what is necessary to help the patient . we all get the same check , whether we do an operation or an angioplasty . so we have taken that issue of income out of the equation . ' as a result , nissen says cardiologists and surgeons share notes and ideas -- and work together to give the patient the best care -- and to emphasize choices that help prevent major procedures and surgeries . the clinic staff tries to set an example : yoga classes on the roof ; exercise facilities ; healthier choices in both the staff and public cafeteria ; walking routes in the halls and on the grounds ; a policy that forbids hiring smokers . so far , ceo dr. toby cosgrove says the staff has lost a combined 75,000 pounds -- an emphasis on wellness that he says will without a doubt lower the hospital 's own health care costs . seventy percent of the cost in health care is from chronic disease , ' cosgrove told us in an interview at his cleveland clinic office . and chronic diseases come from really three big things -- from obesity , from lack of exercise and from smoking . and it also results in 40 percent of the premature deaths in the united states . so we have to do something as a nation to begin to deal with all those . ' cosgrove , like nissen , is an enthusiastic proponent of major national health care reforms that bring coverage to the estimated 45 to 50 million americans who lack health insurance and that put an emphasis on primary and preventive care . we believe that the government ought to incentivize quality , ' nissen said . if you can do a better job and you can prove you are doing a better job , then you ought to be paid better . and if you are not doing a good job , then you ought to be paid less . ' cosgrove , however , does sound some cautionary notes as the key committees in congress set about the difficult business of writing legislation . paying for reforms is a dicey political proposition , and mindful of campaign promises not to add to the tax burden on middle class families , obama has insisted that a major chunk of the money needed to pay for reforms can be found in cost savings ' in the medicare and medicaid programs . cosgrove said there is without a doubt ample waste in those programs . but he warns any savings need to be arrived at carefully . if you begin to take money away , my concern is that you begin to drive quality down , ' he said . the first thing that you will begin to see happening is a deferment in investment in infrastructure . a classic example of this is what happened to the national health system in england . i mean they did n't invest in their infrastructure for 50 years . and now a lot of hospitals in england are 100 years old and way behind . ' again , cosgrove is emphatic that there are substantial cost savings in federal health programs that can be achieved over time . but he says a rush to squeeze savings from federal programs could cause a shock to a fragile delivery system . the concern right now is 50 percent of the hospitals in the united states are running in the red , ' he said . so if you begin to look at reducing the amount of money coming into hospitals to look after patients , i think you are beginning to look at a failure of a group of hospitals . ' cleveland clinic is among the trailblazers in electronic record keeping and interaction with patients . many leave the clinic with home devices to test heart rate , blood sugar levels and blood pressure that automatically use wireless transmission to send the results to a home computer and then on to the clinic . doctors say the impact on the quality of care is nothing short of astounding -- a dangerous reading results in an urgent alert e-mail to the doctor and his staff , and that time is precious in altering approaches to , say , keep blood pressure under control and avoid escalation to a more serious -- and more expensive -- medical episode . doctors say patients who know their physicians are getting frequent updates on their vital signs often are more likely to stick to their diet or take their medications properly . obama 's stimulus legislation included funding for an expansion of electronic record keeping , and he has held up the practice as a revolutionary way to improve quality and cut costs . in another cautionary note , cosgrove , however , said over time he believes widespread electronic record keeping -- and sharing -- will lead to fewer duplicative tests and other cost savings , but that the jury is still out on that question . what we 've seen is our quality 's gone up -- substantially , ' cosgrove said . what we have n't seen is our costs come down . it 's like the difference between an abacus and a cash register . clearly the cash register is better , gives you a better record . but it is n't cheaper . ' | president obama often cites clinic as example of how health care should be |
mid-july <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the priceless , 8,000-piece collection of rare african-american memorabilia nathaniel montague spent decades collecting could be dismantled if a buyer does n't come forward by mid-july . during a status hearing in bankruptcy court scheduled for july 20 in las vegas , creditor abkco music & records plans to ask the court to conduct an auction of the items in the montague collection , which includes slave and indentured servitude documents , a signed copy of phillis wheatley 's poems on various subjects ' dated 1773 , and a handwritten letter from booker t. washington seeking financial assistance for 221 students at tuskegee . there 's nothing i can do , ' montague said . i wish there were , but there is n't . i just hope that we do n't turn out to be losers , and that i get something for my efforts . ' montague , a onetime radio personality who coined the phrase burn , baby , burn , ' spent 50 years acquiring rare and one-of-a-kind pieces of american history , including books , photographs , paintings and ephemera . an assessment of five of the pieces puts their total value somewhere between $ 592,000 and $ 940,000 . his goal was to turn it into a museum . now that it is out of his possession , he just wants to see his life 's work remain intact . black history'undertaker'loses treasures years ago montague and his wife of 56 years , rose casalan , began taking out loans to archive and prepare the collection for sale . they found themselves overextended financially and declared bankruptcy last year . the collection was seized and is now housed under tight security in las vegas . it is in the hands of a trusteeship charged with selling it to satisfy the debts , including a judgment for $ 325,000 plus fees from new york-based abkco , an independent entertainment company that owns rights to recordings by sam cooke , the rolling stones and bobby womack . fees have continued to mount , including $ 250,000 from a financing company to pay for housing and marketing the collection , said jason wiley , an attorney for abkco . abkco had agreed to give the trusteeship six months to market the collection . time has run out , and there have been no buyers . now , the company plans to petition the court to conduct an auction of the collection during the july 20 hearing . we have n't come close to getting this thing sold , ' wiley said . we 've got to cut this thing off . ' dotan melech , the federal bankruptcy trustee charged with administering the montague estate , is still hopeful he can find a buyer or get more time from the court . he has sent letters to a few hundred individuals and nonprofits that have shown interest in the collection asking them to submit their best bid by july 13 . he is trying to come up with other solutions , as well , including setting up twitter and facebook accounts to help get the word out . he 's also considered a kickstarter campaign . in this economy , no one throws money at anything , ' melech said . we 're trying as hard as we can . ' if the judge grants abkco 's request , the collection could be sold piecemeal until the debt is satisfied . any remaining items could be returned to montague . that will break his heart , melech said . if you have five children and two are taken away , it does n't hurt less because you got three back , ' he said . montague says he will think positively until a deal is made . i only want to look ahead , that it can be done , ' he said . every day i think of what i can do until time runs out . ' | if no buyer is found by mid-july , the 8,000-piece collection could be sold piecemeal |
bahamas <tsp> miami , florida ( cnn ) -- hurricane ike grew from a category 1 into a menacing category 4 storm in about six hours wednesday as it fed on the warm waters of atlantic , the national hurricane center said . an infrared image from a noaa satellite shows ike swirling in the atlantic on wednesday night . ike is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane ' with 135-mph sustained winds , the center said in its 11 p.m . et advisory . although it is likely to lose some strength during the next few days , ike is forecast to regain category 4 status by monday , the center said . it is too early to determine what , if any , land areas might be affected by ike , ' the hurricane center said . but the center 's potential four- to five-day track for ike puts it anywhere from north of jamaica to the coast of south florida on monday . ireport.com : are you in ike 's path ? at 11 p.m . et monday , ike was moving west-northwest through the atlantic ocean . the storm will be over open water for two days , forecasters said . earlier wednesday , ike intensified into the fifth hurricane of the 2008 atlantic season when its winds reached 80 mph . but before ike can reach into the caribbean or threaten florida , tropical storm hanna was getting more organized in the bahamas , according to the hurricane center . at 2 a.m. , hanna was about 325 miles east-southeast of nassau in the bahamas , with winds of 65 mph . hanna was drenching the bahamas and haiti with torrential rains . haitian officials put the nation 's death toll in the wake of hanna and hurricane gustav at 61 , said abel nabaire , the deputy coordinator of the civil protection service . eight of the country 's 10 departments underwater , he said . more rainfall , up to 15 inches in some places , was possible in the caribbean , the hurricane center said . hanna was forecast to return to hurricane strength by friday as it shot up the east coast of the southern u.s. , with landfall predicted on the south carolina or north carolina coast late friday or early saturday . a hurricane watch may be required for a portion of the southeastern united states coast early thursday and interests in this area should monitor the progress of hanna , ' the hurricane center said . florida could begin seeing rainfall from hanna on friday , forecasters said . watch as florida also keeps an eye on hanna » swells from hanna are expected to bolster the number of rip tides along the southeastern u.s. coast this week , the hurricane center said . ireport.com : hanna makes waves in bahamas hanna passed over the northern haitian city of gonaives on tuesday night , leaving water more than 12 feet deep in some places , an official said . see hanna 's impact on haiti » many people were still cut off amid floodwater . it 's a very grim picture , ' dr. jean pierre guiteau of the red cross said wednesday . we ca n't reach those people ; they are standing on rooftops , waiting for help . ' in line behind ike in the atlantic is tropical storm josephine , with top winds near 50 mph , the hurricane center said . josephine was about 425 miles west of the southernmost cape verde islands off western africa . | hanna to pound bahamas , could regain hurricane strength |
randy babbitt <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- top officials from the federal aviation administration and the air traffic controllers'union kicked off a cross-country tour of air traffic control facilities on monday , two days after a seventh reported case this year of a controller falling asleep on the job . faa administrator randy babbitt and paul rinaldi , president of the national air traffic controllers association , are expected to hold a series of meetings about safety and professionalism . their first stop was at a radar facility in the atlanta area . none of us in this business can tolerate any of this , ' babbitt said of the sleeping controllers . it absolutely has to stop . ... one mistake is one too many . ' this will not be tolerated , ' he insisted . we run the safest system in the world , ' but these incidents have cast a cloud . ' inside the life of an air traffic controller babbitt described himself as infuriated ' after learning about the lapses . any time ( there ) is less than perfection , we have issues , ' rinaldi added . it 's a very big concern , ' transportation secretary ray lahood said monday . we will do better . ' federal officials announced a series of new regulations saturday aimed at preventing air traffic controllers from falling asleep while on duty . among other things , controllers now must have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts , instead of the current minimum of eight hours . in addition , controllers can no longer be put on an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off . if the shift from eight to nine hours is n't enough , then obviously we 'll take that into consideration , ' lahood said . but it 's up to the controllers to take personal responsibility ' and get adequate rest during their down time , he said . faa managers will also schedule their own shifts in a way to ensure greater coverage in the early morning and late night hours , the secretary noted over the weekend . on saturday , the faa suspended an air traffic controller for sleeping on the job at the miami air route traffic control center . according to a preliminary review of air traffic tapes , the controller did not miss any calls from aircraft , and there was no operational impact , the agency said in a statement . the incident was reported to a manager by another controller , the faa said . there were 12 controllers and two managers on duty at the time . last week , the head of the faa air traffic organization , hank krakowski , resigned over the uproar caused by the recent spate of incidents . david grizzle , the faa 's chief counsel , has been named acting chief of the unit . will nextgen air traffic overhaul make us safer ? aside from miami , cases of sleeping controllers have been reported in washington ; knoxville , tennessee ; seattle and reno , nevada . there have been two suspected cases in lubbock , texas . all of the incidents occurred during controllers'midnight shifts . most of the lapses occurred at local control towers . in at least one incident , the faa has said , the controller deliberately went to sleep , while some of the others appear to have been accidental . cnn 's mike ahlers and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | new : faa administrator randy babbitt says mistakes will not be tolerated ' |
faa <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- top officials from the federal aviation administration and the air traffic controllers'union kicked off a cross-country tour of air traffic control facilities on monday , two days after a seventh reported case this year of a controller falling asleep on the job . faa administrator randy babbitt and paul rinaldi , president of the national air traffic controllers association , are expected to hold a series of meetings about safety and professionalism . their first stop was at a radar facility in the atlanta area . none of us in this business can tolerate any of this , ' babbitt said of the sleeping controllers . it absolutely has to stop . ... one mistake is one too many . ' this will not be tolerated , ' he insisted . we run the safest system in the world , ' but these incidents have cast a cloud . ' inside the life of an air traffic controller babbitt described himself as infuriated ' after learning about the lapses . any time ( there ) is less than perfection , we have issues , ' rinaldi added . it 's a very big concern , ' transportation secretary ray lahood said monday . we will do better . ' federal officials announced a series of new regulations saturday aimed at preventing air traffic controllers from falling asleep while on duty . among other things , controllers now must have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts , instead of the current minimum of eight hours . in addition , controllers can no longer be put on an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off . if the shift from eight to nine hours is n't enough , then obviously we 'll take that into consideration , ' lahood said . but it 's up to the controllers to take personal responsibility ' and get adequate rest during their down time , he said . faa managers will also schedule their own shifts in a way to ensure greater coverage in the early morning and late night hours , the secretary noted over the weekend . on saturday , the faa suspended an air traffic controller for sleeping on the job at the miami air route traffic control center . according to a preliminary review of air traffic tapes , the controller did not miss any calls from aircraft , and there was no operational impact , the agency said in a statement . the incident was reported to a manager by another controller , the faa said . there were 12 controllers and two managers on duty at the time . last week , the head of the faa air traffic organization , hank krakowski , resigned over the uproar caused by the recent spate of incidents . david grizzle , the faa 's chief counsel , has been named acting chief of the unit . will nextgen air traffic overhaul make us safer ? aside from miami , cases of sleeping controllers have been reported in washington ; knoxville , tennessee ; seattle and reno , nevada . there have been two suspected cases in lubbock , texas . all of the incidents occurred during controllers'midnight shifts . most of the lapses occurred at local control towers . in at least one incident , the faa has said , the controller deliberately went to sleep , while some of the others appear to have been accidental . cnn 's mike ahlers and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | new : faa officials , union representatives begin a cross-country tour in atlanta |
faa <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- top officials from the federal aviation administration and the air traffic controllers'union kicked off a cross-country tour of air traffic control facilities on monday , two days after a seventh reported case this year of a controller falling asleep on the job . faa administrator randy babbitt and paul rinaldi , president of the national air traffic controllers association , are expected to hold a series of meetings about safety and professionalism . their first stop was at a radar facility in the atlanta area . none of us in this business can tolerate any of this , ' babbitt said of the sleeping controllers . it absolutely has to stop . ... one mistake is one too many . ' this will not be tolerated , ' he insisted . we run the safest system in the world , ' but these incidents have cast a cloud . ' inside the life of an air traffic controller babbitt described himself as infuriated ' after learning about the lapses . any time ( there ) is less than perfection , we have issues , ' rinaldi added . it 's a very big concern , ' transportation secretary ray lahood said monday . we will do better . ' federal officials announced a series of new regulations saturday aimed at preventing air traffic controllers from falling asleep while on duty . among other things , controllers now must have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts , instead of the current minimum of eight hours . in addition , controllers can no longer be put on an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off . if the shift from eight to nine hours is n't enough , then obviously we 'll take that into consideration , ' lahood said . but it 's up to the controllers to take personal responsibility ' and get adequate rest during their down time , he said . faa managers will also schedule their own shifts in a way to ensure greater coverage in the early morning and late night hours , the secretary noted over the weekend . on saturday , the faa suspended an air traffic controller for sleeping on the job at the miami air route traffic control center . according to a preliminary review of air traffic tapes , the controller did not miss any calls from aircraft , and there was no operational impact , the agency said in a statement . the incident was reported to a manager by another controller , the faa said . there were 12 controllers and two managers on duty at the time . last week , the head of the faa air traffic organization , hank krakowski , resigned over the uproar caused by the recent spate of incidents . david grizzle , the faa 's chief counsel , has been named acting chief of the unit . will nextgen air traffic overhaul make us safer ? aside from miami , cases of sleeping controllers have been reported in washington ; knoxville , tennessee ; seattle and reno , nevada . there have been two suspected cases in lubbock , texas . all of the incidents occurred during controllers'midnight shifts . most of the lapses occurred at local control towers . in at least one incident , the faa has said , the controller deliberately went to sleep , while some of the others appear to have been accidental . cnn 's mike ahlers and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | the faa reported a seventh case of a controller asleep on the job this year |
faa <tsp> atlanta ( cnn ) -- top officials from the federal aviation administration and the air traffic controllers'union kicked off a cross-country tour of air traffic control facilities on monday , two days after a seventh reported case this year of a controller falling asleep on the job . faa administrator randy babbitt and paul rinaldi , president of the national air traffic controllers association , are expected to hold a series of meetings about safety and professionalism . their first stop was at a radar facility in the atlanta area . none of us in this business can tolerate any of this , ' babbitt said of the sleeping controllers . it absolutely has to stop . ... one mistake is one too many . ' this will not be tolerated , ' he insisted . we run the safest system in the world , ' but these incidents have cast a cloud . ' inside the life of an air traffic controller babbitt described himself as infuriated ' after learning about the lapses . any time ( there ) is less than perfection , we have issues , ' rinaldi added . it 's a very big concern , ' transportation secretary ray lahood said monday . we will do better . ' federal officials announced a series of new regulations saturday aimed at preventing air traffic controllers from falling asleep while on duty . among other things , controllers now must have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts , instead of the current minimum of eight hours . in addition , controllers can no longer be put on an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off . if the shift from eight to nine hours is n't enough , then obviously we 'll take that into consideration , ' lahood said . but it 's up to the controllers to take personal responsibility ' and get adequate rest during their down time , he said . faa managers will also schedule their own shifts in a way to ensure greater coverage in the early morning and late night hours , the secretary noted over the weekend . on saturday , the faa suspended an air traffic controller for sleeping on the job at the miami air route traffic control center . according to a preliminary review of air traffic tapes , the controller did not miss any calls from aircraft , and there was no operational impact , the agency said in a statement . the incident was reported to a manager by another controller , the faa said . there were 12 controllers and two managers on duty at the time . last week , the head of the faa air traffic organization , hank krakowski , resigned over the uproar caused by the recent spate of incidents . david grizzle , the faa 's chief counsel , has been named acting chief of the unit . will nextgen air traffic overhaul make us safer ? aside from miami , cases of sleeping controllers have been reported in washington ; knoxville , tennessee ; seattle and reno , nevada . there have been two suspected cases in lubbock , texas . all of the incidents occurred during controllers'midnight shifts . most of the lapses occurred at local control towers . in at least one incident , the faa has said , the controller deliberately went to sleep , while some of the others appear to have been accidental . cnn 's mike ahlers and alan silverleib contributed to this report . | new : faa administrator randy babbitt says mistakes will not be tolerated ' |
spacex <tsp> ( cnn ) -- recently , technology enthusiasts around the planet had the opportunity to get better acquainted with elon musk , the creator of spacex , the first privately owned company to send a spacecraft to the space station . launched in the same manner as a silicon valley startup , spacex designed and manufactured the dragon capsule , which successfully completed a mission with the international space station before splashing down into the pacific ocean . i see musk , a 40-year-old entrepreneur who made his fortune by co-founding paypal , as a visioneer . ' that is to say , he is someone who combines scientific and engineering prowess -- in his case , a degree in physics -- with an expansive view of how technology will upend traditional economic models , and has the ability to inspire others to support his work . musk has bold visions for the future . when he finished college , he identified three areas that could change the world . one was the internet ; another was new sources of energy ; and the third was transforming our civilization in such a way so that it could expand out into the solar system . his success with paypal and then with tesla motors -- a company he started that makes high-performance electric roadsters -- pushed him to take on the challenge of spacex . the successful launch of dragon was a big step toward the completion of musk 's trifecta . musk 's entrepreneurial activities rest on the shoulders of previous visioneers . in the 1970s , princeton physicist gerard o'neill achieved celebrity status for designing and advocating free-floating space colonies as the new frontier for humanity . in 1977 , when california hosted its first space day , o'neill 's ideas were discussed by scientists , aerospace executives and politicians , including then-gov . jerry brown . while today , such visions of the future seem fantastical -- space colonies ... really ? -- they make more sense if seen in the context of their time . in o'neill 's day , fears of overpopulation , resource shortages and general eco-catastrophism permeated public discussions and popular culture as people fretted about an impending era of limits . compared with that era 's other mega-projects such as the trans-alaskan pipeline , o'neill 's ideas were not so far-fetched . musk has inherited o'neill 's concept for the humanization of space . ' but like other dot-com billionaires who make up the so-called newspace movement , his pursuits have a decided libertarian strain . many visioneers champion free markets , less government , fewer regulations and profits for those who test the technological envelope . this is different from what o'neill had in mind , which aimed mostly to benefit society at large . musk may be the most prominent visioneer , but he is not the only one . recently , the new york times profiled j. craig venter , the biologist-entrepreneur who is hoping to create bioengineered bacteria that can generate food and fuel for an increasingly crowded planet . then there are others who have proposed radical geoengineering schemes , such as injecting tons of sunlight-reflecting particulates into the stratosphere as a way to address the threat of climate change . so far , america has remained the no.1 destination for people such as musk or venter . as the rest of the world catches up -- think china -- and competes with us on innovation and technology , we must make sure that our country can continue to attract brilliant minds who can take speculative ideas out of the hands of sci-fi writers and technological forecasters and put them on firmer ground . the u.s. government as well as private groups like the x prize foundation can play an important role in stimulating and helping budding visioneers through prizes , funding or other forms of support . for someone like musk , the present is merely a prototype -- a provisional plan for what may become a magnificent and perhaps less limited future . who knows , his trailblazing might just make it feasible and affordable for you to take a vacation to mars . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of w. patrick mccray . | spacex successfully launched the dragon capsule to the space station |
spacex <tsp> ( cnn ) -- recently , technology enthusiasts around the planet had the opportunity to get better acquainted with elon musk , the creator of spacex , the first privately owned company to send a spacecraft to the space station . launched in the same manner as a silicon valley startup , spacex designed and manufactured the dragon capsule , which successfully completed a mission with the international space station before splashing down into the pacific ocean . i see musk , a 40-year-old entrepreneur who made his fortune by co-founding paypal , as a visioneer . ' that is to say , he is someone who combines scientific and engineering prowess -- in his case , a degree in physics -- with an expansive view of how technology will upend traditional economic models , and has the ability to inspire others to support his work . musk has bold visions for the future . when he finished college , he identified three areas that could change the world . one was the internet ; another was new sources of energy ; and the third was transforming our civilization in such a way so that it could expand out into the solar system . his success with paypal and then with tesla motors -- a company he started that makes high-performance electric roadsters -- pushed him to take on the challenge of spacex . the successful launch of dragon was a big step toward the completion of musk 's trifecta . musk 's entrepreneurial activities rest on the shoulders of previous visioneers . in the 1970s , princeton physicist gerard o'neill achieved celebrity status for designing and advocating free-floating space colonies as the new frontier for humanity . in 1977 , when california hosted its first space day , o'neill 's ideas were discussed by scientists , aerospace executives and politicians , including then-gov . jerry brown . while today , such visions of the future seem fantastical -- space colonies ... really ? -- they make more sense if seen in the context of their time . in o'neill 's day , fears of overpopulation , resource shortages and general eco-catastrophism permeated public discussions and popular culture as people fretted about an impending era of limits . compared with that era 's other mega-projects such as the trans-alaskan pipeline , o'neill 's ideas were not so far-fetched . musk has inherited o'neill 's concept for the humanization of space . ' but like other dot-com billionaires who make up the so-called newspace movement , his pursuits have a decided libertarian strain . many visioneers champion free markets , less government , fewer regulations and profits for those who test the technological envelope . this is different from what o'neill had in mind , which aimed mostly to benefit society at large . musk may be the most prominent visioneer , but he is not the only one . recently , the new york times profiled j. craig venter , the biologist-entrepreneur who is hoping to create bioengineered bacteria that can generate food and fuel for an increasingly crowded planet . then there are others who have proposed radical geoengineering schemes , such as injecting tons of sunlight-reflecting particulates into the stratosphere as a way to address the threat of climate change . so far , america has remained the no.1 destination for people such as musk or venter . as the rest of the world catches up -- think china -- and competes with us on innovation and technology , we must make sure that our country can continue to attract brilliant minds who can take speculative ideas out of the hands of sci-fi writers and technological forecasters and put them on firmer ground . the u.s. government as well as private groups like the x prize foundation can play an important role in stimulating and helping budding visioneers through prizes , funding or other forms of support . for someone like musk , the present is merely a prototype -- a provisional plan for what may become a magnificent and perhaps less limited future . who knows , his trailblazing might just make it feasible and affordable for you to take a vacation to mars . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of w. patrick mccray . | w. patrick mccray : elon musk , founder of spacex , is a visioneer ' |
iowa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- first lady michelle obama is heading to iowa next month to campaign in one of the closest senate races of the 2014 midterms . in what is only her second announced appearance on the trail for a candidate , obama will stump for bruce braley , a four-term democratic congressman seeking the open seat . the braley campaign confirms the first lady 's plans to come to iowa next month , though no dates , events or locations have yet been set . the first lady could inject some momentum into the race that cnn currently rates as up for grabs . in a sign of how tough this year could be for democrats , the seat has been held by retiring democratic sen. tom harkin since 1985 . braley is campaigning against republican state sen. joni ernst , an iraq war veteran who beat a large primary field earlier this year with popular ads ( including one about castrating pigs ) and endorsements by many well-known republicans , including mitt romney , sen. marco rubio and sarah palin . 2014 midterm elections : key races braley is trying to frame ernst as an extremist whose views are not in line with iowans on issues such as minimum wage and personhood . ernst counters by hitting braley for his years as a trial lawyer and accusing him of being a washington bureaucrat . it might not come as a big surprise to iowans that the first lady will be making a public appearance on the trail instead of her husband . a recent gallup poll showed the president with a 38 % approval rating in the hawkeye state , a few points below the national average . michelle obama goes where her husband can't other popular democrats will appear in iowa this weekend as well . bill and hillary clinton will both appear at harkin 's annual steak fry this weekend . braley will also be though , though neither of the clinton 's have plans to stump specifically for him . earlier this week , the first lady debuted on the campaign trail , stumping for michelle nunn in georgia . the peach state is one of the few opportunities democrats see as a race in which they could pick up a senate seat and help maintain their majority in the chamber . the des moines register first reported obama 's plans . | michelle obama to campaign for democrat in iowa |
dharun ravi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dharun ravi , the former rutgers university student who was found guilty of using a webcam to spy on and intimidate his gay roommate , has reported to a new jersey jail thursday where he will serve a 30-day sentence , according to middlesex county sheriff mildred scott . ravi turned himself in to authorities , who then transported him to jail thursday afternoon , scott said . is 30-day sentence fair ? a day earlier , ravi apologized for spying on his roommate , tyler clementi , with a webcam . i accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless , insensitive , immature , stupid and childish choices that i made on september 19 , 2010 , and september 21 , 2010 , ' ravi said in a statement wednesday . clementi , 18 , killed himself by jumping off new york 's george washington bridge into the hudson river after learning ravi had secretly recorded his intimate encounter with another man . ravi 's court appearance wednesday formalized his decision to head to jail , waiving his right not to serve jail time twice for the same crime , as prosecutors appeal his sentence . new jersey prosecutors argue that ravi 's crimes warranted more than a 30-day jail term and called superior judge glenn berman 's sentence insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state . ' berman defended the jail sentence wednesday , cnn affiliate wabc reported . i ca n't find it in me to remand him to state prison that house people convicted of offenses such as murder , armed robbery and rape , ' berman said . i do n't believe that fits this case . i believe that he has to be punished and he will be . ' cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin said there is very little chance ' the sentence will be overturned on appeal . he noted that under new jersey law , the judge had the flexibility to sentence ravi to anything from zero to 10 years in prison . ravi was handed a 30-day jail sentence , three years of probation and must complete 300 hours of community service aimed at assisting victims of bias crimes . he also must pay more than $ 11,000 in restitution . i decided to accept and hopefully complete the sentence as soon as possible . it 's the only way i can go on with my life , ' ravi said in his statement . his attorney said he intends to begin community service after he serves his sentence and will start paying his fines in august . read more about this story from cnn affiliate wabc . | new : dharun ravi reports to a new jersey jail |
ravi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dharun ravi , the former rutgers university student who was found guilty of using a webcam to spy on and intimidate his gay roommate , has reported to a new jersey jail thursday where he will serve a 30-day sentence , according to middlesex county sheriff mildred scott . ravi turned himself in to authorities , who then transported him to jail thursday afternoon , scott said . is 30-day sentence fair ? a day earlier , ravi apologized for spying on his roommate , tyler clementi , with a webcam . i accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless , insensitive , immature , stupid and childish choices that i made on september 19 , 2010 , and september 21 , 2010 , ' ravi said in a statement wednesday . clementi , 18 , killed himself by jumping off new york 's george washington bridge into the hudson river after learning ravi had secretly recorded his intimate encounter with another man . ravi 's court appearance wednesday formalized his decision to head to jail , waiving his right not to serve jail time twice for the same crime , as prosecutors appeal his sentence . new jersey prosecutors argue that ravi 's crimes warranted more than a 30-day jail term and called superior judge glenn berman 's sentence insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state . ' berman defended the jail sentence wednesday , cnn affiliate wabc reported . i ca n't find it in me to remand him to state prison that house people convicted of offenses such as murder , armed robbery and rape , ' berman said . i do n't believe that fits this case . i believe that he has to be punished and he will be . ' cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin said there is very little chance ' the sentence will be overturned on appeal . he noted that under new jersey law , the judge had the flexibility to sentence ravi to anything from zero to 10 years in prison . ravi was handed a 30-day jail sentence , three years of probation and must complete 300 hours of community service aimed at assisting victims of bias crimes . he also must pay more than $ 11,000 in restitution . i decided to accept and hopefully complete the sentence as soon as possible . it 's the only way i can go on with my life , ' ravi said in his statement . his attorney said he intends to begin community service after he serves his sentence and will start paying his fines in august . read more about this story from cnn affiliate wabc . | attorney says ravi intends to begin community service after he serves his sentence |
ravi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dharun ravi , the former rutgers university student who was found guilty of using a webcam to spy on and intimidate his gay roommate , has reported to a new jersey jail thursday where he will serve a 30-day sentence , according to middlesex county sheriff mildred scott . ravi turned himself in to authorities , who then transported him to jail thursday afternoon , scott said . is 30-day sentence fair ? a day earlier , ravi apologized for spying on his roommate , tyler clementi , with a webcam . i accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless , insensitive , immature , stupid and childish choices that i made on september 19 , 2010 , and september 21 , 2010 , ' ravi said in a statement wednesday . clementi , 18 , killed himself by jumping off new york 's george washington bridge into the hudson river after learning ravi had secretly recorded his intimate encounter with another man . ravi 's court appearance wednesday formalized his decision to head to jail , waiving his right not to serve jail time twice for the same crime , as prosecutors appeal his sentence . new jersey prosecutors argue that ravi 's crimes warranted more than a 30-day jail term and called superior judge glenn berman 's sentence insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state . ' berman defended the jail sentence wednesday , cnn affiliate wabc reported . i ca n't find it in me to remand him to state prison that house people convicted of offenses such as murder , armed robbery and rape , ' berman said . i do n't believe that fits this case . i believe that he has to be punished and he will be . ' cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin said there is very little chance ' the sentence will be overturned on appeal . he noted that under new jersey law , the judge had the flexibility to sentence ravi to anything from zero to 10 years in prison . ravi was handed a 30-day jail sentence , three years of probation and must complete 300 hours of community service aimed at assisting victims of bias crimes . he also must pay more than $ 11,000 in restitution . i decided to accept and hopefully complete the sentence as soon as possible . it 's the only way i can go on with my life , ' ravi said in his statement . his attorney said he intends to begin community service after he serves his sentence and will start paying his fines in august . read more about this story from cnn affiliate wabc . | ravi 's court appearance wednesday formalizes his decision to head to jail |
ravi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dharun ravi , the former rutgers university student who was found guilty of using a webcam to spy on and intimidate his gay roommate , has reported to a new jersey jail thursday where he will serve a 30-day sentence , according to middlesex county sheriff mildred scott . ravi turned himself in to authorities , who then transported him to jail thursday afternoon , scott said . is 30-day sentence fair ? a day earlier , ravi apologized for spying on his roommate , tyler clementi , with a webcam . i accept responsibility for and regret my thoughtless , insensitive , immature , stupid and childish choices that i made on september 19 , 2010 , and september 21 , 2010 , ' ravi said in a statement wednesday . clementi , 18 , killed himself by jumping off new york 's george washington bridge into the hudson river after learning ravi had secretly recorded his intimate encounter with another man . ravi 's court appearance wednesday formalized his decision to head to jail , waiving his right not to serve jail time twice for the same crime , as prosecutors appeal his sentence . new jersey prosecutors argue that ravi 's crimes warranted more than a 30-day jail term and called superior judge glenn berman 's sentence insufficient under the sentencing laws of this state . ' berman defended the jail sentence wednesday , cnn affiliate wabc reported . i ca n't find it in me to remand him to state prison that house people convicted of offenses such as murder , armed robbery and rape , ' berman said . i do n't believe that fits this case . i believe that he has to be punished and he will be . ' cnn senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin said there is very little chance ' the sentence will be overturned on appeal . he noted that under new jersey law , the judge had the flexibility to sentence ravi to anything from zero to 10 years in prison . ravi was handed a 30-day jail sentence , three years of probation and must complete 300 hours of community service aimed at assisting victims of bias crimes . he also must pay more than $ 11,000 in restitution . i decided to accept and hopefully complete the sentence as soon as possible . it 's the only way i can go on with my life , ' ravi said in his statement . his attorney said he intends to begin community service after he serves his sentence and will start paying his fines in august . read more about this story from cnn affiliate wabc . | new : dharun ravi reports to a new jersey jail |
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- zabiullah mujahid , one of two spokesmen for afghan taliban leader mullah mohammed omar , spoke recently with cnn 's nic robertson about the war in afghanistan and the taliban 's relationship with al qaeda . cnn 's nic robertson , left , talks to taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid at an undisclosed location . mujahid almost never gives tv interviews and he initially said the interview with cnn would last 15 minutes , but spoke to robertson for 45 . here is an edited transcript . cnn : can you tell me what the taliban strategy is in afghanistan ? zabiullah mujahid : the policy is quite clear . we ask from the beginning and we say once again to enforce the sharia law and islamic government in afghanistan , to remove foreign forces from our country . this is our country ; we have to govern it . cnn : do you want to take over the government in kabul or do you want to work with others ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly when we rose up in afghanistan in 1994 we did not rise up to be the government ... you know the mujahadeen government ... and when the russians flee afghanistan . but the mujahadeen were fighting each other , the people were being killed . so we rose up not for power and government we rose up just ... to force islamic law and to help our widows in afghanistan . we did jihad for the islamic government . and no . 2 i want to tell you clearly our afghan nation is held hostage by foreign troops . we do n't fight the government . we fight for the sake of our country , for the sake of our nation , for islamic law and also to rescue our country from the crusader cnn : there are going to be elections in afghanistan this year . does the taliban support those elections ? mujahid : first i want to tell you this is not an election , it is selection . people are selected from the white house . this is just a joke and we ask from our muslim brothers and our population not to take part in this election because this is people selected from the white house before the election . cnn : will you try to stop the elections ? mujahid : we announce clearly from the beginning for our muslim brothers not to take part in this election . we want to disturb this election ; it is not the election of the afghan nation . it is not the will of the afghan nation . i told you clearly it is what the u.s. wants in afghanistan , and yesterday as announced by our leader mullah brother we will target the afghan parliamentary members and government officials so if there are elections yes it is clear we will target them . cnn : and will you target them using suicide bombs ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly we have different kinds of tactics . one of them yes is suicide attack . we will not target everyone with a suicide attack . we will see the place . yes the suicide attack is part of our war with the crusader so when we need a suicide attack we will do the suicide attack . when we need a target attack we will do a target attack , when we need the bomb blast we will do the bomb blast . where there is the combat war , we will do it in that place . according to the situation we will do the things that work . cnn : what is your policy toward afghan civilians ? mujahid : first we give the proof from the beginning of our jihad against crusader we do not want to kill civilians . we sacrifice ourselves for the safety of the civilians ; we never want to kill the civilians . also we ask of the civilians do n't be close to the troops , be away from them not to be targeted . cnn : how do you justify suicide bombs ? mujahid : this is from the history of islam from the days of prophet mohammed , from the history of those days . they sacrificed some people , friends of mohammed , for the sake of islam . this is part of the jihad and part of the fighting . we will fight them and we will target them . cnn : are the taliban in afghanistan supporting the taliban in pakistan with their fight ? mujahid : we do not want to interfere in the pakistan taliban affairs . we are afghan taliban and our policy is clear against the foreign troops . the second thing -- yes there are sympathies between the two sides . cnn : do the pakistan taliban come to afghanistan and help you in your fight ? mujahid : i ask you do only americans come to afghanistan or are there 40 other countries with them ? so we are muslims . if they come , we will say welcome to them -- our muslim brothers in the pakistani taliban . cnn : president obama is sending 20,000 more troops to afghanistan . will that defeat your forces , the taliban ? mujahid : i will clearly tell you . if there are more we will kill more ; if there are few we will kill fewer . cnn : the united states is sending more troops ; is that going to change the war ? mujahid : if the pentagon is thinking of changing its policy , we , too , are thinking of changing our policy . if they want to send 20,000 to start a new campaign , this is a war and we will see the war and make our policy . we also have the good players ; we have the good experts of the war . cnn : some people say president obama has made afghanistan a very big part of his foreign policy . some people have suggested it may be his vietnam . what is your opinion ? mujahid : if they want to send the troops and change things we believe they ca n't do anything because the 40 countries do n't make any good achievements inside afghanistan . yes afghanistan will be the vietnam for them . concerning their policy it is the same bush policy ; there are no changes in this policy . i want to tell you clearly we will win , and they will die . cnn : can the taliban win by military means alone or does there have to be some kind of talks ? mujahid : we believe by both , by negotiation and also by war . we ask them to leave the country ; we are ready to talk . so if they are not ready to leave and they want to talk by the mouth of the gun , we will talk by the mouth of the gun . cnn : what are your terms for talking . what are the taliban terms for talking ? mujahid : our conditions are clear . we want to negotiate and they will not interfere in our affairs . secondly , they will leave the country . third , leave the afghan people to do what they want to do , like the islamic government they want to establish . cnn : the talks last year in saudi arabia -- were they helpful ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly there is no peace talks or negotiations in saudi arabia . cnn : are there any talks at all with the afghan government ? mujahid : the taliban under the field commander mullah mohammed mujahadid do not have any representatives in peace talks . i want to tell you two things clearly . first i want to tell you some people take the former taliban to saudi arabia to negotiate . they are not our representatives . some people they sit in kabul and talk . they are not our representative . [ when ] one wants to talk with us and we want to talk , it will be clear . our representatives'names will be clear . we will announce the people . cnn : so how long is this war going to last ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly it is war . some people will be very weak but we will win . we will win . this is war . i can not tell you who is going to win but i can tell you one thing . [ german chancellor ] angela merkel when she is coming to kunduz -- before she is coming we had intelligence reports tell us she is coming , we had the information she is coming . we did the rocket attack and she escaped , so will show them and they escaped . i will tell you we will win ; we have the support of muslim nations and this is what we believe . cnn : how do you get this intelligence ? do you have people inside american bases ? mujahid : the people who work with [ afghan president hamid ] karzai they help us . inside the american bases there are more people who help us , and we have intelligence from a to z inside the foreign installations and the afghan government . for example , on the day of the afghan celebration [ when a parade attended by president karzai was attacked in april 2008 ] in the same team that work with karzai they gave the information that he is coming . then we attacked . cnn : so you have people inside american bases and you have people inside the ministers and you have people right next to president karzai ? mujahid : yes , certainly cnn : so how come president karzai is still alive ? mujahid : i ask you how strong the intelligence the united states has about mullah omar but they still do n't kill him . we detect and if he is not killed this is something that belongs to god . he will be finished quickly . cnn : what is the relationship between taliban and al qaeda ? mujahid : taliban is one thing and al qaeda is another . they are global we are just in the region . cnn : can you explain the differences between taliban and al qaeda . mujahid : we are not under the command of al qaeda . some people are coming to fight and we say welcome . cnn : they come from al qaeda. ? mujahid : even any place including al qaeda , but we do n't fight under their instruction . cnn : but they help you , al qaeda helps you ? mujahid : we are from this country ; we are the boss . we do not have any link with them -- they do not have any link with us under the command of al qaeda . if mujahadeen freely want to do jihad they can come . nic robertson , senior international correspondent , contributed to this report . the translator was janullah hashimzadeh . | mujahid says taliban wants to disturb afghanistan election |
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- zabiullah mujahid , one of two spokesmen for afghan taliban leader mullah mohammed omar , spoke recently with cnn 's nic robertson about the war in afghanistan and the taliban 's relationship with al qaeda . cnn 's nic robertson , left , talks to taliban spokesman zabiullah mujahid at an undisclosed location . mujahid almost never gives tv interviews and he initially said the interview with cnn would last 15 minutes , but spoke to robertson for 45 . here is an edited transcript . cnn : can you tell me what the taliban strategy is in afghanistan ? zabiullah mujahid : the policy is quite clear . we ask from the beginning and we say once again to enforce the sharia law and islamic government in afghanistan , to remove foreign forces from our country . this is our country ; we have to govern it . cnn : do you want to take over the government in kabul or do you want to work with others ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly when we rose up in afghanistan in 1994 we did not rise up to be the government ... you know the mujahadeen government ... and when the russians flee afghanistan . but the mujahadeen were fighting each other , the people were being killed . so we rose up not for power and government we rose up just ... to force islamic law and to help our widows in afghanistan . we did jihad for the islamic government . and no . 2 i want to tell you clearly our afghan nation is held hostage by foreign troops . we do n't fight the government . we fight for the sake of our country , for the sake of our nation , for islamic law and also to rescue our country from the crusader cnn : there are going to be elections in afghanistan this year . does the taliban support those elections ? mujahid : first i want to tell you this is not an election , it is selection . people are selected from the white house . this is just a joke and we ask from our muslim brothers and our population not to take part in this election because this is people selected from the white house before the election . cnn : will you try to stop the elections ? mujahid : we announce clearly from the beginning for our muslim brothers not to take part in this election . we want to disturb this election ; it is not the election of the afghan nation . it is not the will of the afghan nation . i told you clearly it is what the u.s. wants in afghanistan , and yesterday as announced by our leader mullah brother we will target the afghan parliamentary members and government officials so if there are elections yes it is clear we will target them . cnn : and will you target them using suicide bombs ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly we have different kinds of tactics . one of them yes is suicide attack . we will not target everyone with a suicide attack . we will see the place . yes the suicide attack is part of our war with the crusader so when we need a suicide attack we will do the suicide attack . when we need a target attack we will do a target attack , when we need the bomb blast we will do the bomb blast . where there is the combat war , we will do it in that place . according to the situation we will do the things that work . cnn : what is your policy toward afghan civilians ? mujahid : first we give the proof from the beginning of our jihad against crusader we do not want to kill civilians . we sacrifice ourselves for the safety of the civilians ; we never want to kill the civilians . also we ask of the civilians do n't be close to the troops , be away from them not to be targeted . cnn : how do you justify suicide bombs ? mujahid : this is from the history of islam from the days of prophet mohammed , from the history of those days . they sacrificed some people , friends of mohammed , for the sake of islam . this is part of the jihad and part of the fighting . we will fight them and we will target them . cnn : are the taliban in afghanistan supporting the taliban in pakistan with their fight ? mujahid : we do not want to interfere in the pakistan taliban affairs . we are afghan taliban and our policy is clear against the foreign troops . the second thing -- yes there are sympathies between the two sides . cnn : do the pakistan taliban come to afghanistan and help you in your fight ? mujahid : i ask you do only americans come to afghanistan or are there 40 other countries with them ? so we are muslims . if they come , we will say welcome to them -- our muslim brothers in the pakistani taliban . cnn : president obama is sending 20,000 more troops to afghanistan . will that defeat your forces , the taliban ? mujahid : i will clearly tell you . if there are more we will kill more ; if there are few we will kill fewer . cnn : the united states is sending more troops ; is that going to change the war ? mujahid : if the pentagon is thinking of changing its policy , we , too , are thinking of changing our policy . if they want to send 20,000 to start a new campaign , this is a war and we will see the war and make our policy . we also have the good players ; we have the good experts of the war . cnn : some people say president obama has made afghanistan a very big part of his foreign policy . some people have suggested it may be his vietnam . what is your opinion ? mujahid : if they want to send the troops and change things we believe they ca n't do anything because the 40 countries do n't make any good achievements inside afghanistan . yes afghanistan will be the vietnam for them . concerning their policy it is the same bush policy ; there are no changes in this policy . i want to tell you clearly we will win , and they will die . cnn : can the taliban win by military means alone or does there have to be some kind of talks ? mujahid : we believe by both , by negotiation and also by war . we ask them to leave the country ; we are ready to talk . so if they are not ready to leave and they want to talk by the mouth of the gun , we will talk by the mouth of the gun . cnn : what are your terms for talking . what are the taliban terms for talking ? mujahid : our conditions are clear . we want to negotiate and they will not interfere in our affairs . secondly , they will leave the country . third , leave the afghan people to do what they want to do , like the islamic government they want to establish . cnn : the talks last year in saudi arabia -- were they helpful ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly there is no peace talks or negotiations in saudi arabia . cnn : are there any talks at all with the afghan government ? mujahid : the taliban under the field commander mullah mohammed mujahadid do not have any representatives in peace talks . i want to tell you two things clearly . first i want to tell you some people take the former taliban to saudi arabia to negotiate . they are not our representatives . some people they sit in kabul and talk . they are not our representative . [ when ] one wants to talk with us and we want to talk , it will be clear . our representatives'names will be clear . we will announce the people . cnn : so how long is this war going to last ? mujahid : i want to tell you clearly it is war . some people will be very weak but we will win . we will win . this is war . i can not tell you who is going to win but i can tell you one thing . [ german chancellor ] angela merkel when she is coming to kunduz -- before she is coming we had intelligence reports tell us she is coming , we had the information she is coming . we did the rocket attack and she escaped , so will show them and they escaped . i will tell you we will win ; we have the support of muslim nations and this is what we believe . cnn : how do you get this intelligence ? do you have people inside american bases ? mujahid : the people who work with [ afghan president hamid ] karzai they help us . inside the american bases there are more people who help us , and we have intelligence from a to z inside the foreign installations and the afghan government . for example , on the day of the afghan celebration [ when a parade attended by president karzai was attacked in april 2008 ] in the same team that work with karzai they gave the information that he is coming . then we attacked . cnn : so you have people inside american bases and you have people inside the ministers and you have people right next to president karzai ? mujahid : yes , certainly cnn : so how come president karzai is still alive ? mujahid : i ask you how strong the intelligence the united states has about mullah omar but they still do n't kill him . we detect and if he is not killed this is something that belongs to god . he will be finished quickly . cnn : what is the relationship between taliban and al qaeda ? mujahid : taliban is one thing and al qaeda is another . they are global we are just in the region . cnn : can you explain the differences between taliban and al qaeda . mujahid : we are not under the command of al qaeda . some people are coming to fight and we say welcome . cnn : they come from al qaeda. ? mujahid : even any place including al qaeda , but we do n't fight under their instruction . cnn : but they help you , al qaeda helps you ? mujahid : we are from this country ; we are the boss . we do not have any link with them -- they do not have any link with us under the command of al qaeda . if mujahadeen freely want to do jihad they can come . nic robertson , senior international correspondent , contributed to this report . the translator was janullah hashimzadeh . | he says they want to enforce sharia law , islamic government in afghanistan |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- luis suarez may have bitten off more than he can chew this time . already banned twice in his career for biting an opponent , the uruguay striker was seemingly at it again in his country 's key world cup victory over italy . just before uruguay 's winning goal , the striker was embroiled in an off the ball incident with italy defender giorgio chiellini with both men falling to the floor . television pictures showed suarez dipping his head towards chiellini , and when the italian defender eventually got up , he pulled down his shirt and appeared to furiously indicate that he had been bitten on the shoulder . suarez is a sneak and he gets away with it because fifa want their stars to play in the world cup , ' chiellini told sky sports italia . i 'd love to see if they have the courage to use video evidence against him . the referee saw the bite mark too , but he did nothing about it. , ' added the juventus defender . the 27-year-old suarez will now face a nervous wait to find out if football 's world governing body fifa will take action retrospectively -- given it was missed by the match officials - and punish him . a fifa spokesman told cnn : we are awaiting the official match reports and will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter . ' but fifa vice-president jim boyce , who is also presides as head of the body 's referees committee , says he has huge concerns over suarez 's actions . i have watched the incident several times on television , ' he told reporters . there is no doubt luis suarez is a fantastic footballer but , once again , his actions have left him open to severe criticism . fifa must investigate the incident seriously and take whatever disciplinary action deemed necessary . ' but uruguay coach oscar tabarez insists he did not see the incident when he addressed the press in his news conference . i 'd like to see the images , ' he said . i did n't see that . and if it happened the referee probably did n't see it . so no i do n't have any more comments to make . we had more important things than this in a football match . there seems there is animosity against this football player , ' he added . he just came out of a difficult moment and he has been penalized . there are people hiding behind the tree waiting for something to happen . ' diego godin 's 81st minute header secured victory for uruguay against an italian team which played the final half hour with 10-men after claudio marchisio was sent off . the defeat led to italian coach cesare prandelli offering his resignation in his news conference after the game -- but all eyes were still on suarez . the uruguayan , who plays his club football with liverpool , was banned for 10 games in april 2013 after being found guilty of biting chelsea defender branislav ivanovic . he was also guilty of biting during his time in the netherlands with ajax where he was banned for seven games after leaving a scar on the collarbone of otman bakkal . suarez 's rap sheet is lengthy . at the 2010 world cup in south africa , he deliberately handled the ball on the goal-line to deny ghana a place in the semifinals of the world cup . he was sent off for his troubles but ghana missed the penalty and uruguay went on to finish third in the tournament . the following year after his move to liverpool , suarez was found guilty of racially abusing manchester united 's patrice evra . he was fined $ 63,000 and banned for eight matches . last week , after scoring both goals in his side 's 2-1 victory over england , suarez hit out at the british media after claiming he had been unfairly treated over his transgressions . before the game people in england laughed about my attitude over the last few years , ' he told reporters following the game . i want to see what they think now . i have dreamed of this moment . ' suarez enjoyed a sensational season with liverpool -- scoring 31 league goals to help his club qualify for the champions league . he was voted player of the year by his fellow colleagues and also named as the journalists'player of the year too -- awards that reflected a feeling that suarez had put behind him his troubled past . his participation in the world cup had looked in danger when he suffered a knee injury in liverpool 's final game of the season . he was forced to undergo keyhole surgery and missed uruguay 's opening game defeat by costa rica before making a near miraculous return in time to face england just five weeks after his operation , scoring both goals in the south american side 's 2-1 win . uruguay 's next game is likely to be against colombia on saturday in rio de janeiro . meanwhile , italy coach prandelli says he will step down following another world cup disappointment . prandelli , who replaced marcello lippi as coach in 2010 , also failed to guide italy out of the group stage in south africa four years ago . at the end of the match i spoke to the president of the federation , i have told them i am going to resign from my position , ' he told reporters . when there is failure , the person in charge must take responsibility , ' added prandelli , who only extended his contract last month . giancarlo abete , the president of the italian football federation , also announced his resignation while stating he hoped to convince prandelli to stay on . in the group 's other game , costa rica sealed top spot with a goalless draw against england . los ticos , which won both of its previous games , will play its next game in recife on sunday . | italy coach cesare prandelli offers his resignation |
italy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- luis suarez may have bitten off more than he can chew this time . already banned twice in his career for biting an opponent , the uruguay striker was seemingly at it again in his country 's key world cup victory over italy . just before uruguay 's winning goal , the striker was embroiled in an off the ball incident with italy defender giorgio chiellini with both men falling to the floor . television pictures showed suarez dipping his head towards chiellini , and when the italian defender eventually got up , he pulled down his shirt and appeared to furiously indicate that he had been bitten on the shoulder . suarez is a sneak and he gets away with it because fifa want their stars to play in the world cup , ' chiellini told sky sports italia . i 'd love to see if they have the courage to use video evidence against him . the referee saw the bite mark too , but he did nothing about it. , ' added the juventus defender . the 27-year-old suarez will now face a nervous wait to find out if football 's world governing body fifa will take action retrospectively -- given it was missed by the match officials - and punish him . a fifa spokesman told cnn : we are awaiting the official match reports and will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter . ' but fifa vice-president jim boyce , who is also presides as head of the body 's referees committee , says he has huge concerns over suarez 's actions . i have watched the incident several times on television , ' he told reporters . there is no doubt luis suarez is a fantastic footballer but , once again , his actions have left him open to severe criticism . fifa must investigate the incident seriously and take whatever disciplinary action deemed necessary . ' but uruguay coach oscar tabarez insists he did not see the incident when he addressed the press in his news conference . i 'd like to see the images , ' he said . i did n't see that . and if it happened the referee probably did n't see it . so no i do n't have any more comments to make . we had more important things than this in a football match . there seems there is animosity against this football player , ' he added . he just came out of a difficult moment and he has been penalized . there are people hiding behind the tree waiting for something to happen . ' diego godin 's 81st minute header secured victory for uruguay against an italian team which played the final half hour with 10-men after claudio marchisio was sent off . the defeat led to italian coach cesare prandelli offering his resignation in his news conference after the game -- but all eyes were still on suarez . the uruguayan , who plays his club football with liverpool , was banned for 10 games in april 2013 after being found guilty of biting chelsea defender branislav ivanovic . he was also guilty of biting during his time in the netherlands with ajax where he was banned for seven games after leaving a scar on the collarbone of otman bakkal . suarez 's rap sheet is lengthy . at the 2010 world cup in south africa , he deliberately handled the ball on the goal-line to deny ghana a place in the semifinals of the world cup . he was sent off for his troubles but ghana missed the penalty and uruguay went on to finish third in the tournament . the following year after his move to liverpool , suarez was found guilty of racially abusing manchester united 's patrice evra . he was fined $ 63,000 and banned for eight matches . last week , after scoring both goals in his side 's 2-1 victory over england , suarez hit out at the british media after claiming he had been unfairly treated over his transgressions . before the game people in england laughed about my attitude over the last few years , ' he told reporters following the game . i want to see what they think now . i have dreamed of this moment . ' suarez enjoyed a sensational season with liverpool -- scoring 31 league goals to help his club qualify for the champions league . he was voted player of the year by his fellow colleagues and also named as the journalists'player of the year too -- awards that reflected a feeling that suarez had put behind him his troubled past . his participation in the world cup had looked in danger when he suffered a knee injury in liverpool 's final game of the season . he was forced to undergo keyhole surgery and missed uruguay 's opening game defeat by costa rica before making a near miraculous return in time to face england just five weeks after his operation , scoring both goals in the south american side 's 2-1 win . uruguay 's next game is likely to be against colombia on saturday in rio de janeiro . meanwhile , italy coach prandelli says he will step down following another world cup disappointment . prandelli , who replaced marcello lippi as coach in 2010 , also failed to guide italy out of the group stage in south africa four years ago . at the end of the match i spoke to the president of the federation , i have told them i am going to resign from my position , ' he told reporters . when there is failure , the person in charge must take responsibility , ' added prandelli , who only extended his contract last month . giancarlo abete , the president of the italian football federation , also announced his resignation while stating he hoped to convince prandelli to stay on . in the group 's other game , costa rica sealed top spot with a goalless draw against england . los ticos , which won both of its previous games , will play its next game in recife on sunday . | uruguay defeats italy 1-0 to book place in knockout phase |
carey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- comedian stephen colbert used his signature humor last week to focus the nation 's attention on a very serious issue : the treatment of the hardworking people who produce our nation 's food supply . some members of congress complained that colbert 's testimony before the house immigration subcommittee was undignified ; others took issue with his invocation of christian values . colbert 's deadpan humor may have been slightly irreverent , but he did the country a service by highlighting congressional inaction on immigration reform and pointedly referencing the issue 's moral dimension . responding to a question from california democratic rep. judy chu about his interest in migrant workers , colbert became uncharacteristically serious , even invoking the words of jesus , who said that whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers , you did it to me ' ( matthew 25:40 ) . colbert , who is a practicing catholic , noted that in today 's troubled economy , there are many least brothers . ' he added , i do n't want to take anyone 's hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that . but migrant workers suffer , and have no rights . ' these were not idle comments . christians take jesus'words as a call to show justice and mercy to those at the very bottom of the social hierarchy . it is a call that jesus embodied in his own life , as he engaged with samaritans , lepers , prostitutes , tax collectors and others treated as outcasts in society . jesus summarized his mission as bringing good news to the poor , freedom for prisoners , recovery of sight for the blind and release for the oppressed ( luke 4:18-19 ) . caring for migrant farmworkers is one way that christians today -- including christian lawmakers -- should follow jesus'example . in 2009 , the national association of evangelicals , which represents some 45,000 churches with millions of constituents , issued a call for immigration reform . in the past year , we have held numerous meetings with members of congress and with white house officials , and we have conducted forums , news conferences and other public events . in one of those events , veteran evangelical civil rights leader john perkins called immigration reform the civil rights struggle of our day . ' why ? while some agricultural operations have become highly mechanized , growing fruits and vegetables is still labor intensive . for decades , farmers have relied on migrant workers , primarily immigrants , to do this difficult but essential work . despite this massive and predictable need , our immigration laws make little provision for the legal entry of immigrant farmworkers . still , the crops must be picked : our economy and food security depend on it . so each year , growers hire tens of thousands of undocumented workers to do some of the most backbreaking jobs in america . as a result , americans enjoy an abundant supply of affordable produce and our economy enjoys a substantial boost . as testimony by colbert and others pointed out , there is a dark side to this story . undocumented farmworkers are poorly paid , enjoy few rights and live in fear of deportation . full disclosure : i descend from generations of farmers and am married to the daughter of a migrant farmworker . i know that farmers face losses from potential labor shortages during critical periods and risk hefty fines for hiring workers without employment visas . state and local governments educate the children of migrants but do n't reap the benefits of their investment because the graduates are not allowed to work legally and become taxpaying citizens . ( undocumented immigrants , of course , pay sales taxes , and many pay social security and income taxes , though they are ineligible for most public benefits . ) none of this is new information to the representatives who gathered in the immigration subcommittee hearing last week to listen to testimony on the proposed agjobs legislation . immigration reform has been debated for years . the basic elements needed to fix our broken immigration system are clear . they include securing our borders , fixing our broken legal immigration system and providing an equitable pathway to earned legal status for the currently undocumented . business , agriculture , labor , faith and immigrant advocate groups are in broad agreement on the solutions . it is an issue on which president obama and former president bush , and many leaders in both parties , have agreed . and yet , after 21 months on the job , the 111th congress has failed even to seriously debate the issues . no bill has come to a vote at even the subcommittee level . politicians may resent colbert 's jokes , but they can scarcely blame the comedian if their constituents are exasperated by congressional inaction on this and other critical issues , despite the many promises on the campaign trail . by mischaracterizing immigration reform as amnesty and open borders ( nothing could be further from the truth ) , pandering to voters'fears and prejudices , and putting short-term political gain ahead of the national interest , they have lost legitimacy in the minds of many . if a slightly irreverent comedian can help to prick the nation 's conscience and move us to finally rectify this long-standing injustice , then we welcome his intervention . members of congress should smile , swallow their medicine and do what they know is right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of galen carey . | christian lawmakers who have let reform languish should follow jesus'example , carey says |
carey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- comedian stephen colbert used his signature humor last week to focus the nation 's attention on a very serious issue : the treatment of the hardworking people who produce our nation 's food supply . some members of congress complained that colbert 's testimony before the house immigration subcommittee was undignified ; others took issue with his invocation of christian values . colbert 's deadpan humor may have been slightly irreverent , but he did the country a service by highlighting congressional inaction on immigration reform and pointedly referencing the issue 's moral dimension . responding to a question from california democratic rep. judy chu about his interest in migrant workers , colbert became uncharacteristically serious , even invoking the words of jesus , who said that whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers , you did it to me ' ( matthew 25:40 ) . colbert , who is a practicing catholic , noted that in today 's troubled economy , there are many least brothers . ' he added , i do n't want to take anyone 's hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that . but migrant workers suffer , and have no rights . ' these were not idle comments . christians take jesus'words as a call to show justice and mercy to those at the very bottom of the social hierarchy . it is a call that jesus embodied in his own life , as he engaged with samaritans , lepers , prostitutes , tax collectors and others treated as outcasts in society . jesus summarized his mission as bringing good news to the poor , freedom for prisoners , recovery of sight for the blind and release for the oppressed ( luke 4:18-19 ) . caring for migrant farmworkers is one way that christians today -- including christian lawmakers -- should follow jesus'example . in 2009 , the national association of evangelicals , which represents some 45,000 churches with millions of constituents , issued a call for immigration reform . in the past year , we have held numerous meetings with members of congress and with white house officials , and we have conducted forums , news conferences and other public events . in one of those events , veteran evangelical civil rights leader john perkins called immigration reform the civil rights struggle of our day . ' why ? while some agricultural operations have become highly mechanized , growing fruits and vegetables is still labor intensive . for decades , farmers have relied on migrant workers , primarily immigrants , to do this difficult but essential work . despite this massive and predictable need , our immigration laws make little provision for the legal entry of immigrant farmworkers . still , the crops must be picked : our economy and food security depend on it . so each year , growers hire tens of thousands of undocumented workers to do some of the most backbreaking jobs in america . as a result , americans enjoy an abundant supply of affordable produce and our economy enjoys a substantial boost . as testimony by colbert and others pointed out , there is a dark side to this story . undocumented farmworkers are poorly paid , enjoy few rights and live in fear of deportation . full disclosure : i descend from generations of farmers and am married to the daughter of a migrant farmworker . i know that farmers face losses from potential labor shortages during critical periods and risk hefty fines for hiring workers without employment visas . state and local governments educate the children of migrants but do n't reap the benefits of their investment because the graduates are not allowed to work legally and become taxpaying citizens . ( undocumented immigrants , of course , pay sales taxes , and many pay social security and income taxes , though they are ineligible for most public benefits . ) none of this is new information to the representatives who gathered in the immigration subcommittee hearing last week to listen to testimony on the proposed agjobs legislation . immigration reform has been debated for years . the basic elements needed to fix our broken immigration system are clear . they include securing our borders , fixing our broken legal immigration system and providing an equitable pathway to earned legal status for the currently undocumented . business , agriculture , labor , faith and immigrant advocate groups are in broad agreement on the solutions . it is an issue on which president obama and former president bush , and many leaders in both parties , have agreed . and yet , after 21 months on the job , the 111th congress has failed even to seriously debate the issues . no bill has come to a vote at even the subcommittee level . politicians may resent colbert 's jokes , but they can scarcely blame the comedian if their constituents are exasperated by congressional inaction on this and other critical issues , despite the many promises on the campaign trail . by mischaracterizing immigration reform as amnesty and open borders ( nothing could be further from the truth ) , pandering to voters'fears and prejudices , and putting short-term political gain ahead of the national interest , they have lost legitimacy in the minds of many . if a slightly irreverent comedian can help to prick the nation 's conscience and move us to finally rectify this long-standing injustice , then we welcome his intervention . members of congress should smile , swallow their medicine and do what they know is right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of galen carey . | carey : instead , by promoting misinformation , fear , lawmakers have lost legitimacy on issue |
carey <tsp> ( cnn ) -- comedian stephen colbert used his signature humor last week to focus the nation 's attention on a very serious issue : the treatment of the hardworking people who produce our nation 's food supply . some members of congress complained that colbert 's testimony before the house immigration subcommittee was undignified ; others took issue with his invocation of christian values . colbert 's deadpan humor may have been slightly irreverent , but he did the country a service by highlighting congressional inaction on immigration reform and pointedly referencing the issue 's moral dimension . responding to a question from california democratic rep. judy chu about his interest in migrant workers , colbert became uncharacteristically serious , even invoking the words of jesus , who said that whatsoever you did for the least of my brothers , you did it to me ' ( matthew 25:40 ) . colbert , who is a practicing catholic , noted that in today 's troubled economy , there are many least brothers . ' he added , i do n't want to take anyone 's hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that . but migrant workers suffer , and have no rights . ' these were not idle comments . christians take jesus'words as a call to show justice and mercy to those at the very bottom of the social hierarchy . it is a call that jesus embodied in his own life , as he engaged with samaritans , lepers , prostitutes , tax collectors and others treated as outcasts in society . jesus summarized his mission as bringing good news to the poor , freedom for prisoners , recovery of sight for the blind and release for the oppressed ( luke 4:18-19 ) . caring for migrant farmworkers is one way that christians today -- including christian lawmakers -- should follow jesus'example . in 2009 , the national association of evangelicals , which represents some 45,000 churches with millions of constituents , issued a call for immigration reform . in the past year , we have held numerous meetings with members of congress and with white house officials , and we have conducted forums , news conferences and other public events . in one of those events , veteran evangelical civil rights leader john perkins called immigration reform the civil rights struggle of our day . ' why ? while some agricultural operations have become highly mechanized , growing fruits and vegetables is still labor intensive . for decades , farmers have relied on migrant workers , primarily immigrants , to do this difficult but essential work . despite this massive and predictable need , our immigration laws make little provision for the legal entry of immigrant farmworkers . still , the crops must be picked : our economy and food security depend on it . so each year , growers hire tens of thousands of undocumented workers to do some of the most backbreaking jobs in america . as a result , americans enjoy an abundant supply of affordable produce and our economy enjoys a substantial boost . as testimony by colbert and others pointed out , there is a dark side to this story . undocumented farmworkers are poorly paid , enjoy few rights and live in fear of deportation . full disclosure : i descend from generations of farmers and am married to the daughter of a migrant farmworker . i know that farmers face losses from potential labor shortages during critical periods and risk hefty fines for hiring workers without employment visas . state and local governments educate the children of migrants but do n't reap the benefits of their investment because the graduates are not allowed to work legally and become taxpaying citizens . ( undocumented immigrants , of course , pay sales taxes , and many pay social security and income taxes , though they are ineligible for most public benefits . ) none of this is new information to the representatives who gathered in the immigration subcommittee hearing last week to listen to testimony on the proposed agjobs legislation . immigration reform has been debated for years . the basic elements needed to fix our broken immigration system are clear . they include securing our borders , fixing our broken legal immigration system and providing an equitable pathway to earned legal status for the currently undocumented . business , agriculture , labor , faith and immigrant advocate groups are in broad agreement on the solutions . it is an issue on which president obama and former president bush , and many leaders in both parties , have agreed . and yet , after 21 months on the job , the 111th congress has failed even to seriously debate the issues . no bill has come to a vote at even the subcommittee level . politicians may resent colbert 's jokes , but they can scarcely blame the comedian if their constituents are exasperated by congressional inaction on this and other critical issues , despite the many promises on the campaign trail . by mischaracterizing immigration reform as amnesty and open borders ( nothing could be further from the truth ) , pandering to voters'fears and prejudices , and putting short-term political gain ahead of the national interest , they have lost legitimacy in the minds of many . if a slightly irreverent comedian can help to prick the nation 's conscience and move us to finally rectify this long-standing injustice , then we welcome his intervention . members of congress should smile , swallow their medicine and do what they know is right . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of galen carey . | galen carey says in house testimony , colbert serious about morality of immigration reform |
barcelona <tsp> ( cnn ) -- inter milan coach jose mourinho has played down the threat posed by barcelona superstar lionel messi as two of european football 's giants face off in the champions league semifinal on tuesday night . messi has been in scintillating form all season , scoring all four goals in barca 's quarterfinal second leg victory over arsenal . the argentine will spearhead the barcelona attack in the first leg clash at milan 's san siro stadium , but mourinho sees the 22-year-old as just one part of a formidable team . what we know is that he is an important player but football , for me , is not about marking man to man , mourniho told reporters at a pre-match press conference in milan . it is not one against messi and 10 versus 10 , it will be 11 v 11 , although he deserves special attention . ' mourinho is charged with plotting a path past the reigning european , spanish and world club champions who are seeking to become the first team to defend the european cup since ac milan in 1990 . inter drew 0-0 at home with barca in the group stage of this season 's competition and were beaten 2-0 in spain . barca deserved to win in november , ' said mourinho , who worked as a translator at barcelona in the 1990s before becoming a manager and leading porto to the champions league trophy in 2004 . they are as strong now as they were then , but we are much stronger . i do n't mind if the football world considers them favorites , i think we have a 50 % chance of playing in the final . ' barcelona arrived in milan on monday evening after being forced to travel for 14 hours by road because of the volcanic ash cloud hovering over europe . it is not the ideal situation for us to travel 14 hours by coach after a league game and before a semi-final against inter , but you can not stop a volcano , can you ? , ' said barca coach josep guardiola . we decided to use two buses to have more space and i did n't travel with the players because i think it 's better for them not to always have their coach with them . ' guardiola is wary of the threat posed by a side who knocked out english premier league leaders chelsea in the last 16 and have won the italian league title the last four years . they 're a very strong team and we 'll need to play well twice . we 'll play our game and try to score as many goals as possible , ' he said . but we could lose because we 're playing against one of the best teams in europe . ' | mourinho plays down threat posed by barcelona star messi in champions league semifinal . |
barcelona <tsp> ( cnn ) -- inter milan coach jose mourinho has played down the threat posed by barcelona superstar lionel messi as two of european football 's giants face off in the champions league semifinal on tuesday night . messi has been in scintillating form all season , scoring all four goals in barca 's quarterfinal second leg victory over arsenal . the argentine will spearhead the barcelona attack in the first leg clash at milan 's san siro stadium , but mourinho sees the 22-year-old as just one part of a formidable team . what we know is that he is an important player but football , for me , is not about marking man to man , mourniho told reporters at a pre-match press conference in milan . it is not one against messi and 10 versus 10 , it will be 11 v 11 , although he deserves special attention . ' mourinho is charged with plotting a path past the reigning european , spanish and world club champions who are seeking to become the first team to defend the european cup since ac milan in 1990 . inter drew 0-0 at home with barca in the group stage of this season 's competition and were beaten 2-0 in spain . barca deserved to win in november , ' said mourinho , who worked as a translator at barcelona in the 1990s before becoming a manager and leading porto to the champions league trophy in 2004 . they are as strong now as they were then , but we are much stronger . i do n't mind if the football world considers them favorites , i think we have a 50 % chance of playing in the final . ' barcelona arrived in milan on monday evening after being forced to travel for 14 hours by road because of the volcanic ash cloud hovering over europe . it is not the ideal situation for us to travel 14 hours by coach after a league game and before a semi-final against inter , but you can not stop a volcano , can you ? , ' said barca coach josep guardiola . we decided to use two buses to have more space and i did n't travel with the players because i think it 's better for them not to always have their coach with them . ' guardiola is wary of the threat posed by a side who knocked out english premier league leaders chelsea in the last 16 and have won the italian league title the last four years . they 're a very strong team and we 'll need to play well twice . we 'll play our game and try to score as many goals as possible , ' he said . but we could lose because we 're playing against one of the best teams in europe . ' | barcelona arrived in milan on monday after a 14-hour journey by road . |
wang <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- wang kang looks every bit what he is : a chinese scholar . with his confucian beard , graying hair and a deep , resonant voice enunciating putonghua tones , he epitomizes gravitas . but it 's not his appearance so much as the power of his story . for wang is one of the few insiders who dare to speak publicly about something most people in china only whisper about : the fall of the man once touted as a potential chinese president . i know i 'm taking a little risk by agreeing to this interview , ' he says . several foreign media have told me they can not find one single person to speak in the vast city of chongqing . no one dares go public . this is sad . ' why bo scandal might not be all bad all of this plays out in this choking metropolis in southwest china . it is a city wang knows well . he is a well-known identity , plugged into local politics and personally familiar with the people at the center of this scandal , which has grown to encompass a murder investigation , allegations of spying , and rumored sexual affairs that have led to the sacking of the party chief , who until last month ruled the city with an iron fist . wang says it all leads back to bo xilai , a man known in china as a princeling , ' the son of a communist revolutionary hero . why the scandal plays bigger abroad bo saw chongqing as the place to make his stand . he drove out criminal gangs , locking up or executing the ring-leaders . all of this to a soundtrack of old-style revolutionary songs and slogans : smash black , sing red he called it . on the streets he won praise , but to his critics bo was orchestrating a naked power grab , wiping out rivals and enemies . the insider , wang , says the crackdown went too far . extortion of confessions through torture was commonplace -- too many unjust and mistaken cases were made in the process . that is for sure , ' he says . bo fashioned himself on china 's fabled leader mao zedong . wang says bo tried to recreate the mao era and frightened communist reformers , making new enemies . he 's been playing the role of mao 's successor , ' he opines . he was visiting pla camps and giving the soldiers mao 's bust as a gift . none of the other politicians has ever done that . i think it has been a huge misjudgment of bo . going back to mao 's path is definitely not an option . that has proven to be a dead end . mao led a road to ruin . ' this particular path has lead to bo 's own ruin . his inner circle turned on itself . in february his police chief fled and sought asylum in a united states consulate . diplomatic , political and business sources now paint a picture of a man fearing for his life after linking bo 's own wife to the murder of a british businessman . neil heywood was a fixer . he linked british firms with chinese companies . he even did some work for a firm run by former british spies . heywood , who was married to a chinese woman , then befriended bo and his wife gu kailai . somewhere it all allegedly went sour . rumors now abound , each more sensational and lurid than the last , and equally hard to substantiate . but they are explosive : now police suspect bo 's wife had heywood killed . it 's said in the official report that gu was involved in the murder of heywood . as for her motive , i think it 's either struggling over financial interests or disagreements related to their personal affair , ' wang says . it somehow became impossible for gu to end this relationship with heywood . my guess is both factors exist . they were involved both financially and romantically . ' intimate relations , suspected murder , political intrigue : all of it leading to a hotel on the outskirts of chongqing . cnn gained access and found a place well past its glory days . stained walls and bedrooms with worn bedding and chipped furniture . but from this rundown hotel , to the corridors of the great hall of the people , the downfall of bo and his wife is not just about a family in disgrace . wang , the man who wo n't keep quiet , says china has glimpsed its future . on the one hand , a return to mao 's cultural revolution with bo personally pushing a hard line rule . on the other , greater freedom and reform , a government more responsive to the people with protection for all under the law . one leader has fallen , but wang says china may have taken big steps to saving itself in the process . | wang kang is personally familiar with the people at the center of the bo xilai scandal |
wang <tsp> beijing ( cnn ) -- wang kang looks every bit what he is : a chinese scholar . with his confucian beard , graying hair and a deep , resonant voice enunciating putonghua tones , he epitomizes gravitas . but it 's not his appearance so much as the power of his story . for wang is one of the few insiders who dare to speak publicly about something most people in china only whisper about : the fall of the man once touted as a potential chinese president . i know i 'm taking a little risk by agreeing to this interview , ' he says . several foreign media have told me they can not find one single person to speak in the vast city of chongqing . no one dares go public . this is sad . ' why bo scandal might not be all bad all of this plays out in this choking metropolis in southwest china . it is a city wang knows well . he is a well-known identity , plugged into local politics and personally familiar with the people at the center of this scandal , which has grown to encompass a murder investigation , allegations of spying , and rumored sexual affairs that have led to the sacking of the party chief , who until last month ruled the city with an iron fist . wang says it all leads back to bo xilai , a man known in china as a princeling , ' the son of a communist revolutionary hero . why the scandal plays bigger abroad bo saw chongqing as the place to make his stand . he drove out criminal gangs , locking up or executing the ring-leaders . all of this to a soundtrack of old-style revolutionary songs and slogans : smash black , sing red he called it . on the streets he won praise , but to his critics bo was orchestrating a naked power grab , wiping out rivals and enemies . the insider , wang , says the crackdown went too far . extortion of confessions through torture was commonplace -- too many unjust and mistaken cases were made in the process . that is for sure , ' he says . bo fashioned himself on china 's fabled leader mao zedong . wang says bo tried to recreate the mao era and frightened communist reformers , making new enemies . he 's been playing the role of mao 's successor , ' he opines . he was visiting pla camps and giving the soldiers mao 's bust as a gift . none of the other politicians has ever done that . i think it has been a huge misjudgment of bo . going back to mao 's path is definitely not an option . that has proven to be a dead end . mao led a road to ruin . ' this particular path has lead to bo 's own ruin . his inner circle turned on itself . in february his police chief fled and sought asylum in a united states consulate . diplomatic , political and business sources now paint a picture of a man fearing for his life after linking bo 's own wife to the murder of a british businessman . neil heywood was a fixer . he linked british firms with chinese companies . he even did some work for a firm run by former british spies . heywood , who was married to a chinese woman , then befriended bo and his wife gu kailai . somewhere it all allegedly went sour . rumors now abound , each more sensational and lurid than the last , and equally hard to substantiate . but they are explosive : now police suspect bo 's wife had heywood killed . it 's said in the official report that gu was involved in the murder of heywood . as for her motive , i think it 's either struggling over financial interests or disagreements related to their personal affair , ' wang says . it somehow became impossible for gu to end this relationship with heywood . my guess is both factors exist . they were involved both financially and romantically . ' intimate relations , suspected murder , political intrigue : all of it leading to a hotel on the outskirts of chongqing . cnn gained access and found a place well past its glory days . stained walls and bedrooms with worn bedding and chipped furniture . but from this rundown hotel , to the corridors of the great hall of the people , the downfall of bo and his wife is not just about a family in disgrace . wang , the man who wo n't keep quiet , says china has glimpsed its future . on the one hand , a return to mao 's cultural revolution with bo personally pushing a hard line rule . on the other , greater freedom and reform , a government more responsive to the people with protection for all under the law . one leader has fallen , but wang says china may have taken big steps to saving itself in the process . | wang : demise of chongqing party chief may be good for china itself |
madison <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rapper fat joe and others in his entourage were briefly detained and questioned early monday after a woman reported an alleged sexual assault , madison , wisconsin , police said . the 33-year-old madison woman called police with a complaint of inappropriate touching ' after fat joe -- whose real name is joseph cartagena -- performed at the city 's orpheum theater sunday night , a police report said . cartagena 's lawyer said the woman was a pretender groupie ' who was attempting to shake down ' the rapper for money . shortly after the concert ended , the woman found herself inside of a cadillac limousine with joseph cartagena and other male subjects all with the destination of a hotel located on madison 's west side , ' the police report said . the address listed by police is on the university of wisconsin campus , a half mile from the theater . there were allegations of inappropriate touching involving the female , and after some time had elapsed , the female reported this matter to madison police , ' the report said . cartagena and the others in his entourage were released after they were questioned , but the investigation continued , police said . attorney dawn florio issued a statement tuesday about what she said were false allegations made by a woman who initially posed as a fan and later claimed to be the victim of an assault after demanding money . ' at no point did mr. cartagena or any member of his entourage assault or have any improper contact with the woman , ' florio said . it is truly unfortunate that false allegations such as these cause the public to doubt the claims of actual victims of sexual assaults . ' cnn 's denise quan contributed to this report . | incident followed rapper 's show in madison , wisconsin |
lgbt <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- this year , as for the past 12 years or more , parishioners from st. francis xavier roman catholic church have marched under their church banner in new york 's colorful gay pride parade . but this year , there was a difference . their banner was blank , missing the name of the church . new york 's archbishop timothy dolan asked the church 's pastor to keep st. francis'name out of the picture . the parish was told that the archdiocese 's spiritual leader was concerned the church might be seen as endorsing some elements of the gay pride march that may advocate a promiscuous lifestyle . our people are not endorsing that at all , ' said the church 's pastor , the rev . joe costantino . members of the gay ministries of st. francis xavier say they view the parade as an opportunity to welcome gay catholics back into the fold . they hand out welcome brochures to reach out to anyone watching the march . perhaps some people come to st. francis because they do n't feel judged , ' said stephanie samoy , a self-proclaimed lesbian who has been active in the parish for several years . i do n't know if it 's the holy spirit , but there 's love ... the presence of the savior , ' said samoy . for years , samoy and other parishioners have taken their spirit to the streets , proud to advertise their church . it 's empowering , it 's refreshing , it 's a mission , and people need to know there 's a place they can come home to , ' said samoy . she said when parishioners heard about keeping their church 's name under wraps in the march , many in the church 's gay ministries were n't happy . i was like , hell no , ' said samoy . then , she said the lgbt -- lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender -- ministries together decided to march with a blank banner and continue to distribute their brochures . we are honoring his request , ' she said of the archbishop . but they also wore t-shirts on which they printed the st. francis xavier name . a compromise , samoy said , that they and their pastor accept . for me , the blank banner stands for ,'we 've been silenced .'for me , that 's also very powerful and we can -- i can -- live with that this year . ' a spokesman for archbishop dolan told cnn he had no comment . | church 's ministries for lgbt communities invite gay catholics back to church |
catholics <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- this year , as for the past 12 years or more , parishioners from st. francis xavier roman catholic church have marched under their church banner in new york 's colorful gay pride parade . but this year , there was a difference . their banner was blank , missing the name of the church . new york 's archbishop timothy dolan asked the church 's pastor to keep st. francis'name out of the picture . the parish was told that the archdiocese 's spiritual leader was concerned the church might be seen as endorsing some elements of the gay pride march that may advocate a promiscuous lifestyle . our people are not endorsing that at all , ' said the church 's pastor , the rev . joe costantino . members of the gay ministries of st. francis xavier say they view the parade as an opportunity to welcome gay catholics back into the fold . they hand out welcome brochures to reach out to anyone watching the march . perhaps some people come to st. francis because they do n't feel judged , ' said stephanie samoy , a self-proclaimed lesbian who has been active in the parish for several years . i do n't know if it 's the holy spirit , but there 's love ... the presence of the savior , ' said samoy . for years , samoy and other parishioners have taken their spirit to the streets , proud to advertise their church . it 's empowering , it 's refreshing , it 's a mission , and people need to know there 's a place they can come home to , ' said samoy . she said when parishioners heard about keeping their church 's name under wraps in the march , many in the church 's gay ministries were n't happy . i was like , hell no , ' said samoy . then , she said the lgbt -- lesbian , gay , bisexual , transgender -- ministries together decided to march with a blank banner and continue to distribute their brochures . we are honoring his request , ' she said of the archbishop . but they also wore t-shirts on which they printed the st. francis xavier name . a compromise , samoy said , that they and their pastor accept . for me , the blank banner stands for ,'we 've been silenced .'for me , that 's also very powerful and we can -- i can -- live with that this year . ' a spokesman for archbishop dolan told cnn he had no comment . | church 's ministries for lgbt communities invite gay catholics back to church |
germany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a twist of fate , the hosts'vanquishers became the heroes . germany 's mario götze 's late , late strike made the difference in the final against argentina , and his sublime goal prevented brazil 's neighbors and arch-rivals from lifting the trophy . the two finalists played out an entertaining match that left both the teams'fans and neutrals on the edge of their seats until almost the last kick of the game . ultimately , all it lacked was the goals that these brazil crowds have come to expect . huge street party the german capital came alive at the final whistle , with cars taking to the packed streets , waving german flags and scarves . up to 500,000 fans packed into the huge fan zone in the center of the city , which was extended to 1.3 kilometer from the city 's iconic brandenburg gate to accommodate the throngs of expectant fans . the city , whose mood was n't dampened by the rain that fell throughout the match , hosted fans from all over the country , and beyond . the crowd in the mitte district of berlin erupted as götze 's goal went in on the 113th minute . the bayern munich star took andre schürrle 's pass on his chest before displaying exquisite technique to volley the ball past sergio romero . the raucous street parties that followed were intermittently interrupted by celebratory car horns . it is the country 's fourth world cup , and its first as a unified germany . fans in the capital told cnn that they planned to party well into the early hours of the morning . traveling fans celebrate in rio outside rio de janerio 's famous stadium , german fans were equally delirious . i feel very , very good , this is the best day of my life , ' a exuberant fan named lars told cnn outside the stadium . we say before the maracana , this is an amazing place , but i must say this is a fantastic day for my whole life . ' many of the argentinian spectators at the maracana in rio left before the award presentation was over , distressed and angry at their team 's narrow defeat . the heartbreak continues , at least for another four years , when the tournament will kick off again in russia . in the end , though , no one could begrudge germany their fourth world cup . the team which triumphed also scored the highest number of goals , and produced arguably the most exciting football -- including that 7-1 blowout against the hosts in the semifinal . throughout this match and the tournament , germany coach joachim löw 's men dominated possession and passing . here , germany weathered the storm of argentina chances . team spirit ' ' we 've always played good football and i believe that over this tournament , over seven matches , we 've shown the best performances of any of the teams here in brazil , ' löw said . the boys have also developed a team spirit which is unbelievable . it was good that we had played who could come on and make an impact , and [ mario ] götze is a miracle boy -- a boy wonder . i always knew he could decide the match . ' argentina coach alejandro sabella was magnanimous in defeat , and reserved special praise for his team , who made it to their first final in 24 years . my players were warriors and i congratulated them afterward because , beyond the sadness of the result , a coach must always assess his team 's performance -- and i believe that was quite good , ' he said after the final whistle . they left everything on the pitch . ' the german players marveled at a result which stemmed from many years work , which began under the previous coach , jurgen klinsmann . lasting legacy ' it is unbelievable , ' german keeper manuel neuer , who also picked up the tournament 's golden glove award for best goalkeeper , told german football magazine kicker . the team has done superbly , not only the players , but also the team behind the team . at some point we will stop celebrating , but we will always stand up again with a smile . ' the feeling of incredulity was echoed by his teammate , captain philipp lahm , who lifted trophy in front of thousands of fans in rio , alongside ten world leaders , including the german chancellor , angela merkel . it 's unbelievable what we have achieved , ' said the bayern munich defender . we improved throughout the tournament and did n't get down when things did n't always go our way . we just stuck to our path and at the end we 're standing here as world champions . it 's an unbelievable feeling . the team stayed calm and patient , we knew that we had something left at the end . ' positive press the world 's sports media praised the german victory , with andy brassell of bleacher report uk tweeting , germany deserving winners , on the night and overall . thoroughly satisfying final between two really good sides , though . ' cbs'jason la canfora tweeted his agreement . amazing tourney for germany . we 'll ( sic ) deserved . began by thrashing portugal and ended by beating both south american giants . best team won . ' lionel messi , named golden ball winner for an outstanding tournament , could n't fulfill his destiny in the final . plagued by comparisons with that other argentine great , diego maradona , messi could n't replicate his usual form in this match . however , sabella dismissed suggestions that this left him short of maradona 's achievements . he 's already an all-time great , ' he said . he 's very tired after a long season . ' coping with loss argentina 's javier mascherano , who kept his team 's hopes alive with a heroic , last-ditch tackle on arjen robben during the semifinal against the netherlands , said that the pain of losing was immense . ' the teary-eyed vice-captain , who has likely seen his last world cup finals , said that while his team had the lion 's share of chances , they could n't convert them . we wanted to win this for the people of argentina , for those who came here to support us , but we lost . we have represented our country the best we could , though . we have to lift our heads despite the pain . we gave everything we could out there . and we only had to last another five minutes at the end . we just did n't have that little bit of luck that you need in a final . ' bizarre moments at the world cup final four takeaways from world cup 2014 correction : we originally stated that götze scored in the 119th minute , not the 113th . this has now been amended . | germany wins world cup with a hard-fought extra-time goal |
michelle obama <tsp> ( cnn ) katherine kuczynski was a cryptologic technician in the u.s. navy . the post required obtaining and maintaining security clearance and performing tasks in support of national intelligence-gathering efforts , with an emphasis on cryptology , she told me . her work earned her a joint service achievement medal for exceptionally meritorious achievement , ' explained kuczynski , of new baltimore , michigan . and yet the single mother of three children , now 12 , 11 and 9 , found herself unemployed numerous times during the past several years . since leaving the military in 2003 , she has held jobs ranging from home improvement to store clerk to security guard . kuczynski 's experience is , sadly , all too familiar to veterans , especially women who served . the unemployment rate for female veterans who have been discharged since september 11 , 2001 , was 9.3 % in 2013 , versus about 8 % for male vets , according to a report from the disabled american veterans . the difference in unemployment between female and male veterans is even more dramatic when you consider veterans of wars in iraq and afghanistan : for women , the rate was 11.2 % last month , 5 points higher than it was for men , according to the bureau of labor statistics . 5 ways to honor veterans beyond veteran 's day ' women veterans are still having a harder time finding jobs than their male counterparts , ' first lady michelle obama said at a white house event monday designed to put a spotlight on the issue . but why ? we do n't have a definitive answer , but here are some possible contributing factors . one-quarter of female service members are married to other service members , and military spousal unemployment rates are five times higher than those of other women in their peer group , according to col. steve parker , executive director of joining forces , the joint initiative from obama and jill biden to support military families . the transient nature of being a military spouse , sometimes moving every two or three years , makes it very difficult to get a new job . female veterans also do n't all readily identify themselves as veterans , ' parker said . we 've got a number of preferential efforts going to hire veterans , but you have women veterans in some cases who are opting out of using that on their resume , ' he added . also , there are fewer health services in the department of veterans affairs specifically designed for female veterans ; some question whether that impacts their ability to successfully transition from the military . for instance , a third of va medical centers do n't have a gynecologist on staff . almost one-third of va clinics do n't have the staff to provide the necessary treatment to the one in five female veterans who say they experienced sexual trauma in the military , according to the report from the disabled american veterans . currently , 14.5 % of the 1.4 million active military members are women . at an event monday for joining forces , the first lady addressed an audience of female service members , including many who are still looking for work . the fact that any of you are worrying about where your next paycheck is going to come from or struggling to put food on the table -- that should be appalling to all of us as americans , ' obama said . when they ca n't find jobs , the effects extend far beyond the veterans themselves . the average male veteran is single , but the average female veteran is a parent , if not a spouse . so you 've got a family dynamic that 's impacted negatively when they 're unemployed ... so this is one of our more vulnerable populations , ' parker said . if we want take care of veterans and families , we 've got to focus on female veterans . ' 5 things you may not know about post-traumatic stress the first lady , who made the issue of female veterans'unemployment the centerpiece of an interview with redbook for its november issue , touted a number of new commitments from major companies . linkedin is helping veterans import their profiles onto the relatively new veterans employment center website , which has more than a million job postings for positions in the public and private sectors . the company is also offering veterans a free one-year subscription to all of its premium job-seeker tools . online educational platform coursera is providing all veterans with one free verified certificate for select courses in high-demand fields ranging from data science to cybersecurity and health care . some industries are also stepping up efforts to recruit female veterans directly , such as the sheet metal and air conditioning industry . leah rambo , director of training for the local 28 sheet metal apprenticeship program , which covers new york and parts of long island , often makes sure a female veteran is on hand at military job fairs . the truth is , women do n't apply , and oftentimes , minorities do n't apply , because they simply do n't know it 's available ( and ) do n't know they can do it , and the easiest way to dispel that is just to put someone there that looks like you , ' she said . during the most recent recruitment period in july , 7 % of the veterans who applied were women -- a number that has been steadily going up , rambo said . thank you for your service , vets ! now try finding a job kuczynski , the navy veteran , got interested in the sheet metal trade when her grandfather introduced her to it as a kid . i remember him coming home from work and telling me that i could do anything a boy could do , if not better , and i really took that to heart , ' she said . she decided to pursue a career in the industry and is currently a journeyman sheet metal worker , which involves assembling , installing and repairing sheet metal equipment products and structures . as a former military person , i thought this would be a great fit ... because the military grooms you to be a leader . further , i thought it would be a great job to raise three children on my own . ' she applauds efforts by the international training institute , the education arm of the sheet metal and air conditioning industry , to actively target female veterans . said rambo , there 's no reason why a person risked life and limb and then ( does ) not have a job afterward . to me , it 's kind of the least that you can do . ' why do you think unemployment is higher for female veterans than male vets ? tell kelly wallace on twitter or cnn living on facebook . cnn 's courtney battle contributed to this story . | michelle obama : veterans struggling to find jobs should be appalling to all of us ' |
ebay <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the death of james gandolfini , best known as tony soprano on hbo 's the sopranos , brought a wave of nostalgia and entrepreneurship to ebay on wednesday night . newly listed ' items populated the online auction site . vying for top billing were autographed photos , dvds of the show and even a signed baseball ( $ 149 ) . given soprano 's popularity , it brought a new meaning to no . 1 , with a bullet . there was tough guy james gandolfini with arms crossed on the cover of season one of the sopranos . ' the collection doubled in value before the online gavel fell . tough guy james gandolfini with a pistol had a $ 55 bid . and a portrait of tough guy james gandolfini smoking a cigar was going for 81 bucks .'sopranos ,'gandolfini left mark on n.j. businesses meanwhile , bids for a color 8-by-10 photo of the actor jumped nearly $ 50 shortly after news broke of gandolfini 's death in italy at age 51 . that photo sold for $ 261 . a search of ebay and craigslist showed a slew of items -- mostly autographed photos -- marking tv shows and movies in gandolfini 's career . entertainers , politicians mourn gandolfini a signed photo on ebay came with the description , rip james gandolfini 1961-2013 . ' another image , signed by five sopranos ' cast members , jumped from $ 152 to $ 255 by late wednesday , with 22 hours of bidding to go . best quotes from the mouth of tony soprano on craigslist , a the sopranos ' season premiere clock , labeled , extremely rare , ' had been going for $ 25 . the complete series on dvd was listed at $ 175 . its listing included this enticement : lost scenes saved from the editing room . ' | hundreds of gandolfini , the sopranos ' items featured on ebay |
chuck hagel <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- sen. barack obama and iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki on monday discussed a general time horizon ' for any american troop withdrawals from iraq , al-maliki 's office said . sen. barack obama rides in a helicopter monday with gen. david petraeus in baghdad , iraq . obama -- who has made ending the iraq war a cornerstone of his run for office -- engaged in what were described as productive talks with al-maliki during a trip to iraq . the iraqi government has been pushing for the united states to set a general timetable to spell out troop withdrawals . iraqi vice president tariq al-hashimi also met with obama monday and told reporters afterward they discussed the security agreement . i told sen. obama ( that ) iraqi and american negotiations regarding this are ongoing , and today new iraqi-american negotiations on this agreement have started with iraqi written proposals and have a timetable for the withdrawal of u.s. troops from iraq , ' he said . the bush administration has opposed timetables for troop withdrawals . but al-maliki and president bush last week agreed to a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals ' on troop cuts . the prime minister reiterated that principle with obama , according to a statement from al-maliki 's office . developments of the situation and the circumstances is what will decide the presence of foreign troops in iraq , but without keeping open-ended dates , ' al-maliki said , according to a statement from his office . with the developments on the ground , we can set a vision and clear horizons regarding this issue , and this is a view both sides agree on in the ongoing negotiations . ' al-maliki 's office quoted obama as saying he is supportive and committed to preserving the gains achieved by the iraqi government ' under al-maliki 's leadership and that he admires the prime minister 's courage . obama has proposed withdrawing u.s. combat troops from iraq within 16 months of taking office . spokesman ali al-dabbagh said the iraqi government 's vision ' is that most u.s. combat troops would be out of iraq by 2010 . asked if that stance is part of the current negotiations , al-dabbagh said , no . this is the iraqi vision . ' ireport.com : tell us the most important thing the next president needs to know about iraq a german magazine on saturday quoted al-maliki as saying he backed obama 's proposal , but al-dabbagh has said that his remarks were misunderstood , mistranslated and not conveyed accurately . ' in a statement sunday , the magazine , der spiegel , said it stands by its version of this interview . ' in the magazine interview , al-maliki did not indicate that he was endorsing obama over sen. john mccain , the presumptive republican nominee . mccain does not think american troops should return to the united states until iraqi forces are capable of maintaining a safe , democratic state . he has been a strong advocate of the surge ' -- the 2007 escalation of u.s. troops -- and has said troops should stay in iraq as long as needed . louisiana gov . bobby jindal -- who 's been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for mccain -- on monday criticized obama 's push to remove troops in 16 months as an arbitrary timetable based on politics versus a plan based on the actual results on the ground . ' one of the reasons i 'm supporting [ mccain ] -- he has made it clear he would rather lose an election than lose a war . he 's made it very clear -- let 's listen to the commanders on the ground , ' jindal said on cnn 's american morning . ' mccain last week chided obama for laying out his plans for iraq and afghanistan before talking to gen. david petraeus , the head of u.s. troops in iraq . obama met with petraeus and ryan crocker , the u.s. ambassador to iraq , in baghdad on monday . he also met with tariq al-hashimi , a sunni arab who is one of iraq 's two vice presidents ; lt. gen. lloyd austin , commander of multi-national corps-iraq ; british maj. gen. barney white spunner , commander of multi-national division south east ; and maj. general abdul aziz , the iraqi army 's 14th division commander . obama 's stop in iraq marks his second visit to the country . the presumptive democratic presidential nominee 's trip abroad began in kuwait and afghanistan and will go on to jordan , israel , the west bank , germany , france and britain . the senator from illinois first visited iraq in 2006 . see the stops on obama 's trip » obama arrived monday afternoon in the southern city of basra , according to u.s. embassy spokesman armand cucciniello . obama is traveling with sen. jack reed of rhode island , a leading democrat on the senate armed services committee , and sen. chuck hagel , a nebraska republican who serves on the foreign relations committee and is an outspoken critic of the iraq war . obama has said that if he 's elected , he would commit more troops to afghanistan and would order the military to end the war in iraq , which he has called a dangerous distraction ' from the afghan battle . obama spent saturday and sunday in afghanistan , where he met with u.s. troops at three bases and with afghan president hamid karzai -- a leader the democratic senator has criticized for doing too little to rebuild the war-torn nation . watch obama meet karzai , u.s. soldiers in afghanistan » the fight in afghanistan recently has become a more pressing issue on the political radar . more coalition forces have died in afghanistan than in iraq in may , june and so far in july . last week , in a major address laying out his foreign policy position , obama said , as should have been apparent to president bush and sen. mccain , the central front in the war on terror is not iraq , and it never was . ' he said part of his strategy would be taking the fight to al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan . ' cnn 's jomana karadsheh , frederik pleitgen and mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report . | sens . jack reed and chuck hagel accompany obama on trip |
air view <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when is a touchscreen not a touchscreen ? increasingly , it 's when your smartphone reads your eyes , gestures and movements to perform basic functions without tapping the screen at all . that was samsung 's point thursday with the rollout of the new galaxy s iv , the latest from the company 's flagship line and the first android-based phone to seriously challenge apple 's iphone for dominance in the mobile market . the phone will be available on all major u.s. carriers by the end of april . from reading to web surfing to answering calls , the new handset will give users the ability to use the phone sometimes without even needing to hold it . consumer reports , after a hands-on with the device , declared that while it falls short of being revolutionary , it brims with clever capabilities . ' chief among those capabilities , the iconic product reviewers said , are its touch-free features . you can do a lot with the galaxy s 4 without ever touching it , ' wrote mike gikas , who demoed the device . the only other phones that can do this are samsung 's jumbo-screen galaxy notes , but those require you use an s pen stylus , which the s4 does not have . ' the non-touch feature that probably will get the most use is air view , which lets you simply hover a finger ( or , we suppose , any alternate body part ) over the camera sensor to get a larger pop-up . it works with e-mail , photos and videos , calendars and the galaxy 's backed-in version of flipboard , the news-aggregator app . this is similar to what users of the galaxy note can already do , but it does n't require the s-pen stylus . layered on top of that is air gesture . users do n't even have to be holding their phone to use this . simply swipe a finger through the air sideways and you can toggle from screen to screen , or up and down to scroll through something you 're reading . air gestures also can be used to answer a phone call . again , all of these movements are tracked by the phone 's front-facing camera . smart pause is an advance on a feature already available on the galaxy s iii . it was rumored that the new phone would read eye movements , but instead it 's the user 's head that triggers this feature . it 's designed to tell when you 're actually looking at your screen , keeping its sleep mode from kicking in when you are and shutting down to save battery life when you 're not . now , smart pause also will pause a video if you look away . when ( you 're ) watching a video and suddenly someone calls you and you get distracted , the video automatically stops without pressing a thing , ' lee young hee , executive vice president at samsung mobile , said at thursday 's event . smart scroll builds on that feature . while you 're looking at the screen , you can tilt the phone backward or forward to scroll up and down . while the ability to scroll by tilting a phone is a feature we 've seen on some earlier android models , its automated activation is new , ' wrote gikas of consumer reports . i found this capability worked better than i thought it might , engaging quickly whenever i stared at the screen . ' and there 's good news for owners of the galaxy s iii . samsung vice president nick dicarlo told pc magazine that they 'll be getting some of the iv 's software upgrades . anything that we can do that 's not dependent on hardware like infrared , we 'll definitely bring to all the flagship devices , ' he said . the question , of course , is whether users , even those excited about the phone and its new hardware and software , will actually use the gesture controls . nilay patel , managing editor of tech blog the verge , told cnn that he suspects the s iv 's camera upgrades will be more significant . it feels very gimmicky , ' he said of the hands-free features . the tricks about tracking your eyes and waving at the screen , i do n't think anybody 's really asking for that stuff . ' what do you think about the new galaxy phone 's features ? let us know in the comments . | air view will let users expand content by hovering a finger over the screen |
fbi <tsp> san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- a man accused of threatening house speaker nancy pelosi wept thursday as he talked to his attorney before a federal court hearing . gregory l. giusti , 48 , was charged with making obscene , threatening or harassing phone calls . he was not asked to submit a plea and remained in custody pending a further hearing . a justice department news release said the maximum penalty for the charge was two years'imprisonment and a fine of $ 250,000 . giusti was arrested wednesday in san francisco , where pelosi 's home district is located , according to fbi spokesman joseph schadler . pelosi is the top democrat in the u.s. house and was a leading figure in efforts to win congressional approval of sweeping health care legislation . a statement from pelosi 's office said the arrest occurred after an investigation into threats against ' the speaker . it thanked law enforcement officials and said pelosi would have no further comment at this time . threats against u.s. senators and representatives increased as congress completed work last month on the health care bill , which was unanimously opposed by republicans . in addition , conservative activists around the country protested the bill . most of the reported threats were against democrats , though there were some against republicans . on tuesday , the justice department announced the arrest of a 64-year-old washington state resident for allegedly issuing death threats against democratic sen. patty murray of washington state , who supported the health care bill . a department statement said the suspect , identified as charles alan wilson of selah , washington , made the threats in phone messages to murray 's office between march 22 and april 4 . wilson allegedly stated that murray had a target on her back ' and that he wanted to kill her , according to the statement , which said the threats were in response to congressional passage of the health care bill . cnn 's dan simon contributed to this report . | fbi says arrest occurred after an investigation into threats against ' pelosi |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- aside from winning his home state of georgia and the bordering state of south carolina , newt gingrich has had a lackluster performance in the republican race . it is about time for gingrich to step out of the race and endorse rick santorum . on super tuesday , gingrich was fourth behind ron paul , who almost everyone acknowledges has no chance to win the nomination , in no fewer than four states . he finished respectably in oklahoma ( 27 % ) and tennessee ( 23 % ) , but still badly trailed santorum -- and even mitt romney -- in these conservative states where he would have had the best chance to garner support . since then , santorum swept the kansas caucuses . gingrich is now making a strong effort in two other deep south states , alabama and mississippi , and his staffers are intimating that if he does not do well there he will leave the race . it may be dawning on gingrich that his chance of winning the gop nomination is quickly receding and that he needs to think more about the conservative cause and what 's best for the republican party . gingrich and santorum have been competing for many of the same voters . had gingrich not been in the race , santorum would probably have won more contests , including the biggest prize of ohio , as well as the michigan primary . it seems fairly certain that without gingrich , santorum would now be the clear front-runner and some people would be calling for romney to depart the race . santorum has positioned himself not only as the conservative alternative to romney but the only candidate who can still snatch the nomination from him . although romney has been touted for some time as the likely nominee and received many endorsements , he simply has not caught on with a sizable part of the party 's base . from the beginning of the campaign season , this has been the case . he won a narrow victory in ohio and in his home state of michigan because of moderate republican voters in urban and suburban areas . some republicans believe that romney is the strongest candidate to run against president barack obama because he is most capable of broadening the party 's electoral base in the fall . however , romney ca n't even broaden his own base within the party . when november comes , it 's not so clear that he can win the same urban and suburban voters who have reliably voted democratic in the past . and if at the same time he fails to gain enough support among the rest of the republican base , then he certainly wo n't be able to generate the turnout he needs to win . moreover , his weakness with the republican base has been reinforced by questions about his character , including his tendency to give off the impression of brahmin aloofness , spend lavishly and use negative campaigning . the republican establishment has encouraged the semi-marginalization of a substantial part of the party 's base this year by insistently claiming that only a moderate ' can win -- by which it seems to mean someone with an unclear message and unsettled convictions . this sounds like a recipe for defeat . the establishment has not only disconnected itself from the preferences of many of its rank-and-file -- without whom the party surely can not win -- but it has also shown itself to be oblivious to the historical record . while it has not always been the case , republican moderates often lose . just think of wendell willkie , thomas dewey ( twice ) , gerald ford , george h. w. bush ( his re-election bid ) , bob dole and john mccain . some of these men were much less philosophically murky than romney . public policy polling has confirmed what most observers intuitively know : gingrich 's voters would mostly go to santorum . if gingrich were to bow out , it would finally permit the kind of one-on-one race -- conservative versus moderate -- that would make clear where the rank-and-file wants the republican party to go and where its true electoral strength this year lies . let 's see whether republican voters really want a moderate of romney 's stripe to lead them . gingrich has performed his service by showing that clear , pointed and intellectually well-formulated challenges to the country 's current political drift will draw attention and support . unless he wins handsomely in the deep south , it 's time to let santorum -- whose intellectual and rhetorical gifts are not far behind gingrich 's -- lead the charge by himself . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of stephen m. krason . | krason : santorum is the only candidate who can take gop nomination from romney |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- aside from winning his home state of georgia and the bordering state of south carolina , newt gingrich has had a lackluster performance in the republican race . it is about time for gingrich to step out of the race and endorse rick santorum . on super tuesday , gingrich was fourth behind ron paul , who almost everyone acknowledges has no chance to win the nomination , in no fewer than four states . he finished respectably in oklahoma ( 27 % ) and tennessee ( 23 % ) , but still badly trailed santorum -- and even mitt romney -- in these conservative states where he would have had the best chance to garner support . since then , santorum swept the kansas caucuses . gingrich is now making a strong effort in two other deep south states , alabama and mississippi , and his staffers are intimating that if he does not do well there he will leave the race . it may be dawning on gingrich that his chance of winning the gop nomination is quickly receding and that he needs to think more about the conservative cause and what 's best for the republican party . gingrich and santorum have been competing for many of the same voters . had gingrich not been in the race , santorum would probably have won more contests , including the biggest prize of ohio , as well as the michigan primary . it seems fairly certain that without gingrich , santorum would now be the clear front-runner and some people would be calling for romney to depart the race . santorum has positioned himself not only as the conservative alternative to romney but the only candidate who can still snatch the nomination from him . although romney has been touted for some time as the likely nominee and received many endorsements , he simply has not caught on with a sizable part of the party 's base . from the beginning of the campaign season , this has been the case . he won a narrow victory in ohio and in his home state of michigan because of moderate republican voters in urban and suburban areas . some republicans believe that romney is the strongest candidate to run against president barack obama because he is most capable of broadening the party 's electoral base in the fall . however , romney ca n't even broaden his own base within the party . when november comes , it 's not so clear that he can win the same urban and suburban voters who have reliably voted democratic in the past . and if at the same time he fails to gain enough support among the rest of the republican base , then he certainly wo n't be able to generate the turnout he needs to win . moreover , his weakness with the republican base has been reinforced by questions about his character , including his tendency to give off the impression of brahmin aloofness , spend lavishly and use negative campaigning . the republican establishment has encouraged the semi-marginalization of a substantial part of the party 's base this year by insistently claiming that only a moderate ' can win -- by which it seems to mean someone with an unclear message and unsettled convictions . this sounds like a recipe for defeat . the establishment has not only disconnected itself from the preferences of many of its rank-and-file -- without whom the party surely can not win -- but it has also shown itself to be oblivious to the historical record . while it has not always been the case , republican moderates often lose . just think of wendell willkie , thomas dewey ( twice ) , gerald ford , george h. w. bush ( his re-election bid ) , bob dole and john mccain . some of these men were much less philosophically murky than romney . public policy polling has confirmed what most observers intuitively know : gingrich 's voters would mostly go to santorum . if gingrich were to bow out , it would finally permit the kind of one-on-one race -- conservative versus moderate -- that would make clear where the rank-and-file wants the republican party to go and where its true electoral strength this year lies . let 's see whether republican voters really want a moderate of romney 's stripe to lead them . gingrich has performed his service by showing that clear , pointed and intellectually well-formulated challenges to the country 's current political drift will draw attention and support . unless he wins handsomely in the deep south , it 's time to let santorum -- whose intellectual and rhetorical gifts are not far behind gingrich 's -- lead the charge by himself . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of stephen m. krason . | stephen krason : newt gingrich has had a lackluster performance in the gop race |
fritzl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- josef fritzl , the austrian accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children , will plead guilty to rape and incest when his trial opens monday , fritzl 's lawyer told cnn . josef fritzl is expected to plead guilty to rape and incest on monday , his lawyer tells cnn . however , fritzl will deny other charge he faces : murder , enslavement and assault , attorney rudolph mayer said sunday . the 73-year-old expects to spend the rest of his life in prison , mayer added . fritzl faces six charges in a closed-door trial . the trial is scheduled to last five days , but mayer said it could be shorter . fritzl was charged in november with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter , elisabeth , over a 24-year period . but he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her , an infant who died soon after birth . state prosecutor gerhard sedlacek said michael fritzl died from lack of medical care . in all , fritzl is charged with : murder , involvement in slave trade ( slavery ) , rape , incest , assault and deprivation of liberty , sedlacek 's office said . if convicted , he could face life in prison . austria does not have the death penalty . this man obviously led a double life for 24 years . he had a wife and had seven kids with her . and then he had another family with his daughter , fathered another seven children with her , ' said franz polzer , a police officer in amstetten , the town where fritzl lived , at the time of his arrest . the case first came to light in april 2008 when elisabeth 's daughter , kerstin , became seriously ill with convulsions . elisabeth persuaded her father to allow kerstin , then 19 , to be taken to a hospital for treatment . hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police , who discovered the family members in the cellar . fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter , kept her and their children in captivity and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house . elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth . when elisabeth gained her freedom , she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 . on august 8 , 1984 , she told police , her father enticed her into the basement , where he drugged her , put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room . fritzl explained elisabeth 's disappearance in 1984 by saying the girl , who was then 18 , had run away from home . he backed up the story with letters he forced elisabeth to write . elisabeth fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father 's home in amstetten , austria , west of vienna . the other three children lived upstairs with fritzl and his wife ; fritzl had left them on his own doorstep , pretending the missing elisabeth had dropped them off . under austrian law , if fritzl is convicted on several offenses , he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime . the charges he faces are : • murder : the infant who died in 1996 died from a lack of medical care , the state prosecutor said . the charge carries a sentence of life in prison . • involvement in slave trade : from 1984 until 2008 , prosecutors allege , fritzl held his daughter , elisabeth , captive in a dungeon , abused her sexually and treated her as if she were his personal property -- in a situation similar to slavery . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from 10 to 20 years in prison . • rape : between august 30 , 1984 , and june 30 , 1989 , fritzl regularly sexually abused elisabeth , ' according to the prosecutor . the sentence could be from five to 15 years in prison . • incest : parallel to the rape charge . it carries a sentence of up to one year . • withdrawal of liberty : three of the children fritzl had with elisabeth were illegally held captive in a dungeon with no daylight or fresh air , according to prosecutors . that charge carries a sentence of one to 10 years . • assault : between august 28 , 1984 , and april 26 , 2006 , fritzl repeatedly threatened elisabeth and their three children with gas and booby traps as warnings in case they tried to escape , authorities allege . the sentence would range from six months to five years . cnn 's frederik pleitgen and melissa gray contributed to this report . | fritzl also accused of killing one of the children he fathered with daughter |
fritzl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- josef fritzl , the austrian accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children , will plead guilty to rape and incest when his trial opens monday , fritzl 's lawyer told cnn . josef fritzl is expected to plead guilty to rape and incest on monday , his lawyer tells cnn . however , fritzl will deny other charge he faces : murder , enslavement and assault , attorney rudolph mayer said sunday . the 73-year-old expects to spend the rest of his life in prison , mayer added . fritzl faces six charges in a closed-door trial . the trial is scheduled to last five days , but mayer said it could be shorter . fritzl was charged in november with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter , elisabeth , over a 24-year period . but he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her , an infant who died soon after birth . state prosecutor gerhard sedlacek said michael fritzl died from lack of medical care . in all , fritzl is charged with : murder , involvement in slave trade ( slavery ) , rape , incest , assault and deprivation of liberty , sedlacek 's office said . if convicted , he could face life in prison . austria does not have the death penalty . this man obviously led a double life for 24 years . he had a wife and had seven kids with her . and then he had another family with his daughter , fathered another seven children with her , ' said franz polzer , a police officer in amstetten , the town where fritzl lived , at the time of his arrest . the case first came to light in april 2008 when elisabeth 's daughter , kerstin , became seriously ill with convulsions . elisabeth persuaded her father to allow kerstin , then 19 , to be taken to a hospital for treatment . hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police , who discovered the family members in the cellar . fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter , kept her and their children in captivity and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house . elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth . when elisabeth gained her freedom , she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 . on august 8 , 1984 , she told police , her father enticed her into the basement , where he drugged her , put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room . fritzl explained elisabeth 's disappearance in 1984 by saying the girl , who was then 18 , had run away from home . he backed up the story with letters he forced elisabeth to write . elisabeth fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father 's home in amstetten , austria , west of vienna . the other three children lived upstairs with fritzl and his wife ; fritzl had left them on his own doorstep , pretending the missing elisabeth had dropped them off . under austrian law , if fritzl is convicted on several offenses , he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime . the charges he faces are : • murder : the infant who died in 1996 died from a lack of medical care , the state prosecutor said . the charge carries a sentence of life in prison . • involvement in slave trade : from 1984 until 2008 , prosecutors allege , fritzl held his daughter , elisabeth , captive in a dungeon , abused her sexually and treated her as if she were his personal property -- in a situation similar to slavery . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from 10 to 20 years in prison . • rape : between august 30 , 1984 , and june 30 , 1989 , fritzl regularly sexually abused elisabeth , ' according to the prosecutor . the sentence could be from five to 15 years in prison . • incest : parallel to the rape charge . it carries a sentence of up to one year . • withdrawal of liberty : three of the children fritzl had with elisabeth were illegally held captive in a dungeon with no daylight or fresh air , according to prosecutors . that charge carries a sentence of one to 10 years . • assault : between august 28 , 1984 , and april 26 , 2006 , fritzl repeatedly threatened elisabeth and their three children with gas and booby traps as warnings in case they tried to escape , authorities allege . the sentence would range from six months to five years . cnn 's frederik pleitgen and melissa gray contributed to this report . | josef fritzl , whose trial starts monday , will plead guilty , his lawyer tells cnn |
fritzl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- josef fritzl , the austrian accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children , will plead guilty to rape and incest when his trial opens monday , fritzl 's lawyer told cnn . josef fritzl is expected to plead guilty to rape and incest on monday , his lawyer tells cnn . however , fritzl will deny other charge he faces : murder , enslavement and assault , attorney rudolph mayer said sunday . the 73-year-old expects to spend the rest of his life in prison , mayer added . fritzl faces six charges in a closed-door trial . the trial is scheduled to last five days , but mayer said it could be shorter . fritzl was charged in november with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter , elisabeth , over a 24-year period . but he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her , an infant who died soon after birth . state prosecutor gerhard sedlacek said michael fritzl died from lack of medical care . in all , fritzl is charged with : murder , involvement in slave trade ( slavery ) , rape , incest , assault and deprivation of liberty , sedlacek 's office said . if convicted , he could face life in prison . austria does not have the death penalty . this man obviously led a double life for 24 years . he had a wife and had seven kids with her . and then he had another family with his daughter , fathered another seven children with her , ' said franz polzer , a police officer in amstetten , the town where fritzl lived , at the time of his arrest . the case first came to light in april 2008 when elisabeth 's daughter , kerstin , became seriously ill with convulsions . elisabeth persuaded her father to allow kerstin , then 19 , to be taken to a hospital for treatment . hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police , who discovered the family members in the cellar . fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter , kept her and their children in captivity and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house . elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth . when elisabeth gained her freedom , she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 . on august 8 , 1984 , she told police , her father enticed her into the basement , where he drugged her , put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room . fritzl explained elisabeth 's disappearance in 1984 by saying the girl , who was then 18 , had run away from home . he backed up the story with letters he forced elisabeth to write . elisabeth fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father 's home in amstetten , austria , west of vienna . the other three children lived upstairs with fritzl and his wife ; fritzl had left them on his own doorstep , pretending the missing elisabeth had dropped them off . under austrian law , if fritzl is convicted on several offenses , he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime . the charges he faces are : • murder : the infant who died in 1996 died from a lack of medical care , the state prosecutor said . the charge carries a sentence of life in prison . • involvement in slave trade : from 1984 until 2008 , prosecutors allege , fritzl held his daughter , elisabeth , captive in a dungeon , abused her sexually and treated her as if she were his personal property -- in a situation similar to slavery . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from 10 to 20 years in prison . • rape : between august 30 , 1984 , and june 30 , 1989 , fritzl regularly sexually abused elisabeth , ' according to the prosecutor . the sentence could be from five to 15 years in prison . • incest : parallel to the rape charge . it carries a sentence of up to one year . • withdrawal of liberty : three of the children fritzl had with elisabeth were illegally held captive in a dungeon with no daylight or fresh air , according to prosecutors . that charge carries a sentence of one to 10 years . • assault : between august 28 , 1984 , and april 26 , 2006 , fritzl repeatedly threatened elisabeth and their three children with gas and booby traps as warnings in case they tried to escape , authorities allege . the sentence would range from six months to five years . cnn 's frederik pleitgen and melissa gray contributed to this report . | prosecutors : fritzl raped his daughter over 24 years , said she had run away |
josef fritzl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- josef fritzl , the austrian accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children , will plead guilty to rape and incest when his trial opens monday , fritzl 's lawyer told cnn . josef fritzl is expected to plead guilty to rape and incest on monday , his lawyer tells cnn . however , fritzl will deny other charge he faces : murder , enslavement and assault , attorney rudolph mayer said sunday . the 73-year-old expects to spend the rest of his life in prison , mayer added . fritzl faces six charges in a closed-door trial . the trial is scheduled to last five days , but mayer said it could be shorter . fritzl was charged in november with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter , elisabeth , over a 24-year period . but he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her , an infant who died soon after birth . state prosecutor gerhard sedlacek said michael fritzl died from lack of medical care . in all , fritzl is charged with : murder , involvement in slave trade ( slavery ) , rape , incest , assault and deprivation of liberty , sedlacek 's office said . if convicted , he could face life in prison . austria does not have the death penalty . this man obviously led a double life for 24 years . he had a wife and had seven kids with her . and then he had another family with his daughter , fathered another seven children with her , ' said franz polzer , a police officer in amstetten , the town where fritzl lived , at the time of his arrest . the case first came to light in april 2008 when elisabeth 's daughter , kerstin , became seriously ill with convulsions . elisabeth persuaded her father to allow kerstin , then 19 , to be taken to a hospital for treatment . hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police , who discovered the family members in the cellar . fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter , kept her and their children in captivity and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house . elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth . when elisabeth gained her freedom , she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11 . on august 8 , 1984 , she told police , her father enticed her into the basement , where he drugged her , put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room . fritzl explained elisabeth 's disappearance in 1984 by saying the girl , who was then 18 , had run away from home . he backed up the story with letters he forced elisabeth to write . elisabeth fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father 's home in amstetten , austria , west of vienna . the other three children lived upstairs with fritzl and his wife ; fritzl had left them on his own doorstep , pretending the missing elisabeth had dropped them off . under austrian law , if fritzl is convicted on several offenses , he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime . the charges he faces are : • murder : the infant who died in 1996 died from a lack of medical care , the state prosecutor said . the charge carries a sentence of life in prison . • involvement in slave trade : from 1984 until 2008 , prosecutors allege , fritzl held his daughter , elisabeth , captive in a dungeon , abused her sexually and treated her as if she were his personal property -- in a situation similar to slavery . if he is convicted , the sentence could range from 10 to 20 years in prison . • rape : between august 30 , 1984 , and june 30 , 1989 , fritzl regularly sexually abused elisabeth , ' according to the prosecutor . the sentence could be from five to 15 years in prison . • incest : parallel to the rape charge . it carries a sentence of up to one year . • withdrawal of liberty : three of the children fritzl had with elisabeth were illegally held captive in a dungeon with no daylight or fresh air , according to prosecutors . that charge carries a sentence of one to 10 years . • assault : between august 28 , 1984 , and april 26 , 2006 , fritzl repeatedly threatened elisabeth and their three children with gas and booby traps as warnings in case they tried to escape , authorities allege . the sentence would range from six months to five years . cnn 's frederik pleitgen and melissa gray contributed to this report . | josef fritzl , whose trial starts monday , will plead guilty , his lawyer tells cnn |
hu jintao <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- for the first time in almost two weeks , the name of presumptive chinese leader xi jinping has appeared in state media , but it was n't to dampen speculation about his disappearance ' weeks before a major communist party congress . instead , the 59-year-old vice president 's name appeared on a message of condolence following the death on september 6 of a former official in guangxi province . after the passing of comrade huang rong , hu jintao , xi jinping , li yuanchao , zhu rongji and li zhaozhuo expressed their condolences and conveyed their deep sympathies to his family , ' it said . xi 's name appeared second on the list after current president hu , and before other leaders including li yuanchao , head of the powerful organization department who , like xi , is tipped for a place on the politburo standing committee , the nine-member team who leads china . jockeying for position ahead of china 's leadership jamboree the message did not include any direct quotes from xi , and its existence does n't provide any explanation as to why xi has dropped from public view . the vice president has not been seen in public since september 1 when he was reported to have given a speech to the central party school in beijing . images published by major news websites after the date showed xi looking well and smartly dressed in a dark suit and purple tie . however , since then , the cancellation of a number of meetings with high-profile foreign dignitaries has created a storm of speculation as rumor and hearsay fill the void of official information . who are the next generation of chinese leaders ? for a number of days , chinese foreign ministry spokesman , hong lei , has declined to answer queries on xi at the ministry 's daily press briefings . when xi 's meeting with u.s. secretary of state hilary clinton was abruptly canceled on september 5 , american officials said their chinese counterparts had blamed a scheduling conflict . ' no official reasons were given following the cancellation of other appointments , including a meeting with singaporean prime minister lee hsien loong . the lack of comment has fueled unsubstantiated rumors , including wild plot lines ranging from a car crash , to an assassination attempt . others say xi has been sidelined by a suspected heart attack or stroke , neither of which have been denied or confirmed . it is not unknown for chinese leaders to suffer serious illnesses in secret . in april 1993 , li peng , the then premier , disappeared for six weeks after a heart attack . the foreign ministry said he had a cold ' and confirmation that he had been treated in hospital did not come until this july . in most countries including in asia , people are entitled to know the health of their leaders , but in china this is still regarded as state secrets , ' willy lam , a longtime china watcher who teaches politics and history at universities in hong kong and japan , told cnn monday . during xi 's absence , other chinese leaders have made a number of high-profile appearances outside china . hu has addressed apec delegates in vladivostok , russia and china 's top legislator , wu bangguo , met with iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad in tehran . china expert linda jakobsen , of the lowy institute for international policy in australia , says that the mere presence of a high-ranking official on foreign trips indicates that china 's leadership is not dealing with a crisis . if xi was gravely ill or had encountered political problems , which would call into question his anointment as head of the chinese communist party ( ccp ) at the upcoming party congress , senior leaders would not be traveling and the leadership would be convening in beijing . that is standard ccp practice at a time of crisis , ' she wrote in a recent column . in a matter of weeks , more than 2,000 delegates are expected to meet in beijing for the communist party 's 18th national congress . during their event , china 's political elite are expected to announce the results of months of political maneuvering , and the names of the five to seven new entrants to politburo standing committee . the chinese leadership is worried about social stability , ' said david zweig , a seasoned china observer and a professor at hong kong university of science and technology . but nothing creates greater social instability than this kind of lack of information about the leadership . ' already , china 's leadership transition has been marred by extraordinary twists and turns . in april , bo xilai , once considered to be among party royalty and a fast-rising star within the party , was stripped of his leadership positions for an unspecified breach of party discipline . ' he has not been seen publicly since . disgraced party chief looms large over china 's leadership bo 's wife , gu kailai , was convicted last month of murdering neil heywood , a british businessman , and received a suspended death sentence . and bo 's former police chief , wang lijun , whose attempt in february to seek asylum in a u.s. consulate triggered the scandal , was charged last week with defection and bribe-taking . wang is awaiting trial . although most analysts agree the all-important 18th communist party congress will be held in the middle of next month , though authorities have yet to confirm the date . more questions are now being asked about the transparency of chinese politics since everything is in a black box , ' said lam . observers say the official silence could also signal last-minute negotiations among senior political figures before they present a facade of unity to the public . the current generation of leaders has been particularly sensitive to maintaining a united front since 1989 , when the party hierarchy split over how to deal with pro-democracy protests in beijing 's tiananmen square . xi jinping is already projected to be a weak leader because he does n't have a power base of his own , ' said lam , who predicted hu will remain the head of the chinese military for two to three years after relinquishing his party and state titles to xi . hu could be the ultimate winner here -- he will be the power behind the throne . ' | xi is expected to replace hu jintao in the leadership transition later this year |
miami heat <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two gulf states are putting more than pride on the line . there 's also dessert and a condiment . texas gov . rick perry has wagered a case of barbecue sauce . florida gov . rick scott is putting up a key lime pie . each is betting that their home team will win the best-of-seven nba finals , whose opener tuesday night pits the dallas mavericks against the miami heat . the series is a rematch of the 2006 nba finals , which the heat won in six games . lebron ( james ) may have taken his talents to south beach , but there 's no way he 'll be taking the larry o'brien championship trophy there this season , ' perry of texas said in a statement . the mavericks'combination of teamwork and experience will overwhelm miami 's raw star power , and at the end of the series , folks in texas will be celebrating yet another nba championship here in the lone star state . ' texas'two other nba franchises , the san antonio spurs and the houston rockets , have won a combined six nba titles . the florida governor says his team has the hotter hand . it might be warm in texas , but there is no way the dallas mavericks will be able to withstand the heat , ' scott said . not even dirk nowitzki will be able to stop miami from bringing home another nba title . ' no word yet on which state can serve up the best main course . | the dallas mavericks will play the miami heat in a rematch of the 2006 finals |
loran <tsp> washington -- good night , loran . in a series of small ceremonies , the u.s. coast guard on monday shut down loran-c , a navigation and timing system that has guided mariners and aviators since world war ii . the death blow came last may when president obama called the system obsolete , saying it is no longer needed in an age in which global positioning system devices are nearly ubiquitous in cars , planes and boats . killing loran-c will save the government $ 190 million over five years , obama said . but supporters of loran -- including the man known as the father of gps ' -- say the nation 's increasing reliance on gps paradoxically has increased the importance of maintaining loran as a backup . supporters also argue that the mere existence of loran makes the gps satellite system a less attractive target for cyber-thugs , terrorists or future military adversaries . gps systems today are used not only for navigation , but also to provide precise timing for atm machines , cell phone towers , water plants and other enterprises , and positioning information for precision-guided weapons for the military . gps disruptions can be costly to business , dangerous for travelers , and debilitating to the military . supporters of loran -- short for long range navigation system -- say the system is a near-perfect backup because it provides similar information to gps , but has dissimilar infrastructure . gps is based on a constellation of at least 25 satellites ; loran is based on 24 ground stations in the united states , and others elsewhere . gps transmits a very faint signal and is vulnerable to interference or jamming ; loran has a high-power signal which can penetrate obstacles like foliage and is harder to interrupt . gps is powered by solar panels ; loran is tied to ground power . and while gps operates in outer space , outside of controlled perimeters , loran operates inside controlled perimeters in the united states . the vulnerability of gps and the consequences of an outage became evident in 2007 during a navy training exercise in the port of san diego , california . participants unintentionally jammed gps signals in the region , shutting down satellite navigation and cell phone service up to 10 miles inland for three hours . the satellite-based system 's vulnerability became apparent a second time that year , when china tested an anti-satellite weapon , destroying one of its own aging weather satellites . indeed , in recent years , as the popularity of gps soared and the number of loran users dwindled , the fate of the loran system has followed a meandering path of near-death and rebirth experiences that even the most sophisticated navigation system would have difficulty tracking . during the bush administration , the system was at one point placed on the chopping block , but was resurrected amid a flurry of reports from loran backers . in late 2006 , an independent assessment team headed by bradford parkinson , known as the father of gps , ' unanimously recommended that an enhanced version of loran , known as eloran , be completed and retained as the national backup system for gps , ' saying it had critical safety of life , national and economic security , and quality of life applications . ' the assessment team recommended that the government complete the eloran upgrade and commit to eloran as the national backup to gps for 20 years . but the obama administration has described loran as unnecessary and antiquated . in a may 7 speech , obama used loran as an example of government waste . this system once made a lot of sense , before there were satellites to help us navigate , ' obama said . now there 's gps . and yet , year after year , this obsolete technology has continued to be funded even though it serves no government function and very few people are left who still actually use it . ' so at 3 p.m. monday , the u.s. coast guard turned off loran signals at 19 of the 24 loran stations . signals remain at five stations because of agreements with russia and canada , but the coast guard expects those stations to be decommissioned by june after the united states receives verification that those countries have been notified of the change . the five stations that temporarily remain on line are at attu , in alaska 's aleutian islands , and caribou , maine ; nantucket , massachusetts ; shoal cove , alaska ; and george , washington . chief warrant officer 4 dave robbio said the loran signals at the 19 closed stations will be on a hot stand-by ' for the next week , allowing the signals to be turned back on if something unforeseen occurs . if there are no problems , the transmitters will be completely powered down next monday . some congressional critics say it is a mistake to shut down the system . in a november letter to homeland security secretary janet napolitano , two top members of the senate homeland security committee urged that loran-c be spared . deploying an enhanced loran , or eloran , would cost about $ 100 million , sens . joseph lieberman , i-connecticut , and susan collins , r-maine , wrote -- about one half the amount of placing one new gps satellite in orbit , they said . but the case for dismantling loran also has its advocates , including the u.s. coast guard . in a submission to the federal register , the coast guard said loran-c was not established as , nor was it it intended to be , a backup for gps . other radio navigation systems , or operational procedures , can be used as backups for gps navigation and other critical applications , the coast guard said . the department of homeland security says it is currently reviewing the nation 's critical infrastructure to determine if a single , domestic system is needed as a gps backup . ' the continued active operation of loran-c is not necessary to advance this evaluation , ' dhs said . but hope springs eternal for some loran supporters , who hope the coast guard will mothball the system rather than destroy it . mothballing the stations would allow the government to resurrect the system if ongoing studies show loran is the appropriate backup for gps . but one loran supporter acknowledged that hopes of reviving the system , at this point , may just be wishful thinking . ' | critics warn gps is vulnerable to cyber-attacks , suggest keeping loran as backup |
loran <tsp> washington -- good night , loran . in a series of small ceremonies , the u.s. coast guard on monday shut down loran-c , a navigation and timing system that has guided mariners and aviators since world war ii . the death blow came last may when president obama called the system obsolete , saying it is no longer needed in an age in which global positioning system devices are nearly ubiquitous in cars , planes and boats . killing loran-c will save the government $ 190 million over five years , obama said . but supporters of loran -- including the man known as the father of gps ' -- say the nation 's increasing reliance on gps paradoxically has increased the importance of maintaining loran as a backup . supporters also argue that the mere existence of loran makes the gps satellite system a less attractive target for cyber-thugs , terrorists or future military adversaries . gps systems today are used not only for navigation , but also to provide precise timing for atm machines , cell phone towers , water plants and other enterprises , and positioning information for precision-guided weapons for the military . gps disruptions can be costly to business , dangerous for travelers , and debilitating to the military . supporters of loran -- short for long range navigation system -- say the system is a near-perfect backup because it provides similar information to gps , but has dissimilar infrastructure . gps is based on a constellation of at least 25 satellites ; loran is based on 24 ground stations in the united states , and others elsewhere . gps transmits a very faint signal and is vulnerable to interference or jamming ; loran has a high-power signal which can penetrate obstacles like foliage and is harder to interrupt . gps is powered by solar panels ; loran is tied to ground power . and while gps operates in outer space , outside of controlled perimeters , loran operates inside controlled perimeters in the united states . the vulnerability of gps and the consequences of an outage became evident in 2007 during a navy training exercise in the port of san diego , california . participants unintentionally jammed gps signals in the region , shutting down satellite navigation and cell phone service up to 10 miles inland for three hours . the satellite-based system 's vulnerability became apparent a second time that year , when china tested an anti-satellite weapon , destroying one of its own aging weather satellites . indeed , in recent years , as the popularity of gps soared and the number of loran users dwindled , the fate of the loran system has followed a meandering path of near-death and rebirth experiences that even the most sophisticated navigation system would have difficulty tracking . during the bush administration , the system was at one point placed on the chopping block , but was resurrected amid a flurry of reports from loran backers . in late 2006 , an independent assessment team headed by bradford parkinson , known as the father of gps , ' unanimously recommended that an enhanced version of loran , known as eloran , be completed and retained as the national backup system for gps , ' saying it had critical safety of life , national and economic security , and quality of life applications . ' the assessment team recommended that the government complete the eloran upgrade and commit to eloran as the national backup to gps for 20 years . but the obama administration has described loran as unnecessary and antiquated . in a may 7 speech , obama used loran as an example of government waste . this system once made a lot of sense , before there were satellites to help us navigate , ' obama said . now there 's gps . and yet , year after year , this obsolete technology has continued to be funded even though it serves no government function and very few people are left who still actually use it . ' so at 3 p.m. monday , the u.s. coast guard turned off loran signals at 19 of the 24 loran stations . signals remain at five stations because of agreements with russia and canada , but the coast guard expects those stations to be decommissioned by june after the united states receives verification that those countries have been notified of the change . the five stations that temporarily remain on line are at attu , in alaska 's aleutian islands , and caribou , maine ; nantucket , massachusetts ; shoal cove , alaska ; and george , washington . chief warrant officer 4 dave robbio said the loran signals at the 19 closed stations will be on a hot stand-by ' for the next week , allowing the signals to be turned back on if something unforeseen occurs . if there are no problems , the transmitters will be completely powered down next monday . some congressional critics say it is a mistake to shut down the system . in a november letter to homeland security secretary janet napolitano , two top members of the senate homeland security committee urged that loran-c be spared . deploying an enhanced loran , or eloran , would cost about $ 100 million , sens . joseph lieberman , i-connecticut , and susan collins , r-maine , wrote -- about one half the amount of placing one new gps satellite in orbit , they said . but the case for dismantling loran also has its advocates , including the u.s. coast guard . in a submission to the federal register , the coast guard said loran-c was not established as , nor was it it intended to be , a backup for gps . other radio navigation systems , or operational procedures , can be used as backups for gps navigation and other critical applications , the coast guard said . the department of homeland security says it is currently reviewing the nation 's critical infrastructure to determine if a single , domestic system is needed as a gps backup . ' the continued active operation of loran-c is not necessary to advance this evaluation , ' dhs said . but hope springs eternal for some loran supporters , who hope the coast guard will mothball the system rather than destroy it . mothballing the stations would allow the government to resurrect the system if ongoing studies show loran is the appropriate backup for gps . but one loran supporter acknowledged that hopes of reviving the system , at this point , may just be wishful thinking . ' | administration says loran no longer needed in era of global positioning system |
clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's clear from hillary clinton 's campaign rollout -- a video announcement/campaign ad/short film that debuted sunday afternoon -- that she will make women and being a woman central to her outreach . in case you 're skeptical , vox has posted a handy by the numbers ' for her campaign video , and there are 38 people besides clinton in the two-minute ad . twenty of them are women . there are three separate mentions of motherhood . this is all fine and good ( and predictable ) if you acknowledge that the proportion of women who vote has exceeded the proportion of men who vote in every presidential election since 1980 . and let 's not overlook the fact that clinton is in fact a woman , and that 's a fine thing to celebrate . but in reality , she does n't have to wonder if a woman-centered campaign is the best strategy . she can simply look back to the most recent elections to see that overplaying to one half of the eligible-voting population failed spectacularly all over the country , in red and blue states , when that strategy was employed by both male and female candidates . as i 've previously written , the 2014 midterm elections saw the death of a political meme : the war on women . ' granted , that 's not because republicans convinced the country that they were the party of women . but it is noteworthy that democrats who overtly pandered to women at the expense of real issues ( and men ) crashed and burned . to wit : in colorado , sen. mark udall was nicknamed mark uterus ' for all the time he spent fear-mongering on women 's reproductive issues , only to end up , according to exit polls , eight points ahead among women . his opponent , cory gardner , finished 17 points ahead among men . in new york , a democratic candidate for congress , martha robertson , drew laughs from the audience during a debate for accusing her opponent of engaging in a war on women . ' to repeat , she was a woman , a democrat , in new york . in louisiana , sen. mary landrieu sought to give her ailing campaign a boost in by part blaming sexism for democrats'lack of popularity in the south . not surprisingly , southerners voted for her opponent , bill cassidy . in texas , where liberal wendy davis ran almost entirely on an abortion-rights platform , she accused republicans of sexism for daring to scrutinize her inaccurate biography . her opponent , greg abbott , won by 20 points , and davis only ended up with 47 % of the women vote . whether in texas or colorado , new york or louisiana , voters made it clear they cared about more than just reproductive issues and were n't going to be bullied into voting democratic by false cries of sexism . but while democrats were screaming about the republicans' war on women , ' few in the media acknowledged that the democrats'deficit among men was actually greater than the republicans'deficit among women . exit polls in 2014 showed that men voted for republicans over democrats by a 16-point margin , and women voted for democrats by only a four-point margin . regardless of whom republicans run for president , hillary clinton will most likely get the women vote . what she needs are men . so instead of running a woman-centered campaign , she might want to figure out a way to court the other sex . | s.e . cupp : clinton making women central to outreach , but she should really focus on men |
mcnamee <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- roger clemens said wednesday he received only vitamin shots from brian mcnamee , but the ex-trainer insisted before a house panel that every injection contained steroids or other performance enhancers . clemens sat mere feet from his chief accuser as the two men , both under oath , offered lawmakers starkly conflicting accounts about the injections mcnamee administered years ago . the committee 's chairman , rep. henry waxman , said , someone is n't telling the truth . ' if mr. mcnamee is lying , then he has acted inexcusably and he has made mr. clemens an innocent victim , ' waxman said . if mr. clemens is n't telling the truth , then he has acted shamefully and he has smeared mr. mcnamee . i do n't think there is anything in between . ' clemens told reporters afterward that he was very thankful and very grateful ' for the chance to answer the allegations . in a nearly direct exchange with mcnamee , clemens told the house panel that mcnamee injected him with vitamin b-12 on three occasions , but never with steroids or other illegal substances . mcnamee -- who served as clemens'trainer until 2007 -- countered that he injected clemens with only testosterone , the steroid winstrol or human growth hormone . i 've never given roger b-12 , ' mcnamee told the house committee on oversight and government reform . clemens'testimony to the panel examining performance-enhancing drug use in america 's pastime also failed to jibe with an affidavit provided by fellow new york yankees ace andy pettitte , who has told the committee that in 1999 or 2000 clemens told me he had taken hgh . ' saying pettitte was and will remain a close friend , clemens said he believes pettitte made a mistake . i believe andy has misheard , mr . congressman , on his comment about myself using hgh , which never happened , ' clemens said . insisting he 's never taken shortcuts , ' a clearly miffed clemens opened wednesday 's testimony saying he resented accusations that have forever tainted his legacy , which includes a record seven cy young awards . no matter what we discuss here today , i am never going to have my name restored , but i 've got to try and set the record straight , ' clemens said . mcnamee flatly challenged clemens'remarks , saying , i injected those drugs into the body of roger clemens at his direction . unfortunately , roger has denied this and has led a full-court attack on my credibility . ' watch mcnamee apologize for tainting our national pastime ' » mcnamee defended his credibility and told lawmakers he was promised no special treatment for fingering star players . ' i have no reason to lie , and every reason not to . if i do lie i will be prosecuted , ' he said . all that i was ever told was to tell the truth to the best of my ability , and that is what i have done . i told the investigators that i injected three people , two of whom , i believe , confirm my account . the third is sitting at this table . ' mcnamee said he believes he stopped giving baseball players performance-enhancing substances in 2002 . he called steroid usage pretty prevalent ' among players at the time . watch clemens explain how he treated mcnamee » grilled on why he provided players with such substances , mcnamee replied , i just accepted it as the norm , and it was part of the culture in baseball . ' missing from wednesday 's hearing was pettitte . he had been named along with clemens and other players in ex-sen. george mitchell 's scathing report alleging widespread steroid use in baseball . pettitte previously acknowledged using human growth hormone in 2002 . the house panel revealed wednesday that pettitte admitted using it again in 2004 shortly before having season-ending elbow surgery . watch clemens say pettitte misheard ' a remark several years ago » pettitte initially withheld details of the second incident because he got the hgh from his father , who had obtained it to help overcome health problems , pettitte 's attorneys said . pettitte sought to shield him from publicity , ' read a statement . pettitte , who has played with clemens for the yankees or houston astros since 1999 , was excused by the committee tuesday , along with former yankee chuck knoblauch . mcnamee told the panel he injected both men with performance-enhancing substances . see the key players in the case » ' mr. knoblauch and mr. pettitte have answered all the committee 's questions and their testimony at the hearing is not needed , ' read a statement from the panel . waxman said pettitte 's and knoblauch 's testimony backed up mcnamee 's account . read sports illustrated analysis of the latest developments clemens'attorneys have steadfastly denied their client used performance-enhancing substances . clemens was careful in his remarks to attack mcnamee 's credibility , rather than the mitchell report 's integrity . if i am guilty of anything , it is of being too trusting of everyone , wanting to see the best in everyone and being too nice to everyone , ' clemens said . clemens'legal team has filed a lawsuit against mcnamee , saying his allegations fueled rampant speculation and irreparably tainted the reputation of one of baseball 's hardest working and most talented pitchers . ' mcnamee 's attorneys last week , however , showed reporters photos of needles and gauze that mcnamee said were used to inject clemens with steroids and human growth hormone . they said they turned the items over to federal investigators in january . mcnamee , a former new york city police officer , kept the items because he was nervous that clemens'drug use would become public and clemens would turn against him , said richard emery , who is representing the former trainer . rusty hardin , clemens'lawyer , dismissed the purported evidence as the desperate hail mary of a man who wants to ruin roger . ' hardin would not indicate whether clemens would voluntarily provide a dna sample but said , any time any legitimate law enforcement agency asks a reasonable inquiry of us , we 'll be glad to respond . ' waxman said wednesday that mcnamee has acknowledged he was not forthcoming with investigators in past statements . rep. dan burton questioned why the panel should believe mcnamee when he has lied repeatedly to investigators and the media . mcnamee acknowledged lying when he previously said he 'd never had dealings with steroids and that clemens and pettitte had never asked for any . you 're here under oath , and yet we have lie after lie after lie , ' burton alleged . mcnamee did not get a chance to respond . mcnamee previously told the panel he withheld information about clemens because he was trying not to hurt the guy , ' waxman said . watch mcnamee tell the panel , i did tell the truth ' » the chairman also said that clemens'past remarks included conflicts and inconsistencies ' on whether he had discussions about human growth hormone with mcnamee . clemens met individually thursday with house lawmakers , including waxman . wednesday 's hearing comes a day after the house committee took testimony from four doctors who testified on the myths and facts about performance-enhancing substances such as human growth hormone , b-12 and other substances . ' e-mail to a friend | mcnamee further says that drugs were part of the culture in baseball ' |
mcnamee <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- roger clemens said wednesday he received only vitamin shots from brian mcnamee , but the ex-trainer insisted before a house panel that every injection contained steroids or other performance enhancers . clemens sat mere feet from his chief accuser as the two men , both under oath , offered lawmakers starkly conflicting accounts about the injections mcnamee administered years ago . the committee 's chairman , rep. henry waxman , said , someone is n't telling the truth . ' if mr. mcnamee is lying , then he has acted inexcusably and he has made mr. clemens an innocent victim , ' waxman said . if mr. clemens is n't telling the truth , then he has acted shamefully and he has smeared mr. mcnamee . i do n't think there is anything in between . ' clemens told reporters afterward that he was very thankful and very grateful ' for the chance to answer the allegations . in a nearly direct exchange with mcnamee , clemens told the house panel that mcnamee injected him with vitamin b-12 on three occasions , but never with steroids or other illegal substances . mcnamee -- who served as clemens'trainer until 2007 -- countered that he injected clemens with only testosterone , the steroid winstrol or human growth hormone . i 've never given roger b-12 , ' mcnamee told the house committee on oversight and government reform . clemens'testimony to the panel examining performance-enhancing drug use in america 's pastime also failed to jibe with an affidavit provided by fellow new york yankees ace andy pettitte , who has told the committee that in 1999 or 2000 clemens told me he had taken hgh . ' saying pettitte was and will remain a close friend , clemens said he believes pettitte made a mistake . i believe andy has misheard , mr . congressman , on his comment about myself using hgh , which never happened , ' clemens said . insisting he 's never taken shortcuts , ' a clearly miffed clemens opened wednesday 's testimony saying he resented accusations that have forever tainted his legacy , which includes a record seven cy young awards . no matter what we discuss here today , i am never going to have my name restored , but i 've got to try and set the record straight , ' clemens said . mcnamee flatly challenged clemens'remarks , saying , i injected those drugs into the body of roger clemens at his direction . unfortunately , roger has denied this and has led a full-court attack on my credibility . ' watch mcnamee apologize for tainting our national pastime ' » mcnamee defended his credibility and told lawmakers he was promised no special treatment for fingering star players . ' i have no reason to lie , and every reason not to . if i do lie i will be prosecuted , ' he said . all that i was ever told was to tell the truth to the best of my ability , and that is what i have done . i told the investigators that i injected three people , two of whom , i believe , confirm my account . the third is sitting at this table . ' mcnamee said he believes he stopped giving baseball players performance-enhancing substances in 2002 . he called steroid usage pretty prevalent ' among players at the time . watch clemens explain how he treated mcnamee » grilled on why he provided players with such substances , mcnamee replied , i just accepted it as the norm , and it was part of the culture in baseball . ' missing from wednesday 's hearing was pettitte . he had been named along with clemens and other players in ex-sen. george mitchell 's scathing report alleging widespread steroid use in baseball . pettitte previously acknowledged using human growth hormone in 2002 . the house panel revealed wednesday that pettitte admitted using it again in 2004 shortly before having season-ending elbow surgery . watch clemens say pettitte misheard ' a remark several years ago » pettitte initially withheld details of the second incident because he got the hgh from his father , who had obtained it to help overcome health problems , pettitte 's attorneys said . pettitte sought to shield him from publicity , ' read a statement . pettitte , who has played with clemens for the yankees or houston astros since 1999 , was excused by the committee tuesday , along with former yankee chuck knoblauch . mcnamee told the panel he injected both men with performance-enhancing substances . see the key players in the case » ' mr. knoblauch and mr. pettitte have answered all the committee 's questions and their testimony at the hearing is not needed , ' read a statement from the panel . waxman said pettitte 's and knoblauch 's testimony backed up mcnamee 's account . read sports illustrated analysis of the latest developments clemens'attorneys have steadfastly denied their client used performance-enhancing substances . clemens was careful in his remarks to attack mcnamee 's credibility , rather than the mitchell report 's integrity . if i am guilty of anything , it is of being too trusting of everyone , wanting to see the best in everyone and being too nice to everyone , ' clemens said . clemens'legal team has filed a lawsuit against mcnamee , saying his allegations fueled rampant speculation and irreparably tainted the reputation of one of baseball 's hardest working and most talented pitchers . ' mcnamee 's attorneys last week , however , showed reporters photos of needles and gauze that mcnamee said were used to inject clemens with steroids and human growth hormone . they said they turned the items over to federal investigators in january . mcnamee , a former new york city police officer , kept the items because he was nervous that clemens'drug use would become public and clemens would turn against him , said richard emery , who is representing the former trainer . rusty hardin , clemens'lawyer , dismissed the purported evidence as the desperate hail mary of a man who wants to ruin roger . ' hardin would not indicate whether clemens would voluntarily provide a dna sample but said , any time any legitimate law enforcement agency asks a reasonable inquiry of us , we 'll be glad to respond . ' waxman said wednesday that mcnamee has acknowledged he was not forthcoming with investigators in past statements . rep. dan burton questioned why the panel should believe mcnamee when he has lied repeatedly to investigators and the media . mcnamee acknowledged lying when he previously said he 'd never had dealings with steroids and that clemens and pettitte had never asked for any . you 're here under oath , and yet we have lie after lie after lie , ' burton alleged . mcnamee did not get a chance to respond . mcnamee previously told the panel he withheld information about clemens because he was trying not to hurt the guy , ' waxman said . watch mcnamee tell the panel , i did tell the truth ' » the chairman also said that clemens'past remarks included conflicts and inconsistencies ' on whether he had discussions about human growth hormone with mcnamee . clemens met individually thursday with house lawmakers , including waxman . wednesday 's hearing comes a day after the house committee took testimony from four doctors who testified on the myths and facts about performance-enhancing substances such as human growth hormone , b-12 and other substances . ' e-mail to a friend | congressman blasts ex-trainer brian mcnamee for telling lie after lie after lie ' |
mcnamee <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- roger clemens said wednesday he received only vitamin shots from brian mcnamee , but the ex-trainer insisted before a house panel that every injection contained steroids or other performance enhancers . clemens sat mere feet from his chief accuser as the two men , both under oath , offered lawmakers starkly conflicting accounts about the injections mcnamee administered years ago . the committee 's chairman , rep. henry waxman , said , someone is n't telling the truth . ' if mr. mcnamee is lying , then he has acted inexcusably and he has made mr. clemens an innocent victim , ' waxman said . if mr. clemens is n't telling the truth , then he has acted shamefully and he has smeared mr. mcnamee . i do n't think there is anything in between . ' clemens told reporters afterward that he was very thankful and very grateful ' for the chance to answer the allegations . in a nearly direct exchange with mcnamee , clemens told the house panel that mcnamee injected him with vitamin b-12 on three occasions , but never with steroids or other illegal substances . mcnamee -- who served as clemens'trainer until 2007 -- countered that he injected clemens with only testosterone , the steroid winstrol or human growth hormone . i 've never given roger b-12 , ' mcnamee told the house committee on oversight and government reform . clemens'testimony to the panel examining performance-enhancing drug use in america 's pastime also failed to jibe with an affidavit provided by fellow new york yankees ace andy pettitte , who has told the committee that in 1999 or 2000 clemens told me he had taken hgh . ' saying pettitte was and will remain a close friend , clemens said he believes pettitte made a mistake . i believe andy has misheard , mr . congressman , on his comment about myself using hgh , which never happened , ' clemens said . insisting he 's never taken shortcuts , ' a clearly miffed clemens opened wednesday 's testimony saying he resented accusations that have forever tainted his legacy , which includes a record seven cy young awards . no matter what we discuss here today , i am never going to have my name restored , but i 've got to try and set the record straight , ' clemens said . mcnamee flatly challenged clemens'remarks , saying , i injected those drugs into the body of roger clemens at his direction . unfortunately , roger has denied this and has led a full-court attack on my credibility . ' watch mcnamee apologize for tainting our national pastime ' » mcnamee defended his credibility and told lawmakers he was promised no special treatment for fingering star players . ' i have no reason to lie , and every reason not to . if i do lie i will be prosecuted , ' he said . all that i was ever told was to tell the truth to the best of my ability , and that is what i have done . i told the investigators that i injected three people , two of whom , i believe , confirm my account . the third is sitting at this table . ' mcnamee said he believes he stopped giving baseball players performance-enhancing substances in 2002 . he called steroid usage pretty prevalent ' among players at the time . watch clemens explain how he treated mcnamee » grilled on why he provided players with such substances , mcnamee replied , i just accepted it as the norm , and it was part of the culture in baseball . ' missing from wednesday 's hearing was pettitte . he had been named along with clemens and other players in ex-sen. george mitchell 's scathing report alleging widespread steroid use in baseball . pettitte previously acknowledged using human growth hormone in 2002 . the house panel revealed wednesday that pettitte admitted using it again in 2004 shortly before having season-ending elbow surgery . watch clemens say pettitte misheard ' a remark several years ago » pettitte initially withheld details of the second incident because he got the hgh from his father , who had obtained it to help overcome health problems , pettitte 's attorneys said . pettitte sought to shield him from publicity , ' read a statement . pettitte , who has played with clemens for the yankees or houston astros since 1999 , was excused by the committee tuesday , along with former yankee chuck knoblauch . mcnamee told the panel he injected both men with performance-enhancing substances . see the key players in the case » ' mr. knoblauch and mr. pettitte have answered all the committee 's questions and their testimony at the hearing is not needed , ' read a statement from the panel . waxman said pettitte 's and knoblauch 's testimony backed up mcnamee 's account . read sports illustrated analysis of the latest developments clemens'attorneys have steadfastly denied their client used performance-enhancing substances . clemens was careful in his remarks to attack mcnamee 's credibility , rather than the mitchell report 's integrity . if i am guilty of anything , it is of being too trusting of everyone , wanting to see the best in everyone and being too nice to everyone , ' clemens said . clemens'legal team has filed a lawsuit against mcnamee , saying his allegations fueled rampant speculation and irreparably tainted the reputation of one of baseball 's hardest working and most talented pitchers . ' mcnamee 's attorneys last week , however , showed reporters photos of needles and gauze that mcnamee said were used to inject clemens with steroids and human growth hormone . they said they turned the items over to federal investigators in january . mcnamee , a former new york city police officer , kept the items because he was nervous that clemens'drug use would become public and clemens would turn against him , said richard emery , who is representing the former trainer . rusty hardin , clemens'lawyer , dismissed the purported evidence as the desperate hail mary of a man who wants to ruin roger . ' hardin would not indicate whether clemens would voluntarily provide a dna sample but said , any time any legitimate law enforcement agency asks a reasonable inquiry of us , we 'll be glad to respond . ' waxman said wednesday that mcnamee has acknowledged he was not forthcoming with investigators in past statements . rep. dan burton questioned why the panel should believe mcnamee when he has lied repeatedly to investigators and the media . mcnamee acknowledged lying when he previously said he 'd never had dealings with steroids and that clemens and pettitte had never asked for any . you 're here under oath , and yet we have lie after lie after lie , ' burton alleged . mcnamee did not get a chance to respond . mcnamee previously told the panel he withheld information about clemens because he was trying not to hurt the guy , ' waxman said . watch mcnamee tell the panel , i did tell the truth ' » the chairman also said that clemens'past remarks included conflicts and inconsistencies ' on whether he had discussions about human growth hormone with mcnamee . clemens met individually thursday with house lawmakers , including waxman . wednesday 's hearing comes a day after the house committee took testimony from four doctors who testified on the myths and facts about performance-enhancing substances such as human growth hormone , b-12 and other substances . ' e-mail to a friend | mcnamee says he injected clemens at his direction ' ; clemens denies claim |
cain <tsp> hanover , new hampshire ( cnn ) -- herman cain , the latest republican presidential candidate to surge in the polls , found himself in the hot seat tuesday night at a debate in new hampshire centered on economic matters . the linchpin of cain 's campaign , his cleverly titled 9-9-9 plan to restructure the u.s. tax code , came under harsh scrutiny as other republicans sought to knock the former godfather 's pizza ceo off his pedestal . the cain plan would implement a 9 % corporate income tax rate , a 9 % income tax rate and a 9 % national sales tax . his opponents called the plan unrealistic and said it stands zero chance of passing on capitol hill . i think it 's a catchy phrase , in fact , i thought it was the price of a pizza when i first heard it , ' former utah gov . jon huntsman joked . we need something that 's doable , doable , doable . ' two candidates competing with cain for conservative voters in the leadoff caucus state of iowa , former sen. rick santorum of pennsylvania and rep. michele bachmann of minnesota , sharply questioned cain 's economic credentials . santorum asked audience members at dartmouth college to raise their hands if they support a new sales tax . no one in the crowd appeared to do so . there you go , herman . that 's how many votes you 'll get in new hampshire . ' he added , can we trust you with your lack of experience that you wo n't continually give washington the ability to take freedom away from freedom-loving people ? ' bachmann said the plan would do little to create jobs and would simply offer the government a new way to collect tax revenue . when you take the 9-9- ( 9 ) plan and you turn it upside won , the devil is in the details , ' bachmann said , a reference to 666 , a symbol commonly associated with satan . cain defended his plan as a fresh solution . therein lies the difference between me , the nonpolitician , and all of the politicians , ' he said . they want to pass what they think they can get passed rather than what we need , which is a bold solution . ' rep. ron paul of texas also attacked cain for naming former federal reserve chairman alan greenspan as the kind of person he would appoint to the fed if elected . alan greenspan was a disaster , ' paul said , saying that greenspan manipulated american currency and helped usher in the current economic crisis . former house speaker newt gingrich attacked the current federal reserve chairman , ben bernanke , and said the central banking system should be subject to greater oversight . bernanke has in secret spent hundred of billions of dollars bailing out one group and not bailing out another group , ' gingrich said . it is corrupt and wrong for one man to have that secret power . ' eight candidates participated in the economy-themed debate at dartmouth college , sponsored by bloomberg television and the washington post . while some candidates trained their sights on cain , others tried to sully former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , who has solidified his lead in national polls and in new hampshire , a state central to his nomination strategy . but as in previous debates , romney , a tested campaigner , parried several attacks and kept the focus on jobs and the economy . share your view on the debate in one portion of the debate , moderators allowed the candidates to ask questions of one another . texas gov . rick perry pressed romney on his health care overhaul in massachusetts , which he compared to obama 's national plan . romney turned the question around on perry . we have less than 1 % of our kids that are uninsured , ' romney said . you have a million kids uninsured in texas . a million kids . under president bush , the percentage uninsured went down . under your leadership , it 's gone up . ' perry , who has been criticized by romney for not outlining a detailed economic plan , said he would begin rolling out a platform in the coming days , beginning with a speech this week on boosting domestic energy production . it 's time for another american declaration of independence , ' perry said . it 's time for energy independence . ' | candidates pounce on herman cain 's 9-9-9 plan for eradicating tax code |
cain <tsp> hanover , new hampshire ( cnn ) -- herman cain , the latest republican presidential candidate to surge in the polls , found himself in the hot seat tuesday night at a debate in new hampshire centered on economic matters . the linchpin of cain 's campaign , his cleverly titled 9-9-9 plan to restructure the u.s. tax code , came under harsh scrutiny as other republicans sought to knock the former godfather 's pizza ceo off his pedestal . the cain plan would implement a 9 % corporate income tax rate , a 9 % income tax rate and a 9 % national sales tax . his opponents called the plan unrealistic and said it stands zero chance of passing on capitol hill . i think it 's a catchy phrase , in fact , i thought it was the price of a pizza when i first heard it , ' former utah gov . jon huntsman joked . we need something that 's doable , doable , doable . ' two candidates competing with cain for conservative voters in the leadoff caucus state of iowa , former sen. rick santorum of pennsylvania and rep. michele bachmann of minnesota , sharply questioned cain 's economic credentials . santorum asked audience members at dartmouth college to raise their hands if they support a new sales tax . no one in the crowd appeared to do so . there you go , herman . that 's how many votes you 'll get in new hampshire . ' he added , can we trust you with your lack of experience that you wo n't continually give washington the ability to take freedom away from freedom-loving people ? ' bachmann said the plan would do little to create jobs and would simply offer the government a new way to collect tax revenue . when you take the 9-9- ( 9 ) plan and you turn it upside won , the devil is in the details , ' bachmann said , a reference to 666 , a symbol commonly associated with satan . cain defended his plan as a fresh solution . therein lies the difference between me , the nonpolitician , and all of the politicians , ' he said . they want to pass what they think they can get passed rather than what we need , which is a bold solution . ' rep. ron paul of texas also attacked cain for naming former federal reserve chairman alan greenspan as the kind of person he would appoint to the fed if elected . alan greenspan was a disaster , ' paul said , saying that greenspan manipulated american currency and helped usher in the current economic crisis . former house speaker newt gingrich attacked the current federal reserve chairman , ben bernanke , and said the central banking system should be subject to greater oversight . bernanke has in secret spent hundred of billions of dollars bailing out one group and not bailing out another group , ' gingrich said . it is corrupt and wrong for one man to have that secret power . ' eight candidates participated in the economy-themed debate at dartmouth college , sponsored by bloomberg television and the washington post . while some candidates trained their sights on cain , others tried to sully former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , who has solidified his lead in national polls and in new hampshire , a state central to his nomination strategy . but as in previous debates , romney , a tested campaigner , parried several attacks and kept the focus on jobs and the economy . share your view on the debate in one portion of the debate , moderators allowed the candidates to ask questions of one another . texas gov . rick perry pressed romney on his health care overhaul in massachusetts , which he compared to obama 's national plan . romney turned the question around on perry . we have less than 1 % of our kids that are uninsured , ' romney said . you have a million kids uninsured in texas . a million kids . under president bush , the percentage uninsured went down . under your leadership , it 's gone up . ' perry , who has been criticized by romney for not outlining a detailed economic plan , said he would begin rolling out a platform in the coming days , beginning with a speech this week on boosting domestic energy production . it 's time for another american declaration of independence , ' perry said . it 's time for energy independence . ' | cain defends plan as bold solution ' |
uefa <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's official -- world football 's controversial leader sepp blatter is set to enter the enemy 's lair just weeks after accusing uefa of plotting to depose him . the fifa president is prepared to the risk of public humiliation in vienna next month as he faces the three men who plan to usurp him with european governing body uefa considering giving each candidate the chance to make their case at its congress on march 24 . fifa confirmed to cnn that blatter plans to be in austria for the congress as he steps up his campaigning to retain the presidency . with 209 federation votes at stake , the candidates will have the opportunity to influence over a quarter of them as they address uefa 's 54 member nations at an event that would be broadcast online . seeking a fifth consecutive term in office at the age of 79 , blatter is facing challenges from jordan 's prince ali bin al-hussein , dutchman michael van praag and former real madrid and barcelona star luis figo . all three of blatter 's opponents have declared their willingness to take part in a live debate with the swiss , who has previously rejected such offers by claiming football should not imitate politics . ' that 's a reference to the political debates , for example in the united states and britain , where politicians slug it out in front of the cameras ahead of elections . while prince ali has called for an open debate and van praag even suggested a google hangout , uefa is examining the possibility of giving each candidate an allotted amount of time to outline their plans to repair fifa 's battered image . the world governing body 's reputation has been dragged through the mud by the furor over alleged corruption surrounding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups . that criticism reached a fever pitch when the man brought in by fifa to investigate , u.s. lawyer michael garcia , resigned in protest last year , unhappy that his published summary did not accurately reflect his findings . while an actual debate is unlikely at this stage , the opportunity for blatter 's opponents to speak to congress and potentially highlight the incumbent 's failings right in front of him could potentially prove embarrassing to the swiss . speaking at his campaign launch in london on tuesday , prince ali threw down the gauntlet to blatter , suggesting an open debate between candidates should take place . if we are talking about transparency , i would like to see , at least before the elections a public debate , including the incumbent , ' prince ali said . if we talk about reform , proper reform , i 'm not confident i 've seen it . he 's had the chance to do it , ' added prince ali referring to blatter . we 've also had promises from him that he would not run again . he has been the president and , definitely , the president needs to be held responsible for what happens . ' both prince ali and jerome champagne , who failed to gain the required number of backers to qualify for the election , have been scathing over fifa 's image in recent days . in an open letter , champagne said that he was unable to collect the five nominations needed as a number of associations feared they would be punished for supporting him . i warmly thank the three federations that have endorsed me and the many presidents who explained , with candor and friendship , that they could not do it despite their interest in my program , ' he wrote . the reasons were numerous . because they feared reprisals from their confederations having issued'recommendations .' because their federations were candidates to host continental competitions . because they relied too heavily on the financial support . because they were committed to defend a united continental front . ' prince ali has gone as fas as to suggest that fifa is run by a culture of intimidation ' with some national associations fearing retribution if they back any other candidate other than blatter , though the jordanian did n't provide specific examples . fifa declined to comment when contacted by cnn over prince ali 's intimidation ' reference . allegations of corruption have blighted blatter 's 17-year reign and michel platini , president of uefa , has been outspoken of his desire to see the swiss removed from the top of world football . blatter is aware of platini 's stance and speaking to cnn last month , he insisted uefa was waging a campaign to depose him . they want to get rid of me , ' he told cnn . all this opposition is coming now it 's unfortunate to say it , it 's coming from nyon , from uefa . they do n't have the courage to come in . so let me go ( on ) -- be respectful ! because in football you learn to win but you also learn to lose . so i 'm going now . if i win the better , if i lose ok ! ' | uefa considers giving each candidate allotted time to speak at its congress |
uefa <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's official -- world football 's controversial leader sepp blatter is set to enter the enemy 's lair just weeks after accusing uefa of plotting to depose him . the fifa president is prepared to the risk of public humiliation in vienna next month as he faces the three men who plan to usurp him with european governing body uefa considering giving each candidate the chance to make their case at its congress on march 24 . fifa confirmed to cnn that blatter plans to be in austria for the congress as he steps up his campaigning to retain the presidency . with 209 federation votes at stake , the candidates will have the opportunity to influence over a quarter of them as they address uefa 's 54 member nations at an event that would be broadcast online . seeking a fifth consecutive term in office at the age of 79 , blatter is facing challenges from jordan 's prince ali bin al-hussein , dutchman michael van praag and former real madrid and barcelona star luis figo . all three of blatter 's opponents have declared their willingness to take part in a live debate with the swiss , who has previously rejected such offers by claiming football should not imitate politics . ' that 's a reference to the political debates , for example in the united states and britain , where politicians slug it out in front of the cameras ahead of elections . while prince ali has called for an open debate and van praag even suggested a google hangout , uefa is examining the possibility of giving each candidate an allotted amount of time to outline their plans to repair fifa 's battered image . the world governing body 's reputation has been dragged through the mud by the furor over alleged corruption surrounding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups . that criticism reached a fever pitch when the man brought in by fifa to investigate , u.s. lawyer michael garcia , resigned in protest last year , unhappy that his published summary did not accurately reflect his findings . while an actual debate is unlikely at this stage , the opportunity for blatter 's opponents to speak to congress and potentially highlight the incumbent 's failings right in front of him could potentially prove embarrassing to the swiss . speaking at his campaign launch in london on tuesday , prince ali threw down the gauntlet to blatter , suggesting an open debate between candidates should take place . if we are talking about transparency , i would like to see , at least before the elections a public debate , including the incumbent , ' prince ali said . if we talk about reform , proper reform , i 'm not confident i 've seen it . he 's had the chance to do it , ' added prince ali referring to blatter . we 've also had promises from him that he would not run again . he has been the president and , definitely , the president needs to be held responsible for what happens . ' both prince ali and jerome champagne , who failed to gain the required number of backers to qualify for the election , have been scathing over fifa 's image in recent days . in an open letter , champagne said that he was unable to collect the five nominations needed as a number of associations feared they would be punished for supporting him . i warmly thank the three federations that have endorsed me and the many presidents who explained , with candor and friendship , that they could not do it despite their interest in my program , ' he wrote . the reasons were numerous . because they feared reprisals from their confederations having issued'recommendations .' because their federations were candidates to host continental competitions . because they relied too heavily on the financial support . because they were committed to defend a united continental front . ' prince ali has gone as fas as to suggest that fifa is run by a culture of intimidation ' with some national associations fearing retribution if they back any other candidate other than blatter , though the jordanian did n't provide specific examples . fifa declined to comment when contacted by cnn over prince ali 's intimidation ' reference . allegations of corruption have blighted blatter 's 17-year reign and michel platini , president of uefa , has been outspoken of his desire to see the swiss removed from the top of world football . blatter is aware of platini 's stance and speaking to cnn last month , he insisted uefa was waging a campaign to depose him . they want to get rid of me , ' he told cnn . all this opposition is coming now it 's unfortunate to say it , it 's coming from nyon , from uefa . they do n't have the courage to come in . so let me go ( on ) -- be respectful ! because in football you learn to win but you also learn to lose . so i 'm going now . if i win the better , if i lose ok ! ' | all four men set to be invited to speak at the uefa congress |
luis figo <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's official -- world football 's controversial leader sepp blatter is set to enter the enemy 's lair just weeks after accusing uefa of plotting to depose him . the fifa president is prepared to the risk of public humiliation in vienna next month as he faces the three men who plan to usurp him with european governing body uefa considering giving each candidate the chance to make their case at its congress on march 24 . fifa confirmed to cnn that blatter plans to be in austria for the congress as he steps up his campaigning to retain the presidency . with 209 federation votes at stake , the candidates will have the opportunity to influence over a quarter of them as they address uefa 's 54 member nations at an event that would be broadcast online . seeking a fifth consecutive term in office at the age of 79 , blatter is facing challenges from jordan 's prince ali bin al-hussein , dutchman michael van praag and former real madrid and barcelona star luis figo . all three of blatter 's opponents have declared their willingness to take part in a live debate with the swiss , who has previously rejected such offers by claiming football should not imitate politics . ' that 's a reference to the political debates , for example in the united states and britain , where politicians slug it out in front of the cameras ahead of elections . while prince ali has called for an open debate and van praag even suggested a google hangout , uefa is examining the possibility of giving each candidate an allotted amount of time to outline their plans to repair fifa 's battered image . the world governing body 's reputation has been dragged through the mud by the furor over alleged corruption surrounding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups . that criticism reached a fever pitch when the man brought in by fifa to investigate , u.s. lawyer michael garcia , resigned in protest last year , unhappy that his published summary did not accurately reflect his findings . while an actual debate is unlikely at this stage , the opportunity for blatter 's opponents to speak to congress and potentially highlight the incumbent 's failings right in front of him could potentially prove embarrassing to the swiss . speaking at his campaign launch in london on tuesday , prince ali threw down the gauntlet to blatter , suggesting an open debate between candidates should take place . if we are talking about transparency , i would like to see , at least before the elections a public debate , including the incumbent , ' prince ali said . if we talk about reform , proper reform , i 'm not confident i 've seen it . he 's had the chance to do it , ' added prince ali referring to blatter . we 've also had promises from him that he would not run again . he has been the president and , definitely , the president needs to be held responsible for what happens . ' both prince ali and jerome champagne , who failed to gain the required number of backers to qualify for the election , have been scathing over fifa 's image in recent days . in an open letter , champagne said that he was unable to collect the five nominations needed as a number of associations feared they would be punished for supporting him . i warmly thank the three federations that have endorsed me and the many presidents who explained , with candor and friendship , that they could not do it despite their interest in my program , ' he wrote . the reasons were numerous . because they feared reprisals from their confederations having issued'recommendations .' because their federations were candidates to host continental competitions . because they relied too heavily on the financial support . because they were committed to defend a united continental front . ' prince ali has gone as fas as to suggest that fifa is run by a culture of intimidation ' with some national associations fearing retribution if they back any other candidate other than blatter , though the jordanian did n't provide specific examples . fifa declined to comment when contacted by cnn over prince ali 's intimidation ' reference . allegations of corruption have blighted blatter 's 17-year reign and michel platini , president of uefa , has been outspoken of his desire to see the swiss removed from the top of world football . blatter is aware of platini 's stance and speaking to cnn last month , he insisted uefa was waging a campaign to depose him . they want to get rid of me , ' he told cnn . all this opposition is coming now it 's unfortunate to say it , it 's coming from nyon , from uefa . they do n't have the courage to come in . so let me go ( on ) -- be respectful ! because in football you learn to win but you also learn to lose . so i 'm going now . if i win the better , if i lose ok ! ' | luis figo , michael van praag and prince ali keen on open debate |
mideast <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- a southern california high school sports team is not scoring any points for its name , the arabs . in a letter this month , the american-arab anti-discrimination committee accused coachella valley high school of stereotyping and demanded a name change . the group also is seeking a change of the school mascot . the group said it was shocked to learn that the arab ' is the official mascot of the high school in thermal . continued use of the'arab'mascot perpetuates demeaning stereotypes of arabs and arab americans , ' it said . coachella valley high school 's gross stereotyping can not be tolerated . ' the school has a mascot that depicts a man with a large nose , heavy beard , and wearing ' a traditional head covering , the group said . during halftime , a female dressed as belly dancer entertains the mascot by dancing for him , ' it added . but for the school , the mascot and cheerleaders shouting let 's go , arabs , let 's go ' are nothing new . the mascot dates back to the 1930s . coachella valley unified school district superintendent darryl adams says he is taking the concerns seriously . he believes his school district and the civil rights group can come to a compromise by altering the mascot 's caricature and removing features that insult arab-americans . it 's not so much the name but the depiction of the mascot , ' adams said . i 'm from memphis , tennessee , so i understand how people can look at different symbols and caricatures . i look at it as an educational opportunity for our students and staff to discuss it . things evolve over time , and it 's the 21st century and it 's 2013 , and this group feels we need to look at it and we will , ' adams said . the arab mascot recognizes the influences of the middle east in the area 's date farming , said rich ramirez , president of the coachella valley high school alumni association and a 1959 graduate of the high school . in the early 1900s , the u.s. department of agriculture acquired date shoots from iraq and other middle eastern countries and used them to establish date orchards in the valley 's desert climate , ramirez said . some of the valley 's arab-americans -- largely of lebanese background -- were involved in date farming , but they mostly ran men 's apparel stores and groceries , ramirez said . by 1921 , the valley held its first date festival in indio , and people who dressed in arabian style were admitted free to the festival , he said . the riverside county fair and national date festival now attracts 300,000 people over 10 days every february , said ramirez , a former board member of the coachella valley history museum . dates became a boon to the valley more than 90 miles east of downtown los angeles . the coachella valley , a popular winter retreat that includes palm springs , now produces 95 % of the country 's dates in two dozen varieties , ramirez said . middle eastern influences are also reflected in community names of mecca , oasis and arabia . the city of coachella has street names of damascus and baghdad , and the valley 's largest city , indio , has a street named deglet noor , a date variety , ramirez said . by 1931 , the high school adopted the mascot name of arabs , replacing the informal names of date pickers ' or farmers ' inspired by the area 's industry . it was a common way of nicknaming communities then , much like the university of nebraska cornhuskers , ramirez said . we 're proud of arab tradition and arab culture , ' ramirez said . the high school band and drill team dresses in arab style , and a girl in a genie costume dances during football halftimes , ramirez said . ramirez wants the school to keep the arab mascot , but he 's willing to change the facial features , he said . the comment they make is that it has a hook-nose arab . we have been using the snarling face to instill fear in the opponent . that 's what a mascot does . but we can put a handsome dude in the mascot , ' ramirez said . he noted how the community stood up for arabs shortly after the september 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks . work with us . do n't come off like we 're something terrible . we 're not terrible . when 9/11 came , we got terrible , terrible threats to change the name of our mascot . we said no . people love the name ; they love the culture ; they love our date festival , ' he added . the school district and the national group are meeting to see whether a resolution can be made , the affiliate reported . the issue will also be discussed at a board meeting november 21 . superintendent adams will brief the board in closed session on the potential legal implications of the mascot , but he expects there will be many public comments during the open board meeting , he said . it is unclear whether anything will change before the next game friday night . a slur or term of'honor'? controversy heightens about washington redskins | coachella valley produces 95 % of u.s. dates , cultivated from mideast shoots |
matthew chance <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the gunman showed that he was human . most of the others who stalked the lobby of tripoli 's rixos hotel were young , brash , hostile gadhafi diehards . yet this man in his 50s , armed with a kalashnikov , longed to see his children . his kids were out there somewhere in the libyan capital , he said , gunfire and explosions erupting around them . i really miss my family , too , ' cnn producer jomana karadsheh told him in arabic . i really want to go out and see my family . they 're worried about me . ' tears welled in the gunman 's eyes . rebels were taking over the libyan capital . and this man , who had known nothing but the gadhafi regime for 42 years , wanted to go home , too . it was in this moment that karadsheh knew she had a chance . if the three dozen journalists being held against their will inside the five-star hotel for five days had a shot of being freed , it was now . at 29 , karadsheh has a lifetime of experience in hostile regions . a native of jordan who is fluent in arabic and english , she 's a stalwart of cnn 's baghdad bureau and known for her professionalism , persistence and persuasiveness . if you encounter trouble , you want her at your side . she 'd come to libya weeks before , meeting up with cnn senior international correspondent matthew chance . she 'd built relationships with the government officials , media minders and security in the hotel , including this gunman . now she and an arabic-speaking cameraman from another news organization were negotiating to secure the journalists'safe release . on her facebook page , karadsheh lists her favorite quote : life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body , but rather to skid in sideways , thoroughly used up , totally worn out , champagne in one hand ... strawberries in the other and screaming :'woo hoo ! what a ride !' in the rixos hotel , karadsheh was n't ready for life 's wild ride to end . phoning home to say goodbye it had become apparent days earlier that the journalists -- from an array of news organizations , including bbc , reuters , fox and china 's cctv -- were prisoners of a dying gadhafi regime . the government officials and minders who 'd monitored the journalists abandoned the hotel august 21 . about 15 gunmen loyal to the regime remained behind , roaming the halls with russian assault rifles . they told the journalists they could not leave the hotel . most of the loyalists were irritable , young , reckless . they adorned their weapons with the green flag of gadhafi 's regime . to avoid contact with this volatile bunch , the journalists moved to an upper floor . a hotel chef initially took care of the group . one 21-year-old gunman -- a nice guy , ' karadsheh says -- ran through the hotel with his jeans covered in the blood of his cousin , killed in the fighting outside . by monday , tensions between the journalists and their captors escalated . gunfire erupted outside the hotel , and smoke could be seen coming from the direction of gadhafi 's nearby compound . the gunmen were enraged . nato spies , ' they shouted . there are spies amongst the journalists ! ' they walked amid the journalists , their guns drawn . they were angry , bitter . this could really turn out terribly for us , ' chance thought . the journalists tried not to antagonize . we all had a calm panic , if there is such a thing , ' he recalled . the gunmen 's belligerence sparked paranoia about being taken hostage , about being held prisoner , about being executed . ' it dawned on us : if they 'd been given orders to take us as prisoners or to execute us , there was nothing we could do . ' that loss of control -- the realization that their fate rested with the men holding guns -- led to the darkest thoughts : that they would n't make it out alive . chance phoned his mother and wife to tell them what to do with his remains . his wife put his 5-year-old daughter on the line . if this was a final goodbye , his only child needed to hear daddy 's voice . the veteran correspondent who has covered conflicts in the balkans , chechnya , iraq and afghanistan did n't tell his girl about the danger he faced . he spoke instead of the new school year . you 're going to start school in two weeks , ' he said . promise me that you 'll work really hard at school . ' yes , poppa , i promise you . ' be a good girl for me and mommy . ' poppa , i will . ' his heart sank . he was 2,000 miles from his home in moscow . he wanted nothing more than to see his girl on her first day of school . he just was n't sure if he 'd make it . fighting intensified outside . snipers fired into the hotel , shattering windows and rattling nerves . chance and the others spent 36 hours face-down on the floor with little food or water . with frequent power outages , it was difficult to follow the events of tripoli outside the walls of the hotel . but work kept chance focused . he tweeted using his smartphone , used a satellite phone or called friends and dictated his thoughts . at one point tuesday , he leaned over a balcony overlooking the hotel 's interior courtyard , which the gunmen patrolled . i suppose you 're happy now that libyans are killing libyans , ' one shouted . connecting as a human ' the sound of artillery fire pierced the morning calm wednesday . journalists rustled awake . the gunmen had grown increasingly hostile the day before . the group worried about what lay in store . about 6 a.m. , all of the gunmen except the older one left the hotel . karadsheh and the arabic-speaking cameraman approached him . a day earlier , she had overheard him telling the younger gunmen to remain calm and be good to the journalists : we want them to go back to their countries and say good things about us -- how libyans are brave people . ' now karadsheh and the cameraman told him what they understood : gadhafi 's regime had fallen . when a man who called himself a soldier entered the hotel , the gunman asked about the situation outside . you were out there . tell me , what 's really going on ? is it what they are telling us ? ' yes , he was told . the rebels were indeed in control . gadhafi 's rule of libya was over . karadsheh seized the moment with an emotional plea . her family missed her , she told him , as did the families of the three dozen other journalists . think about your kids , ' she said . you 're left here alone . just let us go . ' at first , the man defended gadhafi , saying that he had brought democracy to libya , that the nation thrived under his leadership . earlier , he 'd told karadsheh that he was protecting the journalists . that he wanted his children to know that he 'd fight to the end . karadsheh and the cameraman reminded him that all the senior officials -- and now even his young comrades -- had abandoned him . it was time to give up . slowly , he started to change . ' the cameraman slowly stripped the soldier and gunman of their weapons . now unarmed , the man looked at the journalists and said , you can go now . ' karadsheh immediately began negotiating with the international committee of the red cross to get cars to the hotel . before she left , she told the man goodbye . jomana , get out of here , ' he said . go back home . libya is over . there will be a bloodbath for years to come . ' chance watched nearby as his colleague talked with the guard . i watched this transformation these guys made from being gadhafi hardliners to realizing that his regime was a historically past moment . that was a remarkable transition to witness . i think it 's the most moving part of this whole crisis . ' says karadsheh : in the end , we 're all human . and that 's what this was about , connecting with him as a human . ' stepping outside the rixos , the journalists worried about snipers . there were none . cars with the bbc and the international committee of the red cross pulled up . they piled inside . rixos crisis ends . all journalists are out ! ' chance tweeted . in the car , he called cnn . speeding through tripoli , he described the end of their hellish ordeal . karadsheh sat next to him , tears streaming down her face , the weight of recent days crashing down . we would n't be here if it were n't for her , ' chance said later . but karadsheh praised the cameraman . it was a team effort . ' chance 's daughter will soon see her poppa . he plans to be home for her first day of school september 5 . but first he stopped at the newly named martyr square , where joyous tripoli residents showered him with flowers . they 're not celebrating my freedom , ' he said . they 're celebrating libya 's freedom . ' karadsheh was struck by the disparate scene from a week ago , when tripoli was filled with unhappy faces . today , she noted , everyone seemed to wear smiles . gadhafi 's images have been torn down . i came out to a new libya , ' she said . on thursday , the day after her release , she did the unthinkable . she returned to the hotel to gather her personal belongings . i got a bit freaked out when we got close , ' she said . but the first thing i saw was a rebel flag hanging on the rixos . i felt comfortable . ' soon , she was back in a car , crossing the border into tunisia , headed home . as she 'd told the gunman , she longs to see her loved ones . cnn 's paul armstrong contributed to this report . | cnn correspondent matthew chance called home to say his goodbyes |
babbitt <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- federal aviation administrator randy babbitt resigned tuesday , three days after he was arrested on a drunk driving charge near his suburban washington home . in a brief statement released to the media , babbitt said he had submitted his resignation to his boss , transportation secretary ray lahood , and that lahood had accepted it . babbitt , 65 , a former airline pilot and president of a major pilots'union , said serving as faa administrator had been the highlight of my professional career , ' adding , but i am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day , 7 days a week by my colleagues at the faa . ' his statement made no mention of his arrest , although it was clearly the event that precipitated his action . earlier in the day , secretary lahood told reporters he was very disappointed ' that he had learned about babbitt 's saturday night arrest only after the fairfax city , virginia , police department issued a news release about the incident . in a statement released just minutes after babbitt announced his resignation , lahood called babbitt a dedicated public servant and outstanding leader . ' i 'm proud to say that we have the safest aviation system in the world , and thanks to randy 's stewardship , it became safer and stronger , ' lahood said . he worked tirelessly to improve relations with the labor community and bolstered employee engagement among his 49,000 colleagues at the faa . ' fairfax city police arrested babbitt late saturday night after they allegedly saw babbitt driving on the wrong side of the road . the police put out a news release on monday morning detailing the incident . babbitt was alone in the car , and was cooperative , police said . he was released on personal recognizance , meaning no bail was required . the police department said babbitt failed a sobriety test , but they did not release the results of any blood-alcohol test . on monday , dot officials appeared to be caught off-guard when the police department , in accordance with its policies , issued a news release saying babbitt had been arrested . dot officials monday afternoon issued a statement saying that babbitt had asked for a leave of absence , and it had been granted . a court date for babbitt has been set for february 2 in virginia . deputy administrator michael huerta is serving as acting administrator . | new : faa head randy babbitt resigns after a weekend charge of drunk driving |
babbitt <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- federal aviation administrator randy babbitt resigned tuesday , three days after he was arrested on a drunk driving charge near his suburban washington home . in a brief statement released to the media , babbitt said he had submitted his resignation to his boss , transportation secretary ray lahood , and that lahood had accepted it . babbitt , 65 , a former airline pilot and president of a major pilots'union , said serving as faa administrator had been the highlight of my professional career , ' adding , but i am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day , 7 days a week by my colleagues at the faa . ' his statement made no mention of his arrest , although it was clearly the event that precipitated his action . earlier in the day , secretary lahood told reporters he was very disappointed ' that he had learned about babbitt 's saturday night arrest only after the fairfax city , virginia , police department issued a news release about the incident . in a statement released just minutes after babbitt announced his resignation , lahood called babbitt a dedicated public servant and outstanding leader . ' i 'm proud to say that we have the safest aviation system in the world , and thanks to randy 's stewardship , it became safer and stronger , ' lahood said . he worked tirelessly to improve relations with the labor community and bolstered employee engagement among his 49,000 colleagues at the faa . ' fairfax city police arrested babbitt late saturday night after they allegedly saw babbitt driving on the wrong side of the road . the police put out a news release on monday morning detailing the incident . babbitt was alone in the car , and was cooperative , police said . he was released on personal recognizance , meaning no bail was required . the police department said babbitt failed a sobriety test , but they did not release the results of any blood-alcohol test . on monday , dot officials appeared to be caught off-guard when the police department , in accordance with its policies , issued a news release saying babbitt had been arrested . dot officials monday afternoon issued a statement saying that babbitt had asked for a leave of absence , and it had been granted . a court date for babbitt has been set for february 2 in virginia . deputy administrator michael huerta is serving as acting administrator . | police allegedly saw babbitt driving on the wrong side of the road |
babbitt <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- federal aviation administrator randy babbitt resigned tuesday , three days after he was arrested on a drunk driving charge near his suburban washington home . in a brief statement released to the media , babbitt said he had submitted his resignation to his boss , transportation secretary ray lahood , and that lahood had accepted it . babbitt , 65 , a former airline pilot and president of a major pilots'union , said serving as faa administrator had been the highlight of my professional career , ' adding , but i am unwilling to let anything cast a shadow on the outstanding work done 24 hours a day , 7 days a week by my colleagues at the faa . ' his statement made no mention of his arrest , although it was clearly the event that precipitated his action . earlier in the day , secretary lahood told reporters he was very disappointed ' that he had learned about babbitt 's saturday night arrest only after the fairfax city , virginia , police department issued a news release about the incident . in a statement released just minutes after babbitt announced his resignation , lahood called babbitt a dedicated public servant and outstanding leader . ' i 'm proud to say that we have the safest aviation system in the world , and thanks to randy 's stewardship , it became safer and stronger , ' lahood said . he worked tirelessly to improve relations with the labor community and bolstered employee engagement among his 49,000 colleagues at the faa . ' fairfax city police arrested babbitt late saturday night after they allegedly saw babbitt driving on the wrong side of the road . the police put out a news release on monday morning detailing the incident . babbitt was alone in the car , and was cooperative , police said . he was released on personal recognizance , meaning no bail was required . the police department said babbitt failed a sobriety test , but they did not release the results of any blood-alcohol test . on monday , dot officials appeared to be caught off-guard when the police department , in accordance with its policies , issued a news release saying babbitt had been arrested . dot officials monday afternoon issued a statement saying that babbitt had asked for a leave of absence , and it had been granted . a court date for babbitt has been set for february 2 in virginia . deputy administrator michael huerta is serving as acting administrator . | new : transportation secretary ray lahood accepts babbitt 's resignation |
holder <tsp> his mother ran down the street , tears streaming down her face . his father said he was devastated . ' when a missouri grand jury decided not to indict ferguson police officer darren wilson in his fatal shooting , michael brown 's family believed they were denied justice . ahead of the decision announced late monday , michael brown sr. called for calm . after word of the grand jury decision broke , some protesters smashed the windows of a police cruiser and tried to overturn it . others picked up bricks and smashed the windows of a restaurant . police responded by firing tear gas . a chant arose , f * ck the police ! the unrest came after the family challenged those outraged with the decision to channel their frustration in ways that will make a positive change . ' but the violence in ferguson spread , leaving family attorney benjamin crump to call for peace and a constructive response . ' michael brown and the unknown michael browns are crying out from the grave , saying we have to change this system that let people kill them or .... without consequence , ' crump told cnn . what options remain available to the brown family or what actions might give them some solace ? ferguson : what 's next ? federal investigations the u.s. justice department is conducting two civil rights investigations : one into whether wilson , who is white , violated the civil rights of brown , who was black , and the other into the police department 's overall track record with minorities . the investigations will likely require lots of time , if similar past cases are any indication . last week , cnn legal analyst paul callan said the lack of an indictment could push the federal government to open a much more stringent and powerful investigation ' of brown 's shooting . protests spread far beyond ferguson ' now they know he 's not going to be prosecuted on a state level , and the feds have a right to do a completely independent investigation , and they 're not bound in any way by grand jury determination , ' he said . but crump late monday sounded pessimistic about that route . that is a very high standard and it 's not very likely . the family understands if there is no indictment it is likely the killer of their child wo n't be held accountable and that 's heartbreaking to them . ' u.s. attorney general eric holder stressed that the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting death of brown , 18 , continues . even at this mature stage of the investigation , we have avoided prejudging any of the evidence , ' holder said . and although federal civil rights law imposes a high legal bar in these types of cases , we have resisted forming premature conclusions . ''a thousand fergusons across america' possible lawsuit , alleging wrongful death the family could file a wrongful death lawsuit against wilson and the ferguson police department , callan said . crump told ac360 ' that the family is considering the option of civil remedies to obtain some sense of justice . ' callan said brown 's family could file a lawsuit under section 1983 of title 42 of the u.s. code -- a federal statute that permits damages against state officials for violations of legal or constitutional rights . but another cnn legal analyst , mark o'mara , said law enforcement officers are afforded certain legal protections . cnn commentator and legal analyst mel robbins said she expects the family to allege wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress . they will allege that wilson had no justification or was negligent in shooting brown , she predicted . such a lawsuit would likely include the fact that brown 's body was in the street for four hours after his killing . what 's next for darren wilson ? a push for change to the system in a video released last week by stlforward.com , michael brown sr. thanked supporters for trying to end what he called racial profiling and police intimidation . but he asked for a calm response if there were no indictment . hurting others or destroying property is not the answer . no matter what the grand jury decides , i do not want my son 's death to be in vain . i want it to lead to incredible change , positive change . change that makes the st. louis region better for everyone . ' late monday , the family was away from the cameras , dealing with their disappointment . before then , they encouraged the public to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen . ' st. louis county prosecuting attorney robert mcculloch said physical and scientific evidence , along with witness statements , led to the grand jury 's decision . still , he acknowledged the brown family 's huge loss . my heart goes out to them . regardless of the circumstances . they lost a young man , they lost a young life , ' mcculloch said . complete coverage of what 's happening in ferguson | federal investigations , meanwhile , will continue , holder says |
dutch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two men held in the netherlands may have been trying to test u.s. airport security by putting bottles with electronic devices attached in checked baggage , a u.s. law enforcement source said monday . the men were taken into custody after landing in amsterdam on a flight from chicago , illinois , dutch prosecutors said . both men were being held at amsterdam 's schiphol international airport at the request of dutch national police , airport spokesman robert kapel said . the u.s. department of homeland security said they were arrested after suspicious items ' in their luggage raised concern . the items were not deemed to be dangerous in and of themselves , and as we share information with our international partners , dutch authorities were notified of the suspicious items , ' the u.s. agency said . this matter continues to be under investigation . ' those items were an empty shampoo bottle with watches attached to it and an empty bottle of a stomach medicine with mobile phones attached , according to the u.s. law enforcement source , who has been briefed on the investigation . that has raised concern that the men may have been testing a future terrorist plot , the source said . attempts to sneak liquid explosives aboard jetliners were at the heart of a 2006 plot broken up by british authorities . that case led u.s. authorities to ban all but small quantities of liquids from aircraft cabins . u.s. law enforcement officials told cnn that the checked bags contained knives and box cutters as well . passengers have been banned from carrying those items on aircraft since the september 11 , 2001 , attacks on new york and washington . the source identified the men aboard united airlines flight 908 , from chicago , illinois , to amsterdam , as ahmed mohamed nasser al-soofi and hezem al-murisi . al-soofi began his trip by boarding a flight in birmingham , alabama , and al-murisi originally flew from memphis , tennessee , the law enforcement source said . another u.s. law enforcement official said both men were in the united states legally , but their countries of origin were not immediately known . that official said neither of the passengers were carrying items that are barred from aircraft , and federal air marshals were aboard the chicago-to-amsterdam flight . however , the law enforcement source said al-soofi was ticketed for a flight that went to washington 's dulles international airport , with continuing stops in dubai and yemen , while both he and al-murisi were aboard the chicago-to-amsterdam flight . al-soofi 's luggage went aboard the chicago-to-washington flight without him , the source said , in what amounted to another violation of u.s. safety protocols . a u.s. government official said items in at least one of the bags were being examined by law enforcement authorities at dulles on monday night . the official said al-soofi and al-murisi were seated near each other on the chicago-to-amsterdam flight , but were not seated next to each other . authorities are still looking into whether the men were traveling together or simply had similar itineraries , the official said . cnn 's nic robertson , jeanne meserve , mike ahlers and susan candiotti contributed to this report . | dutch investigators keep lid on details |
colorado <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the posts show how quickly life can change . everyones dressing up as batman , im going dressed as bruce wayne ... albeit a short stubby unsexy bruce wayne # couldntfindbatmanmaskintime , ' wrote one twitter user , identified online as zach eastman . going to see the final batman tonight ! so excited ! ! ! ' wrote another twitter user , @ djaylarene . and , in hindsight , most chillingly : of course we 're seeing dark knight ... people should never argue with me . ' gunman kills 12 in colorado theater shooting those posts surfaced before the shootings early friday morning at a late-night showing in aurora , colorado , of the batman movie the dark knight rises , ' in which 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured . all three people who were quoted above appear to have been in the theater complex when a heavily armed gunman opened fire on moviegoers , according to police . the third post appears to be from jessica ghawi , who was reported dead in the shooting . ghawi was a former sports-news intern at a television station in san antonio , according to that station , fox 29 . it 's true , my former intern jessica ghawi was a victim in the shootings last night . she used @ jessicaredfield as her twitter handle , ' wrote a twitter user identified as mike taylor . in the hours after the shooting , her friend mourned her death in real time . devastated , ' wrote a sports radio host in denver , identified online as peter burns . lost a very close friend in the shooting last night . @ jessicaredfield came to denver to pursue sports career . i 'm shaking . ' aspiring sports reporter ghawi feared dead in shooting the horrifying posts highlight a shift in the way our society tells the story of a tragedy , and also how we react to it . before twitter , smartphones and youtube , it would have been impossible for an event like colorado 's batman massacre ' to have played out for the global public in real time . the shooting is just the latest instance of social media being used to document a tragedy or a news event even as it is unfolding . a pakistani man last year unwittingly live-tweeted the raid that killed osama bin laden . and the war in syria is being documented in large part by citizens and members of the opposition movement who risk their lives to post youtube videos and photos of the violence . nra tweeter was'unaware'of colorado shooting , spokesman says but the social media posts about the colorado shooting are a haunting reminder of the visceral power of first-person accounts of tragedy . and also a sign that society these days deals with grieving after an event like this in a much more public and immediate way than in years past . reports of the 1999 columbine school shooting , for example , which happened only 17 miles from aurora , spread in a much different way . thirteen years ago , witnesses talked to tv crews rather than uploading their stories instantly to the internet with mobile phones . shooting turns movie into surreal horror :'this is real' some reports from the aurora movie theater appeared to come out as the shooting occurred . now i 'm thinking it was bullets coming through the wall from 9 causing smoke and fire cracker sounds . # aurorashooting # batman # shootng , ' a twitter user identified as jamie marshall wrote . never seen so many cop cars in my life . its a parade of lights , ' wrote isaac ramos . everything keeps replaying in my head . it was so unreal , ' @ djaylarene wrote . i am getting ready to cry . so scared . i need a hug . i almost got shot 9 times . i had a chance to be like 50 , ' wrote another twitter user , @ abenistar . he later added : i seen a person bleeding out their mouth and gasping for their last breath . this ai n't right . # century16shooting . thunk the world is ending . ' shaky youtube videos show people screaming , crying and rushing out of the theater after the shooting , some of them with bloody wounds . another video , apparently taken outside the building by a person who was in the theater next to the shooting , offers a glimpse into the mindset of a person who has just witnessed tragedy . the amateur videographer sounds to be at a loss for words . oh jesus . july 20th , 2012 . aurora century 16 , ' he says , in a sort of real-time confessional about the event . there has been a massive shooting here . a lot of people wounded , a lot of people dead . i ca n't really take pictures , just because i 'd rather ( be ) helping people than wanting to take pictures of some pretty ghastly ( expletive ) . there 's some guy in a gas mask apparently -- teargassed theater 9 . we were in theater 8 . just lit it up . it hit a lot of people , a lot of younger people . oh . it 's pretty -- it 's pretty bad . ' timeline of worst mass shootings in u.s. officials also turned to the internet in an effort to make sense of the events . the red cross is asking people who witnessed the shooting to tell loved ones that they were ok over social media sites like facebook and twitter . people do n't know how close you were , so help alleviate that anxiety , ' spokeswoman patricia billinger told usa today . and other officials used the internet to offer sympathy . we certainly appreciate the nation 's thoughts and prayers as our police department continues to investigate the terrible theater shooting tragedy that occurred today , ' the city of aurora wrote on its facebook page . our condolences go out to the victims and their family members . ' are you there ? share your story with us on cnn ireport and post your tributes to the victims . cnn 's doug gross and dorrine mendoza contributed to this report . | shooting at a movie theater in aurora , colorado , leaves 12 dead |
chinajoy <tsp> zombies , world of warcraft ' characters and showgirls in skimpy outfits flooded shanghai 's new international expo centre from july 31-august 3 for the 12th annual chinajoy event . one of the highlights of the meet -- its annual cosplay competition . participants , either solo or in teams , dressed up to emulate characters from comic books , movies and video games to be judged based on their costumes , routine and the response they received from the audience . with some preparing months in advance , the show was spectacular . click through the gallery above for some of the results . digital expo the china digital entertainment expo and conference , or chinajoy , is china 's largest gaming and digital entertainment exhibition . from july 31 to august 3 , the expo drew in 250,224 attendees , a record high for chinajoy . similar to the los angeles-based e3 and the tokyo game show , the event has grown from a domestic function that concentrated on online games to becoming china 's gaming industry 's flagship event , covering online , mobile and console games as well as other digital products . cosplay at comic-con : who wore it best ? | the annual cosplay competition is a highlight of chinajoy |
chinajoy <tsp> zombies , world of warcraft ' characters and showgirls in skimpy outfits flooded shanghai 's new international expo centre from july 31-august 3 for the 12th annual chinajoy event . one of the highlights of the meet -- its annual cosplay competition . participants , either solo or in teams , dressed up to emulate characters from comic books , movies and video games to be judged based on their costumes , routine and the response they received from the audience . with some preparing months in advance , the show was spectacular . click through the gallery above for some of the results . digital expo the china digital entertainment expo and conference , or chinajoy , is china 's largest gaming and digital entertainment exhibition . from july 31 to august 3 , the expo drew in 250,224 attendees , a record high for chinajoy . similar to the los angeles-based e3 and the tokyo game show , the event has grown from a domestic function that concentrated on online games to becoming china 's gaming industry 's flagship event , covering online , mobile and console games as well as other digital products . cosplay at comic-con : who wore it best ? | china digital entertainment expo and conference , or chinajoy , celebrated its 12th outing last week |
sharon helman <tsp> the director of the phoenix veterans affairs health care system and two others have been placed on administrative leave amid claims of a secret waiting list and claims that 40-plus veterans died waiting for care . these allegations have been exposed in a series of exclusive reports by the cnn investigations unit . the announcement thursday by u.s. secretary of veterans affairs eric shinseki came a day after officials at the phoenix va denied in interviews with cnn the existence of such a list , only to be called liars hours later by the top va physician who first appeared on cnn and brought the allegations to light . we believe it is important to allow an independent , objective review to proceed , ' shinseki said in a written statement . ... these allegations , if true , are absolutely unacceptable and if the inspector general 's investigation substantiates these claims , swift and appropriate action will be taken . ' those placed on leave , according to the statement , are phoenix va director sharon helman , associate director lance robinson and a third employee , who was not identified by name . retired va doctor : there 's a secret wait list in phoenix shinseki 's office denied repeated requests by cnn over six months to interview the secretary about the allegations . sources told cnn the managers at the va concocted an elaborate scheme to cover up long wait times there . the sources said more than 1,400 veterans were placed on the purported secret list and that documents were shredded to hide the evidence . according to sources , at least 40 u.s veterans died waiting for care at the facility , many of whom were on the list . these issues raised in cnn 's exclusive investigation have quickly drawn attention in washington . on monday , president barack obama said he called on shineski to investigate what has happened in phoenix . in recent days , numerous members of congress have called for hearings on the phoenix va , and at least three members of congress have publicly called for helman 's resignation . tears , angry accusations mark hearing on delayed va care but in an interview with cnn on tuesday , helman and her chief of staff , dr. darren deering , denied any secret effort to cover up or hide wait times . we have never instructed our staff to create a secret list , to maintain a secret list , to shred a secret list -- that has never come from our office as far as instruction to our staff , ' said deering . it 's never come from me , ' added helman . dr. sam foote , a 24-year va physician and clinic director , recently retired and went public with the details of the list , went on the air publicly for the first time with cnn one week ago . he denounced helman 's claim . they started this secret list in february of 2013 , ' foote said . at some time , they changed over from paper to electronic , in early summer , maybe approximately june or july . and transferred names over to the electronic waiting list . and she [ helman ] was called on an ethics consult evaluation about that -- it 's written down , documented in july . ' that documentation includes e-mails from july 2013 , which were reported by cnn , that show top management , including helman , were well-aware about the actual wait times , knew about the off-the-books list and even defended its use to her staff . when directly asked earlier this week about whether evidence of wait times was shredded and whether the secret list existed , deering stated : ' i think there is some confusion amongst our staff . when we came on as a leadership team in 2012 , the practice at that time was that they would schedule new veterans who would were coming in for care way out into the future . sometimes a year , sometimes 14 months . and that was the appointment that that veteran was given . as we started to tackle our challenges of access , we implemented a tool that the va uses nationally called the electronic wait list . and what that tool is it 's an electronic waiting list that allows us to everyday look to see who is waiting for an appointment . so what we did is we took those patients that were scheduled way out into the future , and we put them on this national tool that the va uses so that we could track them . what that did is , rather than having an appointment 14 months out into the future , it put them on this ewl electronic waiting list , so that when we had an appointment that came open , so if a veteran called next week and canceled their appointment , we could pull a veteran off this list and get them into that slot . so it actually improved the probability of these veterans getting an appointment sooner . and in that transition time , i think there was some confusion among staff , i think there were some folks who did not understand that , and i think that 's where these allegations are coming from . ' january : veterans dying because of health care delays january : congress demands answers november : a dire situation in south carolina | in cnn interview , director sharon helman denied existence of such a list |
phoenix va <tsp> the director of the phoenix veterans affairs health care system and two others have been placed on administrative leave amid claims of a secret waiting list and claims that 40-plus veterans died waiting for care . these allegations have been exposed in a series of exclusive reports by the cnn investigations unit . the announcement thursday by u.s. secretary of veterans affairs eric shinseki came a day after officials at the phoenix va denied in interviews with cnn the existence of such a list , only to be called liars hours later by the top va physician who first appeared on cnn and brought the allegations to light . we believe it is important to allow an independent , objective review to proceed , ' shinseki said in a written statement . ... these allegations , if true , are absolutely unacceptable and if the inspector general 's investigation substantiates these claims , swift and appropriate action will be taken . ' those placed on leave , according to the statement , are phoenix va director sharon helman , associate director lance robinson and a third employee , who was not identified by name . retired va doctor : there 's a secret wait list in phoenix shinseki 's office denied repeated requests by cnn over six months to interview the secretary about the allegations . sources told cnn the managers at the va concocted an elaborate scheme to cover up long wait times there . the sources said more than 1,400 veterans were placed on the purported secret list and that documents were shredded to hide the evidence . according to sources , at least 40 u.s veterans died waiting for care at the facility , many of whom were on the list . these issues raised in cnn 's exclusive investigation have quickly drawn attention in washington . on monday , president barack obama said he called on shineski to investigate what has happened in phoenix . in recent days , numerous members of congress have called for hearings on the phoenix va , and at least three members of congress have publicly called for helman 's resignation . tears , angry accusations mark hearing on delayed va care but in an interview with cnn on tuesday , helman and her chief of staff , dr. darren deering , denied any secret effort to cover up or hide wait times . we have never instructed our staff to create a secret list , to maintain a secret list , to shred a secret list -- that has never come from our office as far as instruction to our staff , ' said deering . it 's never come from me , ' added helman . dr. sam foote , a 24-year va physician and clinic director , recently retired and went public with the details of the list , went on the air publicly for the first time with cnn one week ago . he denounced helman 's claim . they started this secret list in february of 2013 , ' foote said . at some time , they changed over from paper to electronic , in early summer , maybe approximately june or july . and transferred names over to the electronic waiting list . and she [ helman ] was called on an ethics consult evaluation about that -- it 's written down , documented in july . ' that documentation includes e-mails from july 2013 , which were reported by cnn , that show top management , including helman , were well-aware about the actual wait times , knew about the off-the-books list and even defended its use to her staff . when directly asked earlier this week about whether evidence of wait times was shredded and whether the secret list existed , deering stated : ' i think there is some confusion amongst our staff . when we came on as a leadership team in 2012 , the practice at that time was that they would schedule new veterans who would were coming in for care way out into the future . sometimes a year , sometimes 14 months . and that was the appointment that that veteran was given . as we started to tackle our challenges of access , we implemented a tool that the va uses nationally called the electronic wait list . and what that tool is it 's an electronic waiting list that allows us to everyday look to see who is waiting for an appointment . so what we did is we took those patients that were scheduled way out into the future , and we put them on this national tool that the va uses so that we could track them . what that did is , rather than having an appointment 14 months out into the future , it put them on this ewl electronic waiting list , so that when we had an appointment that came open , so if a veteran called next week and canceled their appointment , we could pull a veteran off this list and get them into that slot . so it actually improved the probability of these veterans getting an appointment sooner . and in that transition time , i think there was some confusion among staff , i think there were some folks who did not understand that , and i think that 's where these allegations are coming from . ' january : veterans dying because of health care delays january : congress demands answers november : a dire situation in south carolina | cnn has been investigating allegations of a secret wait list at phoenix va |
phoenix va <tsp> the director of the phoenix veterans affairs health care system and two others have been placed on administrative leave amid claims of a secret waiting list and claims that 40-plus veterans died waiting for care . these allegations have been exposed in a series of exclusive reports by the cnn investigations unit . the announcement thursday by u.s. secretary of veterans affairs eric shinseki came a day after officials at the phoenix va denied in interviews with cnn the existence of such a list , only to be called liars hours later by the top va physician who first appeared on cnn and brought the allegations to light . we believe it is important to allow an independent , objective review to proceed , ' shinseki said in a written statement . ... these allegations , if true , are absolutely unacceptable and if the inspector general 's investigation substantiates these claims , swift and appropriate action will be taken . ' those placed on leave , according to the statement , are phoenix va director sharon helman , associate director lance robinson and a third employee , who was not identified by name . retired va doctor : there 's a secret wait list in phoenix shinseki 's office denied repeated requests by cnn over six months to interview the secretary about the allegations . sources told cnn the managers at the va concocted an elaborate scheme to cover up long wait times there . the sources said more than 1,400 veterans were placed on the purported secret list and that documents were shredded to hide the evidence . according to sources , at least 40 u.s veterans died waiting for care at the facility , many of whom were on the list . these issues raised in cnn 's exclusive investigation have quickly drawn attention in washington . on monday , president barack obama said he called on shineski to investigate what has happened in phoenix . in recent days , numerous members of congress have called for hearings on the phoenix va , and at least three members of congress have publicly called for helman 's resignation . tears , angry accusations mark hearing on delayed va care but in an interview with cnn on tuesday , helman and her chief of staff , dr. darren deering , denied any secret effort to cover up or hide wait times . we have never instructed our staff to create a secret list , to maintain a secret list , to shred a secret list -- that has never come from our office as far as instruction to our staff , ' said deering . it 's never come from me , ' added helman . dr. sam foote , a 24-year va physician and clinic director , recently retired and went public with the details of the list , went on the air publicly for the first time with cnn one week ago . he denounced helman 's claim . they started this secret list in february of 2013 , ' foote said . at some time , they changed over from paper to electronic , in early summer , maybe approximately june or july . and transferred names over to the electronic waiting list . and she [ helman ] was called on an ethics consult evaluation about that -- it 's written down , documented in july . ' that documentation includes e-mails from july 2013 , which were reported by cnn , that show top management , including helman , were well-aware about the actual wait times , knew about the off-the-books list and even defended its use to her staff . when directly asked earlier this week about whether evidence of wait times was shredded and whether the secret list existed , deering stated : ' i think there is some confusion amongst our staff . when we came on as a leadership team in 2012 , the practice at that time was that they would schedule new veterans who would were coming in for care way out into the future . sometimes a year , sometimes 14 months . and that was the appointment that that veteran was given . as we started to tackle our challenges of access , we implemented a tool that the va uses nationally called the electronic wait list . and what that tool is it 's an electronic waiting list that allows us to everyday look to see who is waiting for an appointment . so what we did is we took those patients that were scheduled way out into the future , and we put them on this national tool that the va uses so that we could track them . what that did is , rather than having an appointment 14 months out into the future , it put them on this ewl electronic waiting list , so that when we had an appointment that came open , so if a veteran called next week and canceled their appointment , we could pull a veteran off this list and get them into that slot . so it actually improved the probability of these veterans getting an appointment sooner . and in that transition time , i think there was some confusion among staff , i think there were some folks who did not understand that , and i think that 's where these allegations are coming from . ' january : veterans dying because of health care delays january : congress demands answers november : a dire situation in south carolina | shinseki announced that the phoenix va director has been placed on leave |
patch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- getting the ax is hard . but it 's a lot harder with 1,000 of your co-workers listening in . one employee of internet giant aol was canned in a very public way because he apparently tried to take a photo of the boss during a mass conference call . aol ceo tim armstrong was on a call about the future of patch , the hyperlocal news websites he founded , when he noticed patch 's creative director abel lenz and his camera . abel -- put that camera down right now . abel ! you 're fired . out ! ' armstrong said , according to audio obtained by the media blog jimromenesko.com . the call fell silent for five uncomfortable seconds . then , armstrong resumed business as usual . if , uh , you guys think that aol has not been committed to patch and wo n't stay committed to patch , you 're wrong , ' he said . lenz later tweeted from a new york bar : no comment . ' incidentally , less than a minute before lenz 's fatal snapshot , armstrong said he did n't care if anyone leaked information about patch . i also want to clear up the fact that leaking information or anything around patch is n't going to bother me , ' the ceo said . it does n't bother me , i 'm not changing direction . ' aol and lenz have not responded to cnn 's request for comment . according to business insider , the call took place friday amid news that aol is slashing the number of patch sites from 900 to 600 . while some employees were reportedly expecting to hear about layoffs , no one expected to hear a firing live during the call . court : it was ok to fire'irresistible'worker | aol ceo tim armstrong was on a conference call about patch , the local news network |
patch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- getting the ax is hard . but it 's a lot harder with 1,000 of your co-workers listening in . one employee of internet giant aol was canned in a very public way because he apparently tried to take a photo of the boss during a mass conference call . aol ceo tim armstrong was on a call about the future of patch , the hyperlocal news websites he founded , when he noticed patch 's creative director abel lenz and his camera . abel -- put that camera down right now . abel ! you 're fired . out ! ' armstrong said , according to audio obtained by the media blog jimromenesko.com . the call fell silent for five uncomfortable seconds . then , armstrong resumed business as usual . if , uh , you guys think that aol has not been committed to patch and wo n't stay committed to patch , you 're wrong , ' he said . lenz later tweeted from a new york bar : no comment . ' incidentally , less than a minute before lenz 's fatal snapshot , armstrong said he did n't care if anyone leaked information about patch . i also want to clear up the fact that leaking information or anything around patch is n't going to bother me , ' the ceo said . it does n't bother me , i 'm not changing direction . ' aol and lenz have not responded to cnn 's request for comment . according to business insider , the call took place friday amid news that aol is slashing the number of patch sites from 900 to 600 . while some employees were reportedly expecting to hear about layoffs , no one expected to hear a firing live during the call . court : it was ok to fire'irresistible'worker | abel lenz , who was patch 's creative director , later tweeted no comment ' |
patch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- getting the ax is hard . but it 's a lot harder with 1,000 of your co-workers listening in . one employee of internet giant aol was canned in a very public way because he apparently tried to take a photo of the boss during a mass conference call . aol ceo tim armstrong was on a call about the future of patch , the hyperlocal news websites he founded , when he noticed patch 's creative director abel lenz and his camera . abel -- put that camera down right now . abel ! you 're fired . out ! ' armstrong said , according to audio obtained by the media blog jimromenesko.com . the call fell silent for five uncomfortable seconds . then , armstrong resumed business as usual . if , uh , you guys think that aol has not been committed to patch and wo n't stay committed to patch , you 're wrong , ' he said . lenz later tweeted from a new york bar : no comment . ' incidentally , less than a minute before lenz 's fatal snapshot , armstrong said he did n't care if anyone leaked information about patch . i also want to clear up the fact that leaking information or anything around patch is n't going to bother me , ' the ceo said . it does n't bother me , i 'm not changing direction . ' aol and lenz have not responded to cnn 's request for comment . according to business insider , the call took place friday amid news that aol is slashing the number of patch sites from 900 to 600 . while some employees were reportedly expecting to hear about layoffs , no one expected to hear a firing live during the call . court : it was ok to fire'irresistible'worker | business insider : aol is slashing the number of patch sites from 900 to 600 |
abel lenz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- getting the ax is hard . but it 's a lot harder with 1,000 of your co-workers listening in . one employee of internet giant aol was canned in a very public way because he apparently tried to take a photo of the boss during a mass conference call . aol ceo tim armstrong was on a call about the future of patch , the hyperlocal news websites he founded , when he noticed patch 's creative director abel lenz and his camera . abel -- put that camera down right now . abel ! you 're fired . out ! ' armstrong said , according to audio obtained by the media blog jimromenesko.com . the call fell silent for five uncomfortable seconds . then , armstrong resumed business as usual . if , uh , you guys think that aol has not been committed to patch and wo n't stay committed to patch , you 're wrong , ' he said . lenz later tweeted from a new york bar : no comment . ' incidentally , less than a minute before lenz 's fatal snapshot , armstrong said he did n't care if anyone leaked information about patch . i also want to clear up the fact that leaking information or anything around patch is n't going to bother me , ' the ceo said . it does n't bother me , i 'm not changing direction . ' aol and lenz have not responded to cnn 's request for comment . according to business insider , the call took place friday amid news that aol is slashing the number of patch sites from 900 to 600 . while some employees were reportedly expecting to hear about layoffs , no one expected to hear a firing live during the call . court : it was ok to fire'irresistible'worker | abel lenz , who was patch 's creative director , later tweeted no comment ' |
ios <tsp> san francisco ( cnn ) -- the macbook pro , with a shiny new high-definition screen , may have been the sexiest star of apple 's keynote address at its worldwide developers conference on monday . but updates to its mobile operating system may make the biggest impact on users in the months , and years , to come . and they both clearly target google , apple 's fellow tech titan and , increasingly , its key rival . a brand new map system , complete with 3-d imaging and voice-assisted , turn-by-turn navigation is clearly apple 's effort to keep iphone and ipad users home instead of clicking on what had been the system 's go-to app , google maps . and an upgrade to siri looks to turn the iphone 4s 's feature from a novelty with a few useful applications into the full-fledged digital assistant ' the company promises , with voice-activated search being a key component . some might view these changes as continuing the late steve jobs'feud with google over what he felt was that company 's theft of iphone features for its mobile android system . i 'm willing to go to thermonuclear war on this , ' jobs told his biographer , walter isaacson , after suing google in 2010 . at least one expert on monday saw apple 's latest moves as a strategic way to limit google 's mobile growth . we believe the biggest takeaway is that apple is strengthening not only the interaction within its own ecosystem , but also creating a consortium of powerful web partners to offer an experience that largely falls outside of google 's walls , ' said gene munster , an industry analyst with piper jaffray . we believe apple will continue to add content partners for siri to marginalize google 's presence on the iphone . ' even enhanced facebook integration ( it 's cooked right in to ios 6 , making sharing to the site seamless ) , can be seen as a jab at google 's efforts to gain a foothold in the social media world with google+ . but it was maps which may have marked the most direct anti-google move . google has been providing mapping information to apple since the iphone launched in 2007 . in ios 6 , we have built an entire new mapping system from the ground up ; and it looks beautiful , ' scott forstall , apple 's vice president in charge of the mobile system , said monday . this is a worldwide effort . we 're covering the world . ' there was turn-by-turn navigation , with voice assistance delivered in the same voice that iphone 4 users know as siri . and then there were the stylistic flourishes apple has made its trademark , like flyover , ' images recorded from planes and helicopters that give the user a panoramic look at their location from just about any angle . google did n't have much to say monday , handing out a brief , basic statement . we 've been working on maps for years , in fact just announced some exciting new developments for google maps and google earth last week and are looking forward to continuing to build the perfect map for our users in the months and years ahead , ' a spokesperson said . google clearly saw at least that part of the broadside coming . in anticipation of the apple announcement , google announced a set of improvements last week to google maps in what it called part of the never-ending quest for the perfect map . ' significantly , 3-d modeling , one of the features touted by apple on monday , was among the upgrades . and the never-ending quest ' bit highlights one of google 's perceived advantages here . and google has , in fact , been working on mapping the world since maps was introduced in 2004 . duplicating those efforts with an essentially new product will be a tall order for apple , and if it does n't work smoothly from the outset , users will find it easy to migrate back . another , more subtle swipe at a google stronghold , came voiced by siri . the iphone voice assistant , which will soon be available for the new ipad , has been fun for the past eight months . but now , apple wants to make her more useful . she 's learned how to give you sports scores . and movie times . and restaurant recommendations . you know ... the sort of things you now google . the ios update is scheduled to roll out this fall ( which , not coincidentally , is around the time analysts expect a new iphone to be introduced ) . that 's plenty of time for apple to build buzz around the new features . but it 's also plenty of time for google to roll out something new of its own . the company has n't been shy about encroaching on what apple considered its own turf . the relative success of google 's android operating system , which is now on more phones than apple 's ios , has n't shown any signs of slowing down . all of which means tech consumers might be able to just sit back and reap the benefits . | the ios update is scheduled to roll out this fall |
ios <tsp> san francisco ( cnn ) -- the macbook pro , with a shiny new high-definition screen , may have been the sexiest star of apple 's keynote address at its worldwide developers conference on monday . but updates to its mobile operating system may make the biggest impact on users in the months , and years , to come . and they both clearly target google , apple 's fellow tech titan and , increasingly , its key rival . a brand new map system , complete with 3-d imaging and voice-assisted , turn-by-turn navigation is clearly apple 's effort to keep iphone and ipad users home instead of clicking on what had been the system 's go-to app , google maps . and an upgrade to siri looks to turn the iphone 4s 's feature from a novelty with a few useful applications into the full-fledged digital assistant ' the company promises , with voice-activated search being a key component . some might view these changes as continuing the late steve jobs'feud with google over what he felt was that company 's theft of iphone features for its mobile android system . i 'm willing to go to thermonuclear war on this , ' jobs told his biographer , walter isaacson , after suing google in 2010 . at least one expert on monday saw apple 's latest moves as a strategic way to limit google 's mobile growth . we believe the biggest takeaway is that apple is strengthening not only the interaction within its own ecosystem , but also creating a consortium of powerful web partners to offer an experience that largely falls outside of google 's walls , ' said gene munster , an industry analyst with piper jaffray . we believe apple will continue to add content partners for siri to marginalize google 's presence on the iphone . ' even enhanced facebook integration ( it 's cooked right in to ios 6 , making sharing to the site seamless ) , can be seen as a jab at google 's efforts to gain a foothold in the social media world with google+ . but it was maps which may have marked the most direct anti-google move . google has been providing mapping information to apple since the iphone launched in 2007 . in ios 6 , we have built an entire new mapping system from the ground up ; and it looks beautiful , ' scott forstall , apple 's vice president in charge of the mobile system , said monday . this is a worldwide effort . we 're covering the world . ' there was turn-by-turn navigation , with voice assistance delivered in the same voice that iphone 4 users know as siri . and then there were the stylistic flourishes apple has made its trademark , like flyover , ' images recorded from planes and helicopters that give the user a panoramic look at their location from just about any angle . google did n't have much to say monday , handing out a brief , basic statement . we 've been working on maps for years , in fact just announced some exciting new developments for google maps and google earth last week and are looking forward to continuing to build the perfect map for our users in the months and years ahead , ' a spokesperson said . google clearly saw at least that part of the broadside coming . in anticipation of the apple announcement , google announced a set of improvements last week to google maps in what it called part of the never-ending quest for the perfect map . ' significantly , 3-d modeling , one of the features touted by apple on monday , was among the upgrades . and the never-ending quest ' bit highlights one of google 's perceived advantages here . and google has , in fact , been working on mapping the world since maps was introduced in 2004 . duplicating those efforts with an essentially new product will be a tall order for apple , and if it does n't work smoothly from the outset , users will find it easy to migrate back . another , more subtle swipe at a google stronghold , came voiced by siri . the iphone voice assistant , which will soon be available for the new ipad , has been fun for the past eight months . but now , apple wants to make her more useful . she 's learned how to give you sports scores . and movie times . and restaurant recommendations . you know ... the sort of things you now google . the ios update is scheduled to roll out this fall ( which , not coincidentally , is around the time analysts expect a new iphone to be introduced ) . that 's plenty of time for apple to build buzz around the new features . but it 's also plenty of time for google to roll out something new of its own . the company has n't been shy about encroaching on what apple considered its own turf . the relative success of google 's android operating system , which is now on more phones than apple 's ios , has n't shown any signs of slowing down . all of which means tech consumers might be able to just sit back and reap the benefits . | new facebook integration with ios 6 is a jab at google+ |
google+ <tsp> san francisco ( cnn ) -- the macbook pro , with a shiny new high-definition screen , may have been the sexiest star of apple 's keynote address at its worldwide developers conference on monday . but updates to its mobile operating system may make the biggest impact on users in the months , and years , to come . and they both clearly target google , apple 's fellow tech titan and , increasingly , its key rival . a brand new map system , complete with 3-d imaging and voice-assisted , turn-by-turn navigation is clearly apple 's effort to keep iphone and ipad users home instead of clicking on what had been the system 's go-to app , google maps . and an upgrade to siri looks to turn the iphone 4s 's feature from a novelty with a few useful applications into the full-fledged digital assistant ' the company promises , with voice-activated search being a key component . some might view these changes as continuing the late steve jobs'feud with google over what he felt was that company 's theft of iphone features for its mobile android system . i 'm willing to go to thermonuclear war on this , ' jobs told his biographer , walter isaacson , after suing google in 2010 . at least one expert on monday saw apple 's latest moves as a strategic way to limit google 's mobile growth . we believe the biggest takeaway is that apple is strengthening not only the interaction within its own ecosystem , but also creating a consortium of powerful web partners to offer an experience that largely falls outside of google 's walls , ' said gene munster , an industry analyst with piper jaffray . we believe apple will continue to add content partners for siri to marginalize google 's presence on the iphone . ' even enhanced facebook integration ( it 's cooked right in to ios 6 , making sharing to the site seamless ) , can be seen as a jab at google 's efforts to gain a foothold in the social media world with google+ . but it was maps which may have marked the most direct anti-google move . google has been providing mapping information to apple since the iphone launched in 2007 . in ios 6 , we have built an entire new mapping system from the ground up ; and it looks beautiful , ' scott forstall , apple 's vice president in charge of the mobile system , said monday . this is a worldwide effort . we 're covering the world . ' there was turn-by-turn navigation , with voice assistance delivered in the same voice that iphone 4 users know as siri . and then there were the stylistic flourishes apple has made its trademark , like flyover , ' images recorded from planes and helicopters that give the user a panoramic look at their location from just about any angle . google did n't have much to say monday , handing out a brief , basic statement . we 've been working on maps for years , in fact just announced some exciting new developments for google maps and google earth last week and are looking forward to continuing to build the perfect map for our users in the months and years ahead , ' a spokesperson said . google clearly saw at least that part of the broadside coming . in anticipation of the apple announcement , google announced a set of improvements last week to google maps in what it called part of the never-ending quest for the perfect map . ' significantly , 3-d modeling , one of the features touted by apple on monday , was among the upgrades . and the never-ending quest ' bit highlights one of google 's perceived advantages here . and google has , in fact , been working on mapping the world since maps was introduced in 2004 . duplicating those efforts with an essentially new product will be a tall order for apple , and if it does n't work smoothly from the outset , users will find it easy to migrate back . another , more subtle swipe at a google stronghold , came voiced by siri . the iphone voice assistant , which will soon be available for the new ipad , has been fun for the past eight months . but now , apple wants to make her more useful . she 's learned how to give you sports scores . and movie times . and restaurant recommendations . you know ... the sort of things you now google . the ios update is scheduled to roll out this fall ( which , not coincidentally , is around the time analysts expect a new iphone to be introduced ) . that 's plenty of time for apple to build buzz around the new features . but it 's also plenty of time for google to roll out something new of its own . the company has n't been shy about encroaching on what apple considered its own turf . the relative success of google 's android operating system , which is now on more phones than apple 's ios , has n't shown any signs of slowing down . all of which means tech consumers might be able to just sit back and reap the benefits . | new facebook integration with ios 6 is a jab at google+ |
americas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the boat slowly approaches the quiet shores of bunce island , it 's hard to shake off the eerie feeling of being transported back into one of history 's darkest chapters . located some 30 kilometers from freetown , this tiny strip of land in the sierra leone river served as a major post for the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century . for tens of thousands of africans , this was the place where their life in the continent ended -- men , women and children were kidnapped and brought to the island 's fort to be traded and eventually put on slave ships bound for the americas . the african-american story is very much here , ' says joseph opala , director of the bunce island coalition , a group of historians and archaeologists working together to turn the island into a national landmark that can be appreciated for its historical value . upon arriving in the american colonies , west african slaves were forced to work in rice paddies , cotton fields and indigo plantations along the south carolina-georgia seaboard where the moist climate and fertile land were very similar to their african homelands . read this : african slave traditions live on in u.s. ' there are 40 big castles like this along the west african coast , but this is the only one that sent appreciable numbers of captives to what is now the u.s. , ' says opala .'the place where history sleeps' stepping onto the uninhabited island , you quickly realize that this is a place forgotten by time , its ancient structures gradually decayed by the two centuries of tropical rain seeping down . unlike other slaving trading posts , nothing was ever built on the island after its abandonment in the mid-1800s . its crumbling ruins , blanketed by overgrown weeds and ivy roots , remain relatively untouched to this day , serving as a reminder of the island 's dark past . one sierra leonean years ago used to refer to bunce island as the place where history sleeps , ' says opala . and there 's no better description of it -- it 's a kind of slave trade ghost town . ' read this : tracing the slaves who shaped america opala says that to this day , many people in sierra leone are not aware of bunce island 's grim place in history . he says that the island receives just a small number of people each year , mainly foreign visitors or expatriates . for tourists , it means renting a boat for 500 , 600 , $ 700 , or there are tourist services oriented toward tourists that will take you for $ 60-70 , ' says opala . but for local people , it 's absolutely not affordable . but at the same time , there 's not a lot of local interest yet in going there because people still do n't know much about it . ' to change that , and remind both tourists and locals about its importance , the bunce island coalition has launched a $ 5 million project to conserve what 's left of the island . the group also wants to build a museum in freetown as part of efforts to shed light on the island 's dark past . there 's an awakening now out here by the political elite and many ordinary citizens that this place is not just important for history , ' says opala . but it also can serve as a source of revenue for the country , and can strengthen the links between african-americans and sierra leoneans which may in the end be the most important outcome of this , because that can last forever . ' check out the bunce island gallery above . images by matthew oldfield -- matthew oldfield photography . | from its shores , tens of thousands of africans were put on slave ships to americas |
bunce island <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as the boat slowly approaches the quiet shores of bunce island , it 's hard to shake off the eerie feeling of being transported back into one of history 's darkest chapters . located some 30 kilometers from freetown , this tiny strip of land in the sierra leone river served as a major post for the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century . for tens of thousands of africans , this was the place where their life in the continent ended -- men , women and children were kidnapped and brought to the island 's fort to be traded and eventually put on slave ships bound for the americas . the african-american story is very much here , ' says joseph opala , director of the bunce island coalition , a group of historians and archaeologists working together to turn the island into a national landmark that can be appreciated for its historical value . upon arriving in the american colonies , west african slaves were forced to work in rice paddies , cotton fields and indigo plantations along the south carolina-georgia seaboard where the moist climate and fertile land were very similar to their african homelands . read this : african slave traditions live on in u.s. ' there are 40 big castles like this along the west african coast , but this is the only one that sent appreciable numbers of captives to what is now the u.s. , ' says opala .'the place where history sleeps' stepping onto the uninhabited island , you quickly realize that this is a place forgotten by time , its ancient structures gradually decayed by the two centuries of tropical rain seeping down . unlike other slaving trading posts , nothing was ever built on the island after its abandonment in the mid-1800s . its crumbling ruins , blanketed by overgrown weeds and ivy roots , remain relatively untouched to this day , serving as a reminder of the island 's dark past . one sierra leonean years ago used to refer to bunce island as the place where history sleeps , ' says opala . and there 's no better description of it -- it 's a kind of slave trade ghost town . ' read this : tracing the slaves who shaped america opala says that to this day , many people in sierra leone are not aware of bunce island 's grim place in history . he says that the island receives just a small number of people each year , mainly foreign visitors or expatriates . for tourists , it means renting a boat for 500 , 600 , $ 700 , or there are tourist services oriented toward tourists that will take you for $ 60-70 , ' says opala . but for local people , it 's absolutely not affordable . but at the same time , there 's not a lot of local interest yet in going there because people still do n't know much about it . ' to change that , and remind both tourists and locals about its importance , the bunce island coalition has launched a $ 5 million project to conserve what 's left of the island . the group also wants to build a museum in freetown as part of efforts to shed light on the island 's dark past . there 's an awakening now out here by the political elite and many ordinary citizens that this place is not just important for history , ' says opala . but it also can serve as a source of revenue for the country , and can strengthen the links between african-americans and sierra leoneans which may in the end be the most important outcome of this , because that can last forever . ' check out the bunce island gallery above . images by matthew oldfield -- matthew oldfield photography . | bunce island was a british slave trading post in the 18th century |
william <tsp> solomon islands ( cnn ) -- after the furor caused by a french magazine 's decision to publish topless photos of the duchess of cambridge , she and prince william will be more than ready to get away from it all in the south pacific . as they arrive in the solomon islands on the next step of their asian tour , welkom william and kate ' is the message the royal couple will see on huge billboards scattered across the capital , honiara . and in a straw poll of residents , it 's clear the city is more than excited about the couple 's arrival on sunday . one man told me he will be heading to the airport early to catch a glimpse of them . he guessed half the population will turn out for the once-in-a-lifetime ' opportunity to see the duke and duchess of cambridge . the couple are no doubt set for a big south pacific welcome , involving not just big crowds but music and dancers . they will surely smile when they see their ground transport -- a pick-up truck dressed up as a canoe . oarsmen will pretend to row the couple into town . opinion : british privacy should start with british press later in the trip they will take to a real canoe , with rowers who will take them to a paradise island , accompanied by swimmers dressed as sharks . this leg of the tour will be full of photo opportunities -- but kate and william may well have mixed views about that . the last leg to malaysia was overshadowed by the french magazine closer 's decision to publish pictures of kate sunbathing topless while on a private holiday with william in france . she was upset , william is angry and they have both decided to take legal action against the publisher . but this is part of a bigger battle . they are trying to set a precedent ; drawing a line under what they see as creeping media intrusion . william is fiercely protective of his wife and he is determined to protect her from the fate of his mother , diana , princess of wales , who was hounded by the paparazzi right up to the moment she died in paris . after diana : how can intimate royal snaps be published in france ? what will hearten , and possibly surprise , william and kate when they get here is that nobody is talking about the topless pictures . i ca n't see a mention of it in the papers and people seem much more interested in catching a glimpse of the couple and celebrating this moment when the solomons take a rare step into the global spotlight . it 's really only the media pack accompanying the tour that is discussing the photos -- because that 's what 's making the headlines in europe , the united states and australia . there is some apprehension among the accredited photographers that kate and william will now become even more shy of the cameras , but the palace says the couple are determined to carry on with the tour as planned . they do n't want their trip to be ruined by the magazine scandal and it seems the islanders awaiting their arrival feel the same . the duke and duchess of cambridge look set to have some respite and some fun in the solomon islands . but as this week has demonstrated , nothing about royal tours is predictable . | william and catherine are on a tour of southeast asian nations |
william <tsp> solomon islands ( cnn ) -- after the furor caused by a french magazine 's decision to publish topless photos of the duchess of cambridge , she and prince william will be more than ready to get away from it all in the south pacific . as they arrive in the solomon islands on the next step of their asian tour , welkom william and kate ' is the message the royal couple will see on huge billboards scattered across the capital , honiara . and in a straw poll of residents , it 's clear the city is more than excited about the couple 's arrival on sunday . one man told me he will be heading to the airport early to catch a glimpse of them . he guessed half the population will turn out for the once-in-a-lifetime ' opportunity to see the duke and duchess of cambridge . the couple are no doubt set for a big south pacific welcome , involving not just big crowds but music and dancers . they will surely smile when they see their ground transport -- a pick-up truck dressed up as a canoe . oarsmen will pretend to row the couple into town . opinion : british privacy should start with british press later in the trip they will take to a real canoe , with rowers who will take them to a paradise island , accompanied by swimmers dressed as sharks . this leg of the tour will be full of photo opportunities -- but kate and william may well have mixed views about that . the last leg to malaysia was overshadowed by the french magazine closer 's decision to publish pictures of kate sunbathing topless while on a private holiday with william in france . she was upset , william is angry and they have both decided to take legal action against the publisher . but this is part of a bigger battle . they are trying to set a precedent ; drawing a line under what they see as creeping media intrusion . william is fiercely protective of his wife and he is determined to protect her from the fate of his mother , diana , princess of wales , who was hounded by the paparazzi right up to the moment she died in paris . after diana : how can intimate royal snaps be published in france ? what will hearten , and possibly surprise , william and kate when they get here is that nobody is talking about the topless pictures . i ca n't see a mention of it in the papers and people seem much more interested in catching a glimpse of the couple and celebrating this moment when the solomons take a rare step into the global spotlight . it 's really only the media pack accompanying the tour that is discussing the photos -- because that 's what 's making the headlines in europe , the united states and australia . there is some apprehension among the accredited photographers that kate and william will now become even more shy of the cameras , but the palace says the couple are determined to carry on with the tour as planned . they do n't want their trip to be ruined by the magazine scandal and it seems the islanders awaiting their arrival feel the same . the duke and duchess of cambridge look set to have some respite and some fun in the solomon islands . but as this week has demonstrated , nothing about royal tours is predictable . | william and kate are suing the french magazine that published the pictures |
boston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my name is anne feeley . i am an american , a mother , a feminist , a baker , a wife , an atheist and a liberal democrat . i am also a brain cancer survivor and an activist for brain cancer research and patient care . but when i fill out the census , all it will reflect is that i am a 55-year-old white woman , and nothing about how i got to this point in life . when i was growing up in newark , new jersey , in the '60s and '70s , america was in a state of flux . everywhere you looked , there were battles going on as traditional beliefs were being challenged . i knew i was an american , but i also wanted america to change . on television and in the media , men and women were arguing about their roles , whites and blacks were arguing about racism , people were demonstrating against the vietnam war and wondering if god was dead . the very idea that everything can be challenged and changed is america to me . i suspect the sides i took in those early years define me . it was exciting , and a lot of good came of it , and also some bad . that 's the way of it . always . after graduating from east orange catholic high school , i moved to boston , massachusetts . seven years later , i attended wellesley college as a continuing education student . this chance for later education , to change the direction of one 's life , is wonderfully american . while in boston , i met my husband . when our daughters were 1 and 4 years old , we moved to prague , czechoslovakia . we always wanted to experience europe , and we thought if not now , never . we lived in prague for almost 15 years . the kids went to czech schools and then to international schools . i opened and ran bakeshop praha . i was an american living abroad . life was good . then five years ago , i was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer . the doctors told me the grim prognosis : i should prepare to die . my mother died when i was young , and the worst part of the diagnosis was thinking i would leave my daughters with that pain . i also wanted to be a good example . i wanted to live . i had surgery to remove the tumor . the week i got out of the hospital , i began exercising . while the staples were still in my head , through the radiation and chemotherapy , i exercised . i was so lucky that i was able to . very slowly , i got stronger . that first year , i did a half-marathon . not fast , but i did it . after the surgery and the radiation and the 2½ years of chemo , i was pronounced in remission . ' during this time , as i split my time between homes in london , england , and new york city , i did several 10k races , indoor rowing competitions , and the uk three peaks challenge . these events transformed my life physically , emotionally and spiritually . brain cancer was a wake-up call for our whole family . the shock was n't that i was going to die , but that i had forgotten that i was going to die . we all are . life is n't a dress rehearsal . i had been attending the american brain tumor association 's brain cancer walk in chicago , illinois , for three years when i realized that i had become a long-term survivor . and i realized i wanted to help change the statistics . brain cancer patients need new , better treatments , and for that , we need more research . to help raise awareness and funds to battle brain cancer , i formed brains on bikes . the project consists of me and my trainer and friend gundula cycling from san francisco , california , across america to washington , d.c. we started friday and aim to finish on july 15 . my very american life has taught me to try to change things that do n't work . i truly believe that together , we can outsmart brain cancer . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of anne feeley . | she says she moved to boston and pursued american option of later college education |
scientology <tsp> tampa , florida ( cnn ) -- some christian congregations , particularly in lower income , urban areas , are turning to an unlikely source for help -- the church of scientology . rev , charles kennedy uses scientology founder l. ron hubbard 's book during a friday night sermon . scientologists do not worship god , much less jesus christ . the church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult . so why are observant christians embracing some of its teachings ? two pastors who spoke recently with cnn explained that when it comes to religion , they still preach the core beliefs of christianity . but when it comes to practicing what they preach in a modern world , borrowing from scientology helps . the rev . charles kennedy , of the glorious church of god in christ , a pentecostal church in tampa , florida , and the rev . james mclaughlin , of the wayman chapel african methodist episcopal church in houston , texas , are among the theological hybrids . watch rev . kennedy preach » they say they are not scared off by programs with ties to a church that critics say has aggressive recruiting , secretive ways and rigid theology . as men of god rooted in christian values , they do not see scientology as a threat to their faith , but rather as a tool to augment it . scientology was founded in the 1950s by l. ron hubbard , a science fiction writer . followers are taught that they are immortal spiritual beings called thetans . although the church says there is a supreme being , its practices do not include worshipping god . i 'm looking for solutions , and the people that i help , they do n't ask me who l. ron hubbard is , ' said mclaughlin , who works with addicts . you know what they say ?'thank god .' critic rick ross , a court-certified scientology expert , sees something more sinister at work . he warned that mainstream acceptance makes it easier for the scientologists to achieve their ultimate goal -- new recruits . their hope is that through these programs , people will become more interested in l. ron hubbard , what else mr. hubbard had to offer , and this will lead them eventually to scientology , ' ross said . the church has long been in the headlines for practices critics say are little more than cult-like mind control . it is also known for its stable of devout celebrity followers . and according to published reports , scientology has been recently diversifying its outreach to include other religions and ethnic groups . kennedy , mclaughlin and a handful of other christian church leaders -- no one can say how many -- are finding answers to their communities'needs in scientology 's social programs . for kennedy , it began two years ago when he attended a meeting at the church of scientology 's spiritual headquarters in clearwater , florida . he was introduced to a book called the way to happiness ' -- hubbard 's 64-page , self-described common sense guide to better living . ' in the book , which lays out ways to maintain a temperate lifestyle , kennedy found a message he believed could help lift his predominantly lower income african-american congregation . he said the book 's 21 principles help them with their struggle in an urban environment where there is too much crime and addiction and too little opportunity . kennedy knew that before he could introduce any scientology-related text to his congregation , he would have to prove that it did not contradict his christian beliefs . and so , he found scripture to match each of the 21 principles . now kennedy uses the way to happiness ' as a how-to supplement to his sermons . he believes it is easier to understand and clearer to follow than ancient scriptures taken from the bible . when asked whether scientology 's values contradict the religion of jesus christ , kennedy replies , sometimes yes . sometimes no . ' but he says his congregation can relate to the way to happiness . ' kennedy admits other pastors have criticized him , but the disapproval is not enough to discourage him . he insists that he has witnessed the changes the way to happiness ' has inspired in people . he also maintains that the scientologists , many of whom he calls friends , are successful at outreach and getting desired results . at kennedy 's c. l. kennedy center , free tutoring based on hubbard 's study tech ' philosophies is provided to dozens of children and some adults . kennedy 's daughter , jimirra , is one of the instructors . she said study tech ' and the scientology orientation classes she attended helped her graduate from high school and become a poised woman . though jimirra kennedy insists she does not ascribe to the religious side of scientology , she still considers herself , at least in part , scientologist . we say this all the time and i know my father says this , but i am like a pentecostal scientologist , that 's what we are . ' critics like ross are alarmed by such a blurring of the lines . they consider it a marketing win for scientology . in houston , mclaughlin says he is not one to argue with success . driven by a need to address the rampant drug problem in his community , mclaughlin spent years searching for a solution before he discovered narconon , ' scientology 's nonprofit drug rehab center , in 2001 . mclaughlin trained at narconon and brought the techniques back to his community to launch first step faith step , ' a program that combines hubbard 's methods with the teachings of christianity . he claims a 70- to 80-percent rehabilitation success rate . kennedy and mclaughlin said they have never lost a member of their congregations to scientology . i think that they truly believe that this may help their communities , but in my opinion , they 're naïve , ' ross said . scientologists , he added , have their own agenda . ' the church of scientology would not grant cnn an interview , nor would its representatives answer questions about the hubbard-based programs . e-mail to a friend | christian pastors borrow ideas from scientology to preach temperate lifestyle |
scientology <tsp> tampa , florida ( cnn ) -- some christian congregations , particularly in lower income , urban areas , are turning to an unlikely source for help -- the church of scientology . rev , charles kennedy uses scientology founder l. ron hubbard 's book during a friday night sermon . scientologists do not worship god , much less jesus christ . the church has seen plenty of controversy and critics consider it a cult . so why are observant christians embracing some of its teachings ? two pastors who spoke recently with cnn explained that when it comes to religion , they still preach the core beliefs of christianity . but when it comes to practicing what they preach in a modern world , borrowing from scientology helps . the rev . charles kennedy , of the glorious church of god in christ , a pentecostal church in tampa , florida , and the rev . james mclaughlin , of the wayman chapel african methodist episcopal church in houston , texas , are among the theological hybrids . watch rev . kennedy preach » they say they are not scared off by programs with ties to a church that critics say has aggressive recruiting , secretive ways and rigid theology . as men of god rooted in christian values , they do not see scientology as a threat to their faith , but rather as a tool to augment it . scientology was founded in the 1950s by l. ron hubbard , a science fiction writer . followers are taught that they are immortal spiritual beings called thetans . although the church says there is a supreme being , its practices do not include worshipping god . i 'm looking for solutions , and the people that i help , they do n't ask me who l. ron hubbard is , ' said mclaughlin , who works with addicts . you know what they say ?'thank god .' critic rick ross , a court-certified scientology expert , sees something more sinister at work . he warned that mainstream acceptance makes it easier for the scientologists to achieve their ultimate goal -- new recruits . their hope is that through these programs , people will become more interested in l. ron hubbard , what else mr. hubbard had to offer , and this will lead them eventually to scientology , ' ross said . the church has long been in the headlines for practices critics say are little more than cult-like mind control . it is also known for its stable of devout celebrity followers . and according to published reports , scientology has been recently diversifying its outreach to include other religions and ethnic groups . kennedy , mclaughlin and a handful of other christian church leaders -- no one can say how many -- are finding answers to their communities'needs in scientology 's social programs . for kennedy , it began two years ago when he attended a meeting at the church of scientology 's spiritual headquarters in clearwater , florida . he was introduced to a book called the way to happiness ' -- hubbard 's 64-page , self-described common sense guide to better living . ' in the book , which lays out ways to maintain a temperate lifestyle , kennedy found a message he believed could help lift his predominantly lower income african-american congregation . he said the book 's 21 principles help them with their struggle in an urban environment where there is too much crime and addiction and too little opportunity . kennedy knew that before he could introduce any scientology-related text to his congregation , he would have to prove that it did not contradict his christian beliefs . and so , he found scripture to match each of the 21 principles . now kennedy uses the way to happiness ' as a how-to supplement to his sermons . he believes it is easier to understand and clearer to follow than ancient scriptures taken from the bible . when asked whether scientology 's values contradict the religion of jesus christ , kennedy replies , sometimes yes . sometimes no . ' but he says his congregation can relate to the way to happiness . ' kennedy admits other pastors have criticized him , but the disapproval is not enough to discourage him . he insists that he has witnessed the changes the way to happiness ' has inspired in people . he also maintains that the scientologists , many of whom he calls friends , are successful at outreach and getting desired results . at kennedy 's c. l. kennedy center , free tutoring based on hubbard 's study tech ' philosophies is provided to dozens of children and some adults . kennedy 's daughter , jimirra , is one of the instructors . she said study tech ' and the scientology orientation classes she attended helped her graduate from high school and become a poised woman . though jimirra kennedy insists she does not ascribe to the religious side of scientology , she still considers herself , at least in part , scientologist . we say this all the time and i know my father says this , but i am like a pentecostal scientologist , that 's what we are . ' critics like ross are alarmed by such a blurring of the lines . they consider it a marketing win for scientology . in houston , mclaughlin says he is not one to argue with success . driven by a need to address the rampant drug problem in his community , mclaughlin spent years searching for a solution before he discovered narconon , ' scientology 's nonprofit drug rehab center , in 2001 . mclaughlin trained at narconon and brought the techniques back to his community to launch first step faith step , ' a program that combines hubbard 's methods with the teachings of christianity . he claims a 70- to 80-percent rehabilitation success rate . kennedy and mclaughlin said they have never lost a member of their congregations to scientology . i think that they truly believe that this may help their communities , but in my opinion , they 're naïve , ' ross said . scientologists , he added , have their own agenda . ' the church of scientology would not grant cnn an interview , nor would its representatives answer questions about the hubbard-based programs . e-mail to a friend | critics say scientology is a cult , always looking for recruits |
putin <tsp> hours before the top diplomats from his nation and the united states begin a high-stakes meeting , russian president vladimir putin took to the new york times to argue against military intervention in syria and jab his u.s. counterpart . using an op-ed to speak directly to the american people and their political leaders ... at a time of insufficient communication between our societies , ' putin made a case much like u.s. president barack obama did tuesday night -- although their arguments could hardly have been more different . striking syria would have many negative ramifications , putin argued in a piece that went online wednesday night , including the killing of innocent people , spreading violence around the middle east , clouding diplomatic efforts to address iran 's nuclear crisis and resolve the israeli-palestinian conflict and unleash ( ing ) a new wave of terrorism . ' moreover , the russian leader said such action without the u.n. security council 's approval would constitute an act of aggression . ' it could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance , ' putin said . contrast this to obama 's assertion that failing to act in syria opens the door to more chemical weapons attacks in syria and in other nations -- as well as among terrorist groups -- by giving the impression that the international community wo n't act in the face of blatant violations on bans of their use . and whereas the u.s. president blamed the august 21 sarin gas attack that u.s. officials estimate killed 1,400 people squarely on syrian president bashar al-assad , putin wrote there is every reason to believe it was used not by the syrian army , but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons , who would be siding with the fundamentalists . ' calling syria 's ongoing civil war an internal conflict , fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition , ' putin cautioned against siding with an opposition in syria he says includes more than enough ( al ) qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes . ' ( he did not mention the fact russia has long supplied arms to syria 's government , or that u.s. officials have said they are funneling aid only to members of what they call the moderate opposition . ' ) the russian president ended his op-ed -- just after mentioning a growing trust ' between him and his u.s. counterpart -- with a swipe at a remark obama made tuesday contending that with modest effort and risk , we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run . ' i believe we should act , ' obama said then . that 's what makes america different . that 's what makes us exceptional . with humility , but with resolve , let us never lose sight of that essential truth . ' putin challenged the statement , saying , it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional , whatever the motivation . ' we are all different , ' the russian leader concluded , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' reacting to that remark and putin 's op-ed generally , a senior white house official said wednesday night that 's all irrelevant . ' he 's fully invested in syria 's ( chemical weapons ) disarmament and that 's potentially better than a military strike , which would deter and degrade but would n't get rid of all the chemical weapons , ' the official said . ( putin ) now owns this , ' the official added of the russian plan to have syria 's leadership give up its chemical weapons . he has fully asserted ownership of it , and he needs to deliver . ' all eyes turn to u.s.-russia talks in geneva putin 's piece went online around the time u.s. secretary of state john kerry headed to geneva , switzerland , to meet with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov . their two days of talks will revolve around a moscow proposal to avert a u.s.-led strike in syria by having the syrian government put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control . in his speech tuesday , obama said he was willing to test the seriousness and feasibility of the initiative before resuming his push for congressional authorization for military action , which at the moment appears unlikely to succeed . kerry is taking the lead in dealing with the russians . that includes regular conversations with lavrov , including wednesday when the two talked by phone about their shared objective of having a substantive discussion about the mechanics of identifying , verifying and ultimately destroying assad 's chemical weapons , ' said a senior state department official . it 's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed , and any agreement must verify that the assad regime keeps its commitments , ' obama said in his prime-time address to a war-weary public skeptical of another military venture in the middle east . but this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force , particularly because russia is one of assad 's strongest allies . ' russian officials have submitted a plan to the united states , russia 's itar-tass news agency reported wednesday , citing a russian diplomatic source . yet white house spokesman jay carney said that while conversations have taken place , he was unaware of a full , formal proposal . i think we 're not at the stage of putting down public pieces of paper , ' he said . vladimir chizhov , russia 's emissary to the european union , said the plan calls for syria 's chemical weapons to be placed under international supervision -- inside that country initially , at least . the ultimate aim is to have these weapons destroyed , ' chizhov told cnn 's christiane amanpour . he acknowledged the task of gaining control of the weapons and destroying them with a civil war raging in syria wo n't be easy , voicing worries about what rebel fighters might do . separately , the united states , france , and britain discussed a u.n. security council draft resolution , according to a spokesman for british prime minister david cameron . how long will window be open ? ambassadors from the u.n. security council 's five permanent members -- the united states , russia , china , britain and france -- met the same day for less than an hour , a diplomat with knowledge of the meeting said . while the focus now is on switzerland , u.n. headquarters in new york is expected to become the focal point early next week when u.n. chemical weapons inspectors deliver their report to the security council -- as early as monday or tuesday , sources say -- on the august 21 attack in syria . in washington , the debate about what the united states should do in syria is not over . while obama has said he wants to give the diplomatic process a chance , he has n't said how long he 'll wait before possibly pushing again for military action . after his meeting earlier this week with senate democrats , sen. dick durbin said the president asked lawmakers for some time to work things out -- a matter of days into next week . ' another senate democrat , though , said it could take weeks to determine if diplomatic efforts will pan out . members of congress will watch kerry 's trip closely for a sense of obama 's next move after weeks of beating the drum for military action against syria . if diplomacy fails , he 's painted himself into a corner , ' sen. lindsey graham said after obama 's speech . the leader of the free world ca n't say all these things at the end of the day and do nothing . ' senior state department officials have cautioned that negotiations over the proposed deal may not conclude after the scheduled round of talks in geneva . the plan would be to take any final deal to the u.n. security council to be formalized in a resolution . outcome far from certain while that process unfolds -- if it does successfully -- obama continued to keep the door open for military action , despite exhortations from putin that he drop any hint of a threat . the u.s. president has said any military operation in syria would be targeted , limited and not involve u.s. ground forces . its goal would be to degrade al-assad 's ability to use chemical weapons . obama has also said any strike would be effective -- saying tuesday that the united states military does n't do pinpricks ' -- and he has ordered armed forces to be poised in the region to keep the pressure on assad . ' u.s.-funded ( if not u.s.-made ) weapons began flowing to syrian rebels about two weeks ago , a u.s. official said . coordinated by the cia , the supplies include light weapons , ammunition and anti-tank weapons in addition to nonlethal aid the united states has long been providing . a big question looming over the diplomatic talks is whether any u.n. resolution includes a potential for military action should al-assad not cooperate . that 's something the united states and its allies have favored , while putin has said his country could veto any measure there that contains such a threat . cnn poll : part of syria strike opposition is the messenger 's fault analysts say kerry , as leader of the u.s. diplomatic efforts , has his work cut out for him . i think it 's unlikely the russian government is going to relent on this issue of whether or not it would support the use of force in a security council resolution , ' said nicholas burns , a former senior state department official now at harvard university 's kennedy school of government . they 've been consistent since day one of the syrian crisis that they did not want to see the united states or anyone else use force . i think that 's one of the ambitions the russians have going into this negotiation in geneva , ' he added . obama makes case : opinion former secretary of state madeleine albright said in an exclusive interview on cnn 's the lead with jake tapper ' that kerry must not take the threat of force off the table in his talks with the russians even if they insist he drop it . this is the way that diplomacy works . you use the threat of the use of force to get some action in diplomacy , and then diplomacy just to figure out what you do about the threat of the use of force , ' said albright , who served as america 's top diplomat under president bill clinton . one of the things i know from trying to get security council resolutions is that they take a while , ' said albright . but my personal feeling here is that it is that threat of the use of force , and the president made very clear that our ships would stay in the area , and that the use of force would stay on the table . ' | in a new york times op-ed , putin says striking syria will hurt the region and world |
putin <tsp> hours before the top diplomats from his nation and the united states begin a high-stakes meeting , russian president vladimir putin took to the new york times to argue against military intervention in syria and jab his u.s. counterpart . using an op-ed to speak directly to the american people and their political leaders ... at a time of insufficient communication between our societies , ' putin made a case much like u.s. president barack obama did tuesday night -- although their arguments could hardly have been more different . striking syria would have many negative ramifications , putin argued in a piece that went online wednesday night , including the killing of innocent people , spreading violence around the middle east , clouding diplomatic efforts to address iran 's nuclear crisis and resolve the israeli-palestinian conflict and unleash ( ing ) a new wave of terrorism . ' moreover , the russian leader said such action without the u.n. security council 's approval would constitute an act of aggression . ' it could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance , ' putin said . contrast this to obama 's assertion that failing to act in syria opens the door to more chemical weapons attacks in syria and in other nations -- as well as among terrorist groups -- by giving the impression that the international community wo n't act in the face of blatant violations on bans of their use . and whereas the u.s. president blamed the august 21 sarin gas attack that u.s. officials estimate killed 1,400 people squarely on syrian president bashar al-assad , putin wrote there is every reason to believe it was used not by the syrian army , but by opposition forces to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons , who would be siding with the fundamentalists . ' calling syria 's ongoing civil war an internal conflict , fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition , ' putin cautioned against siding with an opposition in syria he says includes more than enough ( al ) qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes . ' ( he did not mention the fact russia has long supplied arms to syria 's government , or that u.s. officials have said they are funneling aid only to members of what they call the moderate opposition . ' ) the russian president ended his op-ed -- just after mentioning a growing trust ' between him and his u.s. counterpart -- with a swipe at a remark obama made tuesday contending that with modest effort and risk , we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run . ' i believe we should act , ' obama said then . that 's what makes america different . that 's what makes us exceptional . with humility , but with resolve , let us never lose sight of that essential truth . ' putin challenged the statement , saying , it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional , whatever the motivation . ' we are all different , ' the russian leader concluded , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' reacting to that remark and putin 's op-ed generally , a senior white house official said wednesday night that 's all irrelevant . ' he 's fully invested in syria 's ( chemical weapons ) disarmament and that 's potentially better than a military strike , which would deter and degrade but would n't get rid of all the chemical weapons , ' the official said . ( putin ) now owns this , ' the official added of the russian plan to have syria 's leadership give up its chemical weapons . he has fully asserted ownership of it , and he needs to deliver . ' all eyes turn to u.s.-russia talks in geneva putin 's piece went online around the time u.s. secretary of state john kerry headed to geneva , switzerland , to meet with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov . their two days of talks will revolve around a moscow proposal to avert a u.s.-led strike in syria by having the syrian government put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control . in his speech tuesday , obama said he was willing to test the seriousness and feasibility of the initiative before resuming his push for congressional authorization for military action , which at the moment appears unlikely to succeed . kerry is taking the lead in dealing with the russians . that includes regular conversations with lavrov , including wednesday when the two talked by phone about their shared objective of having a substantive discussion about the mechanics of identifying , verifying and ultimately destroying assad 's chemical weapons , ' said a senior state department official . it 's too early to tell whether this offer will succeed , and any agreement must verify that the assad regime keeps its commitments , ' obama said in his prime-time address to a war-weary public skeptical of another military venture in the middle east . but this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force , particularly because russia is one of assad 's strongest allies . ' russian officials have submitted a plan to the united states , russia 's itar-tass news agency reported wednesday , citing a russian diplomatic source . yet white house spokesman jay carney said that while conversations have taken place , he was unaware of a full , formal proposal . i think we 're not at the stage of putting down public pieces of paper , ' he said . vladimir chizhov , russia 's emissary to the european union , said the plan calls for syria 's chemical weapons to be placed under international supervision -- inside that country initially , at least . the ultimate aim is to have these weapons destroyed , ' chizhov told cnn 's christiane amanpour . he acknowledged the task of gaining control of the weapons and destroying them with a civil war raging in syria wo n't be easy , voicing worries about what rebel fighters might do . separately , the united states , france , and britain discussed a u.n. security council draft resolution , according to a spokesman for british prime minister david cameron . how long will window be open ? ambassadors from the u.n. security council 's five permanent members -- the united states , russia , china , britain and france -- met the same day for less than an hour , a diplomat with knowledge of the meeting said . while the focus now is on switzerland , u.n. headquarters in new york is expected to become the focal point early next week when u.n. chemical weapons inspectors deliver their report to the security council -- as early as monday or tuesday , sources say -- on the august 21 attack in syria . in washington , the debate about what the united states should do in syria is not over . while obama has said he wants to give the diplomatic process a chance , he has n't said how long he 'll wait before possibly pushing again for military action . after his meeting earlier this week with senate democrats , sen. dick durbin said the president asked lawmakers for some time to work things out -- a matter of days into next week . ' another senate democrat , though , said it could take weeks to determine if diplomatic efforts will pan out . members of congress will watch kerry 's trip closely for a sense of obama 's next move after weeks of beating the drum for military action against syria . if diplomacy fails , he 's painted himself into a corner , ' sen. lindsey graham said after obama 's speech . the leader of the free world ca n't say all these things at the end of the day and do nothing . ' senior state department officials have cautioned that negotiations over the proposed deal may not conclude after the scheduled round of talks in geneva . the plan would be to take any final deal to the u.n. security council to be formalized in a resolution . outcome far from certain while that process unfolds -- if it does successfully -- obama continued to keep the door open for military action , despite exhortations from putin that he drop any hint of a threat . the u.s. president has said any military operation in syria would be targeted , limited and not involve u.s. ground forces . its goal would be to degrade al-assad 's ability to use chemical weapons . obama has also said any strike would be effective -- saying tuesday that the united states military does n't do pinpricks ' -- and he has ordered armed forces to be poised in the region to keep the pressure on assad . ' u.s.-funded ( if not u.s.-made ) weapons began flowing to syrian rebels about two weeks ago , a u.s. official said . coordinated by the cia , the supplies include light weapons , ammunition and anti-tank weapons in addition to nonlethal aid the united states has long been providing . a big question looming over the diplomatic talks is whether any u.n. resolution includes a potential for military action should al-assad not cooperate . that 's something the united states and its allies have favored , while putin has said his country could veto any measure there that contains such a threat . cnn poll : part of syria strike opposition is the messenger 's fault analysts say kerry , as leader of the u.s. diplomatic efforts , has his work cut out for him . i think it 's unlikely the russian government is going to relent on this issue of whether or not it would support the use of force in a security council resolution , ' said nicholas burns , a former senior state department official now at harvard university 's kennedy school of government . they 've been consistent since day one of the syrian crisis that they did not want to see the united states or anyone else use force . i think that 's one of the ambitions the russians have going into this negotiation in geneva , ' he added . obama makes case : opinion former secretary of state madeleine albright said in an exclusive interview on cnn 's the lead with jake tapper ' that kerry must not take the threat of force off the table in his talks with the russians even if they insist he drop it . this is the way that diplomacy works . you use the threat of the use of force to get some action in diplomacy , and then diplomacy just to figure out what you do about the threat of the use of force , ' said albright , who served as america 's top diplomat under president bill clinton . one of the things i know from trying to get security council resolutions is that they take a while , ' said albright . but my personal feeling here is that it is that threat of the use of force , and the president made very clear that our ships would stay in the area , and that the use of force would stay on the table . ' | putin 's op-ed is irrelevant ' and he needs to deliver ' on syria , u.s. official says |
dzhokhar tsarnaev <tsp> ( cnn ) -- days after allegedly causing death and devastation at the finish line of the boston marathon , two brothers spontaneously ' decided to head to a new place to unleash terror -- new york city -- that city 's mayor said . dzhokhar tsarnaev , the surviving suspect in the boston bombings , told investigators that he and his brother decided to bomb times square as they talked the night of april 18 in a mercedes suv they 'd just carjacked , new york city police commissioner ray kelly said . the 19-year-old initially told investigators from a boston hospital bed that he and his brother , tamerlan tsarnaev , had talked about going to new york to party . ' then he offered a new account during a second round of questioning sunday evening into monday , during which kelly said dzhokhar was a lot more lucid ' than the first time he was interviewed . the brothers had five pipe bombs and a pressure-cooker bomb ' -- the latter similar to the bombs used in the boston blasts -- with them in the suv that they could have used in new york , kelly said . instead , their plan fell apart ' when the suv ran low on fuel in the boston area and the tsarnaevs ordered the driver to pull into a gas station , kelly said . the driver escaped during the refueling , he said , and police subsequently caught up with the tsarnaevs -- first in a shootout after which 26-year-old tamerlan died , then by capturing dzhokhar on friday . we do n't know that we would have been able to stop the terrorists had they arrived here from boston , ' mayor michael bloomberg said . we 're just thankful that we did n't have to find out that answer . ' rep. mike rogers , chairman of the house intelligence committee , said investigators believe the boston bombing suspects were planning another attack likely in the boston area . ' the notion they decided to go to new york was a rushed event after this thing unraveled on them , ' the michigan republican said . latest developments in the boston bombings probe there is no evidence that new york city is currently a target of a terror attack stemming from the boston bombings , kelly added . still , he said authorities are investigating two visits that the surviving suspect made to new york city last year . in one of those trips , in april 2012 , dzhokhar tsarnaev is photographed in times square . official : u.s. wars in afghanistan , iraq motivated bombings one person pictured in that picture was in federal custody thursday , as he 's been for the last six days , on alleged visa violations . this man , whom a federal law enforcement source said dzhokhar shared a cell phone with , was originally detained last friday with another person when federal agents swarmed a residence thinking dzhokhar might be inside , a federal law enforcement source said . neither of these two detained men -- both foreign exchange students from kazakhstan at the university of massachusetts-dartmouth , where dzhokhar also was enrolled -- has been linked to the boston marathon attack . yet investigators hope they can better piece together the suspected bombers'movements before and after the marathon . these guys are not being cut loose immediately , and there 's a reason why , ' the federal law enforcement source said . sources : russia raised concerns about mother , son while investigators continue to look into the boston bombings , the killing of a massachusetts institute of technology campus police officer and a violent chase and shootout in watertown , massachusetts -- all of which authorities have blamed on the tsarnaev brothers -- the probe has also been focused some 5,500 miles away in the semi-autonomous russian republic of dagestan . that 's where the suspects'parents live and spoke to reporters thursday . their mother , zubeidat tsarnaev , told cnn 's nick paton walsh that she did n't want to accept the reality of the bombing , saying it was fake . she has seen a video pushing the wild idea , she said , adding that there was no blood -- and that paint was used instead . photos : galleries from the attack and aftermath ' that 's what i want to know , because everybody 's talking about it -- that this is a show , that 's what i want to know . that 's what i want to understand , ' she said . but her disbelief broke down when she spoke of the victims . i really feel sorry for all of them . really feel sorry for all of them , ' she said , her voice cracking even as she remained resolute that her sons were not involved . while her husband anzor tsarnaev has said he plans to fly to the united states -- though those plans may be in limbo after zubeidat said she called for an ambulance for him on thursday in makhachkala -- his wife is n't planning to join him . she 's wanted on 2012 felony charges of shoplifting and property damage in massachusetts , according to court officials . the family lived there before she jumped bail ; the parents moved the same year to dagestan . dead boston bomb suspect posted video of jihadist , analysis shows a year before , zubeidat and her son tamerlan were both added by u.s. authorities to the terrorist identities datamart environment , or tide , database -- a collection of more than a half million names maintained by the national counterterrorism center , an intelligence official said . that came as russia raised concerns to u.s. authorities about her and her son , sources told cnn . zubeidat tsarnaev said the fbi had visited her family several times ' in 2011 with questions about tamerlan 's islamic interests . ' a senior u.s. official with direct knowledge of information from the russians said that the case then was extremely thin , ' adding that russia wanted tamerlan tsarnaev questioned to see if he and others had become radicalized . ' u.s. authorities closed the case a few months after opening it . suspects'mother describes her last conversation with her sons suspect 's widow is assisting investigation , lawyer says putin :'we were right' russian president vladimir putin on thursday urged closer cooperation between other countries'security services in the wake of the boston attack ' if we combine our efforts , we will not suffer blows like that , ' he said during a live televised call-in session in moscow on thursday . the tsarnaevs are originally from the embattled russian republic of chechnya but fled from the brutal wars there in the 1990s . the two brothers were born in kyrgyzstan and moved at different times to the united states . in his first on-camera comments since the bombing , putin also lashed out against those in the west who have slammed russia for human rights abuses in its actions toward chechnya . the truth about the chechen threat ' russia is among the first victims , and i hate it when our western partners call our terrorists -- who committed some heinous crimes in russia -- when they call them freedom fighters and never call them terrorists . they supported them , ' said putin , accusing unnamed people or groups of providing russia 's foes with political , financial and media ' support . and u.s. authorities have come under fire at home , with lawmakers asking if the fbi and cia failed to share information . sources told cnn that russia had separately asked the fbi and the cia to look into tamerlan tsarnaev in 2011 . sen. lindsey graham , a south carolina republican , said thursday he believes ultimate blame ' for the attacks goes to the obama administration . the fbi and the cia are , they have great people but , you know , we 're going backwards in national security . benghazi and boston to me are examples of us going backward , ' he said . but a ranking democrat on a house intelligence subcommittee said thursday he does not see an intelligence-sharing failure . this information was put in a database , it was shared among different agencies , it was shared with a joint terrorism task force , and that 's exactly what should happen , ' u.s. rep. adam schiff , d-california , told cnn , referring to the tide database . sources : suspect was unarmed in boat more details , meanwhile , continue to emerge about the april 15 bombings as well as authorities'engagement days later with the two suspects . a law enforcement official told cnn thursday that at least one of the two bombs -- the second to explode -- was detonated by remote control . rep. dutch ruppersberger , a maryland democrat and member of the house select committee on intelligence , said that the brothers used a remote control device similar to those used to guide toy cars . while video taken near the scene of the explosions shows dzhokhar tsarnaev talking on a cell phone , it is not known whether he used it to trigger a device , a law enforcement official said . those twin blasts killed three people and injured more than 260 others , 14 of whom had limbs amputated . as of thursday evening , 34 of those wounded were still being treated at boston hospitals , including one patient in critical condition . the manhunt for those responsible ended last friday , when dzhokhar tsarnaev was captured after a tense standoff after he 'd hidden in a boat in the yard of a home in the boston suburb of watertown , massachusetts . the teenager was unarmed when he was wounded in a barrage of gunfire , and there was no firearm found in the boat , said several sources from difference agencies familiar with the investigation . authorities previously said in a criminal complaint that there was a standoff involving gunfire before dzhokhar 's capture . watertown police chief edward deveau told cnn 's wolf blitzer on saturday that it was his understanding that the suspect fired from the boat . this came after tsarnaev and his older brother allegedly shot and killed massachusetts institute of technology campus police officer sean collier in cambridge . the middlesex county district attorney 's office hopes to bring charges against dzhokhar tsarnaev for his alleged role in incidents last week in cambridge and watertown , spokeswoman stephanie guyotte said thursday . biden :'knock-off jihadis'ca n't break american spirit tragedy in boston : how to help cnn 's drew griffin , dave alsup , carol cratty , nick paton walsh , brian todd , barbara starr , susan candiotti and ben brumfield contributed to this report . | dzhokhar tsarnaev , 19 , was more lucid ' the second time he was interviewed , police say |
africa <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- can buskers from around the world inspire an international peace movement ? that 's the idea behind playing for change , ' a multimedia movement designed to break down global barriers and connect people of every race through the power of music . more than 150 -- mostly street -- musicians from 25 countries have joined their voices to spread their message of peace and create a truly global phenomenon with millions of followers across the world . it all started in 2004 , when grammy award-winning producer mark johnson set off on a musical journey to capture street musicians around the world and combine their voices together . bringing his mobile studio and cameras with him , johnson 's mission led him and his small crew to an escapade across the globe -- they tracked the street musicians , put headphones on them and started recording each of their parts , before blending it all together to create unique versions of classic songs , such as stand by me . ' the powerful and versatile performances were mixed and posted online , quickly becoming a worldwide sensation . the band 's version of the ben e. king classic -- which interwove the performances of 18 street musicians , including a south african choir -- has become an internet hit with more than 40 million views on youtube alone . read more : ladysmith black mambazo : how we inspired mandela the band 's bestselling cd/dvd set playing for change : songs around the world ' was also a big hit , debuting at number 10 on billboard 's pop chart in april 2009 . the recordings gave rise to the playing for change foundation , an initiative aiming to inspire , educate and empower youth in africa and other developing regions by building music schools in communities from ghana and south africa to mali and tibet . we are building schools to give those kids who are deprived ... to give them a chance to express themselves tomorrow -- at least they can learn music , they can be confident , they can learn how to dance , they can be somebody , ' says honey-voiced mermans kenkosenki from the democratic republic of congo , one of the main singers of playing for change . kenkosenki , along with his compatriot jason tamba and titi tsira from south africa , are some of the african voices representing the continent in the movement . they share the stage with musicians from the netherlands to the united states as part of an international touring band that brings artists of all backgrounds together , raising money and awareness for the foundation . there are people who play music for the fame , for money , and there are people who play for the love of it , ' says kenkosenki , who is also the frontman and founder of the band afro fiesta . see also : kanya king : mobo founder 's top 5 pop picks the foundation 's first school was opened in the spring of 2009 in gugulethu , a township a few miles outside of cape town , south africa . you got so many lost young kids that their parents do n't work , they are unemployed and the kids get to hang around in the streets , they do n't get to go to the school because there is no money to send them , ' says tsiri who is from gugulethu . this school being built in that township is giving that child a chance , a chance to get a free education , get a skill of music and become a professional musician and be the breadwinner of their family , ' she adds . so far , the foundation has been running eight programs , working with over 600 children and creating more than 150 jobs . it is a great feeling to give a child a skill , ' says tsiri . it is the best movement ever -- it is really making a huge change and i am very happy being a part of it . ' the playing for change roster also includes world-renowned artists such as manu chao , tinariwen , vusi mahlasela and bono . songs they 've covered include classics such as i 'd rather go blind , ' gim me shelter , ' ( sitting on ) the dock of the bay and many more . ' when you look at us you see in each of us a different character , ' says tamba , a skilful guitar player . everyone is doing their thing , it 's not following somebody but is bringing what he has deep in there [ heart ] and together that brings the fire . ' read also : meet asa , african pop legend in the making last year , playing for change also joined forces with the united nations to present united , ' an original song penned to raise awareness about the opportunities and challenges arising from life in a planet populated by seven billion people . in the acoustic guitar-driven anthem , kenkosenki sings lines like i want to see the world united ' before crooning in lingala , a bantu language spoken in parts of the drc . he is then joined by a host of singers across the world , who deliver their parts in arabic , hebrew and other languages . the whole world played the music , ' says kenkosenki . we need to be together to listen to each other -- that 's how it should be , bringing people from different cultures to work together , that to me is powerful . ' teo kermeliotis contributed to this report . | they 're also involved in the work of building schools for music education in africa and beyond |
britain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- while uk politicians seek to distance themselves from europe 's troubled continent , rail operators are doing their best to bridge the gap . the channel tunnel -- a favored travel route for those flitting between london and paris -- is expanding its reach into mainland europe by opening its doors to deutsche bahn . the german operator 's access to the channel tunnel upsets the monopoly held on the route by high speed train operator eurostar since 2004 , and will boost traffic by 4 million passengers . read more : pampering cows the wagyu way jacques gounon , chief executive of eurotunnel -- the company that operates the channel tunnel -- told cnn the company was recovering from the crisis , when traffic fell by 20 % . now it 's up year after year at 3 to 4 % gross rate , ' gounon said . deutsche bahn will come from germany and netherlands ... it 's quite clear that this will be an incredible increase in our revenue . ' read more : london property recovering -- but is best house in the street in moscow ? deutsche bahn will shuttle passengers to major destinations in europe such as frankfurt , cologne and amsterdam . the eurostar offers links between london , calais and paris . gounon said the company negotiated with britain and france to expand its footprint and explain that there is available capacity within the tunnel . ' read more : building learning blocks at lego school he said : we have the knowledge and the skills in order to manage the different slots between our own shuttles , eurostar slots and the future deutsche bahn trains , and that this will be good for customers between the continent and great britain . ' eurotunnel has 400 trains a day through the channel tunnel on average , with 52 of these being high-speed rail . read more : the netherlands : a nation under water deutsche bahn will begin its undersea rail operations as soon as the intercity express trains -- manufactured by german technology company siemens -- are ready for service . the move will break eurostar 's near-two decade dominance over the channel tunnel , but the high-speed operator is making expansion plans of its own . speaking to cnn last month , eurostar ceo nicolas petrovic said the company is planning to launch a state of the art ' fleet that can carry passengers to the netherlands , germany and switzerland . read more : how 's your confidence in the euro petrovic said eurostar would grab the opportunity of open access in europe ' while trying to wrestle market share from airlines . eurostar tickets for an adult traveling from london to paris cost â£69 ( $ 104 ) for standard class to â£250 ( $ 378 ) for business class . petrovic told cnn that the company is looking very carefully ' at pricing , adding that the biggest cost to eurostar 's business is the levy on using the channel tunnel . meanwhile , eurotunnel is expanding more than just its train business . last year , the paris-based company launched a ferry service called myferrylink , for large vehicles and passengers who prefer to travel by boat . the business has already gained 11 % of the market share , according to eurotunnel . gounon said : people who want to have a different way to cross the channel , perhaps to pay less ... we believe that the ferry business is a compliment of our main core business . ' | gounon said the company negotiated with britain and france to expand its footprint |
spain <tsp> two weeks after leading chelsea to glory in the europa league , rafael benitez has been unveiled as the new coach of italian team napoli . benitez guided chelsea to a 2-1 victory over benfica in amsterdam earlier this month having been appointed as the team 's interim manager following the sacking of roberto di matteo in november . the former liverpool and valencia boss moves to naples on a two-year deal as a replacement for walter mazzarri , who has taken over at inter milan following the sacking of andrea stramaccioni . mazzarri 's napoli finished the 2012-13 campaign second in italy 's top division , securing the team a place in next season 's european champions league . it was the club 's best finish in the league since winning serie a in 1990 . now that the agreement is confirmed , i can say i am very happy and very satisfied for having committed to a great club with an illustrious heritage like napoli , ' the 53-year-old benitez told his official website . i understand the history of the city and how the club forms a fundamental part of the culture and traditions of naples . i must confess that i am extremely excited because i can share my passion for football with the fans of napoli ; it is proven that they are very , very special . ' napoli president aurelio de laurentiis tweeted a picture of himself shaking benitez 's hand , and wrote : rafa benítez is the new coach of napoli . a great man with international experience . a leader . ' benitez endured a difficult time at stamford bridge . chelsea fans refused to accept him as a result of a rivalry he had had with the club while manager of liverpool between 2004 and 2010 despite the club qualifying for the champions league and winning the europa league . the spanish coach 's first job at napoli will be attempting to keep hold of star striker edinson cavani who is reportedly a target for benitez 's former employers chelsea and manchester city . chelsea 's europa league triumph was the latest in a long list of major honors won by benitez . the madrid native won the same tournament -- then known as the uefa cup -- with valencia in 2004 , as well as two spanish league titles . he then moved to liverpool where he won the fa cup in 2006 , but the crowning moment of his career to date arrived a year earlier when he led the anfield club to champions league glory . losing 3-0 to ac milan at half time in the 2005 final , liverpool scored three second-half goals before going on to seal a dramatic penalty shootout victory in istanbul . liverpool also reached the 2007 champions league final . benitez parted company with liverpool in june 2010 before taking over at inter just one week later . his spell at inter milan was mixed . benitez won the fifa world club cup with inter before being sacked in december 2010 . fitness coach francisco de miguel moreno and goalkeeping coach vicente javier valero berchili , who were both part of benitez 's backroom team at liverpool , inter milan and chelsea will join the spaniard at napoli . | spain 's benitez was manager of chelsea for the final six months of last season |
walter mazzarri <tsp> two weeks after leading chelsea to glory in the europa league , rafael benitez has been unveiled as the new coach of italian team napoli . benitez guided chelsea to a 2-1 victory over benfica in amsterdam earlier this month having been appointed as the team 's interim manager following the sacking of roberto di matteo in november . the former liverpool and valencia boss moves to naples on a two-year deal as a replacement for walter mazzarri , who has taken over at inter milan following the sacking of andrea stramaccioni . mazzarri 's napoli finished the 2012-13 campaign second in italy 's top division , securing the team a place in next season 's european champions league . it was the club 's best finish in the league since winning serie a in 1990 . now that the agreement is confirmed , i can say i am very happy and very satisfied for having committed to a great club with an illustrious heritage like napoli , ' the 53-year-old benitez told his official website . i understand the history of the city and how the club forms a fundamental part of the culture and traditions of naples . i must confess that i am extremely excited because i can share my passion for football with the fans of napoli ; it is proven that they are very , very special . ' napoli president aurelio de laurentiis tweeted a picture of himself shaking benitez 's hand , and wrote : rafa benítez is the new coach of napoli . a great man with international experience . a leader . ' benitez endured a difficult time at stamford bridge . chelsea fans refused to accept him as a result of a rivalry he had had with the club while manager of liverpool between 2004 and 2010 despite the club qualifying for the champions league and winning the europa league . the spanish coach 's first job at napoli will be attempting to keep hold of star striker edinson cavani who is reportedly a target for benitez 's former employers chelsea and manchester city . chelsea 's europa league triumph was the latest in a long list of major honors won by benitez . the madrid native won the same tournament -- then known as the uefa cup -- with valencia in 2004 , as well as two spanish league titles . he then moved to liverpool where he won the fa cup in 2006 , but the crowning moment of his career to date arrived a year earlier when he led the anfield club to champions league glory . losing 3-0 to ac milan at half time in the 2005 final , liverpool scored three second-half goals before going on to seal a dramatic penalty shootout victory in istanbul . liverpool also reached the 2007 champions league final . benitez parted company with liverpool in june 2010 before taking over at inter just one week later . his spell at inter milan was mixed . benitez won the fifa world club cup with inter before being sacked in december 2010 . fitness coach francisco de miguel moreno and goalkeeping coach vicente javier valero berchili , who were both part of benitez 's backroom team at liverpool , inter milan and chelsea will join the spaniard at napoli . | benitez takes over from previous coach walter mazzarri |
nato <tsp> marjah , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- authorities raised the afghan flag over the battle-scarred enclave of marjah on thursday , a ceremony symbolizing the presence of the afghan government in the taliban stronghold . the red , black and green banner was hoisted over an area where u.s. and other troops have been fighting the taliban in operation moshtarak -- the biggest offensive of the war . a few hundred people watched the event , attended by helmand gov . gulab mangal , other provincial and local officials , and military officials . i think we 're feeling pretty good about the control of the populated areas , the infrastructure , ' said brig . gen. larry nicholson , commander of u.s. marines in southern afghanistan . about 15,000 nato-led and afghan forces hope to oust the taliban and restore afghan government control to the region in the southern afghan province of helmand . they are working to persuade citizens to turn their allegiance away from the militants and toward the afghan government . more afghanistan coverage on afghanistan crossroads blog viewing the ceremony with hope , curiosity and skepticism , one local in the crowd said he does n't trust the afghan government or its security forces . asked if he thought change will come , abdul qader accused the afghan government of corruption . if the foreigners do it , things will change . if the afghans are in charge , there is no way . ' another citizen , mohammad sardar , said the taliban brought the people security , but not proper services such as schools and roads . he said that while he still fears foreign forces , he hopes they can bring about change . qader said the foreigners wo n't be able to get rid of the taliban completely , but the militants will put their heads down and fade away on the condition that help is brought , roads are built and security is achieved . ' the event took place as nato 's international security assistance force reported trends that show security is improving and signs of stability are emerging in the region . the offensive has been under way for 13 days and is expected to continue for at least another two to three weeks . nicholson said there is still some fighting to do -- potentially in some areas that we have n't gotten into . ' isaf said in a news release thursday that security is improving and signs of stability have been emerging despite occasional ' clashes between militants and soldiers . haji zahir , deputy district governor of nad ali , told 200 people in marjah at a shura , or community council , that security conditions have improved and that more afghan national police were to be posted there , isaf said . he promised to ensure the opening of shops and clinics , and personally oversaw the distribution of rice , beans , cooking oil and sugar to the gathering . ' the nato-led command said new shops have opened at marjah bazaars , with telephones , computers and other electronics available . it said there has been a significant increase in the number of local residents returning to the area ' and a decrease in the number of residents registering as internally displaced persons . ' cnn 's atia abawi contributed to this report . | security improving in marjah area , evacuees returning , say u.s. and nato officials |
guns & ammo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the editor of guns & ammo magazine apologized to readers and resigned immediately , earlier than planned , after he published a column advocating gun control , enraging his readers . editor jim bequette wanted to generate a healthy exchange of ideas on gun rights ' when he published a commentary by dick metcalf , who wrote that he supported regulations on firearms . instead , the column in the december issue aroused unprecedented controversy ' among readers who began questioning'guns & ammo 's commitment to the second amendment , ' bequette wrote in his apology . bequette also fired metcalf , a gun writer who had written the firearms law column for the magazine 's sister publication , shooting times . metcalf could n't be immediately reached for comment . opinion : gun control is not the answer in his recent commentary , metcalf wrote about how way too many gun owners still seem to believe that any regulation of the right to keep and bear arms is an infringement ' prohibited by the second amendment . the fact is , all constitutional rights are regulated , always have been , and need to be , ' metcalf wrote . after a readership uproar , bequette said his magazine has an unwavering ' commitment to the second amendment . in publishing metcalf 's column , i was untrue to that tradition , and for that i apologize , ' bequette wrote in a column dated wednesday . i made a mistake by publishing the column . i thought it would generate a healthy exchange of ideas on gun rights . i miscalculated , pure and simple . i was wrong , and i ask your forgiveness , ' he continued . plans were already in place for a new editor to take over the magazine on january 1 , but that new editor , eric r. poole , who ran guns & ammo 's special interest publications , was installed immediately , bequette said . state battles intensify on access to guns among the comments generating discussion on the magazine 's facebook page was trace simek 's declaration that he was canceling his subscription and boycotting parent firm intermedia outdoors , which describes itself as the premier outdoor sports-oriented media group in the united states . ' wrote simek : it takes more than one elmer fudd to get a pro-gun control agenda editorial in the pages of a formerly-relevant national firearms industry publication : your apology rings false , and smacks of having been cobbled together as a reaction to an unexpected deluge of negative sentiment . ' gary graf said he feared the column would energize gun control efforts -- what he called the anti-second amendment crowd . publishing metcalf 's back page read was like throwing a bucket of blood in shark infested waters , especially here in california , ' graf wrote . we are one step away from confiscation here as it is , and the anti 2a crowd will be further emboldened by this , especially from something as rock solid as guns and ammo . i sincerely hope we can recover from this , but in my state , the champagne corks are already popping . ' many readers , however , defended the column . it is sad to see that g & a will bend so easily and that their readers are so blind and fail to understand that some regulation is necessary , ' kevin smith wrote . opinion : gun violence is a public health epidemic | guns & ammo publishes a column advocating gun control |
davis <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- evidence found on the bodies of two men killed by a now-jailed u.s. diplomat aligns with the state department 's claim that the men were robbers , according to a pakistani police official . raymond davis , who works at the u.s. consulate in lahore , pakistan , has been jailed since january 27 , when authorities say he shot and killed two men on a motorcycle . davis said the men attacked him while trying to rob him as he drove through a busy neighborhood , according to the u.s. embassy in pakistan . when police searched the bodies , they found stolen cell phones and cash that belonged to two men who had reported being robbed earlier that day by two gunmen on a motorcycle , a pakistani police official told cnn . the official identified the dead men as faheem shamshad , 26 , and faizan haider , 22 . their families filed police reports accusing davis of murder , a police spokesman said . a third person , muhammad abad ur rehman , allegedly was struck and killed by a u.s. consulate car responding to the shooting . police are investigating the death , but the u.s. embassy has not revealed the identity of the person driving that car despite calls from pakistani authorities to do so . on thursday , a judge in lahore ordered the government to hold davis for at least eight more days and place his name on an exit control list to ensure he does not leave the country . in a statement on its website , the u.s. embassy in pakistan said its employee shot two armed men in self-defense and renewed its call for the pakistani government to release him , saying he is entitled to diplomatic immunity . speculation in the pakistani media has suggested that davis was traveling on a business visa and that he was consequently not subject to diplomatic protections . u.s. officials notified pakistan 's foreign ministry that the employee was in the country on diplomatic business , and details about his passport and visa were irrelevant , countered acting u.s. embassy spokeswoman courtney beale . state department spokesman p.j . crowley said wednesday that the u.s. government is in constant contact ' with the pakistan government . we continue to encourage the government of pakistan to respect his diplomatic immunity and to release him , ' crowley said . pakistani president asif ali zardari urged people not to use the incident for political point scoring , ' spokesman farhatullah babar said . the president said that the government had taken a principled position , that the matter was before the judiciary whose verdict should be awaited and respected , ' babar said . the case has sparked some protest and fueled anti-american sentiments in pakistan . during several protests this week , hard-line clerics condemned the shootings and demanded the government not release davis to the u.s. government . local television showed a rally in karachi where protesters re-enacted their version of shooting incident . men wearing smiling masks and holding toy guns played the part of davis and gleefully danced around several protesters who pretended to be the shooting victims . cnn 's reza sayah and journalists nasir habib and nosheen abbas contributed to this story . | davis remains jailed despite u.s. calls for his release |
davis <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- evidence found on the bodies of two men killed by a now-jailed u.s. diplomat aligns with the state department 's claim that the men were robbers , according to a pakistani police official . raymond davis , who works at the u.s. consulate in lahore , pakistan , has been jailed since january 27 , when authorities say he shot and killed two men on a motorcycle . davis said the men attacked him while trying to rob him as he drove through a busy neighborhood , according to the u.s. embassy in pakistan . when police searched the bodies , they found stolen cell phones and cash that belonged to two men who had reported being robbed earlier that day by two gunmen on a motorcycle , a pakistani police official told cnn . the official identified the dead men as faheem shamshad , 26 , and faizan haider , 22 . their families filed police reports accusing davis of murder , a police spokesman said . a third person , muhammad abad ur rehman , allegedly was struck and killed by a u.s. consulate car responding to the shooting . police are investigating the death , but the u.s. embassy has not revealed the identity of the person driving that car despite calls from pakistani authorities to do so . on thursday , a judge in lahore ordered the government to hold davis for at least eight more days and place his name on an exit control list to ensure he does not leave the country . in a statement on its website , the u.s. embassy in pakistan said its employee shot two armed men in self-defense and renewed its call for the pakistani government to release him , saying he is entitled to diplomatic immunity . speculation in the pakistani media has suggested that davis was traveling on a business visa and that he was consequently not subject to diplomatic protections . u.s. officials notified pakistan 's foreign ministry that the employee was in the country on diplomatic business , and details about his passport and visa were irrelevant , countered acting u.s. embassy spokeswoman courtney beale . state department spokesman p.j . crowley said wednesday that the u.s. government is in constant contact ' with the pakistan government . we continue to encourage the government of pakistan to respect his diplomatic immunity and to release him , ' crowley said . pakistani president asif ali zardari urged people not to use the incident for political point scoring , ' spokesman farhatullah babar said . the president said that the government had taken a principled position , that the matter was before the judiciary whose verdict should be awaited and respected , ' babar said . the case has sparked some protest and fueled anti-american sentiments in pakistan . during several protests this week , hard-line clerics condemned the shootings and demanded the government not release davis to the u.s. government . local television showed a rally in karachi where protesters re-enacted their version of shooting incident . men wearing smiling masks and holding toy guns played the part of davis and gleefully danced around several protesters who pretended to be the shooting victims . cnn 's reza sayah and journalists nasir habib and nosheen abbas contributed to this story . | u.s. embassy officials say consular employee raymond davis shot in self-defense |
embassy <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- evidence found on the bodies of two men killed by a now-jailed u.s. diplomat aligns with the state department 's claim that the men were robbers , according to a pakistani police official . raymond davis , who works at the u.s. consulate in lahore , pakistan , has been jailed since january 27 , when authorities say he shot and killed two men on a motorcycle . davis said the men attacked him while trying to rob him as he drove through a busy neighborhood , according to the u.s. embassy in pakistan . when police searched the bodies , they found stolen cell phones and cash that belonged to two men who had reported being robbed earlier that day by two gunmen on a motorcycle , a pakistani police official told cnn . the official identified the dead men as faheem shamshad , 26 , and faizan haider , 22 . their families filed police reports accusing davis of murder , a police spokesman said . a third person , muhammad abad ur rehman , allegedly was struck and killed by a u.s. consulate car responding to the shooting . police are investigating the death , but the u.s. embassy has not revealed the identity of the person driving that car despite calls from pakistani authorities to do so . on thursday , a judge in lahore ordered the government to hold davis for at least eight more days and place his name on an exit control list to ensure he does not leave the country . in a statement on its website , the u.s. embassy in pakistan said its employee shot two armed men in self-defense and renewed its call for the pakistani government to release him , saying he is entitled to diplomatic immunity . speculation in the pakistani media has suggested that davis was traveling on a business visa and that he was consequently not subject to diplomatic protections . u.s. officials notified pakistan 's foreign ministry that the employee was in the country on diplomatic business , and details about his passport and visa were irrelevant , countered acting u.s. embassy spokeswoman courtney beale . state department spokesman p.j . crowley said wednesday that the u.s. government is in constant contact ' with the pakistan government . we continue to encourage the government of pakistan to respect his diplomatic immunity and to release him , ' crowley said . pakistani president asif ali zardari urged people not to use the incident for political point scoring , ' spokesman farhatullah babar said . the president said that the government had taken a principled position , that the matter was before the judiciary whose verdict should be awaited and respected , ' babar said . the case has sparked some protest and fueled anti-american sentiments in pakistan . during several protests this week , hard-line clerics condemned the shootings and demanded the government not release davis to the u.s. government . local television showed a rally in karachi where protesters re-enacted their version of shooting incident . men wearing smiling masks and holding toy guns played the part of davis and gleefully danced around several protesters who pretended to be the shooting victims . cnn 's reza sayah and journalists nasir habib and nosheen abbas contributed to this story . | u.s. embassy officials say consular employee raymond davis shot in self-defense |
wi-fi <tsp> san francisco , california ( cnn ) -- stopping short of directly addressing intensifying speculation about a playstation phone , sony 's peter dille acknowledged that its portable game system could be due for a change soon . dille , the senior vice president of marketing at sony computer entertainment of america , was asked about the so-called playstation phone , which was first reported by engadget , in a fireside chat wednesday at a conference in san francisco . refusing to confirm or deny rumors , dille did say the lack of a cellular data connection could be holding back sony 's playstation portable game system . the psp is a wi-fi device , ' he said . people are used to having always-connected devices . ' sony 's home game consoles have had life spans of 10 years each , and the playstation 3 will continue to be supported for at least that long , dille said . but the portable market moves so fast , ' he said . at six years , the psp may be looking dry . indeed , sony has had to reverse its marketing strategy to target younger gamers for that system , dille said . now , the psp is having to compete with more fully featured hand-held game systems that can also make calls , send text messages and provide a window to thousands of games and apps . apple chief steve jobs has boasted in news conferences , saying the ipod touch and iphone have become the hand-held gaming leaders . the company recently launched a social networking hub called game center . however , dille said sony has competitors , like apple 's iphone and google 's android , beat for the attention of serious gamers . psp 's focus is on long , immersive entertainment , not five-minute battles between meetings . these are largely time-killers , ' dille said of smartphone games . gamers are n't satisfied with that . ' whether sony sees android 's gaming marketplace as a competitor or potential partner , dille declined to comment . engadget reported that android could power the rumored playstation phone . a spokeswoman present during a cnn interview with dille after the onstage chat said , we have relationships with google . ' the psp can already do more than just gaming , dille said . it has applications for watching movies , making calls over skype and limited web browsing . but many of those functions are limited by whether you have wi-fi access . plus , it 's not a phone , so you need to carry multiple gadgets . but that could be a selling point , said dille . consumers like different boxes , ' he said . sony 's goal for the playstation network -- the online component for gaming and downloading video of which dille is also the senior vice president -- is to be an entertainment centerpiece and be always accessible . the current psp does n't quite fulfill that vision . i do n't think we fully realize that vision with a wi-fi device , ' dille told cnn . if it 's not connected [ to a cell network ] then it does sort of limit people . ' | specifically , only connecting to the internet via wi-fi can be limiting , he said |
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