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america <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was barely floating , perhaps minutes from sinking , a small skiff , washed up against an unforgiving cement breakwater . the flat-bottomed boat was homemade , cobbled together with no evident craftsmanship , from scarce and salvaged materials . it was about 14 feet long and 4 feet wide , with a hand-hewn pole for a mast and fallen sails that looked like burlap . as waves and a relentless tide drove it into the concrete wall , the boat was going under , surrendering to the ocean that had brought it to key largo , florida . a small crowd had gathered . some were taking pictures . my wife and i asked what was happening . one in the group told us that some men came over from cuba in this boat the previous night . they had given themselves to the ocean and whatever fate their desperate journey might bring them . they had traveled nearly 200 miles , day and night , through rough and open waters , sailing this pitiful craft on pitiless seas . local security had found them , walking around , lost . they had no destination beyond america . they were picked up and turned over to u.s. customs and border protection . we asked how many there were . someone in the group told us , nine men risked their lives to come to the united states on this . ' what is exceptional about this story is that it is not exceptional . immigrants constantly risk not only their own lives , but also their children 's , for the economic opportunity we enjoy with indifference . while these men apparently were from cuba , covered by the decades-old wet-foot-dry-foot ' cuban immigration policy , a trickle of immigrants from central america has suddenly become a flood of women and children , swamping our border security offices . tens of thousands of guatemalans and ecuadorians have been drawn by the luster of an american economy we find tarnished . unlike those nine cuban men , however , these immigrants have an additional reason for coming : president barack obama invited them here . as byron york explained in the washington examiner , president obama 's daca decree -- deferred action for childhood arrivals , which allowed thousands of illegal immigrants to stay in this country if they came at a young age -- created , in effect , a magnet for young people to try to enter the u.s . illegally . ' this degree , announced in june 2012 , allows immigrant children to stay if they had been in the united states continuously from june 2007 to june 2012 . some say , however , the decree has swept through central america . according to the washington post , a recent leaked memo by border patrol agents spoke of this wave of new immigrants , saying they were motivated to come now , in this surge , because they had heard of the change in u.s. policy that would allow them to remain in america . deferred action for childhood arrivals must have sounded like popular politics to this president , yet it was cruelty disguised as kindness . our president 's incompetence has created a humanitarian crisis : he has lured an endless stream of children and mothers to risk everything to travel here . we are a country divided today . the prevailing debate is what is wrong with america and who among us should be blamed for it . yesterday 's newcomers blame today 's arrivals . those who have already walked through the golden door of opportunity would ungenerously close it behind them . we confront each other over what we lack , forgetting the greatness we have built together and how much better we could still be . democrats demand too much of immigration reform . republicans demand too little . the stalemate serves both their political ambitions . and as we watch men risking their lives on what can barely be called a boat and children desperately throwing themselves across our borders , we harbor a shame : no immigration reform will pass congress this year . perhaps both democrats and republicans should remember : once , many of our families , in either this or a previous incarnation , came here as immigrants , seeking a better life and freedom . imagine that you are one of the nine men on that boat . or a muddied child in the rio grande . we may never be called upon to make those journeys , but what would each of us risk to live in the greatest country in human history ? much more , it appears , than our leaders would risk so we can keep living there . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . | he says a recent change in u.s. policy allows them to remain in america |
manuel ramos <tsp> santa ana , california ( cnn ) -- a jury of eight women and four men on thursday began deliberating the fate of two former fullerton police officers in the beating death of a mentally ill homeless man . the beating of kelly thomas in a transit parking lot was recorded by security cameras on the night of july 5 , 2011 . the surveillance camera footage shows thomas being beaten , clubbed , and stunned with a taser by police . the video sparked a nationwide outcry . former deputy manuel ramos was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter . a second former fullerton officer , jay cicinelli , was charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force . in closing arguments , orange county district attorney tony rackauckas told jurors that ramos bore responsibility for thomas 's death because he issued a threat to the uncooperative homeless man . ramos can be seen on the surveillance video putting on gloves and shaking his fist in thomas 's face . see these fists , ' ramos says , they will f * * * you up . ' what followed was a struggle involving thomas and several officers that had a badly battered thomas pleading for mercy . thomas was taken to a hospital and later declared dead . but defense attorney john barnett earlier told jurors that ramos 's statement was not meant literally . it was a verbal strategy ' to elicit cooperation from a combative thomas , according to barnett . outside the courthouse , barnett told the press that the case had caused great harm to southern california law enforcement , all law enforcement has to look over their shoulders now , because they fear they can be prosecuted for doing their job . ' michael schwartz , attorney for cicinelli , said , we have a tragedy in this case . someone died . we do n't convict people in this country to find closure . ' the defense has argued that the officers did not use excessive force and other measures had failed to subdue a combative thomas . rackauckas said the case was not a reflection on all law enforcement , but rather an indictment of two officers who , according to him , acted outside the law . | manuel ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter |
south carolina <tsp> greenville , south carolina ( cnn ) -- some are girlish 22-year-olds ; others are women approaching 40 . they come from south carolina 's rural counties and its booming cities . they are loud and muted , lively and vacant , hopeful and desperate . as different as they are , they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies . they are swallowed by the same shameful past . they do n't know if they can be good mothers . they do n't know if they can be clean mothers . they 're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both . on this summer day , ashley hendrix , 24 , is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the phoenix center 's serenity place . this is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail . south carolina 's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children . across the country , local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use , but the cases are often rejected by the courts . and judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts . in recent years , missouri and north dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment . illegal substances -- marijuana , methamphetamine , cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed hendrix for more than a decade . to this day , i still cry about it , she said , that if anything does come out wrong with my baby , i know that my drug use is the reason why . since 1989 , at least 126 women in south carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies , according to the national advocates for pregnant women . most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying . during the same period , only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined . word on the street ' in south carolina , says stephen donaldson , program manager of a drug-treatment facility in charleston county , is if you use during pregnancy , you 're being prosecuted or you 're losing your baby . ' over the last 15 years , that message has driven many women to serenity place , a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers . here , the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers . they want the women to know there are second chances , and there is hope . i 'm grateful everyday for being here and i 'm grateful to have my baby with me , ' says a freckled kim clark , 28 , who gave birth to her son jaelyn at the center . i 've been using drugs since i was 11 years old . i did n't know any other life . and i 've learned a lot about myself . i 've been taught things here . ' she graduated in august , has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son . some women arrive here voluntarily . others were sent by the state 's department of social services . others made a plea bargain with the courts , allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison . my biggest fear was the [ health of the ] baby , but right behind that was that'i 'm going to go to jail', ' says sandria doremus , one of hendrix'classmates at serenity . afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction , she delayed getting prenatal care . i should have gone in a lot sooner , ' she admits . doremus , 37 , arrived at serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials , as required by law . she has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face . she cuddled her 8-month-old son , matthew , when cnn visited the center in july . born with heroin in his system , matthew was placed on methadone . today , he is healthy , but studies show drug-exposed babies can face developmental delays and learning disabilities in later years . watch the women of serenity place share their story » in 1997 , the south carolina supreme court ruled that a fetus in the third trimester was viable and charges of child abuse , neglect and murder could apply to the mother . some treatment providers and advocacy experts say this ruling opened the door for prosecutors to charge pregnant women . these are addicts who become pregnant , ' says lynn paltrow , executive director of the national advocates for pregnant women . they are n't women who chose to use drugs after becoming pregnant . ''if i did n't have pills , i felt like i had nothing' hendrix 's drug addiction started long before her pregnancy . she was born into a world of drugs . she says her mother was an addict , her father a violent alcoholic who once held a shotgun to her grandmother 's head . hendrix 's grandparents rescued her at age 3 by taking her into their home in rural union , south carolina . she has fond memories of her grandfather , but one morning , shortly after her 12th birthday , hendrix watched her 54-year-old grandfather die from a heart attack . the innocent girl started experimenting with drugs , partly because she could n't cope with her feelings , she says , but mostly to fit in . by the time she turned 18 , marijuana use gave way to cocaine and methamphetamine . then she discovered prescription painkillers : lortab . oxycontin . percocet . it was n't even about being high anymore . it was just being able to cope with everyday life , ' hendrix says . if i did n't have the pills , i felt like i had nothing . ' hendrix could no longer leave bed without the painkillers . her routine consisted of melting oxycontin pills with water , placing the mixture into a syringe and shooting up , even during her pregnancy . by april of this year , she was six months pregnant and on probation for stealing jewelry to feed her drug habit . she took herself to serenity place . tucked alongside empty factories in a once-thriving textile district , the center looks more like a college dormitory inside than a sterile treatment center . homemade posters , photo collages and cards congratulating the women for giving birth are strewn along the hallways . there is a communal kitchen and colorful playgrounds . research shows women who remain with their children during treatment have better chances of defeating their addictions . but a national study in 2005 found that only 3 percent of treatment centers had programs tailored specifically to pregnant women . about 14 percent of treatment centers accepted pregnant or postpartum women . the women at serenity place follow a rigid schedule that includes therapy , parenting classes and chores . they are n't allowed phone calls or the freedom to surf the internet without permission . security cameras guard all exits . the structure can be particularly hard for addicts who grew up in dysfunctional households with few rules . women spend on average six months in treatment . if a woman violates the rules , she can be removed from the program . on some occasions , women have walked out of the center , leaving their newborns behind . why prosecute ? why should addicted women be given a chance at motherhood ? what about the welfare of the children ? these are the questions asked by south carolina prosecutors , known as solicitors general . several solicitors general contacted by cnn declined to comment on how many such cases they have prosecuted , but they say that charging pregnant women has become less common in the state . bob ariail , solicitor of greenville , says his district 's policy is a far cry from the 1990s , when then-south carolina attorney general charlie condon , an anti-abortion advocate , publicly declared he would aggressively crack down on pregnant mothers accused of substance abuse . condon often referred to a fetus as his fellow south carolinian . ' despite several phone calls by cnn , condon , who is now a private lawyer in south carolina , could not be reached for comment . in his two decades as a democratic state representative , joe neal of columbia , south carolina , has pushed for more drug treatment funding , an effort he says has little chance in these tough economic times . drug treatment ? ' says neal . south carolina 's response to addiction has been incarceration not treatment . ' but wanda mcmichael , manager of women 's services at serenity place , knows treatment can be beneficial . she guides women like hendrix and the others through that process . some who graduated from the program when it began in 1993 still remain clean . what 's the other alternative if they do n't come here ? ' says mcmichael . it 's prison . that costs more than treatment , but a lot of people do n't know that . if these women do n't get this treatment , they are going to die . ' a healthy baby , a new hope most of the women at serenity place say they were little girls the first time they used drugs , some as young as 8 . many could not recall what sobriety felt like until they came to the center . hendrix says her own mother was 15 when she gave birth to her and then abandoned her . she was real pretty . blond hair , pale skin like me , ' hendrix says . i have her nose and lips . she just did n't respect herself . ' hendrix does n't want to be like her mother . her son , who was born july 24 , is healthy . in august , hendrix left serenity for an intensive outpatient treatment program , and she and her baby live with her grandmother in union . of the 16 women enrolled in serenity in july , half have graduated , program directors say . six continue receiving treatment and two have left the center . three women are on a waiting list to get in , including one who is pregnant . hendrix hopes to get her ged and enroll in the university of south carolina to study psychology next year . i am happy today , ' she says , and that 's something i have n't felt in a long time . my grandmother . my baby . they make me happy . but you know , it 's not about them , jail or none of that anymore . that all changed . i am doing this for me . ' | serenity place in south carolina caters treatment programs to pregnant addicts |
south carolina <tsp> greenville , south carolina ( cnn ) -- some are girlish 22-year-olds ; others are women approaching 40 . they come from south carolina 's rural counties and its booming cities . they are loud and muted , lively and vacant , hopeful and desperate . as different as they are , they share a connection to two powerful forces : their addictions and their babies . they are swallowed by the same shameful past . they do n't know if they can be good mothers . they do n't know if they can be clean mothers . they 're here at a state-run drug-treatment program to learn how to do both . on this summer day , ashley hendrix , 24 , is eight months pregnant with her first child and one of 16 women at the phoenix center 's serenity place . this is her last shot to get clean -- or face jail . south carolina 's state supreme court is alone in upholding the prosecution of pregnant women for the damage drugs might do to their unborn children . across the country , local and state agencies have found ways to prosecute pregnant women for drug use , but the cases are often rejected by the courts . and judges in more than two dozen states have overturned decisions that criminalize pregnant addicts . in recent years , missouri and north dakota have ruled against charging pregnant women with neglect and endangerment . illegal substances -- marijuana , methamphetamine , cocaine and prescription drugs -- consumed hendrix for more than a decade . to this day , i still cry about it , she said , that if anything does come out wrong with my baby , i know that my drug use is the reason why . since 1989 , at least 126 women in south carolina have been arrested during their pregnancies , according to the national advocates for pregnant women . most were charged with drug and alcohol use that posed harm to the fetus the woman was carrying . during the same period , only about 80 pregnant women were arrested on similar charges in all other states combined . word on the street ' in south carolina , says stephen donaldson , program manager of a drug-treatment facility in charleston county , is if you use during pregnancy , you 're being prosecuted or you 're losing your baby . ' over the last 15 years , that message has driven many women to serenity place , a residential treatment center designed for pregnant women and new mothers . here , the ultimate goal is to help the women recover from their addiction but serenity also strives to give the women the confidence to become better mothers . they want the women to know there are second chances , and there is hope . i 'm grateful everyday for being here and i 'm grateful to have my baby with me , ' says a freckled kim clark , 28 , who gave birth to her son jaelyn at the center . i 've been using drugs since i was 11 years old . i did n't know any other life . and i 've learned a lot about myself . i 've been taught things here . ' she graduated in august , has her own apartment now and works to support herself and her son . some women arrive here voluntarily . others were sent by the state 's department of social services . others made a plea bargain with the courts , allowing them one last chance at treatment to avoid prison . my biggest fear was the [ health of the ] baby , but right behind that was that'i 'm going to go to jail', ' says sandria doremus , one of hendrix'classmates at serenity . afraid of being turned in for her opiate addiction , she delayed getting prenatal care . i should have gone in a lot sooner , ' she admits . doremus , 37 , arrived at serenity after a hospital reported her drug use to law enforcement officials , as required by law . she has sandy blond hair and warm blue eyes that open up her leathered face . she cuddled her 8-month-old son , matthew , when cnn visited the center in july . born with heroin in his system , matthew was placed on methadone . today , he is healthy , but studies show drug-exposed babies can face developmental delays and learning disabilities in later years . watch the women of serenity place share their story » in 1997 , the south carolina supreme court ruled that a fetus in the third trimester was viable and charges of child abuse , neglect and murder could apply to the mother . some treatment providers and advocacy experts say this ruling opened the door for prosecutors to charge pregnant women . these are addicts who become pregnant , ' says lynn paltrow , executive director of the national advocates for pregnant women . they are n't women who chose to use drugs after becoming pregnant . ''if i did n't have pills , i felt like i had nothing' hendrix 's drug addiction started long before her pregnancy . she was born into a world of drugs . she says her mother was an addict , her father a violent alcoholic who once held a shotgun to her grandmother 's head . hendrix 's grandparents rescued her at age 3 by taking her into their home in rural union , south carolina . she has fond memories of her grandfather , but one morning , shortly after her 12th birthday , hendrix watched her 54-year-old grandfather die from a heart attack . the innocent girl started experimenting with drugs , partly because she could n't cope with her feelings , she says , but mostly to fit in . by the time she turned 18 , marijuana use gave way to cocaine and methamphetamine . then she discovered prescription painkillers : lortab . oxycontin . percocet . it was n't even about being high anymore . it was just being able to cope with everyday life , ' hendrix says . if i did n't have the pills , i felt like i had nothing . ' hendrix could no longer leave bed without the painkillers . her routine consisted of melting oxycontin pills with water , placing the mixture into a syringe and shooting up , even during her pregnancy . by april of this year , she was six months pregnant and on probation for stealing jewelry to feed her drug habit . she took herself to serenity place . tucked alongside empty factories in a once-thriving textile district , the center looks more like a college dormitory inside than a sterile treatment center . homemade posters , photo collages and cards congratulating the women for giving birth are strewn along the hallways . there is a communal kitchen and colorful playgrounds . research shows women who remain with their children during treatment have better chances of defeating their addictions . but a national study in 2005 found that only 3 percent of treatment centers had programs tailored specifically to pregnant women . about 14 percent of treatment centers accepted pregnant or postpartum women . the women at serenity place follow a rigid schedule that includes therapy , parenting classes and chores . they are n't allowed phone calls or the freedom to surf the internet without permission . security cameras guard all exits . the structure can be particularly hard for addicts who grew up in dysfunctional households with few rules . women spend on average six months in treatment . if a woman violates the rules , she can be removed from the program . on some occasions , women have walked out of the center , leaving their newborns behind . why prosecute ? why should addicted women be given a chance at motherhood ? what about the welfare of the children ? these are the questions asked by south carolina prosecutors , known as solicitors general . several solicitors general contacted by cnn declined to comment on how many such cases they have prosecuted , but they say that charging pregnant women has become less common in the state . bob ariail , solicitor of greenville , says his district 's policy is a far cry from the 1990s , when then-south carolina attorney general charlie condon , an anti-abortion advocate , publicly declared he would aggressively crack down on pregnant mothers accused of substance abuse . condon often referred to a fetus as his fellow south carolinian . ' despite several phone calls by cnn , condon , who is now a private lawyer in south carolina , could not be reached for comment . in his two decades as a democratic state representative , joe neal of columbia , south carolina , has pushed for more drug treatment funding , an effort he says has little chance in these tough economic times . drug treatment ? ' says neal . south carolina 's response to addiction has been incarceration not treatment . ' but wanda mcmichael , manager of women 's services at serenity place , knows treatment can be beneficial . she guides women like hendrix and the others through that process . some who graduated from the program when it began in 1993 still remain clean . what 's the other alternative if they do n't come here ? ' says mcmichael . it 's prison . that costs more than treatment , but a lot of people do n't know that . if these women do n't get this treatment , they are going to die . ' a healthy baby , a new hope most of the women at serenity place say they were little girls the first time they used drugs , some as young as 8 . many could not recall what sobriety felt like until they came to the center . hendrix says her own mother was 15 when she gave birth to her and then abandoned her . she was real pretty . blond hair , pale skin like me , ' hendrix says . i have her nose and lips . she just did n't respect herself . ' hendrix does n't want to be like her mother . her son , who was born july 24 , is healthy . in august , hendrix left serenity for an intensive outpatient treatment program , and she and her baby live with her grandmother in union . of the 16 women enrolled in serenity in july , half have graduated , program directors say . six continue receiving treatment and two have left the center . three women are on a waiting list to get in , including one who is pregnant . hendrix hopes to get her ged and enroll in the university of south carolina to study psychology next year . i am happy today , ' she says , and that 's something i have n't felt in a long time . my grandmother . my baby . they make me happy . but you know , it 's not about them , jail or none of that anymore . that all changed . i am doing this for me . ' | south carolina has been known to prosecute women in their third trimester |
andrews <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- a man charged with stalking sports reporter erin andrews is now accused of making nude videotapes of her in one more city than previously thought , according to court documents filed wednesday . michael david barrett , 48 , is accused of surreptitiously videotaping the espn reporter through hotel peepholes and posting the videos online . authorities previously had said they believed most of the videos were made at a nashville , tennessee , hotel in september 2008 . but the information filed wednesday alleges that barrett also taped andrews through an altered peephole in a hotel room in columbus , ohio , in february 2008 . barrett stayed in the hotel room next door to andrews , the information said . he is charged with interstate stalking , which carries a potential sentence of five years in prison , said thom mrozek , spokesman for the u.s. attorney 's office in the central district of california . barrett was arrested in illinois , but will make an initial appearance in federal court in los angeles on friday , mrozek said . he is scheduled to be arraigned on november 23 and will be asked to enter a plea . an illinois judge last month released barrett on bail . barrett waived his right to be indicted by a grand jury , mrozek said , and authorities on wednesday filed a criminal information against him in place of an indictment . investigators found that barrett reserved a room at a milwaukee , wisconsin , hotel where andrews was staying in july 2008 , but did not check in , according to prosecutors and the initial criminal complaint against him last month . the complaint accused him of making seven videos from the surreptitious tapes . in nashville , the door peephole into andrews'room was altered with a hacksaw , and the peephole to her room in milwaukee was altered in a similar way , the criminal complaint said . authorities believe the videos were taken with a cell phone camera . in addition , the complaint said that barrett traveled from illinois to victim andrews'home state ' in august 2008 , but did not specify which state . barrett allegedly attempted to sell the videos to celebrity gossip site tmz in january 2009 . tmz did not purchase the images , but employees of the web site assisted in the investigation by providing information to andrews'attorneys , authorities said . however , the videos were posted to other web sites by barrett , the criminal complaint said , with labels like sexy and hot blonde sports celebrity shows us her all . ' andrews , 31 , is a sideline reporter for espn , traveling around the country covering college football games . the criminal complaint said she became aware of the videos in july and that their posting has caused her distress , anxiety and trouble sleeping . | man accused of surreptitiously taping andrews nude , posting videos online |
louisiana <tsp> ( cnn ) -- three years after the deepwater horizon oil spill , workers have dug up a massive chunk of weathered crude from the shallows off a louisiana beach . the tar mat -- a slab of oil residue mixed with wet sand -- was about 165 feet long by 65 feet wide , said lt. cmdr . natalie murphy , a coast guard spokeswoman . it weighed more than 40,000 pounds , but more than 85 % of that weight was sand , shells and water , she said . the mat was found under the surf off isle grand terre , louisiana , about 90 miles south of new orleans . crews using an excavator dug the largely submerged tar mat out of the beach in chunks over the last few weeks , murphy said . louisiana is the last state where regular cleanup operations from the oil spill are still under way . the coast guard and bp , the owner of the ruptured well at the heart of the disaster , declared the cleanup over in alabama , florida and mississippi earlier this month , but more than 80 miles of the louisiana coast are still being patrolled . bp has recovered more than 2.7 million pounds of waste from louisiana shores in 2013 , with residual oil making up between 5 and 15 % of that total weight , company spokesman jason ryan told cnn . the drill rig deepwater horizon exploded and sank in april 2010 , killing 11 men aboard and unleashing an undersea gusher a mile beneath the surface of the gulf of mexico . most of the oil is believed to have evaporated or been consumed by microbes deep under water . but a still-undetermined portion settled to the floor of the gulf , and some of it was stirred up and washed back ashore after hurricane isaac in 2012 . | louisiana is the last state where deepwater horizon cleanup continues |
india <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- indian police have arrested two more suspects and are looking for two others in the reported gang rape of a female photographer in mumbai , authorities said . one person had been arrested earlier saturday . the alleged rape of the 23-year-old woman in the financial hub of mumbai on thursday is the latest shocking sexual assault to make headlines in the south asian nation . the unidentified victim and a male colleague were on assignment in the area for a print publication when some of the men approached them , according to mumbai police commissioner satypal singh . the two had walked from a train station to a nearby mill , the woman said in a statement released by police . two people approached them , then a third came in , claiming to be a railway employee and saying , our boss has seen you taking photos , you will have to come with us . ' according to the woman , this third man refused to let her talk to his boss , instead leading them away . then , sometime near the exit , one of the accused pointed at the photojournalist 's colleague as being responsible for a killing in that location a few days ago . i pleaded with them to let us go , but they shouted at me and threatened me , ' the woman said . she and her colleague were taken further inside the mill complex . there , they offered their camera and phone , begging to be let go . instead , they tied my friend 's hands with ( a ) belt ' as two others joined the group , the woman said . three people stayed with my friend , and the two took me behind a wall , ' she added . that 's where the attack allegedly occurred -- even as the victim said her mother called her phone multiple times , before one of the men switched it off . the woman said she was threatened with , among other things , sharp pieces of a broken beer bottle . police have since released sketches of all five suspects . the victim was in stable condition at a local hospital , the attack rocked mumbai residents , who consider their city safer than the capital , new delhi . according to the national crime records bureau , 221 rape cases were reported in mumbai in 2012 . but figures provided by the government show that there has been a rape reported to police every day in mumbai between january and march . the average number of reported rapes in a month in 2013 in the city rose to 30.33 , from 19.25 in 2012 . delhi police said the number of reported rapes in the capital had jumped from 179 for the first 3â½ months of last year to 463 for the same period this year . a rise in the number of rapes reported does not necessarily mean that more are being committed . it may be that recent high-profile cases have encouraged women to come forward with complaints . the case mirrors the december gang rape and death of a 23-year-old university student in the indian capital . the victim later died at a hospital in singapore , sparking an outcry that quickly grew to include widespread concerns about women 's safety and inequalities , triggering demonstrations in various cities . in response , the nation 's lawmakers have introduced tougher laws and punishments for sexual crimes and harassment . despite such action , frequent episodes of sexual violence are reported in india . across india , 24,923 cases of rape were reported last year , according to the national crime records bureau . journalist dharmesh thakkar contributed to this report from mumbai , and cnn 's greg botelho contributed from atlanta . | india has seen multiple high-profile sexual violence cases since a new delhi gang rape |
accenture <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a major sponsor for tiger woods announced sunday that it is dropping the golf star in light of recent controversy swirling around his personal life . accenture , a management consulting firm , said on its web site that given the circumstances of the last two weeks ... the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising . ' the move ends a sponsorship arrangement that lasted six years . another major sponsor , gillette , said saturday it was limiting ' woods'role in its marketing programs to give him the privacy to work on family relationships . woods announced on his own web site friday that he is taking an indefinite break ' from professional golf . the 33-year-old golfer , who tops the sport 's world rankings , has been mired in controversy since he crashed his car outside his florida mansion late last month . in the week following the crash , woods apologized for transgressions ' that let his family down , and us weekly magazine published a report alleging that woods had an affair with a 24-year-old cocktail waitress named jaimee grubbs . us weekly 's report followed a national enquirer article before the crash that the athlete was having an affair with a new york nightclub hostess -- an assertion the hostess vigorously denied , according to the new york post . the statement friday on woods'site was the first time he admitted to infidelity ; in a previous statement , he referred to his transgressions . ' the golf phenomenon , who has won three u.s. open titles and the masters tournament and the pga tournament each four times , said in the statement that he will spend his hiatus with his family . after much soul searching , i have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf . i need to focus my attention on being a better husband , father and person , ' woods said in his friday statement . | accenture : woods no longer the right representative for our advertising |
middle east <tsp> madrid , spain ( cnn ) -- global tourism recovered strongly ' in 2010 , spurred by emerging economies in asia , the middle east and the americas , for an overall increase of 6.7 percent , to 935 million international tourist arrivals , the u.n. world tourism organization said monday . all regions had increased tourist arrivals in 2010 after the 4 percent global decline in tourism in 2009 , but europe and africa grew more slowly , the madrid-based unwto said in a statement . the recovery in international tourism is good news , especially for those developing countries that rely on the sector for much-needed revenue and jobs , ' said taleb rifai , unwto secretary-general . the challenge now will be to consolidate this growth over the coming years amid a still uncertain global economic environment ' . asia was the first region to recover and the strongest growing region in 2010 , with a 13 percent increase . international tourist arrivals into asia reached a new record at 204 million last year , up from 181 million in 2009 . the middle east registered a 14 percent increase , to 60 million tourist arrivals , the unwto said . the americas overall grew by 8 percent , to 151 million international tourist arrivals . growth was strongest in south america but the improving u.s. economy also helped improve the region 's results . africa grew by 6 percent in 2010 , to 49 million tourist arrivals , helped by such events as the fifa world cup in south africa . in 2009 , it was only region in the world not to have a decline in international tourism , the unwto said . europe , the world 's top destination for international tourism , with 471 million arrivals , grew just 3 percent in 2010 , in part due to air traffic disruptions caused by ash from a volcanic eruption in iceland and the economic uncertainty affecting the euro zone , ' the unwto said . unwto forecast continued tourism sector growth this year but at a slower pace , for a 4 percent to 5 percent increase in 2011 , which is slightly above the long-term average . the slower growth predicted in 2011 is due in part to persistent high unemployment in parts of the world , and recent moves by various governments to introduce or increase taxation on travel as a means of balancing public accounts , ' the unwto said . | emerging economies in asia , the middle east and the americans led the way |
israelis <tsp> gaza city ( cnn ) -- united nations workers trying to aid people in gaza found themselves stuck tuesday between israeli soldiers and hamas fighters , with neither side showing any sign of backing down . the development came as a rocket fired from gaza struck near israel 's biggest airport , prompting many airlines around the world to suspend flights -- just days after the downing of a commercial jetliner over eastern ukraine . the u.n . relief and works agency for palestine refugees found rockets hidden in one of its vacant gaza schools , the second such discovery at a vacant school since the fighting began . at the same time , a spokesman for unrwa told cnn that for the second day , tank shells believed to be from the israeli military ' hit an unoccupied girls'school that had housed 300 of the estimated 118,000 civilians being sheltered by the agency . during the two hour window the u.n. staff went to the school to investigate the damage and see what happened , further shelling took place which endangered the lives of the u.n. staff and put them in serious danger , ' chris gunness , the spokesman for unrwa , told cnn . ... the idf had the gps coordinates of the girls school , which was clearly marked by a u.n . flag . ' the idf has previously accused militants of hiding weapons in u.n. shelters , though there is no specific such claim in this incident . death toll rises fifteen days after israel began hitting gaza targets with airstrikes , and later a punishing ground offensive meant to locate and destroy tunnels used by fighters , the casualties mounted . palestinian health officials said at least 649 palestinians had been killed and 4,120 wounded , gaza 's health ministry said . some 70 % to 80 % of them civilians , according to the united nations . twenty-nine israeli soldiers and two israeli civilians have been confirmed killed in the conflict . two israeli soldiers were killed tuesday , the israel defense forces said . uncertainty remained over the fate of another israeli soldier , claimed as a captive by hamas after the armored personnel carrier he was traveling in was ambushed on sunday . six other idf soldiers died in the ambush . on tuesday , the israeli military released the soldier 's name -- sgt . oren shaul -- saying , we are still working to identify his body . ' israeli media reported that the soldier was missing and presumed dead . israel finds hamas are no longer amateur fighters peace talks bearing orders from u.s. president barack obama to push for an immediate cessation of hostilities , ' u.s. secretary of state john kerry met tuesday with egyptian and arab league officials in cairo , egypt . we 've had constructive meetings thus far , and i intend to be continuing our conversations through today and into the next days in order to work to see if we can find a way forward , a way that ends the violence and then addresses the underlying causes of this crisis , ' kerry said . that approach mirrors one taken by egyptian and arab league officials , who have urged hamas to accept a cease-fire , then enter dialogue to discuss its broader concerns . hamas rejected the first cease-fire proposed by egyptian officials , saying negotiators had n't consulted the group 's leaders . they want a broad deal including the release of recently detained palestinians and the easing of border restrictions . we want to reach a cease-fire agreement that will end all hostilities and end the siege of gaza , ' palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas said tuesday in a televised address . in jerusalem , israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu showed u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon a collection of rockets that had been fired into israel . ban called the evidence quite shocking ' and called for an immediate end to the attacks . but he also chided israel over its military campaign , saying it will not increase israel 's stability and security in the longer term . ' my message to israelis and palestinians is the same : stop fighting , start talking and take on the root causes of the conflict so we are not back in the same situation in six months or a year , ' he said . netanyahu , however , argued there 's little israel can do to satisfy hamas . what grievance can we solve for hamas ? ' he said . their grievance is that we exist . ' on the ground in gaza dozens of palestinians died tuesday in the fighting , palestinian health officials said . the death toll rose from 604 early in the day to 630 by evening . one child was injured when the explosive ordinance ' hit the girls'school turned shelter on monday afternoon , unrwa spokesman sami mashasha told cnn . when u.n. officials went to inspect the damage on tuesday , the building was struck again , mashasha said . the israeli military said it hit more than 187 targets overnight , most of them in shaja'ia , a neighborhood east of gaza city near the border with israel . the idf says hamas uses the residential area as a fortress for its weapons , rockets , tunnels and command centers . ' in one skirmish , the idf said , paratroopers encountered a squad of militant fighters who were later hit with an airstrike . several militants escaped in a civilian ambulance , the idf said . troops also uncovered 66 openings to 23 tunnels , six of which were destroyed , the idf said . the flood of people seeking refuge from the violence is straining unrwa 's resources and threatening a humanitarian disaster , the agency said . uncollected waste and unexploded ordinance were growing problems , the agency said . palestinian lawmaker mustafa barghouti accused the israeli government of carrying out a massacre . this has to stop , ' he told cnn 's wolf blitzer on monday . the united states had pledged $ 47 million in humanitarian aid for gaza , kerry said tuesday . on the ground in israel shortly after noon in washington , the u.s. federal aviation administration ordered airlines to stop flying to ben gurion international airport near tel aviv for up to 24 hours , after a rocket struck a home nearby . at least one flight , delta flight 468 , diverted to paris prior to the faa order . the airline said it was temporarily suspending service to ensure the safety and security of our customers and employees . ' a number of other airlines , including korean air , air canada , and klm also suspended service . the strike was one of 41 the israeli military said had been launched out of gaza since midnight and more than 2,000 since the military operation began . israel 's iron dome defense system intercepted 11 of the rockets , including one over tel aviv and seven over the city of ashdod , the israeli military said . others fell to the ground harmlessly outside of the city of be'er sheva , according to police . elsewhere in the world -- the u.n. security council held a debate on the situation in the middle east on tuesday . with no regard for human life , israel , the occupying power , continues to slaughter entire families , ' said riyad mansour , the head of the palestinian permanent observer mission to the united nations . he went on to read the names of 44 children , ranging in age from 8 months to 15 years , killed in the fighting . david roet , israel 's deputy permanent representative to the u.n. , told the council that international aid dollars had gone to hamas to build tunnels designed to infiltrate israel and inflict casualties on its civilian population . imagine what it is like to fall asleep wondering if a terrorist is tunneling under your home or to wake up and wonder if your children will be safe on their way to school , ' he said . just yesterday , heavily armed hamas terrorists emerged from a tunnel 200 meters from a kindergarten . ' -- in lebanon , the militant group hezbollah reached out in support of hamas , raising questions about whether israel might have to fight on two fronts . -- a day after a pro-palestinian protest in chicago , demonstrators there rallied in support of israel outside the israeli consulate . ian lee reported from gaza city . chelsea j. carter and michael pearson reported and wrote from atlanta and jethro mullen reported and wrote from hong kong . cnn 's karl penhaul , ali younes , kareem khadder , ben wedeman , atika shubert , yon pomrenze , tim lister , richard roth and salma abdelaziz contributed to this report . | stop fighting , start talking , ' u.n. secretary-general tells palestinians , israelis |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a zambian judge has granted bail to two chinese men charged with attempted murder in a mine shooting that has revived an outcry against foreign employers in the southern african nation . chinese managers at a mine in the southern part of the nation used shotguns to fire at a gathering of workers last month . the miners , who were protesting poor labor conditions , were unarmed , according to zambian government officials . at least 11 miners were wounded . where did the chinese get the right to shoot innocent zambians , including my son , ' asked leonard kapwizi . kapwizi 's question reverberates with other zambians , some of whom say foreign employers are increasingly above the law . kapwizi 's son , vincent chenjele , was hospitalized . three chinese employees were also injured and mine equipment damaged , according to chinese state media . the two suspects -- detained for more than two weeks -- appeared before a judge tuesday on 13 counts of attempted murder . they were ordered to surrender their passports . the shooting at collum is the latest in a string of attacks between zambian workers and chinese managers at the coal mine . in june , zambian state media reported that a chinese national escaped lynching by an angry mob ' after 22 miners were seriously injured in a gas explosion . in late 2009 , collum mine workers threw missiles ' at chinese managers after receiving slave wages , ' according to zambian state media . zambian officials have worked to quell the anti-chinese outbursts that have followed such incidents . let us be careful that we do n't single out [ chinese ] people , ' president rupiah banda said after the recent shootings . every day people are shot by zambians ; are shot by white people ; are shot by the americans ; they are shot by everybody . you know this business of chinese ! chinese ! it 's like you want to create a phobia against people . ' politicians find themselves locked in a delicate dance : fostering a business climate that boosts chinese investment while ensuring their constituencies do n't feel shunned . china is zambia 's largest source of foreign investment . it has a huge influence on the nation 's economy , especially in the mining industry . in 2008 , more than 55 percent of all foreign money invested in zambia came from china , according to the zambia development agency . out of every overseas dollar that poured into zambian mining , nearly 73 cents were from china . zambian government officials are quick to point out that this investment has created jobs and other benefits for locals . zambia cherishes the chinese investment , ' says elijah muchima , deputy minister of southern province , where collum is located . the chinese foreign ministry said it hopes the mining company will resolve the problem with its host country , according to xinhua news agency . the chinese government has always urged its companies to comply with the laws of host countries , said ma zhaoxu , a spokesman for the ministry . ma said china values safeguarding local employees'rights . but some worry that china 's economic influence often translates into getting preferential treatment that puts it above the law in zambia . in the latest case , muchima implied that the defendants would be handled , at least in part , by the chinese foreign ministry . there is nobody above the law . but you have got systems in place ... we have signed agreements ; bilateral agreements between this government and their government . if there is an issue , it has to go through the normal ways ; through the minister of foreign affairs . i can not comment on their dealings . that would be against the protocol that has been signed . ' former presidential candidate michael sata is a major critic of chinese employers in the nation . during his failed 2006 campaign , he said zambia needed investors , not infesters , ' according to local media . in the aftermath of the collum shooting , the zambian post quoted sata as saying , we know we ca n't be protected by this government because it has been heavily corrupted by the chinese . ' padraig carmody , a lecturer at dublin 's trinity college , said corruption was evident while he was doing field work in zambia last year . we talked to trade union officials , and what they said was that the labor inspectors , when they come and look at the labor conditions , and enforcement of the minimum wage and things like that , they tend to favor the chinese mining houses and other investors over workers'rights . ' chinese employers in the country bypass the laws , added jan kees van donge , a researcher at the university of leiden in the netherlands . they do n't act like they are subject to zambian law , and put themselves , therefore , above zambian sovereignty . they are undermining zambian sovereignty , ' donge said . however , muchima reiterated that the nation can handle affairs within its jurisdiction . journalist chibaula d. silwamba contributed to this report . | ' where did the chinese get the right to shoot innocent zambians ,'victim 's father asks |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a zambian judge has granted bail to two chinese men charged with attempted murder in a mine shooting that has revived an outcry against foreign employers in the southern african nation . chinese managers at a mine in the southern part of the nation used shotguns to fire at a gathering of workers last month . the miners , who were protesting poor labor conditions , were unarmed , according to zambian government officials . at least 11 miners were wounded . where did the chinese get the right to shoot innocent zambians , including my son , ' asked leonard kapwizi . kapwizi 's question reverberates with other zambians , some of whom say foreign employers are increasingly above the law . kapwizi 's son , vincent chenjele , was hospitalized . three chinese employees were also injured and mine equipment damaged , according to chinese state media . the two suspects -- detained for more than two weeks -- appeared before a judge tuesday on 13 counts of attempted murder . they were ordered to surrender their passports . the shooting at collum is the latest in a string of attacks between zambian workers and chinese managers at the coal mine . in june , zambian state media reported that a chinese national escaped lynching by an angry mob ' after 22 miners were seriously injured in a gas explosion . in late 2009 , collum mine workers threw missiles ' at chinese managers after receiving slave wages , ' according to zambian state media . zambian officials have worked to quell the anti-chinese outbursts that have followed such incidents . let us be careful that we do n't single out [ chinese ] people , ' president rupiah banda said after the recent shootings . every day people are shot by zambians ; are shot by white people ; are shot by the americans ; they are shot by everybody . you know this business of chinese ! chinese ! it 's like you want to create a phobia against people . ' politicians find themselves locked in a delicate dance : fostering a business climate that boosts chinese investment while ensuring their constituencies do n't feel shunned . china is zambia 's largest source of foreign investment . it has a huge influence on the nation 's economy , especially in the mining industry . in 2008 , more than 55 percent of all foreign money invested in zambia came from china , according to the zambia development agency . out of every overseas dollar that poured into zambian mining , nearly 73 cents were from china . zambian government officials are quick to point out that this investment has created jobs and other benefits for locals . zambia cherishes the chinese investment , ' says elijah muchima , deputy minister of southern province , where collum is located . the chinese foreign ministry said it hopes the mining company will resolve the problem with its host country , according to xinhua news agency . the chinese government has always urged its companies to comply with the laws of host countries , said ma zhaoxu , a spokesman for the ministry . ma said china values safeguarding local employees'rights . but some worry that china 's economic influence often translates into getting preferential treatment that puts it above the law in zambia . in the latest case , muchima implied that the defendants would be handled , at least in part , by the chinese foreign ministry . there is nobody above the law . but you have got systems in place ... we have signed agreements ; bilateral agreements between this government and their government . if there is an issue , it has to go through the normal ways ; through the minister of foreign affairs . i can not comment on their dealings . that would be against the protocol that has been signed . ' former presidential candidate michael sata is a major critic of chinese employers in the nation . during his failed 2006 campaign , he said zambia needed investors , not infesters , ' according to local media . in the aftermath of the collum shooting , the zambian post quoted sata as saying , we know we ca n't be protected by this government because it has been heavily corrupted by the chinese . ' padraig carmody , a lecturer at dublin 's trinity college , said corruption was evident while he was doing field work in zambia last year . we talked to trade union officials , and what they said was that the labor inspectors , when they come and look at the labor conditions , and enforcement of the minimum wage and things like that , they tend to favor the chinese mining houses and other investors over workers'rights . ' chinese employers in the country bypass the laws , added jan kees van donge , a researcher at the university of leiden in the netherlands . they do n't act like they are subject to zambian law , and put themselves , therefore , above zambian sovereignty . they are undermining zambian sovereignty , ' donge said . however , muchima reiterated that the nation can handle affairs within its jurisdiction . journalist chibaula d. silwamba contributed to this report . | the shooting is the latest in a string of attacks between zambian workers and chinese managers |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a zambian judge has granted bail to two chinese men charged with attempted murder in a mine shooting that has revived an outcry against foreign employers in the southern african nation . chinese managers at a mine in the southern part of the nation used shotguns to fire at a gathering of workers last month . the miners , who were protesting poor labor conditions , were unarmed , according to zambian government officials . at least 11 miners were wounded . where did the chinese get the right to shoot innocent zambians , including my son , ' asked leonard kapwizi . kapwizi 's question reverberates with other zambians , some of whom say foreign employers are increasingly above the law . kapwizi 's son , vincent chenjele , was hospitalized . three chinese employees were also injured and mine equipment damaged , according to chinese state media . the two suspects -- detained for more than two weeks -- appeared before a judge tuesday on 13 counts of attempted murder . they were ordered to surrender their passports . the shooting at collum is the latest in a string of attacks between zambian workers and chinese managers at the coal mine . in june , zambian state media reported that a chinese national escaped lynching by an angry mob ' after 22 miners were seriously injured in a gas explosion . in late 2009 , collum mine workers threw missiles ' at chinese managers after receiving slave wages , ' according to zambian state media . zambian officials have worked to quell the anti-chinese outbursts that have followed such incidents . let us be careful that we do n't single out [ chinese ] people , ' president rupiah banda said after the recent shootings . every day people are shot by zambians ; are shot by white people ; are shot by the americans ; they are shot by everybody . you know this business of chinese ! chinese ! it 's like you want to create a phobia against people . ' politicians find themselves locked in a delicate dance : fostering a business climate that boosts chinese investment while ensuring their constituencies do n't feel shunned . china is zambia 's largest source of foreign investment . it has a huge influence on the nation 's economy , especially in the mining industry . in 2008 , more than 55 percent of all foreign money invested in zambia came from china , according to the zambia development agency . out of every overseas dollar that poured into zambian mining , nearly 73 cents were from china . zambian government officials are quick to point out that this investment has created jobs and other benefits for locals . zambia cherishes the chinese investment , ' says elijah muchima , deputy minister of southern province , where collum is located . the chinese foreign ministry said it hopes the mining company will resolve the problem with its host country , according to xinhua news agency . the chinese government has always urged its companies to comply with the laws of host countries , said ma zhaoxu , a spokesman for the ministry . ma said china values safeguarding local employees'rights . but some worry that china 's economic influence often translates into getting preferential treatment that puts it above the law in zambia . in the latest case , muchima implied that the defendants would be handled , at least in part , by the chinese foreign ministry . there is nobody above the law . but you have got systems in place ... we have signed agreements ; bilateral agreements between this government and their government . if there is an issue , it has to go through the normal ways ; through the minister of foreign affairs . i can not comment on their dealings . that would be against the protocol that has been signed . ' former presidential candidate michael sata is a major critic of chinese employers in the nation . during his failed 2006 campaign , he said zambia needed investors , not infesters , ' according to local media . in the aftermath of the collum shooting , the zambian post quoted sata as saying , we know we ca n't be protected by this government because it has been heavily corrupted by the chinese . ' padraig carmody , a lecturer at dublin 's trinity college , said corruption was evident while he was doing field work in zambia last year . we talked to trade union officials , and what they said was that the labor inspectors , when they come and look at the labor conditions , and enforcement of the minimum wage and things like that , they tend to favor the chinese mining houses and other investors over workers'rights . ' chinese employers in the country bypass the laws , added jan kees van donge , a researcher at the university of leiden in the netherlands . they do n't act like they are subject to zambian law , and put themselves , therefore , above zambian sovereignty . they are undermining zambian sovereignty , ' donge said . however , muchima reiterated that the nation can handle affairs within its jurisdiction . journalist chibaula d. silwamba contributed to this report . | two chinese men are facing attempted murder charges in the shooting of mine workers |
colombia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a volcano near southwest colombia 's border with ecuador erupted on saturday , leading the government to issue a red alert ' for the region . the galeras volcano is shown on january 17 , 2008 , from pasto , colombia . there were not believed to be any fatalities or injuries in the blast , which happened at about 7:10 p.m . et ( 12:10 a.m. sunday gmt ) , said carlos lineras of the colombia institute for geology and mines . the institute issued an evacuation order for about 7,000 people living near the galeras volcano . the volcano is not in a heavily populated region . galeras has erupted several times since it became active again in 1989 . the only fatalities were in 1993 , when nine people -- all scientists or tourists in or near the volcano 's crater -- were killed . | volcano is in southwest colombia , near border with ecuador |
usa today <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rosie o'donnell and spouse kelli carpenter are working through their issues ' and nothing else will be said ' about rumors the couple is splitting , according to o'donnell 's publicist . rumors have been swirling that kelli carpenter , left , and rosie o'donnell are splitting . online buzz about the carpenter-o'donnell marriage grew louder this week after o'donnell did not give a clear-cut denial in a usa today interview on tuesday . the former talk show host 's publicist echoed her non-denial in a statement to cnn wednesday . they are a family and will remain a family forever and are working through their issues , ' publicist cindi berger said in an e-mailed response . nothing else will be said . ' o'donnell and carpenter were married in a private ceremony in san francisco , california , mayor gavin newsom 's office in february 2004 . the city of san francisco issued the couple a marriage license two weeks after newsom said his mayoral responsibility not to discriminate trumped a state law banning such marriages . o'donnell said on her wedding day that she was inspired to make her longtime relationship with carpenter official by vile and vicious and hateful comments ' made by president george w. bush that week . then-president bush announced that week that he would seek a constitutional amendment to mandate that same-sex couples not be allowed to marry . o'donnell and carpenter are also business partners . they started r family vacations , which organizes cruises tailored for gay couples . their family includes four children . the three oldest -- parker , 14 , chelsea , 12 and blake , 9 -- are adopted . six-year-old vivienne -- conceived through a sperm donation -- was born to carpenter . | o'donnell did not deny rumors to usa today |
tequila <tsp> ( cnn ) -- organizers of the music festival in rural illinois where tila tequila was attacked last weekend said they warned the reality tv star that it was dangerous for her to take the stage . the former playboy model and singer seemed to mock and further antagonize the crowd ' by exposing her breasts , the organizers said in a statement wednesday . tequila was cut and bruised when the gathering of the juggalos ' audience pelted her with rocks and bottles , eventually chasing her from the stage . she has vowed to force the festival into bankruptcy with a lawsuit . the annual event attracts mostly young fans of the hip-hop group insane clown posse . tequila , who was performing rap songs from her upcoming album , was eventually chased from the festival grounds by the fans , who refer to themselves as juggalos and juggalettes . cuts on her face required stitches . and her body is covered with bruises , tequila said . a written statement from organizers and insane clown posse called the violence extremely unfortunate , ' but it said juggalo gathering , llc and insane clown posse are not responsible . ' ms. tequila was made aware , in advance , of her unpopularity with many juggalos at the gathering , but she insisted on performing , ' the statement said . she was paid in advance and told she could keep the money if she decided not to perform and that she could leave the stage the minute that she felt uncomfortable , ' organizers said . tequila did say in an interview monday that she was told just before the show that there could be violence and that she did not have to take the stage . video obtained by cnn showed tequila standing her ground on stage for several minutes , continuing to perform her songs while several bodyguards tried to protect her . i 'm not going anywhere , ' she shouted back . the organizers said tequila should have realized when the crowd began to boo heavily and throw garbage ' that she was not welcome . ' her injuries were only sustained because of her refusal to leave the stage , ' they said . the assault subsided briefly when comedian tom green , who had performed earlier , diverted the crowd 's attention with a dance . after green left the stage , a large rock soared from the crowd , striking tequila 's face . blood streamed down her cheek . after several minutes , she even removed her top , exposing herself , which seemed to mock and further antagonize the crowd , ' the organizers said . finally , gathering security pulled her off of the stage . ' tequila , in a message posted on her twitter account wednesday , defended taking off her top : if your face was drippin in blood , and your shirt was smeared in human feces and piss , umm im pretty sure you would take ur dam top off too ! ' among her twitter messages was this dig at the juggalos : the only dumb thing i admit to doing , was actually showing the juggalos love . which they know nothing about . ' green described a mob of hundreds chasing tequila from the stage and surrounding a trailer where she sought refuge . they rocked the trailer and smashed its windows , he said . tequila eventually escaped , but only after windows in her sports utility vehicle were smashed , according to the hardin county sheriff tom seiner . seiner said he has an open investigation . it would be very hard ' to identify the attackers , the sheriff said . the incident involving tequila was not the only violence at the festival early saturday . seiner said a 49-year-old georgia man was arrested as a suspect in the stabbing of another man in the abdomen just hours earlier . | tequila 's breasts antagonized juggalos , organizers say |
tequila <tsp> ( cnn ) -- organizers of the music festival in rural illinois where tila tequila was attacked last weekend said they warned the reality tv star that it was dangerous for her to take the stage . the former playboy model and singer seemed to mock and further antagonize the crowd ' by exposing her breasts , the organizers said in a statement wednesday . tequila was cut and bruised when the gathering of the juggalos ' audience pelted her with rocks and bottles , eventually chasing her from the stage . she has vowed to force the festival into bankruptcy with a lawsuit . the annual event attracts mostly young fans of the hip-hop group insane clown posse . tequila , who was performing rap songs from her upcoming album , was eventually chased from the festival grounds by the fans , who refer to themselves as juggalos and juggalettes . cuts on her face required stitches . and her body is covered with bruises , tequila said . a written statement from organizers and insane clown posse called the violence extremely unfortunate , ' but it said juggalo gathering , llc and insane clown posse are not responsible . ' ms. tequila was made aware , in advance , of her unpopularity with many juggalos at the gathering , but she insisted on performing , ' the statement said . she was paid in advance and told she could keep the money if she decided not to perform and that she could leave the stage the minute that she felt uncomfortable , ' organizers said . tequila did say in an interview monday that she was told just before the show that there could be violence and that she did not have to take the stage . video obtained by cnn showed tequila standing her ground on stage for several minutes , continuing to perform her songs while several bodyguards tried to protect her . i 'm not going anywhere , ' she shouted back . the organizers said tequila should have realized when the crowd began to boo heavily and throw garbage ' that she was not welcome . ' her injuries were only sustained because of her refusal to leave the stage , ' they said . the assault subsided briefly when comedian tom green , who had performed earlier , diverted the crowd 's attention with a dance . after green left the stage , a large rock soared from the crowd , striking tequila 's face . blood streamed down her cheek . after several minutes , she even removed her top , exposing herself , which seemed to mock and further antagonize the crowd , ' the organizers said . finally , gathering security pulled her off of the stage . ' tequila , in a message posted on her twitter account wednesday , defended taking off her top : if your face was drippin in blood , and your shirt was smeared in human feces and piss , umm im pretty sure you would take ur dam top off too ! ' among her twitter messages was this dig at the juggalos : the only dumb thing i admit to doing , was actually showing the juggalos love . which they know nothing about . ' green described a mob of hundreds chasing tequila from the stage and surrounding a trailer where she sought refuge . they rocked the trailer and smashed its windows , he said . tequila eventually escaped , but only after windows in her sports utility vehicle were smashed , according to the hardin county sheriff tom seiner . seiner said he has an open investigation . it would be very hard ' to identify the attackers , the sheriff said . the incident involving tequila was not the only violence at the festival early saturday . seiner said a 49-year-old georgia man was arrested as a suspect in the stabbing of another man in the abdomen just hours earlier . | tequila suffered cuts and bruises during the show |
grand prix <tsp> ( cnn ) -- red bull 's sebastian vettel urged caution ahead of this weekend 's italian grand prix , despite a dominating performance which underlined his position at the top of the world championship standings . formula one 's triple defending champion went fastest in practice ahead of sunday 's race at the monza circuit with a lap of one minute and 24.453 seconds , over a half a second clear of his teammate mark webber . vettel , who is 46 points clear of second-placed fernando alonso of ferrari in the drivers'championship , expects a keen battle for pole position in saturday 's qualifying session . fasten your seat belts : a guide to monza ' it was a good day , but it is still only a friday , ' the german , a two-time winner of this race , told reporters . it looks tight . if you look at it too much it can be a distraction , but i think it will be a close qualifying with many cars up there . tomorrow , i expect it to be close . it is a short lap and there are not too many corners -- so not that much you can do right , and not much you can do wrong . ' red bull announced earlier this week that daniel ricciardo , currently driving for red bull 's sister team toro rosso , will replace webber in 2014 when his fellow australian quits f1 to race in the le mans series for porsche . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said webber . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' ricciardo , however , was off the pace -- 13th in the first session and 17th in the second . unfortunately , we seem to have gone in the wrong direction , ' the 24-year-old said . having run only the hard ( tires ) in the morning , in the afternoon , i did not set a competitive time on the medium . i did make some mistakes and i will admit to that , but there were too many of them so we definitely need to get the car to suit me a bit better . at the moment , it 's on a knife edge . ' lewis hamilton won this race with mclaren in 2012 , but a repeat performance with his current team mercedes looks unlikely . the 2008 world champion could only go sixth fastest in the afternoon session after setting the pace in the morning , just ahead of seventh-placed teammate nico rosberg . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said the briton . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see , but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' all eyes will be on alonso at ferrari 's home grand prix . the spaniard registered the fifth fastest lap time , behind the lotus duo of kimi raikkonen and romain grosjean . alonso 's teammate felipe massa was eighth fastest , with mclaren 's jenson button and sergio perez rounding out the top 10 . | red bull 's sebastian vettel leads practice ahead of the italian grand prix |
alonso <tsp> ( cnn ) -- red bull 's sebastian vettel urged caution ahead of this weekend 's italian grand prix , despite a dominating performance which underlined his position at the top of the world championship standings . formula one 's triple defending champion went fastest in practice ahead of sunday 's race at the monza circuit with a lap of one minute and 24.453 seconds , over a half a second clear of his teammate mark webber . vettel , who is 46 points clear of second-placed fernando alonso of ferrari in the drivers'championship , expects a keen battle for pole position in saturday 's qualifying session . fasten your seat belts : a guide to monza ' it was a good day , but it is still only a friday , ' the german , a two-time winner of this race , told reporters . it looks tight . if you look at it too much it can be a distraction , but i think it will be a close qualifying with many cars up there . tomorrow , i expect it to be close . it is a short lap and there are not too many corners -- so not that much you can do right , and not much you can do wrong . ' red bull announced earlier this week that daniel ricciardo , currently driving for red bull 's sister team toro rosso , will replace webber in 2014 when his fellow australian quits f1 to race in the le mans series for porsche . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said webber . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' ricciardo , however , was off the pace -- 13th in the first session and 17th in the second . unfortunately , we seem to have gone in the wrong direction , ' the 24-year-old said . having run only the hard ( tires ) in the morning , in the afternoon , i did not set a competitive time on the medium . i did make some mistakes and i will admit to that , but there were too many of them so we definitely need to get the car to suit me a bit better . at the moment , it 's on a knife edge . ' lewis hamilton won this race with mclaren in 2012 , but a repeat performance with his current team mercedes looks unlikely . the 2008 world champion could only go sixth fastest in the afternoon session after setting the pace in the morning , just ahead of seventh-placed teammate nico rosberg . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said the briton . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see , but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' all eyes will be on alonso at ferrari 's home grand prix . the spaniard registered the fifth fastest lap time , behind the lotus duo of kimi raikkonen and romain grosjean . alonso 's teammate felipe massa was eighth fastest , with mclaren 's jenson button and sergio perez rounding out the top 10 . | the triple world champion leads ferrari 's fernando alonso by 46 points |
alonso <tsp> ( cnn ) -- red bull 's sebastian vettel urged caution ahead of this weekend 's italian grand prix , despite a dominating performance which underlined his position at the top of the world championship standings . formula one 's triple defending champion went fastest in practice ahead of sunday 's race at the monza circuit with a lap of one minute and 24.453 seconds , over a half a second clear of his teammate mark webber . vettel , who is 46 points clear of second-placed fernando alonso of ferrari in the drivers'championship , expects a keen battle for pole position in saturday 's qualifying session . fasten your seat belts : a guide to monza ' it was a good day , but it is still only a friday , ' the german , a two-time winner of this race , told reporters . it looks tight . if you look at it too much it can be a distraction , but i think it will be a close qualifying with many cars up there . tomorrow , i expect it to be close . it is a short lap and there are not too many corners -- so not that much you can do right , and not much you can do wrong . ' red bull announced earlier this week that daniel ricciardo , currently driving for red bull 's sister team toro rosso , will replace webber in 2014 when his fellow australian quits f1 to race in the le mans series for porsche . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said webber . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' ricciardo , however , was off the pace -- 13th in the first session and 17th in the second . unfortunately , we seem to have gone in the wrong direction , ' the 24-year-old said . having run only the hard ( tires ) in the morning , in the afternoon , i did not set a competitive time on the medium . i did make some mistakes and i will admit to that , but there were too many of them so we definitely need to get the car to suit me a bit better . at the moment , it 's on a knife edge . ' lewis hamilton won this race with mclaren in 2012 , but a repeat performance with his current team mercedes looks unlikely . the 2008 world champion could only go sixth fastest in the afternoon session after setting the pace in the morning , just ahead of seventh-placed teammate nico rosberg . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said the briton . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see , but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' all eyes will be on alonso at ferrari 's home grand prix . the spaniard registered the fifth fastest lap time , behind the lotus duo of kimi raikkonen and romain grosjean . alonso 's teammate felipe massa was eighth fastest , with mclaren 's jenson button and sergio perez rounding out the top 10 . | vettel 's teammate mark webber was second fastest , with alonso fifth |
mark webber <tsp> ( cnn ) -- red bull 's sebastian vettel urged caution ahead of this weekend 's italian grand prix , despite a dominating performance which underlined his position at the top of the world championship standings . formula one 's triple defending champion went fastest in practice ahead of sunday 's race at the monza circuit with a lap of one minute and 24.453 seconds , over a half a second clear of his teammate mark webber . vettel , who is 46 points clear of second-placed fernando alonso of ferrari in the drivers'championship , expects a keen battle for pole position in saturday 's qualifying session . fasten your seat belts : a guide to monza ' it was a good day , but it is still only a friday , ' the german , a two-time winner of this race , told reporters . it looks tight . if you look at it too much it can be a distraction , but i think it will be a close qualifying with many cars up there . tomorrow , i expect it to be close . it is a short lap and there are not too many corners -- so not that much you can do right , and not much you can do wrong . ' red bull announced earlier this week that daniel ricciardo , currently driving for red bull 's sister team toro rosso , will replace webber in 2014 when his fellow australian quits f1 to race in the le mans series for porsche . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said webber . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' ricciardo , however , was off the pace -- 13th in the first session and 17th in the second . unfortunately , we seem to have gone in the wrong direction , ' the 24-year-old said . having run only the hard ( tires ) in the morning , in the afternoon , i did not set a competitive time on the medium . i did make some mistakes and i will admit to that , but there were too many of them so we definitely need to get the car to suit me a bit better . at the moment , it 's on a knife edge . ' lewis hamilton won this race with mclaren in 2012 , but a repeat performance with his current team mercedes looks unlikely . the 2008 world champion could only go sixth fastest in the afternoon session after setting the pace in the morning , just ahead of seventh-placed teammate nico rosberg . although we 're quite competitive , we 're not quick enough yet and will have to work hard tonight to see where we can make some improvements , ' said the briton . of course we do n't know what fuel loads other teams are on so we 'll have to wait and see , but there is a bit of work for us to do if we want to compete right at the front tomorrow . ' all eyes will be on alonso at ferrari 's home grand prix . the spaniard registered the fifth fastest lap time , behind the lotus duo of kimi raikkonen and romain grosjean . alonso 's teammate felipe massa was eighth fastest , with mclaren 's jenson button and sergio perez rounding out the top 10 . | vettel 's teammate mark webber was second fastest , with alonso fifth |
faa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a fire and technical issue ' aboard two boeing 787 dreamliners on friday raised new safety concerns for the long troubled airliner . the fire ignited on an empty 787 operated by ethiopian airlines that was parked at london 's heathrow airport . no one was hurt and the incident shut runways for about an hour before operations resumed , the airport said . details were unclear about the fire 's cause or location aboard the plane , but the incident was enough to spur u.s. aviation experts to investigate . in a separate incident on friday , thomson airways reported a technical issue ' aboard its dreamliner flying from manchester , england , to florida . the aircraft returned to manchester as a precautionary measure , ' thomson said in a statement . engineers were inspecting the aircraft , ' the statement said . passengers were transferred to another plane . the airline offered no other details of the problem . related : dreamliner interactive layout the dreamliner , which has been flying since 2011 , has been closely watched since last january when all 50 of the world 's 787s were grounded due to overheating problems in its new light-weight lithium-ion battery system . the planes were allowed to return to service in april after boeing engineered a solution that satisfied u.s. aviation authorities . heathrow reopened friday evening and boeing officials were at the airport to analyze the problem , the company said . ethiopian airlines : bringing the dreamliner to africa it was not known if the battery system was associated with the latest incident , but a statement released by ethiopian airlines said the jet had been parked at the airport for more than eight hours ' before the fire . the federal aviation administration is sending an official ' at the invitation of the british government , the agency told cnn in a statement . the faa said earlier it was in contact ' with boeing about the matter . the national transportation safety board tweeted it also was sending an accredited representative ' to the airport to help the investigation . friday 's fire triggered renewed doubt about the 787 among the aviation community , including aviation lawyer and former u.s. department of transportation inspector general mary schiavo . if today 's boeing 787 problems are battery related , ' she tweeted , the faa may reconsider its decision to allow them to fly before ntsb identified ' what caused the battery troubles . video of the aftermath showed foam surrounding the ethiopian aircraft and what appeared to be burn marks on its fuselage . there 's still hope for boeing , ' schiavo tweeted later . the burn marks are not next to the batteries . ' japanese dreamliner held due to a/c power glitch the news sent boeing 's shares on wall street down more than 4 % . boeing 's stake is huge . hundreds of millions of dollars are riding on the success of the dreamliner , which represents a new generation of lighter , more efficient money making airliners . its development was marked by production delays and other problems . during their first few years in service , every airliner experiences teething pains ' as they shake out minor problems , experts say . but the faa 's decision to ground the dreamliner put it under a microscope . the lone u.s. 787 operator -- united airlines -- owns a fleet of six . during a six-day period in june , united diverted three of them , each with a different mechanical problem . indicators showed possible issues with oil levels , oil filters and the braking system . related : another 787 dreamliner diverted for mechanical problem dreamliner 's lithium-ion batteries were blamed for two overheating instances this year in boston and japan . no one was hurt in either case , but the problems spurred the faa to ground the planes . in march , the faa approved a boeing certification plan to fix the 787 battery system and prove the new design is safe . a team of experts from boeing and from outside the company redesigned parts of the battery system in what they called a robust ' fix that included separating the battery cells , integrating a new charging system , and setting the batteries in a containment box that would vent outside the aircraft any smoke from overheating batteries . related : behind the scenes for boeing 's'robust'battery fix the dreamliner boasts high fuel efficiency because of the lightweight carbon composite materials used in its wings and fuselage . related : can'game-changer'dreamliner live up to its name ? in an apparent show of confidence in the new aircraft , united announced last month that it was ordering 20 additional 787s , specifically the 787-10 model , a longer version of the plane . cnn 's aaron cooper , richard quest , scott hamilton , jason hanna and richard greene contributed to this report . | faa says it 's sending an official ' to heathrow after dreamliner fire |
montevideo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- brazil have moved to the top of south american qualifying for the 2010 world cup finals after thrashing uruguay 4-0 in montevideo , their first victory in the country for 33 years . brazil players celebrate juan 's second goal in their 4-0 thrashing of uruguay . barcelona full-back daniel alves gave them an 11th-minute lead with a speculative long-range effort that goalkeeper sebastian viera allowed to bounce over him and into the net . roma defender juan headed home the second goal 10 minutes before the interval and sevilla 's luis fabiano added a third early in the second half , although he was later sent off . in-demand ac milan playmaker kaka completed the victory from the penalty spot after he had been fouled in the area . the win sees brazil move onto 24 points , level with former leaders paraguay who relinquished top spot after a shock 2-0 home defeat at the hands of chile . goals from matias fernandez in the 12th minute and humberto suazo in the 50th gave chile a crucial win , lifting them up to third place -- just a single point off the top two . argentina complete the top four , another point behind on 22 points , after a 56th-minute daniel diaz goal gave them a 1-0 home victory over colombia in buenos aires . with only the leading four teams guaranteed a place in south africa next year , fifth-placed uruguay now appear to have a mountain to climb , as they trail argentina by five points with just five matches remaining . the fifth-placed team will have north america 's fourth-placed side in a play-off for the remaining world cup qualification place . | brazil beat uruguay 4-0 in montevideo to top south american qualifying group |
argentina <tsp> ( cnn ) -- brazil have moved to the top of south american qualifying for the 2010 world cup finals after thrashing uruguay 4-0 in montevideo , their first victory in the country for 33 years . brazil players celebrate juan 's second goal in their 4-0 thrashing of uruguay . barcelona full-back daniel alves gave them an 11th-minute lead with a speculative long-range effort that goalkeeper sebastian viera allowed to bounce over him and into the net . roma defender juan headed home the second goal 10 minutes before the interval and sevilla 's luis fabiano added a third early in the second half , although he was later sent off . in-demand ac milan playmaker kaka completed the victory from the penalty spot after he had been fouled in the area . the win sees brazil move onto 24 points , level with former leaders paraguay who relinquished top spot after a shock 2-0 home defeat at the hands of chile . goals from matias fernandez in the 12th minute and humberto suazo in the 50th gave chile a crucial win , lifting them up to third place -- just a single point off the top two . argentina complete the top four , another point behind on 22 points , after a 56th-minute daniel diaz goal gave them a 1-0 home victory over colombia in buenos aires . with only the leading four teams guaranteed a place in south africa next year , fifth-placed uruguay now appear to have a mountain to climb , as they trail argentina by five points with just five matches remaining . the fifth-placed team will have north america 's fourth-placed side in a play-off for the remaining world cup qualification place . | argentina complete the top four in the table after a 1-0 success over colombia |
al-qaeda <tsp> the opposition free syrian army is turning against foreign fighters in syria 's civil war , arresting some 200 outsiders with ties to al-qaeda groups . the fsa had given members of the al-qaeda-backed islamic state of iraq and al-sham , or isis , 24 hours to surrender and leave the country , before arresting around 200 of them , spokesman loauy mokdad told cnn . now , we repeat that we do n't want any foreign fighters in syria , ' mokdad said , equating the isis fighters with the syrian regime . we do not want any terrorist groups in syria . we will not allow them to make bases in syria . ' the move comes as infighting between the free syrian army and islamist groups have threatened to tip the balance among rebel forces toward militant groups and away from more secular brigades . the fsa gave the isis an ultimatum and accused the group of killing fsa officers and committing crimes against civilians . after six months attempting to hijack our revolution and after they controlled some liberated areas and after they start to force our people to act like islamic state , we gave so many warnings to them , that 's something not acceptable for us , ' mokdad said . in a sign of the escalating tensions , two syrian human rights watchdogs claim that islamic fighters with isis executed 30 people in the northern syrian province of idlib saturday . the local coordination committees of syria , a network of opposition activists , said that the 30 victims were field executed ' after being kidnapped at checkpoints in the province . the victims included civilians and fighters from rival factions , the syrian observatory for human rights said . isis forces have increasingly come into conflict with fsa fighters and other hard-line anti-assad factions while attempting to enforce their strict form of islamic sharia law on areas coming under their control across northern syria . isis on saturday issued its own ultimatum saturday , giving the fsa 24 hours to free their prisoners , or they will leave their joint posts with the fsa in aleppo . | they arrested about 200 fighters belonging to an al-qaeda backed group |
john millman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova 's preparations for the australian open suffered a blow when she was forced to pull out of the season opening tournament in brisbane tuesday with a right collarbone injury . the world no.2 was due to play australian wildcard jarmila gajdosova in the second round , but said she had ran out of time ' in her battle to recover from the problem . i have a bit of inflammation in my collarbone , ' she told the official tournament website . the 25-year-old russian said she had sent scans to her doctor in new york to assess the injury , which forced her out of an exhibition tournament in south korea last week . he told me i could n't really do much overhead training for about a week , ' revealed sharapova . so to be fair , i have n't really given myself a chance to pretty much hit any serves or anything over my head . just been practicing groundstrokes , ' she added . the reigning french open champion will also skip next week 's wta tournament in sydney to recover in time for the start of the australian open on january 14 . sharapova was also forced to pull out of last year 's brisbane tournament , but went on to reach the final of the australian open , where she was beaten by victoria azarenka of belarus . azarenka is the top seed in brisbane and will play her second round match against sabine lisicki of germany wednesday . gajdosova will play lucky loser lesia tsurenko of ukraine , who replaces sharapova in the draw . in second round action tuesday , serena williams needed exactly one hour to reach the quarterfinals with a crushing 6-2 6-2 win over france 's alize cornet in the night session . the 15-times grand slam winner was , like sharapova , an injury doubt before the start of the season , but has shrugged off a foot problem to look in ominous early season form . she hit 25 winners , including six aces , to overpower cornet . but former champion and sixth seed petra kvitova was sent crashing 6-4 7-5 by russia 's anastasia pavlyuchenkova . fifth-seeded italian sara errani also lost in three sets to 2012 runner-up daniela hantuchova 4-6 6-1 7-5 . u.s. open champion andy murray is the top seed in the atp event in brisbane and begins his campaign thursday against qualifier john millman the australian beat japan 's tatsuma ito 6-4 6-1 to earn the prestigious clash . uzbekistan 's denis istomin beat eighth seed martin klizan of slovakia 6-1 6-2 in another upset . at the hopman cup in perth , venus williams continued her fine form as the united states beat france 2-1 for their second victory in the mixed team event . jo-wilfried tsonga beat john isner 6-3 6-2 to put france ahead before williams fought off mathilde johansson 3-6 7-5 6-4 to draw the u.s. level . the seven-time grand slam champion , elder sister of serena , then paired with isner to beat johansson and tsonga 6-7 6-2 10-8 in a tight deciding rubber . | john millman earns second round clash with andy murray |
serena williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova 's preparations for the australian open suffered a blow when she was forced to pull out of the season opening tournament in brisbane tuesday with a right collarbone injury . the world no.2 was due to play australian wildcard jarmila gajdosova in the second round , but said she had ran out of time ' in her battle to recover from the problem . i have a bit of inflammation in my collarbone , ' she told the official tournament website . the 25-year-old russian said she had sent scans to her doctor in new york to assess the injury , which forced her out of an exhibition tournament in south korea last week . he told me i could n't really do much overhead training for about a week , ' revealed sharapova . so to be fair , i have n't really given myself a chance to pretty much hit any serves or anything over my head . just been practicing groundstrokes , ' she added . the reigning french open champion will also skip next week 's wta tournament in sydney to recover in time for the start of the australian open on january 14 . sharapova was also forced to pull out of last year 's brisbane tournament , but went on to reach the final of the australian open , where she was beaten by victoria azarenka of belarus . azarenka is the top seed in brisbane and will play her second round match against sabine lisicki of germany wednesday . gajdosova will play lucky loser lesia tsurenko of ukraine , who replaces sharapova in the draw . in second round action tuesday , serena williams needed exactly one hour to reach the quarterfinals with a crushing 6-2 6-2 win over france 's alize cornet in the night session . the 15-times grand slam winner was , like sharapova , an injury doubt before the start of the season , but has shrugged off a foot problem to look in ominous early season form . she hit 25 winners , including six aces , to overpower cornet . but former champion and sixth seed petra kvitova was sent crashing 6-4 7-5 by russia 's anastasia pavlyuchenkova . fifth-seeded italian sara errani also lost in three sets to 2012 runner-up daniela hantuchova 4-6 6-1 7-5 . u.s. open champion andy murray is the top seed in the atp event in brisbane and begins his campaign thursday against qualifier john millman the australian beat japan 's tatsuma ito 6-4 6-1 to earn the prestigious clash . uzbekistan 's denis istomin beat eighth seed martin klizan of slovakia 6-1 6-2 in another upset . at the hopman cup in perth , venus williams continued her fine form as the united states beat france 2-1 for their second victory in the mixed team event . jo-wilfried tsonga beat john isner 6-3 6-2 to put france ahead before williams fought off mathilde johansson 3-6 7-5 6-4 to draw the u.s. level . the seven-time grand slam champion , elder sister of serena , then paired with isner to beat johansson and tsonga 6-7 6-2 10-8 in a tight deciding rubber . | serena williams marches into last eight with straight sets win |
washington <tsp> get off the roads , and stay off . that was the message in georgia and the carolinas as a snow and ice storm swept through wednesday , bringing some of the southeast 's most populous cities to a standstill . the warnings came as freezing rain brought heavy ice accumulations from atlanta to charlotte . across a large swath of the south , hundreds of thousands of people were without power and thousands of flights were canceled . calling ice the biggest enemy , georgia gov . nathan deal declared a state of emergency . school districts canceled classes and government offices were shuttered in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the traffic paralysis caused by a storm last month . up to three-quarters of an inch of ice was expected to accumulate in atlanta and up to 10 inches of snow and sleet were expected in raleigh and charlotte , making travel treacherous . also in the storm 's path were virginia and washington , with much of the northeast to follow . all federal offices in the nation 's capital were ordered closed , and thousands of employees were being told to stay home , according to the office of personnel management .'stay home , if you can' while most of the major thoroughfares in and out of the city of atlanta were reportedly devoid of traffic , a different scene was playing out to the northeast where the storm appeared to take people by surprise despite days of warnings . stay home , if you can , ' north carolina 's department of public safety said in posts on twitter . quickly deteriorating road conditions , numerous car accidents in durham/franklin/johnston/wake counties . ' collaborate and listen : a catchy school closure gridlock gripped portions of the state , including raleigh , durham and charlotte , as cars and trucks got stuck on snow- and ice-covered roads . we saw so many people ... cars piled up and left on the side of the road , and wrecks , ' said christina martinson , who was stuck in the snow-bound traffic with her husband and son for hours in durham . it 's really , really bad , and it got so bad so quickly that people just were n't ready . even though we were warned , it just happened more quickly than you would think possible . ' for some , there just was n't enough time . michael crosswhite , 44 , planned on leaving work in raleigh , in wake county , by midafternoon , well ahead of when forecasters initially predicted a snow and ice storm to hit the area . but by noon , the snow and icy rain was coming down .'nothing you can do but hope you do n't get stuck' ' we just passed an 18-wheeler that spun out into a ditch , ' he said by telephone more than two hours into his journey home to durham , a trip that typically takes less than 30 minutes . school 's out : that 's a rap moments later , a car ahead of him spun out in front of him . it 's kind of slushy , and there are just icy spots that there is nothing you can do but hope you do n't get stuck , ' crosswhite said . the images out of raleigh and charlotte recalled a similar scenario in atlanta , a city shut down by 2.6 inches of snow two weeks ago when thousands of commuters were stuck on highways . some drivers spent up to 20 hours in their cars . right now we 've got people traveling up and down the highways in special four-wheel vehicles to make any rescues that we need to make , and more than anything else we 're just encouraging people to be smart , and do n't put their stupid hat on during the next 48 hours , ' north carolina gov . pat mccrory said . the north carolina department of transportation is urging people not to abandon their vehicles . there are some people abandoning their vehicles . we are urging them not to . it is very dangerous for them to be on foot with cars sliding near them and it blocks access for our sand trucks and plows and causes gridlock , ' said communications supervisor steve abbott . track the storm it appeared people in atlanta had learned their lesson . deal applauded atlantans who kept the roads clear , saying during a midday news conference , that 's a good starting point . ' even so , there were thousands without power across the state after ice caused tree limbs to snap , knocking out power lines . with temperatures below freezing , the national guard opened up 35 armories across the state to be used as shelters and warming centers , cnn affiliate wsb-tv reported . in durham , the streets at southpoint mall opened up as a shelter . we are here for people that need to get off the road , ' general manager todd anderson said . we had a few people here earlier , now there is just a handful of people left but we will be available through evening . ' we are just trying to do the right and get people out of the cold , ' he added . the red cross , meanwhile , reported hundreds sought shelter overnight at its facilities stretching from louisiana to north carolina . in north carolina , kim martin rehberg 's typical 25-minute commute was turning into an hours-long ordeal wednesday as she tried to make it from her office in durham to her home in raleigh . three hours later , she still had miles to go . so , too , did the rest of her family who were stuck in traffic across the region . my daughter was stranded trying to get from her gymnastics class in apex . my ex-husband is trying to get her and he got trapped , ' she said by telephone , referring to a raleigh suburb . my husband is in charlotte and says things are bad . all the gas stations are shutting down , and i had trouble trying to gas up . ''our own trucks are stuck' there are snowplows on the roads but unfortunately some of our own trucks are stuck in the same traffic jams that a lot of other people are and they 're having a hard time getting to the roads that need to be cleared , ' said dan howe , raleigh 's assistant city manager . the low-pressure weather system bringing the snow and ice to the southeast is expected to move up the east coast , dropping snow on the northeast . six to 8 inches are predicted for washington , with especially heavy snowfall thursday morning , and 6 to 10 inches on new york from midnight wednesday into thursday , with a combination of snow , sleet and rain continuing until friday morning . new york gov . andrew m. cuomo told state agencies to prepare for an impending nor'easter ' and asked residents to avoid unnecessary travel . power outages more than 729,000 customers were without power in the southeast , power companies told cnn . more than 210,000 were georgia power customers , the utility said . south carolina was the hardest hit , with about 220,000 customers without electricity , while wilmington , north carolina , accounted for more than 58,000 outages . the utilities said wednesday morning they expect those numbers to rise over the next 24 hours . georgia power , the state 's largest utility , warned that hundreds of thousands could be without electricity for days . this has the opportunity to be a huge event when you 're talking about the amount of ice you 're looking at , ' aaron strickland , georgia power 's emergency operations chief , told reporters . the utility staged fleets of trucks across the area . teams from florida , texas and ohio bolstered local line crews . transportation woes the storm system also was taking its toll on travel . amtrak suspended some rail service in the northeast , south and mid-atlantic regions for wednesday . nationwide , more than 3,400 flights were canceled wednesday and even more than 4,100 were scrubbed for thursday , according to flightaware.com . among the canceled flights were more than 1,600 in and out of atlanta 's hartsfield-jackson internationanl airport . charlotte douglas international and raleigh-durham international airports accounted for the majority of other flights canceled . deadly toll at least 10 deaths have been blamed on the weather , including a 55-year-old man who was killed in a head-on collision in virginia , authorities said . two people were killed in georgia , and two died in north carolina , they said . in texas , three people died when an ambulance driver lost control on an icy patch of road outside of carlsbad , the state department of public safety said . a patient , a paramedic and another passenger were pronounced dead at the scene . in mississippi , authorities blamed the storm for two traffic deaths . stir-crazy ? how to stay sane it 's not the snow , it 's the ice travelers get another winter wallop | all federal offices in washington are shuttered , officials say |
british airways <tsp> ( cnn ) -- british airways confirmed the emergency landing of an a321 last month after the pilots complained of feeling lightheaded and put on their own oxygen masks . the flight bound for glasgow , scotland , on december 20 returned to london 's heathrow airport shortly after takeoff , said airline spokesman richard goodfellow . airline engineers checked the aircraft after landing and dismissed the possibility of contaminated air in the cockpit , goodfellow said . he would not comment on the cause of the incident while an national investigation is ongoing but said , we believe it was an isolated incident . ' reports of the incident surfaced over the weekend in the british press after passengers apparently posted details on a flight-oriented website . a senior flight attendant was called to the flight deck about 20 minutes after takeoff and alerted by the pilots that they were using their emergency oxygen supply , goodfellow said , disputing reports that the pilots needed flight attendant assistance to put on the oxygen . the pilots followed the flight procedures they were highly trained for , and the flight landed without incident , ' he said . after a safe landing , the 116 passengers were placed on a new flight with an entirely new crew , he said . the pilots were examined by an airline doctor but were not hospitalized . the plane was returned to service . | british airways says the incident was not caused by contaminated air |
pietro parolin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pope francis has appointed archbishop pietro parolin to succeed cardinal tarcisio bertone as the holy see 's secretary of state , the vatican said saturday . until now , parolin , a 58-year-old italian , was the diplomatic representative of the holy see in venezuela . he has also worked in nigeria and mexico , as well as within the vatican . the secretary of state assumes the role of the vatican 's head of government and is considered the most important figure in the vatican after the pope . i feel very strongly the grace of this call , which is yet another and the latest of god 's surprises in my life , ' parolin said in a statement quoted by vatican radio . above all , i feel the full weight of the responsibility placed upon me : this call entrusts to me a difficult and challenging mission , before which my powers are weak and my abilities poor . ' cnn 's vatican correspondent john allen , writing in the national catholic reporter , described parolin as a veteran vatican diplomat , ' who has been on the front lines of shaping the vatican 's response to virtually every geopolitical challenge of the past two decades . ' parolin has been on many people 's shortlists for the job since francis became pope in march and signaled that he would shake things up , said allen . the cleric has more than a quarter-century 's experience in the vatican 's diplomatic service and is seen as one of the brightest of his generation . by naming a consummate insider , francis appears to want to'reboot'the vatican 's operating system back to a point when it was perceived to operate efficiently , rather than scrapping it entirely , ' said allen . the pick has been keenly anticipated , given that frustration with perceived breakdowns in governance under bertone was part of what led the cardinals in march to elect a latin american outsider to the papacy , handing him a clear reform mandate . parolin now profiles as a key figure in that effort . ' francis has already taken a number of steps to try to reform the curia , the vatican administration , since his election . in july , he set up an expert committee to recommend reforms to the economic and administrative structures of the holy see . he 's also ordered more scrutiny of the vatican bank , which has been plagued by financial scandals for years . cnn 's bharati naik and richard allen greene contributed to this report . | archbishop pietro parolin is appointed secretary of state for the holy see |
jewell <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- kandi burruss , the newest cast member of the reality show the real housewives of atlanta , ' was mourning the death saturday of her fiancé , who died after a fistfight the night before . kandi burruss , at right with co-star nene leakes , appeared at the bet awards in june . the fiancé , 34-year-old ashley a.j . ' jewell , also appeared on the show . a spokeswoman for burruss said the actress was devastated ' by the news . she has no statement to make at this time and asks for privacy , ' tresa sanders said . she said the two planned to marry , even though the relationship had ups and downs . in late august , burruss told wvee radio in atlanta , we 're on hiatus , ' and she told essence.com last month that the two were taking a break from each other . police said they contacted burruss after jewell 's death . jewell and another man fought friday night in the parking lot of the atlanta strip club body tap , police spokesman officer james polite said . jewell was taken to a hospital , where he died of blunt force trauma to the head , polite said . fredrick richardson was arrested on a charge of voluntary manslaughter after witnesses identified him and he was interviewed by police . he was treated at a hospital . police tentatively described the men as club managers , although jewell claimed on twitter that he owned the establishment . polite said police do n't know why the fight started . sanders said burruss was doubly saddened because she is mourning the death of her uncle , ralph leslie , whose funeral is saturday . the reality performer posted messages about jewell 's death on twitter . im just in one of those moods where i dont wan na talk , i dont wan na b held & told its gon na b ok. i just wan na cry myself 2 sleep , alone , ' she says . i could never n a million years imagine this happening . please pray for aj 's children . that 's who im the most concerned 4 . ' im bout 2 giv my swollen eyes sum rest now . i just wanted to say thanks 2 every1 for their prayers . ' burruss is a grammy-winning singer-songwriter and former member of the 1990s r & b group xscape . | jewell was fiancé of kandi burruss of tv show real housewives of atlanta ' |
jewell <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- kandi burruss , the newest cast member of the reality show the real housewives of atlanta , ' was mourning the death saturday of her fiancé , who died after a fistfight the night before . kandi burruss , at right with co-star nene leakes , appeared at the bet awards in june . the fiancé , 34-year-old ashley a.j . ' jewell , also appeared on the show . a spokeswoman for burruss said the actress was devastated ' by the news . she has no statement to make at this time and asks for privacy , ' tresa sanders said . she said the two planned to marry , even though the relationship had ups and downs . in late august , burruss told wvee radio in atlanta , we 're on hiatus , ' and she told essence.com last month that the two were taking a break from each other . police said they contacted burruss after jewell 's death . jewell and another man fought friday night in the parking lot of the atlanta strip club body tap , police spokesman officer james polite said . jewell was taken to a hospital , where he died of blunt force trauma to the head , polite said . fredrick richardson was arrested on a charge of voluntary manslaughter after witnesses identified him and he was interviewed by police . he was treated at a hospital . police tentatively described the men as club managers , although jewell claimed on twitter that he owned the establishment . polite said police do n't know why the fight started . sanders said burruss was doubly saddened because she is mourning the death of her uncle , ralph leslie , whose funeral is saturday . the reality performer posted messages about jewell 's death on twitter . im just in one of those moods where i dont wan na talk , i dont wan na b held & told its gon na b ok. i just wan na cry myself 2 sleep , alone , ' she says . i could never n a million years imagine this happening . please pray for aj 's children . that 's who im the most concerned 4 . ' im bout 2 giv my swollen eyes sum rest now . i just wanted to say thanks 2 every1 for their prayers . ' burruss is a grammy-winning singer-songwriter and former member of the 1990s r & b group xscape . | ashley a.j . ' jewell dies after fistfight outside atlanta club , police say |
carrie underwood <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- new york celebrates the centennial of its most famous new year 's tradition monday , as organizers of the times square ball drop have given the crystal globe an environmental makeover . technicians prepare the new york times square ball thursday for the event 's 100th anniversary . this year the 1,415-pound ball has been outfitted with more than 9,500 energy-efficient light-emitting diodes that will illuminate the ball 's more than 600 crystals . the leds will use the same amount of electricity as about 10 toasters , say event officials . that 's a dramatic overhaul from 1907 's first times square ball , which was made from iron and wood and was covered with about 100 light bulbs . watch the computer-controlled ball » new york police estimate about a million people will crowd times square to watch the ball drop from a flagpole atop the one times square building at midnight . another billion people worldwide are expected to watch the spectacle on video , said tom chiodo , a spokesman for the times square alliance . of those viewers , 100 million will be in the united states , he said . new york mayor michael bloomberg will be joined by iraq war veteran karolina wierzchowska , who was also a ground zero guard worker and a new york police academy valedictorian -- to push the button for the ball drop at 11:59 p.m . weather forecasts indicate clear skies for the celebration , with temperatures in the 40s -- a mild departure from inclement weather gripping much of the northeast . in an effort to help people stay warm , new york city sanitation workers will be passing out goody bags ' from the times square alliance that will include mittens and hats , said chiodo . the event will include musical performances from hannah montana , the jonas brothers , kid rock , lenny kravitz , lifehouse , the bravery , and alums from fox tv 's american idol , ' carrie underwood , jordin sparks and blake lewis . security inside times square will be tight and everyone should expect to have their bags searched at least three times , said new york police commissioner ray kelly on cnn 's american morning . ' in addition to a heavy police presence on the ground , kelly said the nypd 's counterterrorism unit , radiation detectors and helicopters will also be patrolling the crowds . kelly said that once the times square attendees pass the entrance gates , they will not be able to leave . new york 's terrorist threat level remains at orange -- the nation 's second highest level -- as it has since the september 11 , 2001 , attacks . we certainly have n't let our guard down , ' kelly said . as the ball drops , the new year will be greeted with a massive fireworks explosion , some 168 shots in the first five seconds alone , and a downpour of two tons of fireproof confetti . some of the confetti includes new year 's wishes that were written by visitors to the city in nearly two dozen languages . over the past week , visitors from across the country wrote their messages on a times square wishing wall . ' i want to turn the world green and the water clean , ' one person wrote . let my husband stop snoring , ' another wrote , while others were more serious : that my mom will get her kidney transplant ' and peace in pakistan . ' e-mail to a friend | performers : hannah montana , kid rock , lenny kravitz , carrie underwood |
eu <tsp> serbia 's economy might be in the doldrums , but one company is tasting sweet success as the country readies itself for entry into the european union . serbia , which begins eu membership negotiations next year , is struggling with sluggish growth , high inflation , unemployment at 25 % , and excessive public debt . despite the country 's problems , bambi -- the country 's biggest confectionery maker -- is investing in its operations and looking to new export opportunities . read more : germany 's modest mutti merkel is no iron lady thatcher ' we are not sleeping , we are not waiting until these things [ entering the eu ] come about , ' its coo , daniel boehi told cnn . bambi is a good role model in that sense . ' the company 's factory in pozarevac is already state-of-the-art . the fast-paced operation is open 24 hours hours a day , and run with three shifts of workers . new technology has been brought in to keep the company in line with eu regulations , including a machine which automatically weighs every product to ensure it maintains its advertised net weight . read more : after fukushima : could germany 's nuclear gamble backfire ? we have food experts , technologists and lawyers who tell us what to do , ' boehi told cnn . our portfolio , our production lines , our quality standards ... [ they ] are not much different to what nestle or any global player would be doing . ' read more : rule one for television field producers : expect the unexpected the factory visited by cnn churns out 40 tonnes of bambi 's best-selling biscuit , the plazma , each day . the company is investing $ 13 million in more production lines next year . boehi told cnn he expected joining the eu would increase demand for products and open new markets . new opportunities might open up , mostly with surrounding markets like romania , bulgaria , greece and croatia , ' he said . read more : building learning blocks at lego school boehi added : we do n't see actually countries like germany , switzerland [ and ] the uk as a real opportunity for us ... these markets are saturated . ' while serbia aspires to eu membership , such a move will also provide challenges . watch more : can italy improve competitiveness serbia 's minimum wage , at $ 1.36 an hour , is one of the lowest in europe , and comes in below china , malaysia and the philippines . the country is also struggling with its rising unemployment levels . entry into the eu has raised fears the country 's educated youth will flee to better economies within europe . wage costs will go up , this is clear , but the way we will deal with that is not laying off people . it is by simply organizing ourselves in a better way , ' boehi told cnn . we are paying more than others and the competition will slowly , slowly need to ... adjust to that and come up to the same level . so , it will go up but that is part of life . ' | entry into the eu has raised fears the country 's educated youth will flee |
serbia <tsp> serbia 's economy might be in the doldrums , but one company is tasting sweet success as the country readies itself for entry into the european union . serbia , which begins eu membership negotiations next year , is struggling with sluggish growth , high inflation , unemployment at 25 % , and excessive public debt . despite the country 's problems , bambi -- the country 's biggest confectionery maker -- is investing in its operations and looking to new export opportunities . read more : germany 's modest mutti merkel is no iron lady thatcher ' we are not sleeping , we are not waiting until these things [ entering the eu ] come about , ' its coo , daniel boehi told cnn . bambi is a good role model in that sense . ' the company 's factory in pozarevac is already state-of-the-art . the fast-paced operation is open 24 hours hours a day , and run with three shifts of workers . new technology has been brought in to keep the company in line with eu regulations , including a machine which automatically weighs every product to ensure it maintains its advertised net weight . read more : after fukushima : could germany 's nuclear gamble backfire ? we have food experts , technologists and lawyers who tell us what to do , ' boehi told cnn . our portfolio , our production lines , our quality standards ... [ they ] are not much different to what nestle or any global player would be doing . ' read more : rule one for television field producers : expect the unexpected the factory visited by cnn churns out 40 tonnes of bambi 's best-selling biscuit , the plazma , each day . the company is investing $ 13 million in more production lines next year . boehi told cnn he expected joining the eu would increase demand for products and open new markets . new opportunities might open up , mostly with surrounding markets like romania , bulgaria , greece and croatia , ' he said . read more : building learning blocks at lego school boehi added : we do n't see actually countries like germany , switzerland [ and ] the uk as a real opportunity for us ... these markets are saturated . ' while serbia aspires to eu membership , such a move will also provide challenges . watch more : can italy improve competitiveness serbia 's minimum wage , at $ 1.36 an hour , is one of the lowest in europe , and comes in below china , malaysia and the philippines . the country is also struggling with its rising unemployment levels . entry into the eu has raised fears the country 's educated youth will flee to better economies within europe . wage costs will go up , this is clear , but the way we will deal with that is not laying off people . it is by simply organizing ourselves in a better way , ' boehi told cnn . we are paying more than others and the competition will slowly , slowly need to ... adjust to that and come up to the same level . so , it will go up but that is part of life . ' | serbia is struggling with sluggish growth , high inflation , unemployment at 25 % |
serbia <tsp> serbia 's economy might be in the doldrums , but one company is tasting sweet success as the country readies itself for entry into the european union . serbia , which begins eu membership negotiations next year , is struggling with sluggish growth , high inflation , unemployment at 25 % , and excessive public debt . despite the country 's problems , bambi -- the country 's biggest confectionery maker -- is investing in its operations and looking to new export opportunities . read more : germany 's modest mutti merkel is no iron lady thatcher ' we are not sleeping , we are not waiting until these things [ entering the eu ] come about , ' its coo , daniel boehi told cnn . bambi is a good role model in that sense . ' the company 's factory in pozarevac is already state-of-the-art . the fast-paced operation is open 24 hours hours a day , and run with three shifts of workers . new technology has been brought in to keep the company in line with eu regulations , including a machine which automatically weighs every product to ensure it maintains its advertised net weight . read more : after fukushima : could germany 's nuclear gamble backfire ? we have food experts , technologists and lawyers who tell us what to do , ' boehi told cnn . our portfolio , our production lines , our quality standards ... [ they ] are not much different to what nestle or any global player would be doing . ' read more : rule one for television field producers : expect the unexpected the factory visited by cnn churns out 40 tonnes of bambi 's best-selling biscuit , the plazma , each day . the company is investing $ 13 million in more production lines next year . boehi told cnn he expected joining the eu would increase demand for products and open new markets . new opportunities might open up , mostly with surrounding markets like romania , bulgaria , greece and croatia , ' he said . read more : building learning blocks at lego school boehi added : we do n't see actually countries like germany , switzerland [ and ] the uk as a real opportunity for us ... these markets are saturated . ' while serbia aspires to eu membership , such a move will also provide challenges . watch more : can italy improve competitiveness serbia 's minimum wage , at $ 1.36 an hour , is one of the lowest in europe , and comes in below china , malaysia and the philippines . the country is also struggling with its rising unemployment levels . entry into the eu has raised fears the country 's educated youth will flee to better economies within europe . wage costs will go up , this is clear , but the way we will deal with that is not laying off people . it is by simply organizing ourselves in a better way , ' boehi told cnn . we are paying more than others and the competition will slowly , slowly need to ... adjust to that and come up to the same level . so , it will go up but that is part of life . ' | serbia 's minimum wage , at $ 1.36 an hour , is one of the lowest in europe , and comes in below china |
aftermath project <tsp> ( cnn ) it 's a major european waterway that rivals the volga , the rhine and the danube . now , deadly fighting in ukraine has transformed the dnieper into something much more than a river . it has become a cultural symbol of a deeply divided nation . along its winding path — and elsewhere — polish photojournalist justyna mielnikiewicz met people whose lives have been profoundly changed since fighting erupted last year between ukrainian government forces and pro-russia rebels . despite a shaky ceasefire , which was reached last september , sporadic fighting continues . i 'm trying to show the amazing unbroken spirit of people which are united and determined to fight for what they believe , ' mielnikiewicz told cnn on the phone this week . her camera captured fascinating people linked to the conflict : a masked fighter brandishing a piece of wood shaped like a rifle , children wearing paramilitary uniforms standing at attention , a young couple dramatically embracing in the midst of an intense protest . mielnikiewicz also photographed landscapes reflecting the mood of the region : a cable car suspended over the mighty dnieper , giant concrete wave-breakers blocking a road , and a protest billboard depicting russian president vladimir putin wearing a hitler-style mustache . the dnieper basically slices ukraine into two parts — east and west — as it flows roughly north to south connecting the capital , kiev , to the black sea . the farther east of the river you go , residents tend to lean toward pro-russia rebels . the farther west of the river , people are more likely to support the government . i 'm trying to keep a wider perspective , ' mielnikiewicz said , mindful that although the fighting has been limited to relatively small regions , it has very much affected people nationwide . before the ceasefire , an august report from the united nations said at least 2,220 people had been killed since mid-april 2014 . at least 5,956 had been wounded , the report said , not including the 298 victims of malaysian airlines flight 17 , which was shot down over the region in july . russia annexed ukraine 's semi-autonomous region of crimea in march , supported by crimea 's ethnic russian majority . putin said russia was protecting crimea . but international opponents called it a land grab and slapped russia with economic sanctions . photographing people in war-torn countries was n't what mielnikiewicz had in mind when she first envisioned her career . she said she started as a very socially engaged person in general ' who aspired to become a painter . in a sense , photography can combine those two things , ' she said . you can be a socially engaged artist — being a photographer . what interests me in photography is it can be a tool to be able to talk to people — to discover their stories — to tell their stories . ' she trained to become a film critic , she said . but eventually mielnikiewicz knew she wanted to watch dramatic events unfold in real life , instead of on the silver screen . her ukraine photos won mielnikiewicz a grant from the u.s.-based aftermath project , which encourages photographers to tell stories about the aftermath of conflict . she hopes she 'll be able to return to ukraine this year , to reunite with the people she met and see how their lives have changed . the ceasefire , mielnikiewicz said , does n't seem to be working well . and the fighting ? it does n't look like there 's an end to it . ' nonetheless , she said she 's discovered firsthand something that ukrainians seem to share . the strength of ukraine is really amazing — the determination , ' she said . not just talking about the war , i think they 're a very strong people . ' justyna mielnikiewicz is a photographer based in tbilisi , georgia . you can follow her on instagram . | her ukraine photos won a grant from the u.s.-based aftermath project |
yahoo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- under ceo marissa mayer , yahoo might still be trying to shed its image as a relic of the 1990s internet era . but hey , it 's getting a new logo ! yahoo announced wednesday that it will unveil a new corporate logo september 4 -- the first such change since the company was founded 18 years ago . the new look will retain the current purple color scheme and , yes , its trademark exclamation point . yodel away , yahoo fans . over the past year , there 's been a renewed sense of purpose and progress at yahoo ! , and we want everything we do to reflect this spirit of innovation , ' chief marketing officer kathy savitt wrote in a blog post . while the company is rapidly evolving , our logo †” the essence of our brand †” should too . ' to build some buzz around the new logo , the internet company will display a different variation of the logo on its homepage and throughout its network in the united states for each of the next 30 days . the first example , shown above , opts for a more streamlined look , although the second o ' is larger than the first , reflecting -- in yahoo 's words -- the company 's fun , vibrant , and welcoming ' character . the variations on the new logo -- this video clip offers a potential preview -- also will be showcased each day on yahoo 's twitter account ( # dailylogo ) . mayer has been working to reinvent the struggling yahoo since she took over leadership of the company in july of last year . in the past 12 months yahoo has bought more than 16 startups , including the popular tumblr blogging platform , and reinvigorated its older brands such as photo site flickr . under her reign , yahoo 's stock price has climbed from $ 15 to almost $ 30 ( it 's currently at $ 27 ) , although some analysts remain skeptical about the company 's long-term fortunes . yahoo 's rebranding follows similar logo changes by other aging internet giants , including aol , ebay and microsoft . the new logo will be a modern redesign that 's more reflective of our reimagined design and new experiences , ' savitt said . | yahoo will unveil a new corporate logo september 4 |
yahoo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- under ceo marissa mayer , yahoo might still be trying to shed its image as a relic of the 1990s internet era . but hey , it 's getting a new logo ! yahoo announced wednesday that it will unveil a new corporate logo september 4 -- the first such change since the company was founded 18 years ago . the new look will retain the current purple color scheme and , yes , its trademark exclamation point . yodel away , yahoo fans . over the past year , there 's been a renewed sense of purpose and progress at yahoo ! , and we want everything we do to reflect this spirit of innovation , ' chief marketing officer kathy savitt wrote in a blog post . while the company is rapidly evolving , our logo †” the essence of our brand †” should too . ' to build some buzz around the new logo , the internet company will display a different variation of the logo on its homepage and throughout its network in the united states for each of the next 30 days . the first example , shown above , opts for a more streamlined look , although the second o ' is larger than the first , reflecting -- in yahoo 's words -- the company 's fun , vibrant , and welcoming ' character . the variations on the new logo -- this video clip offers a potential preview -- also will be showcased each day on yahoo 's twitter account ( # dailylogo ) . mayer has been working to reinvent the struggling yahoo since she took over leadership of the company in july of last year . in the past 12 months yahoo has bought more than 16 startups , including the popular tumblr blogging platform , and reinvigorated its older brands such as photo site flickr . under her reign , yahoo 's stock price has climbed from $ 15 to almost $ 30 ( it 's currently at $ 27 ) , although some analysts remain skeptical about the company 's long-term fortunes . yahoo 's rebranding follows similar logo changes by other aging internet giants , including aol , ebay and microsoft . the new logo will be a modern redesign that 's more reflective of our reimagined design and new experiences , ' savitt said . | yahoo will display a different variation of the logo for each of the next 30 days |
india <tsp> editor 's note : c. christine fair is a political scientist at the rand corporation specializing in south asian politics and military affairs . rand is a nonprofit institution that conducts research and provides analysis to address challenges facing the united states and the world . christine fair says the mumbai attacks highlighted sources of violence in the region . ( cnn ) -- as the last mumbai sites were being cleared of terrorists , grim signs emerged of the challenges that face india and pakistan . unfortunately , beginning to know what the mumbai attack was -- and what it was not -- only augurs more violence for india . at least three factors are at play . first , the fact that the attacks thus far have been attributed largely to pakistani terrorists does n't mean that india 's internal challenges are less dire . indian officials first claimed , based upon the reported testimony of the only surviving gunman , that the attack was perpetrated by 10 pakistanis associated with the pakistan-based lashkar-e-tayyiba , acting without the assistance of local facilitators . in recent days , indian officials have embraced the possibility that indians may have helped support the grisly attack . indeed , india will continue to confront an expanding array of internal foes . until recently , india has generally dismissed the importance of home-grown islamist militant groups and has focused instead upon the pakistan-based groups . many within and without india have claimed that india 's democratic institutions provide muslims and other marginalized social groups political means to redress their grievances . yet this narrative obscures the fact that many foreign terrorists have long relied upon indians for logistical support , and disregards the increasing participation of indian personnel in india 's other recent attacks . persistent social inequity for muslims and other groups remains an important issue for the indian state . muslims in india are less likely to be educated and employed in government service and more likely to be poor . they face episodic but large-scale violence . second , india will remain a target of pakistan-based terrorism , and not only within its borders . the indian embassy in kabul was attacked last summer with the involvement of the pakistani government 's interservices intelligence directorate ( isi ) , according to american intelligence officials . indian workers in afghanistan also have been killed by militants there . many pakistanis believe that the british should have awarded the muslim-majority state of kashmir to pakistan when it partitioned the subcontinent and withdrew from south asia . instead , its local leadership decided to join india . pakistan has initiated three limited wars over kashmir and has sustained a proxy war for nearly two decades . indeed , most of the islamist terrorist groups operating in and on behalf of liberating ' kashmir were raised and directed by pakistan 's isi . yet the u.s. government has only episodically insisted that pakistan eliminate all militant groups operating in and from pakistan . rather , it first focused its attention on al qaeda and , in more recent years , the taliban . no consistent message has been given about the militant groups that have largely set their sights on kashmir and the indian hinterland . yet these groups have tremendous ability to attack and destabilize the region , as underscored by the near-war that developed after the december 2001 attack upon the indian parliament by pakistan-based militants . the deaths of americans in mumbai may have focused the attention of the american public , but lashkar-e-tayyiba has been targeting american and nato forces in the kunar and nuristan provinces of northeastern afghanistan for the last year . pakistan 's inability or unwillingness to eliminate all militant groups within its borders should have been viewed as an outrage before the mumbai massacre . since 2002 , pakistan has received some $ 12 billion from washington , nearly half of it reimbursements for pakistan 's participation in the war on terror . yet the international community is paralyzed and unable to forge a comprehensive approach to compel pakistan to eliminate militancy , fearing variously that pressure will alienate pakistan , destabilize the fragile democracy or undermine u.s. interests with a surge in nuclear proliferation . others suggest that pakistan no longer controls the militant groups it spawned and note that pakistan too is a victim of terrorism . third , india has not made adequate investments in its internal security infrastructure . it should reform its often corrupt and poorly trained and equipped police , expand their numbers and restructure their pay . india should also continue developing rapid-action counter-terrorism forces that are more dispersed across the country . it took some nine hours for india 's well-trained national security guards to reach mumbai , in part because they had no dedicated aircraft for their movements . mumbai and other coastal cities remain vulnerable to attack by sea . india has been battling dozens of insurgencies and terrorist campaigns since its emergence as an independent state in 1947 , yet it has failed to forge an appropriate strategy to deal with these challenges . india must improve social justice , provide better policing and law enforcement , harden targets where possible , and bolster intelligence capabilities and interagency coordination . the international community should deal forthrightly with pakistan . pakistan should detain suspects , clamp down on the raft of militant groups in its territory and cooperate fully with new delhi . perhaps interpol may be a productive agency to use , since both states are members . even if pakistan can not remand suspects to india for political reasons , it could try them in pakistani courts , provided that india can provide evidence of their guilt . more than 10 days after the assault and under considerable international pressure , pakistan has arrested activists associated with the organization . while this is an important step , pakistan has not proscribed lashkar-e-tayyiba ( now jamaat ul dawa ) , much less shut it down , and its leadership remains at large . even if these arrests temper indian sentiments , they fall short of eliminating the group 's ability to operate . on all sides , the time for excuses is long past . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of christine fair . | she says india is not well-prepared to respond to violent upheaval |
india <tsp> editor 's note : c. christine fair is a political scientist at the rand corporation specializing in south asian politics and military affairs . rand is a nonprofit institution that conducts research and provides analysis to address challenges facing the united states and the world . christine fair says the mumbai attacks highlighted sources of violence in the region . ( cnn ) -- as the last mumbai sites were being cleared of terrorists , grim signs emerged of the challenges that face india and pakistan . unfortunately , beginning to know what the mumbai attack was -- and what it was not -- only augurs more violence for india . at least three factors are at play . first , the fact that the attacks thus far have been attributed largely to pakistani terrorists does n't mean that india 's internal challenges are less dire . indian officials first claimed , based upon the reported testimony of the only surviving gunman , that the attack was perpetrated by 10 pakistanis associated with the pakistan-based lashkar-e-tayyiba , acting without the assistance of local facilitators . in recent days , indian officials have embraced the possibility that indians may have helped support the grisly attack . indeed , india will continue to confront an expanding array of internal foes . until recently , india has generally dismissed the importance of home-grown islamist militant groups and has focused instead upon the pakistan-based groups . many within and without india have claimed that india 's democratic institutions provide muslims and other marginalized social groups political means to redress their grievances . yet this narrative obscures the fact that many foreign terrorists have long relied upon indians for logistical support , and disregards the increasing participation of indian personnel in india 's other recent attacks . persistent social inequity for muslims and other groups remains an important issue for the indian state . muslims in india are less likely to be educated and employed in government service and more likely to be poor . they face episodic but large-scale violence . second , india will remain a target of pakistan-based terrorism , and not only within its borders . the indian embassy in kabul was attacked last summer with the involvement of the pakistani government 's interservices intelligence directorate ( isi ) , according to american intelligence officials . indian workers in afghanistan also have been killed by militants there . many pakistanis believe that the british should have awarded the muslim-majority state of kashmir to pakistan when it partitioned the subcontinent and withdrew from south asia . instead , its local leadership decided to join india . pakistan has initiated three limited wars over kashmir and has sustained a proxy war for nearly two decades . indeed , most of the islamist terrorist groups operating in and on behalf of liberating ' kashmir were raised and directed by pakistan 's isi . yet the u.s. government has only episodically insisted that pakistan eliminate all militant groups operating in and from pakistan . rather , it first focused its attention on al qaeda and , in more recent years , the taliban . no consistent message has been given about the militant groups that have largely set their sights on kashmir and the indian hinterland . yet these groups have tremendous ability to attack and destabilize the region , as underscored by the near-war that developed after the december 2001 attack upon the indian parliament by pakistan-based militants . the deaths of americans in mumbai may have focused the attention of the american public , but lashkar-e-tayyiba has been targeting american and nato forces in the kunar and nuristan provinces of northeastern afghanistan for the last year . pakistan 's inability or unwillingness to eliminate all militant groups within its borders should have been viewed as an outrage before the mumbai massacre . since 2002 , pakistan has received some $ 12 billion from washington , nearly half of it reimbursements for pakistan 's participation in the war on terror . yet the international community is paralyzed and unable to forge a comprehensive approach to compel pakistan to eliminate militancy , fearing variously that pressure will alienate pakistan , destabilize the fragile democracy or undermine u.s. interests with a surge in nuclear proliferation . others suggest that pakistan no longer controls the militant groups it spawned and note that pakistan too is a victim of terrorism . third , india has not made adequate investments in its internal security infrastructure . it should reform its often corrupt and poorly trained and equipped police , expand their numbers and restructure their pay . india should also continue developing rapid-action counter-terrorism forces that are more dispersed across the country . it took some nine hours for india 's well-trained national security guards to reach mumbai , in part because they had no dedicated aircraft for their movements . mumbai and other coastal cities remain vulnerable to attack by sea . india has been battling dozens of insurgencies and terrorist campaigns since its emergence as an independent state in 1947 , yet it has failed to forge an appropriate strategy to deal with these challenges . india must improve social justice , provide better policing and law enforcement , harden targets where possible , and bolster intelligence capabilities and interagency coordination . the international community should deal forthrightly with pakistan . pakistan should detain suspects , clamp down on the raft of militant groups in its territory and cooperate fully with new delhi . perhaps interpol may be a productive agency to use , since both states are members . even if pakistan can not remand suspects to india for political reasons , it could try them in pakistani courts , provided that india can provide evidence of their guilt . more than 10 days after the assault and under considerable international pressure , pakistan has arrested activists associated with the organization . while this is an important step , pakistan has not proscribed lashkar-e-tayyiba ( now jamaat ul dawa ) , much less shut it down , and its leadership remains at large . even if these arrests temper indian sentiments , they fall short of eliminating the group 's ability to operate . on all sides , the time for excuses is long past . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of christine fair . | fair : inequality gives rise to grievances among india 's muslim population |
sauer <tsp> editor 's note : cnn contributor bob greene is a best-selling author whose new book is late edition : a love story . ' bob greene says logan , ohio , paid an extraordinary tribute to its most dedicated football fan . ( cnn ) -- yes , it 's all gone now , ' craig dunn told me the other day . if you 're not from around here , you 'd never know it was ever there . ' dunn is the sports editor of the logan , ohio , daily news , a paper with a small circulation ( around 4,000 ) and a small news staff ( five people put the paper out , covering the entire county ) . last fall , when i was crisscrossing the country on the cnn election express , i spoke with dunn about the town 's high school football stadium , which was being demolished . bill sauer field , it was called . the story i wrote appeared briefly on the political ticker and then went away quickly ; there was so much rapidly breaking news coming out of the presidential campaign that the story was little more than a blip . yet i found myself , during the last year , thinking about bill sauer field , and logan , ohio , and how it 's possible for all of us , if we make the effort , to find the best in ourselves -- to find the best in each other . i find myself thinking about bill sauer , and about what that little town did for him , more than i think about almost anything else on which i reported during our long journey through america . and so , with a new football season beginning all across the united states , i spoke with craig dunn again the other afternoon . when i drive by the place where it used to be , it 's not with a sense of sadness , ' he said . it 's with pride for what this town once did . ' bill sauer field was the core of public life in logan . the town , population 7,300 , gravitated to the old stadium on friday nights in autumns to watch the high school team , the chieftains , play their games . and who was bill sauer ? a self-made millionaire from the community who had bestowed the stadium upon the town ? a prominent local politician ? a long-gone logan football hero ? no . bill sauer was born in logan more than 100 years ago -- in 1908 . from the time he was a little boy , he could not walk . he spoke with great difficulty . his parents , desperate , searched for answers . logan was and is a rural community , and back then sophisticated medical diagnoses were not easy to come by . his mother and father were eventually told that the boy had cerebral palsy . he attended public school in logan . it was not easy , of course . he was 23 by the time he graduated from logan high school . then , as now , the boys who were strong and swift and athletically graceful were the ones most celebrated . bill could not even take a step on his own . but he loved the logan sports teams , and he took pride in supporting them . football , basketball , track and field -- he never missed a game , and he seldom missed a practice session . he would be there on the sidelines , sitting in his wheelchair , cheering for his classmates . his life did n't get any less arduous after he graduated . his father died . it became incumbent upon bill to support himself and his mother . he sold christmas cards ; he sold magazine subscriptions . at the town 's swimming pool , he ran the concessions stand . his philosophy of life , craig dunn told me , was basic : however often you get knocked down , you get back up one more time . bill sauer grew older . new generations of healthy and talented young athletes played for the logan chieftains on friday nights . no matter the weather , no matter how he was feeling , bill was always there . the logan football stadium had been constructed in 1925 . it was the heart of the town ; it was what made the community feel like a community . in 1975 , there was a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the stadium . on that night , it was renamed . for him . for bill . the whole town had fallen in love with him . all of the quarterbacks who had ever thrown touchdown passes in that stadium , all of the linebackers who had ever made jarring tackles , all of the field goal kickers who had ever won games for logan as the scoreboard clock ticked down ... and the place was renamed for the boy who could never run a single stride . as the years went by , when visiting teams would come to town , few of the opposing players would have any idea why the stadium in logan bore the name that it did . that did n't matter . logan knew . bill knew . he never married or had a family . he kept going to the games , sitting on the sidelines , right up until his death in 1988 . the town , by honoring him the way it did , had given his life meaning , and contentment , and joy . the decades after his death passed ; the stadium grew too old , too outmoded . finally , by last year , there could be no more delay . it was time to tear down bill sauer field . it has vanished now . the new athletic complex -- logan chieftain stadium , it is called -- has risen out near state route 328 . craig dunn , the sports editor , spends his friday nights in the fall covering the games there . plans are in the works , he said , to erect a plaque at the new stadium in memory of the lifelong fortitude of the town 's most faithful fan . they want the plaque to be in a place where the logan players can see it as they run onto the field for every game , ' dunn said . they want to make sure that bill is never forgotten . ' this can be a mean old world sometimes . but other times , when you least expect it , it can light you up . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | he says sauer had cerebral palsy and a challenging life |
sauer <tsp> editor 's note : cnn contributor bob greene is a best-selling author whose new book is late edition : a love story . ' bob greene says logan , ohio , paid an extraordinary tribute to its most dedicated football fan . ( cnn ) -- yes , it 's all gone now , ' craig dunn told me the other day . if you 're not from around here , you 'd never know it was ever there . ' dunn is the sports editor of the logan , ohio , daily news , a paper with a small circulation ( around 4,000 ) and a small news staff ( five people put the paper out , covering the entire county ) . last fall , when i was crisscrossing the country on the cnn election express , i spoke with dunn about the town 's high school football stadium , which was being demolished . bill sauer field , it was called . the story i wrote appeared briefly on the political ticker and then went away quickly ; there was so much rapidly breaking news coming out of the presidential campaign that the story was little more than a blip . yet i found myself , during the last year , thinking about bill sauer field , and logan , ohio , and how it 's possible for all of us , if we make the effort , to find the best in ourselves -- to find the best in each other . i find myself thinking about bill sauer , and about what that little town did for him , more than i think about almost anything else on which i reported during our long journey through america . and so , with a new football season beginning all across the united states , i spoke with craig dunn again the other afternoon . when i drive by the place where it used to be , it 's not with a sense of sadness , ' he said . it 's with pride for what this town once did . ' bill sauer field was the core of public life in logan . the town , population 7,300 , gravitated to the old stadium on friday nights in autumns to watch the high school team , the chieftains , play their games . and who was bill sauer ? a self-made millionaire from the community who had bestowed the stadium upon the town ? a prominent local politician ? a long-gone logan football hero ? no . bill sauer was born in logan more than 100 years ago -- in 1908 . from the time he was a little boy , he could not walk . he spoke with great difficulty . his parents , desperate , searched for answers . logan was and is a rural community , and back then sophisticated medical diagnoses were not easy to come by . his mother and father were eventually told that the boy had cerebral palsy . he attended public school in logan . it was not easy , of course . he was 23 by the time he graduated from logan high school . then , as now , the boys who were strong and swift and athletically graceful were the ones most celebrated . bill could not even take a step on his own . but he loved the logan sports teams , and he took pride in supporting them . football , basketball , track and field -- he never missed a game , and he seldom missed a practice session . he would be there on the sidelines , sitting in his wheelchair , cheering for his classmates . his life did n't get any less arduous after he graduated . his father died . it became incumbent upon bill to support himself and his mother . he sold christmas cards ; he sold magazine subscriptions . at the town 's swimming pool , he ran the concessions stand . his philosophy of life , craig dunn told me , was basic : however often you get knocked down , you get back up one more time . bill sauer grew older . new generations of healthy and talented young athletes played for the logan chieftains on friday nights . no matter the weather , no matter how he was feeling , bill was always there . the logan football stadium had been constructed in 1925 . it was the heart of the town ; it was what made the community feel like a community . in 1975 , there was a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the stadium . on that night , it was renamed . for him . for bill . the whole town had fallen in love with him . all of the quarterbacks who had ever thrown touchdown passes in that stadium , all of the linebackers who had ever made jarring tackles , all of the field goal kickers who had ever won games for logan as the scoreboard clock ticked down ... and the place was renamed for the boy who could never run a single stride . as the years went by , when visiting teams would come to town , few of the opposing players would have any idea why the stadium in logan bore the name that it did . that did n't matter . logan knew . bill knew . he never married or had a family . he kept going to the games , sitting on the sidelines , right up until his death in 1988 . the town , by honoring him the way it did , had given his life meaning , and contentment , and joy . the decades after his death passed ; the stadium grew too old , too outmoded . finally , by last year , there could be no more delay . it was time to tear down bill sauer field . it has vanished now . the new athletic complex -- logan chieftain stadium , it is called -- has risen out near state route 328 . craig dunn , the sports editor , spends his friday nights in the fall covering the games there . plans are in the works , he said , to erect a plaque at the new stadium in memory of the lifelong fortitude of the town 's most faithful fan . they want the plaque to be in a place where the logan players can see it as they run onto the field for every game , ' dunn said . they want to make sure that bill is never forgotten . ' this can be a mean old world sometimes . but other times , when you least expect it , it can light you up . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | bob greene : bill sauer was a dedicated fan of his small-town football team |
sauer <tsp> editor 's note : cnn contributor bob greene is a best-selling author whose new book is late edition : a love story . ' bob greene says logan , ohio , paid an extraordinary tribute to its most dedicated football fan . ( cnn ) -- yes , it 's all gone now , ' craig dunn told me the other day . if you 're not from around here , you 'd never know it was ever there . ' dunn is the sports editor of the logan , ohio , daily news , a paper with a small circulation ( around 4,000 ) and a small news staff ( five people put the paper out , covering the entire county ) . last fall , when i was crisscrossing the country on the cnn election express , i spoke with dunn about the town 's high school football stadium , which was being demolished . bill sauer field , it was called . the story i wrote appeared briefly on the political ticker and then went away quickly ; there was so much rapidly breaking news coming out of the presidential campaign that the story was little more than a blip . yet i found myself , during the last year , thinking about bill sauer field , and logan , ohio , and how it 's possible for all of us , if we make the effort , to find the best in ourselves -- to find the best in each other . i find myself thinking about bill sauer , and about what that little town did for him , more than i think about almost anything else on which i reported during our long journey through america . and so , with a new football season beginning all across the united states , i spoke with craig dunn again the other afternoon . when i drive by the place where it used to be , it 's not with a sense of sadness , ' he said . it 's with pride for what this town once did . ' bill sauer field was the core of public life in logan . the town , population 7,300 , gravitated to the old stadium on friday nights in autumns to watch the high school team , the chieftains , play their games . and who was bill sauer ? a self-made millionaire from the community who had bestowed the stadium upon the town ? a prominent local politician ? a long-gone logan football hero ? no . bill sauer was born in logan more than 100 years ago -- in 1908 . from the time he was a little boy , he could not walk . he spoke with great difficulty . his parents , desperate , searched for answers . logan was and is a rural community , and back then sophisticated medical diagnoses were not easy to come by . his mother and father were eventually told that the boy had cerebral palsy . he attended public school in logan . it was not easy , of course . he was 23 by the time he graduated from logan high school . then , as now , the boys who were strong and swift and athletically graceful were the ones most celebrated . bill could not even take a step on his own . but he loved the logan sports teams , and he took pride in supporting them . football , basketball , track and field -- he never missed a game , and he seldom missed a practice session . he would be there on the sidelines , sitting in his wheelchair , cheering for his classmates . his life did n't get any less arduous after he graduated . his father died . it became incumbent upon bill to support himself and his mother . he sold christmas cards ; he sold magazine subscriptions . at the town 's swimming pool , he ran the concessions stand . his philosophy of life , craig dunn told me , was basic : however often you get knocked down , you get back up one more time . bill sauer grew older . new generations of healthy and talented young athletes played for the logan chieftains on friday nights . no matter the weather , no matter how he was feeling , bill was always there . the logan football stadium had been constructed in 1925 . it was the heart of the town ; it was what made the community feel like a community . in 1975 , there was a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the stadium . on that night , it was renamed . for him . for bill . the whole town had fallen in love with him . all of the quarterbacks who had ever thrown touchdown passes in that stadium , all of the linebackers who had ever made jarring tackles , all of the field goal kickers who had ever won games for logan as the scoreboard clock ticked down ... and the place was renamed for the boy who could never run a single stride . as the years went by , when visiting teams would come to town , few of the opposing players would have any idea why the stadium in logan bore the name that it did . that did n't matter . logan knew . bill knew . he never married or had a family . he kept going to the games , sitting on the sidelines , right up until his death in 1988 . the town , by honoring him the way it did , had given his life meaning , and contentment , and joy . the decades after his death passed ; the stadium grew too old , too outmoded . finally , by last year , there could be no more delay . it was time to tear down bill sauer field . it has vanished now . the new athletic complex -- logan chieftain stadium , it is called -- has risen out near state route 328 . craig dunn , the sports editor , spends his friday nights in the fall covering the games there . plans are in the works , he said , to erect a plaque at the new stadium in memory of the lifelong fortitude of the town 's most faithful fan . they want the plaque to be in a place where the logan players can see it as they run onto the field for every game , ' dunn said . they want to make sure that bill is never forgotten . ' this can be a mean old world sometimes . but other times , when you least expect it , it can light you up . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | greene : sauer was n't a football star , a millionaire or a politician |
mackenzie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- can you possibly let me have , at any rate , five hundred dollars to keep us out of the poor house ? ' these are not the words you expect to hear from a man who designed one of the world 's most famous golf courses . dr. alister mackenzie , the brains behind augusta national 's revered contours and curves -- elegantly showcased each year by the masters -- died pleading poverty in 1934 and begging for his fee . he never even saw his finished work before his death , which came less than three months before the first masters tournament was held . i have been reduced to playing golf with four clubs , ' he wrote in a letter to augusta national , recorded in the making of the masters , ' a book by david owen commissioned by the club . i am at the end of my tether , no-one has paid me a cent since last june , we have mortgaged everything we have and have not yet been able to pay the nursing expenses of my wife 's operation . ' mackenzie , a physician turned golf architect , had embarked on a pilgrimage that had taken him from a modest town in northern england to the pacific coast in california . his journey incorporated a stint in the boer war , which influenced his underpinning principles of course design , and saw his work evolve during the boom and bust years of the 1920s . by the time he was enlisted to build a championship course for all of america by its biggest sports star of the age , mackenzie was the preeminent golf architect of his time . bobby jones had won the grand slam as an amateur in 1930 -- capturing all four major tournaments in the calendar year -- before he stunned the public by announcing his retirement aged just 28 . he determined to construct an exclusive golf course in the sun-blushed south of the united states that would offer him twin benefits : sanctuary from his fame and a healthy stream of income . but though jones declared himself delighted with the finished product , and its architect trumpeted augusta as his finest creation , mackenzie was almost destitute by the time he died . he halved his fee to $ 5,000 in a bid to be paid quickly , but clawed back just $ 2,000 , with several other golf courses also slow to settle their debts . it was symptomatic of the financial difficulties augusta encountered in its fledgling years , exacerbated by the great depression , a fact that seems inconceivable given the club 's towering strength in the present day . augusta struggled a lot in the early years and found it very hard to attract members they wanted , ' adam lawrence , editor of golf course architecture magazine , told cnn . they were really struggling for money . mackenzie did n't get full payment paid for his work at augusta -- until he died he was writing letters asking perhaps they could send part of the fee . mackenzie divorced his first wife and was living what would appear to be an expensive lifestyle in california . he was basically bankrupt when he died . there were a lot of golf architects from that time who were the same . most seemed to be terrible businessmen and there were a few bad habits like too much booze flying around . ' humble beginnings mackenzie 's portrait still watches over the course where his maverick design ideas were first put into practice over 100 years ago . despite the odd tweak , alwoodley golf club -- just outside the city of leeds in the north of england -- still boasts many of the original characteristics conceived by the scot . as nick leefe , secretary of the alister mackenzie society , told cnn , the physician 's long-held affection for the game even permeated some of his diagnoses . how frequently have i , with great difficulty , persuaded patients who were never off my doorstep to take up golf , and how rarely , if ever , have i seen them in my consulting rooms again ! ' mackenzie is reported to have proclaimed . this love of golf sparked an interest in course architecture after a period serving during the second boer war , between the british and the south african republic , at the turn of the 20th century . the attitude of the boers towards camouflage got him interested in disguise and trickery , ' leefe explains . people suggest this is the reason he came back after the war and took an interest in golf design . ' when a group of businessman joined together in 1907 to build alwoodley , mackenzie presented his designs and had them rubber-stamped by harry colt -- another famed architect of the age who worked as a consultant on the project . mackenzie 's fundamental belief was that a good golf course should provide a stern test for a good player but not prove impossible for average players . also included in his manifesto was an insistence that a player should be required to utilize a variety of shots to prosper and that every hole should have a different character where possible . among the more eccentric attributes listed was the suggestion that though the course should be sufficiently undulating , there should be no hill climbing , and that a complete absence of irritation caused by looking for lost balls was preferable . alwoodley is very proud indeed because we have the original mackenzie design and we are very proud to introduce people to it , ' leefe says . mackenzie was a pioneer and went on to become one of the best known architects of his time . he 's become much more famous after his death and the golfing public have realized what great courses he 's made . there are a lot of the original mackenzie characteristics on show at alwoodley . we try our best when we restore the course or renovate course to keep to the original design of which we have a copy . ' augusta national mackenzie had carved a formidable reputation for himself by the time he left for the united states in 1926 . but it was his work on the californian coast that would pique the interest of bobby jones and lead to his most memorable tender -- designing augusta national . many believe mackenzie 's true masterpiece to be cypress point , which he designed to complement its proximity to the rugged pacific ocean coastline . by the time jones had completed his first round on the monterey peninsula he vowed to employ mackenzie to build his very own course . it seemed the logical choice , given how closely their vision for the ideal golf course was . we believe that no good golf hole exists that does not afford a proper and convenient solution to the average golfer and the short player , as well as to the more powerful and accurate expert , ' jones was reported as saying . but by the time $ 100,000 had been spent transforming an augusta fruit plantation into a golf course , the political and financial landscape had changed dramatically thanks to the stock market crash of 1929 . the exuberant flourishes on show via a series of elaborate bunkers at cypress point and another of mackenzie 's fabled courses -- royal melbourne in australia -- gave way to a more modest design in which contour was king . originally , augusta was light on bunkers -- it has many more today than it used to have , ' says lawrence . augusta was one of the very last things mackenzie did before he died and it seems he was moving away from those flashy bunkers . he was working in a style that was appropriate of the era of depression when augusta was built . it was n't about sand or water -- what defined it were the contours of the land . you can take a flag stick and put in a flat area and it 's a very easy golf hole ; you can put it behind a little hump and it 's an almost impossible golf hole . ' the genius of augusta in those early years of struggle , the notion of augusta preparing to host the 78th installment of the masters in 2014 would have seemed quite fanciful . as owen reports in the making of the masters , ' let alone having the funds to pay mackenzie for his design , the club could barely cover its staff 's $ 200 weekly wage bill in the early 1930s . the idea to create a yearly tournament , initially called the augusta national invitational tournament , helped stave off the threat of financial ruin and generated plenty of interest when jones came out of retirement to play in the first one . but what really catapulted the club into the public 's consciousness was gene sarazen 's shot heard around the world ' during the 1935 event . the american was trailing the leaders by three shots when his double eagle on the par-five 15th hole helped him cut the deficit with one stroke , paving the way for his eventual win in a playoff . that landmark moment is testament to the principals upon which mackenzie 's design was built . various tweaks over the years have stripped many of his original features from the course , most of them dictated by the modern player 's ability to hit the ball over a hundred yards further than their predecessors . but as owen wrote : mackenzie 's and jones'ideas about golf course design continue to define the masters in ways that modern golf fans may not fully appreciate . ' the pair 's commitment to break from the culture of golf design at the time -- which penalized poor shots harshly -- has engendered some of the greatest finishes in major golf . as owen makes clear , the plentiful birdie and eagle opportunities down the closing stretch discourage any conservatism , as anyone in with a sniff of winning charges for the finish line . but it 's not just at augusta that mackenzie 's legacy is felt -- an estimated 100 clubs as far afield as buenos aires and blackpool have been touch by his hand . mackenzie is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in terms of the evolution of golf course design , ' lawrence says . augusta , cypress point and royal melbourne are three courses that would typically be in the top 10 in the world in most rankings , and the fact all three courses have mackenzie 's footprint is pretty impressive . ' mackenzie may be long gone , but he lives on in the soul of golf courses the world over . explore : augusta interactive | mackenzie never received full payment for his work and died before first masters was held |
mackenzie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- can you possibly let me have , at any rate , five hundred dollars to keep us out of the poor house ? ' these are not the words you expect to hear from a man who designed one of the world 's most famous golf courses . dr. alister mackenzie , the brains behind augusta national 's revered contours and curves -- elegantly showcased each year by the masters -- died pleading poverty in 1934 and begging for his fee . he never even saw his finished work before his death , which came less than three months before the first masters tournament was held . i have been reduced to playing golf with four clubs , ' he wrote in a letter to augusta national , recorded in the making of the masters , ' a book by david owen commissioned by the club . i am at the end of my tether , no-one has paid me a cent since last june , we have mortgaged everything we have and have not yet been able to pay the nursing expenses of my wife 's operation . ' mackenzie , a physician turned golf architect , had embarked on a pilgrimage that had taken him from a modest town in northern england to the pacific coast in california . his journey incorporated a stint in the boer war , which influenced his underpinning principles of course design , and saw his work evolve during the boom and bust years of the 1920s . by the time he was enlisted to build a championship course for all of america by its biggest sports star of the age , mackenzie was the preeminent golf architect of his time . bobby jones had won the grand slam as an amateur in 1930 -- capturing all four major tournaments in the calendar year -- before he stunned the public by announcing his retirement aged just 28 . he determined to construct an exclusive golf course in the sun-blushed south of the united states that would offer him twin benefits : sanctuary from his fame and a healthy stream of income . but though jones declared himself delighted with the finished product , and its architect trumpeted augusta as his finest creation , mackenzie was almost destitute by the time he died . he halved his fee to $ 5,000 in a bid to be paid quickly , but clawed back just $ 2,000 , with several other golf courses also slow to settle their debts . it was symptomatic of the financial difficulties augusta encountered in its fledgling years , exacerbated by the great depression , a fact that seems inconceivable given the club 's towering strength in the present day . augusta struggled a lot in the early years and found it very hard to attract members they wanted , ' adam lawrence , editor of golf course architecture magazine , told cnn . they were really struggling for money . mackenzie did n't get full payment paid for his work at augusta -- until he died he was writing letters asking perhaps they could send part of the fee . mackenzie divorced his first wife and was living what would appear to be an expensive lifestyle in california . he was basically bankrupt when he died . there were a lot of golf architects from that time who were the same . most seemed to be terrible businessmen and there were a few bad habits like too much booze flying around . ' humble beginnings mackenzie 's portrait still watches over the course where his maverick design ideas were first put into practice over 100 years ago . despite the odd tweak , alwoodley golf club -- just outside the city of leeds in the north of england -- still boasts many of the original characteristics conceived by the scot . as nick leefe , secretary of the alister mackenzie society , told cnn , the physician 's long-held affection for the game even permeated some of his diagnoses . how frequently have i , with great difficulty , persuaded patients who were never off my doorstep to take up golf , and how rarely , if ever , have i seen them in my consulting rooms again ! ' mackenzie is reported to have proclaimed . this love of golf sparked an interest in course architecture after a period serving during the second boer war , between the british and the south african republic , at the turn of the 20th century . the attitude of the boers towards camouflage got him interested in disguise and trickery , ' leefe explains . people suggest this is the reason he came back after the war and took an interest in golf design . ' when a group of businessman joined together in 1907 to build alwoodley , mackenzie presented his designs and had them rubber-stamped by harry colt -- another famed architect of the age who worked as a consultant on the project . mackenzie 's fundamental belief was that a good golf course should provide a stern test for a good player but not prove impossible for average players . also included in his manifesto was an insistence that a player should be required to utilize a variety of shots to prosper and that every hole should have a different character where possible . among the more eccentric attributes listed was the suggestion that though the course should be sufficiently undulating , there should be no hill climbing , and that a complete absence of irritation caused by looking for lost balls was preferable . alwoodley is very proud indeed because we have the original mackenzie design and we are very proud to introduce people to it , ' leefe says . mackenzie was a pioneer and went on to become one of the best known architects of his time . he 's become much more famous after his death and the golfing public have realized what great courses he 's made . there are a lot of the original mackenzie characteristics on show at alwoodley . we try our best when we restore the course or renovate course to keep to the original design of which we have a copy . ' augusta national mackenzie had carved a formidable reputation for himself by the time he left for the united states in 1926 . but it was his work on the californian coast that would pique the interest of bobby jones and lead to his most memorable tender -- designing augusta national . many believe mackenzie 's true masterpiece to be cypress point , which he designed to complement its proximity to the rugged pacific ocean coastline . by the time jones had completed his first round on the monterey peninsula he vowed to employ mackenzie to build his very own course . it seemed the logical choice , given how closely their vision for the ideal golf course was . we believe that no good golf hole exists that does not afford a proper and convenient solution to the average golfer and the short player , as well as to the more powerful and accurate expert , ' jones was reported as saying . but by the time $ 100,000 had been spent transforming an augusta fruit plantation into a golf course , the political and financial landscape had changed dramatically thanks to the stock market crash of 1929 . the exuberant flourishes on show via a series of elaborate bunkers at cypress point and another of mackenzie 's fabled courses -- royal melbourne in australia -- gave way to a more modest design in which contour was king . originally , augusta was light on bunkers -- it has many more today than it used to have , ' says lawrence . augusta was one of the very last things mackenzie did before he died and it seems he was moving away from those flashy bunkers . he was working in a style that was appropriate of the era of depression when augusta was built . it was n't about sand or water -- what defined it were the contours of the land . you can take a flag stick and put in a flat area and it 's a very easy golf hole ; you can put it behind a little hump and it 's an almost impossible golf hole . ' the genius of augusta in those early years of struggle , the notion of augusta preparing to host the 78th installment of the masters in 2014 would have seemed quite fanciful . as owen reports in the making of the masters , ' let alone having the funds to pay mackenzie for his design , the club could barely cover its staff 's $ 200 weekly wage bill in the early 1930s . the idea to create a yearly tournament , initially called the augusta national invitational tournament , helped stave off the threat of financial ruin and generated plenty of interest when jones came out of retirement to play in the first one . but what really catapulted the club into the public 's consciousness was gene sarazen 's shot heard around the world ' during the 1935 event . the american was trailing the leaders by three shots when his double eagle on the par-five 15th hole helped him cut the deficit with one stroke , paving the way for his eventual win in a playoff . that landmark moment is testament to the principals upon which mackenzie 's design was built . various tweaks over the years have stripped many of his original features from the course , most of them dictated by the modern player 's ability to hit the ball over a hundred yards further than their predecessors . but as owen wrote : mackenzie 's and jones'ideas about golf course design continue to define the masters in ways that modern golf fans may not fully appreciate . ' the pair 's commitment to break from the culture of golf design at the time -- which penalized poor shots harshly -- has engendered some of the greatest finishes in major golf . as owen makes clear , the plentiful birdie and eagle opportunities down the closing stretch discourage any conservatism , as anyone in with a sniff of winning charges for the finish line . but it 's not just at augusta that mackenzie 's legacy is felt -- an estimated 100 clubs as far afield as buenos aires and blackpool have been touch by his hand . mackenzie is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in terms of the evolution of golf course design , ' lawrence says . augusta , cypress point and royal melbourne are three courses that would typically be in the top 10 in the world in most rankings , and the fact all three courses have mackenzie 's footprint is pretty impressive . ' mackenzie may be long gone , but he lives on in the soul of golf courses the world over . explore : augusta interactive | alister mackenzie , a physician turned golf architect , designed famed augusta national course |
new york <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- in court documents filed tuesday , new york attorney general eric t. schneiderman challenged the constitutionality of the federal defense of marriage act in the u.s. district court for the southern district of new york . the controversial legislation , often called doma , defines marriage for federal purposes as unions only between a man and woman , and excludes same-sex unions , even those valid under state law . according to a news release from the da 's office , the filings come as part of the ongoing case of windsor v. united states and call for the court to acknowledge schneiderman 's assertion that doma violates same-sex couples'constitutional right to equal protection under the law . windsor v. united states started with a suit filed by edith edie ' windsor , who lived with her same-sex partner , thea spyer , for more than four decades . they married in canada in 2007 , but neither the federal government nor their home state of new york recognized the legal union . according to court documents , spyer died and left her estate to windsor . because she was not considered a legal spouse , windsor was forced to pay the corresponding estate taxes on the inheritance . her suit challenges this decision and seeks a refund of the money she had to pay . in tuesday 's court brief , schneiderman argues that in redefining the term marriage , section 3 of doma violates the equal protection component of the fifth amendment 's due process clause , and must therefore be invalidated . ' he goes on to say that the law is an improper intrusion on the traditional role of states in defining marriage . ' he says it discriminates on the basis of sexuality and sexual orientation , and does not advance any legitimate federal interest . ' last month , new york passed the marriage equality act , allowing for gender-neutral marriages for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples . on sunday , the first legally recognized gay marriages took place in the state . during his campaign for attorney general last summer , schneiderman pledged to get involved in the federal debate over doma and challenge it in the courts . in a statement from his office tuesday , he said , the state of new york has long recognized out-of-state , same-sex marriages , and the enactment of the marriage equality act further cements our state 's position on this critical civil rights issue . my office will fight every day to defend the fundamental guarantee of equal protection under law for all new yorkers . ' | new york 's first legally recognized gay marriages took place sunday |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the second inaugural address is always more difficult than the first . when a president-elect first steps onto the national stage , he still enjoys a certain degree of innocence and hope . americans are waiting to see if the new president will be different . when a new president delivers his speech , voters do n't yet have a record that might make them cynical . but by the second term , voters are familiar , and often tired , with the occupant of the white house . even though they liked him more than his opponents , the president has usually been through some pretty tough battles and his limitations have been exposed . it becomes much harder to deliver big promises , when the people watching have a much clearer sense of your limitations and of the strength of your opponents . so president barack obama faces a big test when he appears before the nation monday . opinion : presidents should n't swear in on a bible obama now is washington , and no longer someone who will be able to shake up the way washington works . voters believe that congress is dysfunctional and have little confidence that legislators will respond to his proposals . overseas , the instability and violence in the middle east has shaken the confidence of many americans that obama can achieve the kind of transformative change he promised back in 2009 . obama , who is a student of history , can look back at some past second inaugural addresses if he wants guidance . three of the best of these addresses offer a roadmap . abraham lincoln , march 4 , 1865 : the strongest was from lincoln , who gave his talk amid the brutality of the civil war but chose to stress the theme of healing and unity , lincoln gave a masterful performance that offered inspiration and encouragement for the reunification of the nation . lincoln famously said : with malice toward none , with charity for all , with firmness in the right as god gives us to see the right , let us strive on to finish the work we are in , to bind up the nation 's wounds , to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan , to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations . ' rather than boasting of military victory or threatening southern forces , he stepped outside the battle to offer the nation , as a whole , the path forward . woodrow wilson , march 5 , 1917 : although wilson had run on a campaign to keep america out of world war , he was aware that such intervention was inevitable . during his second inaugural address , wilson took the opportunity to start preparing the nation for what was about to come . he told america to think about the global responsibilities it had to accept , even if much of the nation was not prepared to do so . we are provincials no longer , ' he said , the tragic events of the thirty months of vital turmoil which we have just passed have made us citizens of the world . there can be no turning back . ' opinion : why'hail to the chief'remains unsung franklin roosevelt , january 20 , 1937 : roosevelt gave a rousing performance that outlined the fundamental vision which shaped the wide array of policies he had put forward in his first term . while many people had criticized fdr for lacking any ideology and for being a pragmatist without principle , in his second address he explained the rationale behind his actions : i see millions denied education , recreation , and the opportunity to better their lot and the lot of their children . i see one-third of a nation ill-housed , ill-clad , ill-nourished . ' for democrats , the speech remains a powerful defense of government and the rationale behind his program . to replicate some of this success , obama will need to figure out how to inspire a nation that is frustrated by the gridlock of washington and the laggard state of the economy and worried about instability overseas . obama can learn from all three of these presidents . like wilson , he can talk to americans about goals they should aspire to achieve , ways in which the country can accept new obligations in a changing world . like lincoln , he can urge the nation to move beyond the discord and division that have characterized political debate in the past four years . finally , like roosevelt , he can use his speech to provide some of the justification and outlook that has shaped his policies . this would undercut the ability of republicans to define his policies for him , as has been the case for much of his first term , and motivate supporters who have often felt that obama remained too much of a mystery . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer . | obama can learn from second term speeches of lincoln , wilson , fdr |
zelizer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the second inaugural address is always more difficult than the first . when a president-elect first steps onto the national stage , he still enjoys a certain degree of innocence and hope . americans are waiting to see if the new president will be different . when a new president delivers his speech , voters do n't yet have a record that might make them cynical . but by the second term , voters are familiar , and often tired , with the occupant of the white house . even though they liked him more than his opponents , the president has usually been through some pretty tough battles and his limitations have been exposed . it becomes much harder to deliver big promises , when the people watching have a much clearer sense of your limitations and of the strength of your opponents . so president barack obama faces a big test when he appears before the nation monday . opinion : presidents should n't swear in on a bible obama now is washington , and no longer someone who will be able to shake up the way washington works . voters believe that congress is dysfunctional and have little confidence that legislators will respond to his proposals . overseas , the instability and violence in the middle east has shaken the confidence of many americans that obama can achieve the kind of transformative change he promised back in 2009 . obama , who is a student of history , can look back at some past second inaugural addresses if he wants guidance . three of the best of these addresses offer a roadmap . abraham lincoln , march 4 , 1865 : the strongest was from lincoln , who gave his talk amid the brutality of the civil war but chose to stress the theme of healing and unity , lincoln gave a masterful performance that offered inspiration and encouragement for the reunification of the nation . lincoln famously said : with malice toward none , with charity for all , with firmness in the right as god gives us to see the right , let us strive on to finish the work we are in , to bind up the nation 's wounds , to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan , to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations . ' rather than boasting of military victory or threatening southern forces , he stepped outside the battle to offer the nation , as a whole , the path forward . woodrow wilson , march 5 , 1917 : although wilson had run on a campaign to keep america out of world war , he was aware that such intervention was inevitable . during his second inaugural address , wilson took the opportunity to start preparing the nation for what was about to come . he told america to think about the global responsibilities it had to accept , even if much of the nation was not prepared to do so . we are provincials no longer , ' he said , the tragic events of the thirty months of vital turmoil which we have just passed have made us citizens of the world . there can be no turning back . ' opinion : why'hail to the chief'remains unsung franklin roosevelt , january 20 , 1937 : roosevelt gave a rousing performance that outlined the fundamental vision which shaped the wide array of policies he had put forward in his first term . while many people had criticized fdr for lacking any ideology and for being a pragmatist without principle , in his second address he explained the rationale behind his actions : i see millions denied education , recreation , and the opportunity to better their lot and the lot of their children . i see one-third of a nation ill-housed , ill-clad , ill-nourished . ' for democrats , the speech remains a powerful defense of government and the rationale behind his program . to replicate some of this success , obama will need to figure out how to inspire a nation that is frustrated by the gridlock of washington and the laggard state of the economy and worried about instability overseas . obama can learn from all three of these presidents . like wilson , he can talk to americans about goals they should aspire to achieve , ways in which the country can accept new obligations in a changing world . like lincoln , he can urge the nation to move beyond the discord and division that have characterized political debate in the past four years . finally , like roosevelt , he can use his speech to provide some of the justification and outlook that has shaped his policies . this would undercut the ability of republicans to define his policies for him , as has been the case for much of his first term , and motivate supporters who have often felt that obama remained too much of a mystery . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer . | julian zelizer : second term inaugural addresses are always a challenge |
zelizer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the second inaugural address is always more difficult than the first . when a president-elect first steps onto the national stage , he still enjoys a certain degree of innocence and hope . americans are waiting to see if the new president will be different . when a new president delivers his speech , voters do n't yet have a record that might make them cynical . but by the second term , voters are familiar , and often tired , with the occupant of the white house . even though they liked him more than his opponents , the president has usually been through some pretty tough battles and his limitations have been exposed . it becomes much harder to deliver big promises , when the people watching have a much clearer sense of your limitations and of the strength of your opponents . so president barack obama faces a big test when he appears before the nation monday . opinion : presidents should n't swear in on a bible obama now is washington , and no longer someone who will be able to shake up the way washington works . voters believe that congress is dysfunctional and have little confidence that legislators will respond to his proposals . overseas , the instability and violence in the middle east has shaken the confidence of many americans that obama can achieve the kind of transformative change he promised back in 2009 . obama , who is a student of history , can look back at some past second inaugural addresses if he wants guidance . three of the best of these addresses offer a roadmap . abraham lincoln , march 4 , 1865 : the strongest was from lincoln , who gave his talk amid the brutality of the civil war but chose to stress the theme of healing and unity , lincoln gave a masterful performance that offered inspiration and encouragement for the reunification of the nation . lincoln famously said : with malice toward none , with charity for all , with firmness in the right as god gives us to see the right , let us strive on to finish the work we are in , to bind up the nation 's wounds , to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan , to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations . ' rather than boasting of military victory or threatening southern forces , he stepped outside the battle to offer the nation , as a whole , the path forward . woodrow wilson , march 5 , 1917 : although wilson had run on a campaign to keep america out of world war , he was aware that such intervention was inevitable . during his second inaugural address , wilson took the opportunity to start preparing the nation for what was about to come . he told america to think about the global responsibilities it had to accept , even if much of the nation was not prepared to do so . we are provincials no longer , ' he said , the tragic events of the thirty months of vital turmoil which we have just passed have made us citizens of the world . there can be no turning back . ' opinion : why'hail to the chief'remains unsung franklin roosevelt , january 20 , 1937 : roosevelt gave a rousing performance that outlined the fundamental vision which shaped the wide array of policies he had put forward in his first term . while many people had criticized fdr for lacking any ideology and for being a pragmatist without principle , in his second address he explained the rationale behind his actions : i see millions denied education , recreation , and the opportunity to better their lot and the lot of their children . i see one-third of a nation ill-housed , ill-clad , ill-nourished . ' for democrats , the speech remains a powerful defense of government and the rationale behind his program . to replicate some of this success , obama will need to figure out how to inspire a nation that is frustrated by the gridlock of washington and the laggard state of the economy and worried about instability overseas . obama can learn from all three of these presidents . like wilson , he can talk to americans about goals they should aspire to achieve , ways in which the country can accept new obligations in a changing world . like lincoln , he can urge the nation to move beyond the discord and division that have characterized political debate in the past four years . finally , like roosevelt , he can use his speech to provide some of the justification and outlook that has shaped his policies . this would undercut the ability of republicans to define his policies for him , as has been the case for much of his first term , and motivate supporters who have often felt that obama remained too much of a mystery . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer . | zelizer says they did a good job of unifying america and sketching vision of the future |
alabama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rust-colored oil washed ashore on barrier islands off alabama and mississippi on tuesday , while more patches of crude offshore appeared to be moving toward those states'coasts , authorities reported . researchers scrambled to clean up tar balls and puddles of oil from the beaches of alabama 's dauphin island , while a strip of oil about two miles long and three feet wide stretched along petit bois island , about five miles away off mississippi , gov . haley barbour 's office reported . it marked the first time oil has hit mississippi 's shores since the largest oil spill in u.s. history erupted in late april . and while tar balls associated with the gulf spill had hit dauphin island , about 35 miles south of mobile , in early may , residents said that tuesday was the first time they had seen oil hitting the beach . only part of the island 's beaches have been lined with protective booms , with much of those barriers lined up near a protected wildlife area on the west end of the island . annette engel , a louisiana state university researcher on dauphin island , said the oil is believed to be from bp 's ruptured well off louisiana . she predicted much more would be hitting the coast in coming days -- but vacationers remained on the beach , and some were still swimming in the blue-green waters as the cleanup continued . and researchers from the dauphin island sea lab spotted large patches of the reddish-brown weathered ' oil during a water-sampling expedition offshore tuesday , said john dindo , the laboratory 's associate director . dindo said the oil spots on the water ranged from the size of a half-dollar coin to 30 to 40 feet . a half-dozen boats could be seen skimming oil off the surface about 13 miles south of the island , he said . however , they were covering a very , very small spot in the ocean compared to what we saw , ' he said . the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration had warned earlier this week that the spreading slick from an undersea bp oil well was heading toward the alabama and mississippi coasts . dindo said tides in the area are running east and winds have been out of the southwest , driving the oil toward beach towns on the eastern side of mobile bay . coast guard adm. thad allen said earlier tuesday that authorities were investigating reports that the outer sheen of oil was reaching coastal waters off mississippi and alabama , but said those reports had not been confirmed . we 've dispatched survey teams to see what the impact is out there , and to the extent that is required , we 'll move resources that direction , ' allen , the federal government 's national incident commander , told reporters in new orleans , louisiana . cnn 's patrick oppmann and matt smith contributed to this report . | protective booms cover only part of the alabama island |
thad allen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rust-colored oil washed ashore on barrier islands off alabama and mississippi on tuesday , while more patches of crude offshore appeared to be moving toward those states'coasts , authorities reported . researchers scrambled to clean up tar balls and puddles of oil from the beaches of alabama 's dauphin island , while a strip of oil about two miles long and three feet wide stretched along petit bois island , about five miles away off mississippi , gov . haley barbour 's office reported . it marked the first time oil has hit mississippi 's shores since the largest oil spill in u.s. history erupted in late april . and while tar balls associated with the gulf spill had hit dauphin island , about 35 miles south of mobile , in early may , residents said that tuesday was the first time they had seen oil hitting the beach . only part of the island 's beaches have been lined with protective booms , with much of those barriers lined up near a protected wildlife area on the west end of the island . annette engel , a louisiana state university researcher on dauphin island , said the oil is believed to be from bp 's ruptured well off louisiana . she predicted much more would be hitting the coast in coming days -- but vacationers remained on the beach , and some were still swimming in the blue-green waters as the cleanup continued . and researchers from the dauphin island sea lab spotted large patches of the reddish-brown weathered ' oil during a water-sampling expedition offshore tuesday , said john dindo , the laboratory 's associate director . dindo said the oil spots on the water ranged from the size of a half-dollar coin to 30 to 40 feet . a half-dozen boats could be seen skimming oil off the surface about 13 miles south of the island , he said . however , they were covering a very , very small spot in the ocean compared to what we saw , ' he said . the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration had warned earlier this week that the spreading slick from an undersea bp oil well was heading toward the alabama and mississippi coasts . dindo said tides in the area are running east and winds have been out of the southwest , driving the oil toward beach towns on the eastern side of mobile bay . coast guard adm. thad allen said earlier tuesday that authorities were investigating reports that the outer sheen of oil was reaching coastal waters off mississippi and alabama , but said those reports had not been confirmed . we 've dispatched survey teams to see what the impact is out there , and to the extent that is required , we 'll move resources that direction , ' allen , the federal government 's national incident commander , told reporters in new orleans , louisiana . cnn 's patrick oppmann and matt smith contributed to this report . | feds checking out spill , coast guard adm. thad allen says |
venus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena williams remains on course to meet her sister venus in the final of the dubai duty free championships after both won their quarterfinal matches on thursday . the world no . 1 , who crashed out of the australian open last month to ana ivanovic , made light work of serbian opposition this time around beating jelena jankovic 6-2 6-2 to set a semifinal against either carla suarez navarro of spain or france 's alize cornet . it definitely felt a lot more comfortable than my first match , ' williams said , wtatennis.com reported , referring to her 7-6 6-0 win over ekaterina makarova on tuesday . there were some shots i missed today that i would never have missed a month ago , so i 'm still getting a little rust off , but it feels good overall . and i 'm still trying to make sure i keep going in the right direction , ' williams added . earlier , sister venus overcame italy 's flavia pennetta 6-3 7-5 to set up a semifinal clash with denmark 's caroline wozniacki . surprisingly , williams had lost four times in their seven previous meetings which , bar a couple of matches , have been tight affairs . thursday 's quarterfinal was no different with pennetta clinching an early break of serve to go up 3-1 in the first , but it proved to be a false dawn for the world no . 22 as williams reeled off seven games on the trot to take the first set and go up a break early in the second . pennetta eventually fought back to level the set at five games all before williams regained her composure to serve out the match . she keeps fighting . she stays relevant . that 's what she does really well - she stays in the point , ' williams said afterwards , wtatennis.com reported . i have to give her credit for that . i think i could have maybe made a couple more shots , but it 's not always easy against someone who competes as well as her . she 's been playing well , ' williams added . the last time 33-year-old venus beat her younger sister was in semifinals in dubai in 2009 . serena has won their last five meetings and leads the head-to-head 14 matches to seven . eighth seed wozniacki made lighter work of her match against sorana cirstea downing the romanian 6-1 6-2 . | serena rushes past jelena jankovic 6-2 6-2 ; venus battles past flavia pennetta 6-3 7-5 |
venus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena williams remains on course to meet her sister venus in the final of the dubai duty free championships after both won their quarterfinal matches on thursday . the world no . 1 , who crashed out of the australian open last month to ana ivanovic , made light work of serbian opposition this time around beating jelena jankovic 6-2 6-2 to set a semifinal against either carla suarez navarro of spain or france 's alize cornet . it definitely felt a lot more comfortable than my first match , ' williams said , wtatennis.com reported , referring to her 7-6 6-0 win over ekaterina makarova on tuesday . there were some shots i missed today that i would never have missed a month ago , so i 'm still getting a little rust off , but it feels good overall . and i 'm still trying to make sure i keep going in the right direction , ' williams added . earlier , sister venus overcame italy 's flavia pennetta 6-3 7-5 to set up a semifinal clash with denmark 's caroline wozniacki . surprisingly , williams had lost four times in their seven previous meetings which , bar a couple of matches , have been tight affairs . thursday 's quarterfinal was no different with pennetta clinching an early break of serve to go up 3-1 in the first , but it proved to be a false dawn for the world no . 22 as williams reeled off seven games on the trot to take the first set and go up a break early in the second . pennetta eventually fought back to level the set at five games all before williams regained her composure to serve out the match . she keeps fighting . she stays relevant . that 's what she does really well - she stays in the point , ' williams said afterwards , wtatennis.com reported . i have to give her credit for that . i think i could have maybe made a couple more shots , but it 's not always easy against someone who competes as well as her . she 's been playing well , ' williams added . the last time 33-year-old venus beat her younger sister was in semifinals in dubai in 2009 . serena has won their last five meetings and leads the head-to-head 14 matches to seven . eighth seed wozniacki made lighter work of her match against sorana cirstea downing the romanian 6-1 6-2 . | venus to meet caroline wozniacki in semis following the dane 's 6-1 6-2 win in quarters |
venus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena williams remains on course to meet her sister venus in the final of the dubai duty free championships after both won their quarterfinal matches on thursday . the world no . 1 , who crashed out of the australian open last month to ana ivanovic , made light work of serbian opposition this time around beating jelena jankovic 6-2 6-2 to set a semifinal against either carla suarez navarro of spain or france 's alize cornet . it definitely felt a lot more comfortable than my first match , ' williams said , wtatennis.com reported , referring to her 7-6 6-0 win over ekaterina makarova on tuesday . there were some shots i missed today that i would never have missed a month ago , so i 'm still getting a little rust off , but it feels good overall . and i 'm still trying to make sure i keep going in the right direction , ' williams added . earlier , sister venus overcame italy 's flavia pennetta 6-3 7-5 to set up a semifinal clash with denmark 's caroline wozniacki . surprisingly , williams had lost four times in their seven previous meetings which , bar a couple of matches , have been tight affairs . thursday 's quarterfinal was no different with pennetta clinching an early break of serve to go up 3-1 in the first , but it proved to be a false dawn for the world no . 22 as williams reeled off seven games on the trot to take the first set and go up a break early in the second . pennetta eventually fought back to level the set at five games all before williams regained her composure to serve out the match . she keeps fighting . she stays relevant . that 's what she does really well - she stays in the point , ' williams said afterwards , wtatennis.com reported . i have to give her credit for that . i think i could have maybe made a couple more shots , but it 's not always easy against someone who competes as well as her . she 's been playing well , ' williams added . the last time 33-year-old venus beat her younger sister was in semifinals in dubai in 2009 . serena has won their last five meetings and leads the head-to-head 14 matches to seven . eighth seed wozniacki made lighter work of her match against sorana cirstea downing the romanian 6-1 6-2 . | serena williams and sister venus on course for final after quarterfinal wins on thursday |
strauss-kahn <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- building management told manhattan apartment residents that it was not consulted before a leaserholder invited former international monetary fund chief dominique strauss-kahn to stay as a guest , according to an e-mail obtained saturday by cnn . the general manager for 71 broadway sent an e-mail informing residents that he has been assured that strauss-kahn will only be staying here until early next week . ' strauss-kahn , who is awaiting a trial on sexual assault charges , was released on bail from the rikers island jail friday . a private security guard will monitor strauss-kahn around the clock at his own expense during his stay at the manhattan apartment in the financial district , a source with knowledge of the bail agreement said . strauss-kahn , who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the sofitel hotel in new york , will stay with his wife , anne sinclair . we will have an increased staff presence in the building this weekend to ensure that the media , and the curious , are kept out of the building , ' the general manager wrote . we apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience . ' cnn obtained the e-mail from a resident of the building . a two-bedroom apartment with 9-foot ceilings in the landmark 23-floor building with a doorman starts at $ 4,250 per month , according to a real estate website . the rental application asks , do you or do any of your occupants have charges pending against you or against them for any criminal offense ( s ) ? ' strauss-kahn faces two counts of criminal sexual act ; two counts of sexual abuse ; and one count each of attempt to commit rape , unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching . in the charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree , strauss-kahn is accused of having engaged in oral sexual conduct with an individual ... by forcible compulsion , ' an indictment states . supreme court judge michael obus ordered the release of the 62-year-old economist friday over the objection of the prosecution , which said he is a flight risk . while strauss-kahn is in the apartment , he will not be able to leave except for medical reasons , obus said . once he is in a longer-term location , the former banker must give six hours'notice before leaving . defense lawyer william taylor alluded to strauss-kahn 's reported failure to win approval to stay at another apartment in pleading friday with members of the news media to grant his client privacy . the reason that he had to move is because members of the press attempted to invade his private residence and interfere with his family 's privacy , ' taylor said . the conditions of strauss-kahn 's release included he surrender his travel documents , submit to home detention , $ 1 million cash bail and $ 5 million bond . a document signed by bondsman ira judelson shows that the bond was secured by money from sinclair . judelson would not divulge what sinclair put up as collateral . i feel very comfortable with the bail package ( and ) the family is , ' judelson told reporters . i worked with them all last night on putting this together . they 're good people . ' on friday , more details emerged about the alleged attack may 14 at the hotel . a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said a room service attendant entered the suite shortly before the 32-year-old guinean maid arrived . the room service attendant did n't think anyone was in the suite of rooms and used a pass key to let himself in to retrieve some room-service items , the source said . he told police he left the door ajar while inside , according to the source . when the maid showed up at the door about noon , the room-service attendant told her to enter , then departed , the source said . once inside , the maid parked her cleaning cart in the doorway , as dictated by hotel policy . a short time later , strauss-kahn emerged naked from a room and attacked her , the victim has alleged . prosecutors allege that strauss-kahn chased her through his suite , sexually assaulted her and tried to rape her . a criminal complaint states strauss-kahn shut the door at one point during the alleged attack . the law enforcement source said the maid escaped about 1:30 p.m. about an hour before his 4:40 p.m. flight was to take off from john f. kennedy international airport for paris , strauss-kahn called the hotel to say he had left his cell phone . he asked security to look for it in his room and to have it delivered to the airport , the source said . by then , police had been called to the hotel . though hotel staff never found the phone , they followed police orders , telling strauss-kahn they had found it and would deliver it to him , the source said . port authority police took over from there , walking a compliant strauss-kahn from his first-class seat to a squad car at the airport , the source said . at the time , strauss-kahn was in the fourth year of a five-year term with the global financial institution and was paid $ 441,980 in 2010 , according to the most recent annual report . he also got $ 79,000 and first-class travel for him and his family while he was on company business . on friday , the imf said that strauss-kahn , who resigned , will receive a $ 250,000 separation payment and a modest annual pension ' thereafter . we do n't disclose pension payments , ' imf spokesman william murray said . but it is well below the separation payment figure . ' the dean of the imf executive board , shakour shaalan , announced friday that the institution adopted a procedure to select its next managing director . in a statement , shaalan said the board will meet with final candidates in washington with the objective of completing the selection process by june 30 , 2011 . ' strauss-kahn proclaimed innocence in a resignation letter to the imf executive board late wednesday . to all , i want to say that i deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me , ' he said . his next court appearance is set for june 6 . cnn 's susan candiotti , brian vitagliano , adam reiss and ross levitt contributed to this report . | source : strauss-kahn is paying for a security guard to monitor him around the clock |
strauss-kahn <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- building management told manhattan apartment residents that it was not consulted before a leaserholder invited former international monetary fund chief dominique strauss-kahn to stay as a guest , according to an e-mail obtained saturday by cnn . the general manager for 71 broadway sent an e-mail informing residents that he has been assured that strauss-kahn will only be staying here until early next week . ' strauss-kahn , who is awaiting a trial on sexual assault charges , was released on bail from the rikers island jail friday . a private security guard will monitor strauss-kahn around the clock at his own expense during his stay at the manhattan apartment in the financial district , a source with knowledge of the bail agreement said . strauss-kahn , who is accused of trying to rape a maid last week in his suite at the sofitel hotel in new york , will stay with his wife , anne sinclair . we will have an increased staff presence in the building this weekend to ensure that the media , and the curious , are kept out of the building , ' the general manager wrote . we apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience . ' cnn obtained the e-mail from a resident of the building . a two-bedroom apartment with 9-foot ceilings in the landmark 23-floor building with a doorman starts at $ 4,250 per month , according to a real estate website . the rental application asks , do you or do any of your occupants have charges pending against you or against them for any criminal offense ( s ) ? ' strauss-kahn faces two counts of criminal sexual act ; two counts of sexual abuse ; and one count each of attempt to commit rape , unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching . in the charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree , strauss-kahn is accused of having engaged in oral sexual conduct with an individual ... by forcible compulsion , ' an indictment states . supreme court judge michael obus ordered the release of the 62-year-old economist friday over the objection of the prosecution , which said he is a flight risk . while strauss-kahn is in the apartment , he will not be able to leave except for medical reasons , obus said . once he is in a longer-term location , the former banker must give six hours'notice before leaving . defense lawyer william taylor alluded to strauss-kahn 's reported failure to win approval to stay at another apartment in pleading friday with members of the news media to grant his client privacy . the reason that he had to move is because members of the press attempted to invade his private residence and interfere with his family 's privacy , ' taylor said . the conditions of strauss-kahn 's release included he surrender his travel documents , submit to home detention , $ 1 million cash bail and $ 5 million bond . a document signed by bondsman ira judelson shows that the bond was secured by money from sinclair . judelson would not divulge what sinclair put up as collateral . i feel very comfortable with the bail package ( and ) the family is , ' judelson told reporters . i worked with them all last night on putting this together . they 're good people . ' on friday , more details emerged about the alleged attack may 14 at the hotel . a law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said a room service attendant entered the suite shortly before the 32-year-old guinean maid arrived . the room service attendant did n't think anyone was in the suite of rooms and used a pass key to let himself in to retrieve some room-service items , the source said . he told police he left the door ajar while inside , according to the source . when the maid showed up at the door about noon , the room-service attendant told her to enter , then departed , the source said . once inside , the maid parked her cleaning cart in the doorway , as dictated by hotel policy . a short time later , strauss-kahn emerged naked from a room and attacked her , the victim has alleged . prosecutors allege that strauss-kahn chased her through his suite , sexually assaulted her and tried to rape her . a criminal complaint states strauss-kahn shut the door at one point during the alleged attack . the law enforcement source said the maid escaped about 1:30 p.m. about an hour before his 4:40 p.m. flight was to take off from john f. kennedy international airport for paris , strauss-kahn called the hotel to say he had left his cell phone . he asked security to look for it in his room and to have it delivered to the airport , the source said . by then , police had been called to the hotel . though hotel staff never found the phone , they followed police orders , telling strauss-kahn they had found it and would deliver it to him , the source said . port authority police took over from there , walking a compliant strauss-kahn from his first-class seat to a squad car at the airport , the source said . at the time , strauss-kahn was in the fourth year of a five-year term with the global financial institution and was paid $ 441,980 in 2010 , according to the most recent annual report . he also got $ 79,000 and first-class travel for him and his family while he was on company business . on friday , the imf said that strauss-kahn , who resigned , will receive a $ 250,000 separation payment and a modest annual pension ' thereafter . we do n't disclose pension payments , ' imf spokesman william murray said . but it is well below the separation payment figure . ' the dean of the imf executive board , shakour shaalan , announced friday that the institution adopted a procedure to select its next managing director . in a statement , shaalan said the board will meet with final candidates in washington with the objective of completing the selection process by june 30 , 2011 . ' strauss-kahn proclaimed innocence in a resignation letter to the imf executive board late wednesday . to all , i want to say that i deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me , ' he said . his next court appearance is set for june 6 . cnn 's susan candiotti , brian vitagliano , adam reiss and ross levitt contributed to this report . | strauss-kahn is staying in a new york apartment after leaving rikers island jail |
taiwan <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- overriding objections from china , the obama administration unveiled a $ 6.4 billion arms deal with taiwan on friday -- including about $ 2.85 billion in missiles . the sale includes 60 black hawk helicopters ( totaling $ 3.1 billion ) , 114 advanced patriot air defense missiles ; a pair of osprey mine-hunting ships ; and dozens of advanced communications systems . china has complained to the united states about the sale of patriot missiles and other weapons to taiwan , which neither beijing nor washington recognize as a sovereign nation . the deals do not include f-16 fighter jets , which china has vehemently opposed . china 's vice foreign minister he yafei issued a statement in response to friday 's announcement , saying the arms deal was a rude interference in china 's internal affairs , severely endangering china 's national security . ' he added , china expresses its strong indignation . ' the state department described the latest round of arms sales to taiwan as a way to guarantee security and stability , despite china 's objections . this is a clear demonstration of the commitment this administration has to provide taiwan with defensive weapons it needs and as provided for in the taiwan relations act , ' state department spokesman p.j . crowley said at his regular friday briefing . we think this action is consistent with the u.s. one-china policy ... and contributes to maintaining stability and security across the taiwan strait . ' he said the state department had informed the u.s. congress as well as china and taiwan about the arms package . crowley would not speak directly about the timing of the announcement of the sales , and about the fact that the arms package does not include f-16s . the arms sales come as the united states is hoping to persuade china to sign on to harsher sanctions against iran and just after secretary of state hillary clinton criticized china for its policies relating to the internet . a senior u.s. official said later that the united states expected chinese criticism of the arms deal , but does not expect permanent damage . we 've worked through these issues before . we will do so again , ' the u.s. official said , seeking anonymity on such an important policy issue . what is important here is the stability in the region . and we do think our ongoing sales of arms to taiwan is fully consistent with everyone 's long-term interest in stability in the region . ' the official said he believed clinton had discussed the sale in london with her chinese counterpart on the sidelines of thursday 's international conference on afghanistan . this relationship between the united states and china is broad , it 's deep . there are a large number of issues . we do n't see eye to eye with them and we have to have and do have the ability to speak honestly , ' the official said . the arms deal is the latest chapter in a decades-long uneasy standoff ; china claims taiwan is its own territory and has threatened to invade if taiwan ever declares independence . the united states has said it will defend taiwan if china ever attacks . the government in taiwan began as the remnant of the government that ruled over mainland china until a communist insurrection proved victorious in 1949 . with the communist takeover of mainland china , the losing faction fled to the island of taiwan . taiwan is formally known as the republic of china , while communist china 's official name is people 's republic of china . many western nations and the united nations recognized taiwan as the legitimate chinese government until the 1970s . | china says it is strongly dissatisfied ' with arms sales to taiwan by the united states |
taiwan <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- overriding objections from china , the obama administration unveiled a $ 6.4 billion arms deal with taiwan on friday -- including about $ 2.85 billion in missiles . the sale includes 60 black hawk helicopters ( totaling $ 3.1 billion ) , 114 advanced patriot air defense missiles ; a pair of osprey mine-hunting ships ; and dozens of advanced communications systems . china has complained to the united states about the sale of patriot missiles and other weapons to taiwan , which neither beijing nor washington recognize as a sovereign nation . the deals do not include f-16 fighter jets , which china has vehemently opposed . china 's vice foreign minister he yafei issued a statement in response to friday 's announcement , saying the arms deal was a rude interference in china 's internal affairs , severely endangering china 's national security . ' he added , china expresses its strong indignation . ' the state department described the latest round of arms sales to taiwan as a way to guarantee security and stability , despite china 's objections . this is a clear demonstration of the commitment this administration has to provide taiwan with defensive weapons it needs and as provided for in the taiwan relations act , ' state department spokesman p.j . crowley said at his regular friday briefing . we think this action is consistent with the u.s. one-china policy ... and contributes to maintaining stability and security across the taiwan strait . ' he said the state department had informed the u.s. congress as well as china and taiwan about the arms package . crowley would not speak directly about the timing of the announcement of the sales , and about the fact that the arms package does not include f-16s . the arms sales come as the united states is hoping to persuade china to sign on to harsher sanctions against iran and just after secretary of state hillary clinton criticized china for its policies relating to the internet . a senior u.s. official said later that the united states expected chinese criticism of the arms deal , but does not expect permanent damage . we 've worked through these issues before . we will do so again , ' the u.s. official said , seeking anonymity on such an important policy issue . what is important here is the stability in the region . and we do think our ongoing sales of arms to taiwan is fully consistent with everyone 's long-term interest in stability in the region . ' the official said he believed clinton had discussed the sale in london with her chinese counterpart on the sidelines of thursday 's international conference on afghanistan . this relationship between the united states and china is broad , it 's deep . there are a large number of issues . we do n't see eye to eye with them and we have to have and do have the ability to speak honestly , ' the official said . the arms deal is the latest chapter in a decades-long uneasy standoff ; china claims taiwan is its own territory and has threatened to invade if taiwan ever declares independence . the united states has said it will defend taiwan if china ever attacks . the government in taiwan began as the remnant of the government that ruled over mainland china until a communist insurrection proved victorious in 1949 . with the communist takeover of mainland china , the losing faction fled to the island of taiwan . taiwan is formally known as the republic of china , while communist china 's official name is people 's republic of china . many western nations and the united nations recognized taiwan as the legitimate chinese government until the 1970s . | state department says arms sales guarantee security and stability across taiwan strait ' |
state department <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- overriding objections from china , the obama administration unveiled a $ 6.4 billion arms deal with taiwan on friday -- including about $ 2.85 billion in missiles . the sale includes 60 black hawk helicopters ( totaling $ 3.1 billion ) , 114 advanced patriot air defense missiles ; a pair of osprey mine-hunting ships ; and dozens of advanced communications systems . china has complained to the united states about the sale of patriot missiles and other weapons to taiwan , which neither beijing nor washington recognize as a sovereign nation . the deals do not include f-16 fighter jets , which china has vehemently opposed . china 's vice foreign minister he yafei issued a statement in response to friday 's announcement , saying the arms deal was a rude interference in china 's internal affairs , severely endangering china 's national security . ' he added , china expresses its strong indignation . ' the state department described the latest round of arms sales to taiwan as a way to guarantee security and stability , despite china 's objections . this is a clear demonstration of the commitment this administration has to provide taiwan with defensive weapons it needs and as provided for in the taiwan relations act , ' state department spokesman p.j . crowley said at his regular friday briefing . we think this action is consistent with the u.s. one-china policy ... and contributes to maintaining stability and security across the taiwan strait . ' he said the state department had informed the u.s. congress as well as china and taiwan about the arms package . crowley would not speak directly about the timing of the announcement of the sales , and about the fact that the arms package does not include f-16s . the arms sales come as the united states is hoping to persuade china to sign on to harsher sanctions against iran and just after secretary of state hillary clinton criticized china for its policies relating to the internet . a senior u.s. official said later that the united states expected chinese criticism of the arms deal , but does not expect permanent damage . we 've worked through these issues before . we will do so again , ' the u.s. official said , seeking anonymity on such an important policy issue . what is important here is the stability in the region . and we do think our ongoing sales of arms to taiwan is fully consistent with everyone 's long-term interest in stability in the region . ' the official said he believed clinton had discussed the sale in london with her chinese counterpart on the sidelines of thursday 's international conference on afghanistan . this relationship between the united states and china is broad , it 's deep . there are a large number of issues . we do n't see eye to eye with them and we have to have and do have the ability to speak honestly , ' the official said . the arms deal is the latest chapter in a decades-long uneasy standoff ; china claims taiwan is its own territory and has threatened to invade if taiwan ever declares independence . the united states has said it will defend taiwan if china ever attacks . the government in taiwan began as the remnant of the government that ruled over mainland china until a communist insurrection proved victorious in 1949 . with the communist takeover of mainland china , the losing faction fled to the island of taiwan . taiwan is formally known as the republic of china , while communist china 's official name is people 's republic of china . many western nations and the united nations recognized taiwan as the legitimate chinese government until the 1970s . | state department says arms sales guarantee security and stability across taiwan strait ' |
duke <tsp> ( cnn ) duke university students and faculty members marched wednesday afternoon chanting we are not afraid . we stand together , ' after a noose was found hanging from a tree on campus . duke officials have asked anyone with information about the rope noose , which was found near a student center at 2 a.m. , to call campus police . photos of the noose prompted outrage from the community as they were passed along on social media . at a forum held on the steps of duke chapel , close to where the noose was hung , hundreds of people gathered . you came here for the reason that you want to say with me ,'this is no duke we will accept . this is no duke we want . this is not the duke we 're here to experience . and this is not the duke we 're here to create ,' duke president richard brodhead told the crowd . the incident is one of several recent racist events to affect college students . last month a fraternity at the university of oklahoma had its charter removed after a video surfaced showing members using the n-word and referring to lynching in a chant . two students were expelled . in february , a noose was hung around the neck of a statue of a famous civil rights figure at the university of mississippi . a statement issued by duke said there was a previous report of hate speech directed at students on campus . in the news release , the vice president for student affairs called the noose incident a cowardly act . ' to whomever committed this hateful and stupid act , i just want to say that if your intent was to create fear , it will have the opposite effect , ' larry moneta said . duke university is a private college with about 15,000 students in durham , north carolina . | duke official says to unknown perpetrator : you wanted to create fear but the opposite will happen |
queens <tsp> ( cnn ) -- police are still searching for a norman rockwell painting that disappeared from a queens storage warehouse in september . the oil on canvas painting , sport , ' shows a man in a rowboat wearing a yellow raincoat , holding a fishing pole . the image was published on the cover of the saturday evening post in 1939 . the painting disappeared from a welpak art moving and storage unit at 58-60 grand avenue in maspeth . police said the painting was being stored awaiting shipment to its owner . neither nypd nor sotheby 's would identify the owner of the painting . the painting sold for $ 1,085,000 at a sotheby 's auction of american art in new york on may 22 . it was sold from a private collection in birmingham , alabama , and before that was owned by the hildebrandt family of westchester county . signed by rockwell on the lower right , the painting is approximately 22 by 28 inches and framed in gold wood . anyone with any information about the missing painting should contact crime stoppers at 1-800-577-tips ( 8477 ) . the public can also submit their tips by logging onto the crime stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 ( crimes ) and entering tip577 . | rockwell 's sport ' has been missing from queens warehouse since september |
baines'camp <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's one of the best insomnia cures around . a private platform in the african bush , soft bedding , starlight and nature 's night-time noises . whether it 's a raised star-bed or a treehouse kitted out for sleeping , each of these six retreats spread across africa has the elevated experience just right . kiboko and koija star beds , loisaba wilderness , kenya these star beds ' comprise wooden platforms with thatched roofs , open decks and big beds . they 're rolled out under the night sky when it 's time to sleep , giving guests great views of the thick star clusters , unclouded by light pollution . the mosquito net draping over the four-poster becomes invisible once you 've climbed inside . you can end up at your star bed after a game drive or other wildlife outing , when staff will be lighting the campfire and preparing pre-dinner sundowners . antelope and zebra may be drinking at the kiboko waterhole in the valley below . if you stay at one of loisaba 's two sets of star beds you 'll have an extra reason to sleep comfortably -- they 're part of a responsible tourism project that benefits the local koija community . loisaba wilderness , laikipia , kenya ; + 254 62 20 31070 ; from $ 420 per person , per night , including full board , safari activities and transfers , through cheli and peacock ( +254 20 600 3090 ) the stilted lodge , mandina lodges , the gambia the ordinary rooms here , set in a mangrove forest , are impressive enough . but the stilted lodge adds something extra -- a thatched two-story riverside tower with open sides , including a ( discreet ) open-air bathroom , separate bedroom and lounge room open to the skies . mandina lodges , makasutu , the gambia ; from $ 2,230 pp for seven nights , half board through the gambia experience ( +44 845 330 8708 ) the tree house , tongabezi , zambia you ca n't quite hear the roar of victoria falls from the tree house but they 're close . the broad zambezi river looks peaceful from the deck at the top of this three-tier treehouse , but a few bends away that all changes . when it hits the lip of batoka gorge , the river hurls itself over at 3,000 cubic meters a second . the spectacle has drawn visitors to the area since 1855 , starting with the explorer david livingstone . there are multiple ways to experience the falls , from soaring through the spray in a microlight to rafting the rapids or bungee jumping from the victoria falls bridge . this riverside eyrie high up in an ebony tree , with king-size bed and claw-footed bath , provides a place to hide out after all that activity . tongabezi , livingstone , zambia ; +260 213 327450 ; $ 620 pppn , incl . full board and safari activities chalkley treehouse , lion sands game reserve , south africa lion sands has three luxury treehouses in wilderness rich in wildlife . the chalkley treehouse , a timber deck built around an ancient leadwood tree , is particularly good for photographers . it 's high off the ground and exposed , with superb panoramic views . lion sands game reserve , sabi sands , south africa ; +27 13 735 5000 ; from $ 250 pppn , incl . picnic dinner baines'camp , botswana part of a small safari camp on a private concession in the okavango delta , the five suites here are built on stilts with decks looking out over wetlands . on dry , warm nights , you can wheel your four-poster bed out to hear the throaty chuckling of hippos and the high-pitched chirrups of frogs . baines'camp , okavango delta , botswana ; +44 20 7190 7728 ; from $ 755 pppn incl . full board , safari activities and transfers , through sanctuary retreats chole mjini lodge , tanzania some swahili coast aficionados have been to zanzibar many times but never heard of its little cousin , the island of mafia . the name may sound ominous , but mafia is a perfectly innocent island of sand and shimmering light , around 160 kilometers south of zanzibar . of the few people who make it here , most are divers : in the surrounding waters whale sharks and turtles float above some of the best preserved coral reefs in tanzania . mafia has an even tinier relative , chole , an islet just over a kilometer long tucked off its southeastern shore . hidden among the dense mangroves , baobabs and tangled figs are half a dozen treehouses making up chole mjini , a simple off-grid eco-lodge . stay in treehouse no.1 , and you may have nesting fish eagles for neighbors . chole mjini lodge , chole island , mafia , tanzania ; +255 784 520799 ; from $ 220 pppn , full board winner of several british travel journalism awards , emma gregg has written about africa for the independent newspaper , national geographic traveler and travel africa magazine . | at baines'camp in botswana you can hear the chuckle of hippos at night |
somalia <tsp> bur gabo , somalia ( cnn ) -- we had tried for weeks to get access to kenya 's incursion into lawless somalia . the go finally came from the kenyan military in a text message late one saturday night . we 're told to be at the nairobi 's military airbase before dawn . bring our own flak jackets , ' we were told . in october , the kenya defense forces surprised many by sweeping into somalia to take on al shabaab , an islamic militant group bent on overthrowing the weak transitional government . at first , the spin ' by generals and politicians was that it was a swift reaction to punish al shabaab for its suspected involvement in a series of kidnappings . but peering through the window of a rattling mi-8 transport chopper , it is clear that what soldiers and security analysts have been telling us is true . the combat base on the kenyan side of the border is well established -- an area of cleared ground dotted with orderly rows of tents and military hardware -- including artillery pieces . it 's obvious the soldiers here have have been preparing for some time . this is no rescue posse thrown together . kenya aims to obliterate al shabaab . the reason for this campaign is to liberate the locals here from the rule of the al shabaab , ' major seif said rashid tells me , several magazines of ammo in his front pockets . my troops are committed and they are out ready to sacrifice so that they are able to achieve the objective that has brought us here . ' the major says his biggest military challenge is that al shabaab 's weakness is its strength . militarily they could n't match kenya 's firepower . but their small and mobile forces know the territory and terror . the war here is a blend of both conventional and asymmetrical , ' he says , and that poses some peculiar challenges . ' not that the thrust of this front is being spearheaded by truly conventional forces . we are traveling with the 20th parachute battalion -- an elite and sometimes-controversial group -- within the kenyan army . with them are somali militia and forces of the transitional government . their uniforms are a bit more tatty -- but their firepower no less impressive . we drive into somalia in hummers and armored personnel carriers-no passport control necessary . a maxim in somalia , though , is that armies come and go . skill and training often has little to do with it . the american military came and went in the 1990s ( remember the film black hawk down ' ) , u.n. peacekeeping forces made a hasty exit , ethiopian ground forces took the capital and then left it , and ugandan and burundian soldiers have been fighting tooth and nail for mogadishu for years . the kenyan and somali commanders on the front are very aware of their predicament . winning the hearts and minds of the population will be a crucial step . but at the southern front line near bur gabo , a village perched right on the indian ocean , the elders say that it 's gotten worse since the war came to their village . the charcoal trade has been suspended and fishing is discouraged by the military . there is little to put food on the table , they say . it would seem that speed is important , and somali commanders say they hope to strike across the line within a week . ' at the very front of the front line , a kenyan paratrooper sits atop a somali technical ( an suv with a anti-aircraft gun bolted to the back ) . he peers across the river that marks the border between their territory and al-shabaab 's . the soldiers say they are ready to go . | kenyan forces have entered somalia with the aim of taking on al shabaab |
al shabaab <tsp> bur gabo , somalia ( cnn ) -- we had tried for weeks to get access to kenya 's incursion into lawless somalia . the go finally came from the kenyan military in a text message late one saturday night . we 're told to be at the nairobi 's military airbase before dawn . bring our own flak jackets , ' we were told . in october , the kenya defense forces surprised many by sweeping into somalia to take on al shabaab , an islamic militant group bent on overthrowing the weak transitional government . at first , the spin ' by generals and politicians was that it was a swift reaction to punish al shabaab for its suspected involvement in a series of kidnappings . but peering through the window of a rattling mi-8 transport chopper , it is clear that what soldiers and security analysts have been telling us is true . the combat base on the kenyan side of the border is well established -- an area of cleared ground dotted with orderly rows of tents and military hardware -- including artillery pieces . it 's obvious the soldiers here have have been preparing for some time . this is no rescue posse thrown together . kenya aims to obliterate al shabaab . the reason for this campaign is to liberate the locals here from the rule of the al shabaab , ' major seif said rashid tells me , several magazines of ammo in his front pockets . my troops are committed and they are out ready to sacrifice so that they are able to achieve the objective that has brought us here . ' the major says his biggest military challenge is that al shabaab 's weakness is its strength . militarily they could n't match kenya 's firepower . but their small and mobile forces know the territory and terror . the war here is a blend of both conventional and asymmetrical , ' he says , and that poses some peculiar challenges . ' not that the thrust of this front is being spearheaded by truly conventional forces . we are traveling with the 20th parachute battalion -- an elite and sometimes-controversial group -- within the kenyan army . with them are somali militia and forces of the transitional government . their uniforms are a bit more tatty -- but their firepower no less impressive . we drive into somalia in hummers and armored personnel carriers-no passport control necessary . a maxim in somalia , though , is that armies come and go . skill and training often has little to do with it . the american military came and went in the 1990s ( remember the film black hawk down ' ) , u.n. peacekeeping forces made a hasty exit , ethiopian ground forces took the capital and then left it , and ugandan and burundian soldiers have been fighting tooth and nail for mogadishu for years . the kenyan and somali commanders on the front are very aware of their predicament . winning the hearts and minds of the population will be a crucial step . but at the southern front line near bur gabo , a village perched right on the indian ocean , the elders say that it 's gotten worse since the war came to their village . the charcoal trade has been suspended and fishing is discouraged by the military . there is little to put food on the table , they say . it would seem that speed is important , and somali commanders say they hope to strike across the line within a week . ' at the very front of the front line , a kenyan paratrooper sits atop a somali technical ( an suv with a anti-aircraft gun bolted to the back ) . he peers across the river that marks the border between their territory and al-shabaab 's . the soldiers say they are ready to go . | the aim is to liberate locals from the rule of al shabaab , an islamic militant group |
al shabaab <tsp> bur gabo , somalia ( cnn ) -- we had tried for weeks to get access to kenya 's incursion into lawless somalia . the go finally came from the kenyan military in a text message late one saturday night . we 're told to be at the nairobi 's military airbase before dawn . bring our own flak jackets , ' we were told . in october , the kenya defense forces surprised many by sweeping into somalia to take on al shabaab , an islamic militant group bent on overthrowing the weak transitional government . at first , the spin ' by generals and politicians was that it was a swift reaction to punish al shabaab for its suspected involvement in a series of kidnappings . but peering through the window of a rattling mi-8 transport chopper , it is clear that what soldiers and security analysts have been telling us is true . the combat base on the kenyan side of the border is well established -- an area of cleared ground dotted with orderly rows of tents and military hardware -- including artillery pieces . it 's obvious the soldiers here have have been preparing for some time . this is no rescue posse thrown together . kenya aims to obliterate al shabaab . the reason for this campaign is to liberate the locals here from the rule of the al shabaab , ' major seif said rashid tells me , several magazines of ammo in his front pockets . my troops are committed and they are out ready to sacrifice so that they are able to achieve the objective that has brought us here . ' the major says his biggest military challenge is that al shabaab 's weakness is its strength . militarily they could n't match kenya 's firepower . but their small and mobile forces know the territory and terror . the war here is a blend of both conventional and asymmetrical , ' he says , and that poses some peculiar challenges . ' not that the thrust of this front is being spearheaded by truly conventional forces . we are traveling with the 20th parachute battalion -- an elite and sometimes-controversial group -- within the kenyan army . with them are somali militia and forces of the transitional government . their uniforms are a bit more tatty -- but their firepower no less impressive . we drive into somalia in hummers and armored personnel carriers-no passport control necessary . a maxim in somalia , though , is that armies come and go . skill and training often has little to do with it . the american military came and went in the 1990s ( remember the film black hawk down ' ) , u.n. peacekeeping forces made a hasty exit , ethiopian ground forces took the capital and then left it , and ugandan and burundian soldiers have been fighting tooth and nail for mogadishu for years . the kenyan and somali commanders on the front are very aware of their predicament . winning the hearts and minds of the population will be a crucial step . but at the southern front line near bur gabo , a village perched right on the indian ocean , the elders say that it 's gotten worse since the war came to their village . the charcoal trade has been suspended and fishing is discouraged by the military . there is little to put food on the table , they say . it would seem that speed is important , and somali commanders say they hope to strike across the line within a week . ' at the very front of the front line , a kenyan paratrooper sits atop a somali technical ( an suv with a anti-aircraft gun bolted to the back ) . he peers across the river that marks the border between their territory and al-shabaab 's . the soldiers say they are ready to go . | while kenyan forces have the firepower , al shabaab know the terrain |
al shabaab <tsp> bur gabo , somalia ( cnn ) -- we had tried for weeks to get access to kenya 's incursion into lawless somalia . the go finally came from the kenyan military in a text message late one saturday night . we 're told to be at the nairobi 's military airbase before dawn . bring our own flak jackets , ' we were told . in october , the kenya defense forces surprised many by sweeping into somalia to take on al shabaab , an islamic militant group bent on overthrowing the weak transitional government . at first , the spin ' by generals and politicians was that it was a swift reaction to punish al shabaab for its suspected involvement in a series of kidnappings . but peering through the window of a rattling mi-8 transport chopper , it is clear that what soldiers and security analysts have been telling us is true . the combat base on the kenyan side of the border is well established -- an area of cleared ground dotted with orderly rows of tents and military hardware -- including artillery pieces . it 's obvious the soldiers here have have been preparing for some time . this is no rescue posse thrown together . kenya aims to obliterate al shabaab . the reason for this campaign is to liberate the locals here from the rule of the al shabaab , ' major seif said rashid tells me , several magazines of ammo in his front pockets . my troops are committed and they are out ready to sacrifice so that they are able to achieve the objective that has brought us here . ' the major says his biggest military challenge is that al shabaab 's weakness is its strength . militarily they could n't match kenya 's firepower . but their small and mobile forces know the territory and terror . the war here is a blend of both conventional and asymmetrical , ' he says , and that poses some peculiar challenges . ' not that the thrust of this front is being spearheaded by truly conventional forces . we are traveling with the 20th parachute battalion -- an elite and sometimes-controversial group -- within the kenyan army . with them are somali militia and forces of the transitional government . their uniforms are a bit more tatty -- but their firepower no less impressive . we drive into somalia in hummers and armored personnel carriers-no passport control necessary . a maxim in somalia , though , is that armies come and go . skill and training often has little to do with it . the american military came and went in the 1990s ( remember the film black hawk down ' ) , u.n. peacekeeping forces made a hasty exit , ethiopian ground forces took the capital and then left it , and ugandan and burundian soldiers have been fighting tooth and nail for mogadishu for years . the kenyan and somali commanders on the front are very aware of their predicament . winning the hearts and minds of the population will be a crucial step . but at the southern front line near bur gabo , a village perched right on the indian ocean , the elders say that it 's gotten worse since the war came to their village . the charcoal trade has been suspended and fishing is discouraged by the military . there is little to put food on the table , they say . it would seem that speed is important , and somali commanders say they hope to strike across the line within a week . ' at the very front of the front line , a kenyan paratrooper sits atop a somali technical ( an suv with a anti-aircraft gun bolted to the back ) . he peers across the river that marks the border between their territory and al-shabaab 's . the soldiers say they are ready to go . | kenyan forces have entered somalia with the aim of taking on al shabaab |
rio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there are heart-shaped mirrors on the ceiling and a lot of frisky nibbling on the bed below . but the visitors to this new brazilian love motel are a pair of french bulldogs , cherry and toby . the motel is just part of animalle mundo pet , a new massive pet complex in belo horizonte , brazil that sells everything from chocolate dog biscuits to assisted reproduction services . a fling in the motel costs about $ 50 dollars . cherry 's owner says she 's still too young to mate , but they 'll be back when she comes of age . i like to give her everything i can , ' says leonardo felipe da silva . a lot of people think it 's too much , but i think she deserves it . ' he says he already spends up to $ 300 a week on food and accessories for cherry . our clients do n't see animals just as animals , ' says daniela guimaraes , the owner of animalle mundo pet . they talk about their pets like members of the family ,'my son'or'my brother'. ' in brazil , a decade of prosperity propelled millions into the middle class and fueled a demand for pets of all kinds , but especially dogs . breeds like shih tzus and italian greyhounds have become new symbols of economic status . according to pet south america , an international trade show for pet suppliers , brazil is now the world 's fifth-largest market for pet accessories , worth about 9 billion dollars in 2011 . even so , only about half of brazil 's 100 million pets have access to pre-packaged foods and pet stores , according pet south america , leaving plenty of room for future growth , which they predict will be in the double digits . dog leashes embedded with crystals , animals spas and dog daycares are all the rage . in sao paulo , many restaurants now offer dog menus and a rio de janeiro entrepreneur recently introduced a beef-flavored dog beer ' -- non-alcoholic of course . being a pet in brazil these days is hardly a dog 's life . | in sao paulo , many restaurants now offer dog menus and a rio entrepreneur recently introduced a dog beer ' |
house <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rep. joe wilson said sunday he will not apologize again for yelling out that president obama lied during the president 's speech to congress last week . rep. joe wilson , r-south carolina , shouts you lie ! ' during president obama 's speech wednesday night . i am not going to apologize again , ' the south carolina republican said on fox news sunday ' when asked about pending disciplinary steps against him by the democratic-controlled house of representatives . wilson said he already apologized to obama and that the president accepted it . however , he insisted that obama was misstating the facts , ' and that democratic leaders in the house were playing politics ' by continuing to focus on the issue . house democrats plan to censure wilson if he refuses to apologize on the house floor this week . wilson issued a statement about that sunday , saying , the american people are fed up with the political games in washington , and i refuse to participate in an effort to divert our attention away from the task at hand of reforming health insurance and creating new jobs . ' watch the debate over wilson 's comment » the controversy has shifted the focus of the heated health care debate by calling attention to claims by republicans that a health care overhaul sought by obama and democrats would provide free insurance coverage for illegal immigrants . obama and democratic leaders insist that nothing in any of the health care proposals currently before congress includes health care coverage for illegal immigrants or would provide taxpayer money to help illegal immigrants buy private health coverage . however , wilson and other opponents of democratic proposals say the plans provide no enforcement mechanism to screen applicants for citizenship requirements . wilson said sunday that republican amendments calling for such enforcement were rejected by congressional committees that have passed the democratic proposals . when asked if obama had lied to congress , wilson responded : i believe he was misstating the facts . ' he noted that senate finance committee members negotiating a compromise agreement have called for enforcement mechanisms similar to what republicans are proposing . the national response to wilson 's nationally televised outburst , in which he yelled you lie ' as obama spoke about health care to a joint session of congress , shows the deep public divide over the issue . wilson and his opponent for re-election next year have each raised more than $ 1 million since wilson 's heckling of the president on wednesday , according to aides for each . in addition , wilson has posted a web video that asks for campaign cash to fend off attacks from political opponents . immediately after obama 's speech wednesday , wilson issued a statement that apologized for inappropriate behavior . he also called the white house that night and spoke to obama 's chief of staff , rahm emanuel , who told wilson that obama accepted his apology . obama said publicly that he accepted the apology . wilson apologized quickly and unequivocally , and i 'm appreciative of that , ' the president said . wilson said sunday that should be enough , adding that he respected the president and would never do something like that again . ' | house democrats plan to censure wilson unless he apologizes in house this week |
goldstone <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- three co-authors of the u.n. report into the 2008-09 gaza war parted ways with a dramatic reconsideration of key conclusions by richard goldstone , the team 's chairman and fourth author . pakistani human rights lawyer hina jilani ; christine chinkin , professor of international law at the london school of economics ; and desmond travers , a retired irish soldier and peacekeeper , said in a guardian newspaper column in britain on thursday that they want to dispel any impression that subsequent developments have rendered any part of the mission 's report unsubstantiated , erroneous or inaccurate . ' there is no justification for any demand or expectation for reconsideration of the report as nothing of substance has appeared that would in any way change the context , findings or conclusions of that report with respect to any of the parties to the gaza conflict , ' they said in the british daily . the report of the fact-finding mission contains the conclusions made after diligent , independent and objective consideration of the information related to the events within our mandate , and careful assessment of its reliability and credibility . we firmly stand by these conclusions . ' the report , issued in september 2009 , is officially called the united nations fact finding mission on the gaza conflict , ' but it is popularly named the goldstone report ' after the former south african jurist . the report found both israel and hamas likely committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the conflict between december 27 , 2008 , and january 18 , 2009 . israel launched the offensive against gaza militants in response to ongoing firing of rockets against southern israeli towns . however , in a washington post op-ed column posted on the newspaper 's website , goldstone said he would have reached different conclusions if the israeli military had been more forthcoming and if he had known the results of subsequent investigations . if i had known then what i know now , the goldstone report would have been a different document , ' wrote goldstone . goldstone wrote that israeli investigations found cases involving individual soldiers , but the intentional targeting of civilians was not a matter of policy . ' the u.n. human rights council , which assigned goldstone and others to the fact-finding mission , approved the controversial report , which focused more on alleged war crimes by israel . israel later provided the united nations with a report justifying its actions . israel said it faced asymmetric conflicts ' and blamed militants operating from within and behind civilian areas ' for placing civilians at risk . in his column , goldstone cites a subsequent report by a u.n. committee of independent experts , which found israel investigated more than 400 allegations of misconduct while hamas has not conducted any investigations into the launching of rocket and mortar attacks against israel . ' that the crimes allegedly committed by hamas were intentional goes without saying -- its rockets were purposefully and indiscriminately aimed at civilian targets , ' goldstone wrote . goldstone said israel should have conducted proceedings in a public forum and been more cooperative during his panel 's investigation . israel 's lack of cooperation with our investigation meant that we were not able to corroborate how many gazans killed were civilians and how many were combatants , ' goldstone wrote in the washington post article . but the three co-authors in the guardian assert israel and hamas have yet to establish a convincing basis for any claims that contradict the findings of the mission 's report . ' they argue that the follow-up u.n. report , written by a committee led by judge mary mcgowan davies criticized israel , expressing serious concerns about the late start and slow pace of the proceedings , their insufficient transparency and the participation of victims and witnesses . ' in addition , with regard to the issue of the policies guiding operation cast lead , the committee states that there is'no indication that israel has opened investigations into the actions of those who designed , planned , ordered and oversaw operation cast lead .'in other words , one of the most serious allegations about the conduct of israel 's military operations remains completely unaddressed , ' the three wrote , referring to the name of the israeli offensive . echoing a report by the follow-up committee , the three say they regret that no domestic investigations at all have been started into any of the allegations of international crimes committed by members of palestinian armed groups in gaza which have fired thousands of rockets into southern israel . ' the israeli government and others have called for the united nations to retract the goldstone report , but the three reject those stances as well as what they say have been personal attacks and the extraordinary pressure ' on the members of the fact-finding mission . had we given in to pressures from any quarter to sanitize our conclusions , we would be doing a serious injustice to the hundreds of innocent civilians killed during the gaza conflict , the thousands injured , and the hundreds of thousands whose lives continue to be deeply affected by the conflict and the blockade , ' the three said . yigal palmor , israel 's foreign ministry spokesman , on thursday reiterated israel 's negative position on the goldstone report , citing flaws and biases in the document . he defended israeli investigations into the report and endorsements by international authorities that the country sincerely worked to seek justice . a palestinian authority government spokesman welcomed the column and said it is very disturbing that members of the committee say they have been put under pressure to sanitize their conclusions . ' israel must not be allowed to influence the outcome of what needs to be an objective process . nor must israel be allowed to investigate its own actions and find itself not guilty , ' ghassan khatib said . cnn 's paul colsey and kareem khadder contributed to this report | goldstone recently questioned the conclusions |
goldstone <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- three co-authors of the u.n. report into the 2008-09 gaza war parted ways with a dramatic reconsideration of key conclusions by richard goldstone , the team 's chairman and fourth author . pakistani human rights lawyer hina jilani ; christine chinkin , professor of international law at the london school of economics ; and desmond travers , a retired irish soldier and peacekeeper , said in a guardian newspaper column in britain on thursday that they want to dispel any impression that subsequent developments have rendered any part of the mission 's report unsubstantiated , erroneous or inaccurate . ' there is no justification for any demand or expectation for reconsideration of the report as nothing of substance has appeared that would in any way change the context , findings or conclusions of that report with respect to any of the parties to the gaza conflict , ' they said in the british daily . the report of the fact-finding mission contains the conclusions made after diligent , independent and objective consideration of the information related to the events within our mandate , and careful assessment of its reliability and credibility . we firmly stand by these conclusions . ' the report , issued in september 2009 , is officially called the united nations fact finding mission on the gaza conflict , ' but it is popularly named the goldstone report ' after the former south african jurist . the report found both israel and hamas likely committed war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the conflict between december 27 , 2008 , and january 18 , 2009 . israel launched the offensive against gaza militants in response to ongoing firing of rockets against southern israeli towns . however , in a washington post op-ed column posted on the newspaper 's website , goldstone said he would have reached different conclusions if the israeli military had been more forthcoming and if he had known the results of subsequent investigations . if i had known then what i know now , the goldstone report would have been a different document , ' wrote goldstone . goldstone wrote that israeli investigations found cases involving individual soldiers , but the intentional targeting of civilians was not a matter of policy . ' the u.n. human rights council , which assigned goldstone and others to the fact-finding mission , approved the controversial report , which focused more on alleged war crimes by israel . israel later provided the united nations with a report justifying its actions . israel said it faced asymmetric conflicts ' and blamed militants operating from within and behind civilian areas ' for placing civilians at risk . in his column , goldstone cites a subsequent report by a u.n. committee of independent experts , which found israel investigated more than 400 allegations of misconduct while hamas has not conducted any investigations into the launching of rocket and mortar attacks against israel . ' that the crimes allegedly committed by hamas were intentional goes without saying -- its rockets were purposefully and indiscriminately aimed at civilian targets , ' goldstone wrote . goldstone said israel should have conducted proceedings in a public forum and been more cooperative during his panel 's investigation . israel 's lack of cooperation with our investigation meant that we were not able to corroborate how many gazans killed were civilians and how many were combatants , ' goldstone wrote in the washington post article . but the three co-authors in the guardian assert israel and hamas have yet to establish a convincing basis for any claims that contradict the findings of the mission 's report . ' they argue that the follow-up u.n. report , written by a committee led by judge mary mcgowan davies criticized israel , expressing serious concerns about the late start and slow pace of the proceedings , their insufficient transparency and the participation of victims and witnesses . ' in addition , with regard to the issue of the policies guiding operation cast lead , the committee states that there is'no indication that israel has opened investigations into the actions of those who designed , planned , ordered and oversaw operation cast lead .'in other words , one of the most serious allegations about the conduct of israel 's military operations remains completely unaddressed , ' the three wrote , referring to the name of the israeli offensive . echoing a report by the follow-up committee , the three say they regret that no domestic investigations at all have been started into any of the allegations of international crimes committed by members of palestinian armed groups in gaza which have fired thousands of rockets into southern israel . ' the israeli government and others have called for the united nations to retract the goldstone report , but the three reject those stances as well as what they say have been personal attacks and the extraordinary pressure ' on the members of the fact-finding mission . had we given in to pressures from any quarter to sanitize our conclusions , we would be doing a serious injustice to the hundreds of innocent civilians killed during the gaza conflict , the thousands injured , and the hundreds of thousands whose lives continue to be deeply affected by the conflict and the blockade , ' the three said . yigal palmor , israel 's foreign ministry spokesman , on thursday reiterated israel 's negative position on the goldstone report , citing flaws and biases in the document . he defended israeli investigations into the report and endorsements by international authorities that the country sincerely worked to seek justice . a palestinian authority government spokesman welcomed the column and said it is very disturbing that members of the committee say they have been put under pressure to sanitize their conclusions . ' israel must not be allowed to influence the outcome of what needs to be an objective process . nor must israel be allowed to investigate its own actions and find itself not guilty , ' ghassan khatib said . cnn 's paul colsey and kareem khadder contributed to this report | three goldstone report co-authors stand by mission |
myers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man tasked with leading the police department in sanford , florida , in the wake of the trayvon martin killing said communities should take a good , hard look at who is selected , ' for neighborhood watch programs . but , said sanford 's interim police chief richard myers , he still supports the programs . neighborhood watch is at work in literally thousands of neighborhoods across the country and with no problems whatsoever , ' myers told cnn 's erin burnett on tuesday . i think the problems emerge from who the person is and perhaps there 's a cause for communities to take a good , hard look at who is selected or who volunteers . let 's not kill the concept because of one bad , really bad outcome . ' myers , a former police chief from colorado springs , colorado , took the post friday . he said he has plans to help the department that has been under the microscope since the february 26 killing of unarmed 17-year-old trayvon martin by neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman . martin was black ; zimmerman is hispanic . i 'm here to help the community . there 's a lot of healing that has to take place , ' myers said . i 'm here to help the department get some stability . ' his predecessor , bill lee , stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners in april , clearing the way for myers . the martin case drew nationwide protests when sanford police decided against arresting zimmerman , who told investigators he killed martin in self-defense . a special prosecutor assigned to look into martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against the 28-year-old zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and is out on a $ 150,000 bail . myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , acknowledged the sanford police department needs to rebuild its relationship with african-americans in the area . one of my major goals is to try and strengthen the relationship that sanford police have with all elements of the community , especially the african-american community , ' he said . in america today , there still exists a great deal of unresolved tension about race and policing and i have a particular passion for working on those issues and helping to resolve conflict . so whether or not that was a factor in this case , it certainly is a factor in some tension that exists . we 're going to work on that . ' myers began his career in the suburbs of detroit and chicago before becoming chief of the appleton , wisconsin , police department . after that , he took the reins of the colorado springs police department in 2007 . myers resigned that post in 2011 . myers is supposed to spend a three- to five-month stint leading the sanford department , city officials have said . | myers wants to strengthen police relationship with the black community |
myers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man tasked with leading the police department in sanford , florida , in the wake of the trayvon martin killing said communities should take a good , hard look at who is selected , ' for neighborhood watch programs . but , said sanford 's interim police chief richard myers , he still supports the programs . neighborhood watch is at work in literally thousands of neighborhoods across the country and with no problems whatsoever , ' myers told cnn 's erin burnett on tuesday . i think the problems emerge from who the person is and perhaps there 's a cause for communities to take a good , hard look at who is selected or who volunteers . let 's not kill the concept because of one bad , really bad outcome . ' myers , a former police chief from colorado springs , colorado , took the post friday . he said he has plans to help the department that has been under the microscope since the february 26 killing of unarmed 17-year-old trayvon martin by neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman . martin was black ; zimmerman is hispanic . i 'm here to help the community . there 's a lot of healing that has to take place , ' myers said . i 'm here to help the department get some stability . ' his predecessor , bill lee , stepped aside as chief after a vote of no-confidence by city commissioners in april , clearing the way for myers . the martin case drew nationwide protests when sanford police decided against arresting zimmerman , who told investigators he killed martin in self-defense . a special prosecutor assigned to look into martin 's death ultimately brought second-degree murder charges against the 28-year-old zimmerman , who has pleaded not guilty and is out on a $ 150,000 bail . myers , a 35-year law enforcement veteran , acknowledged the sanford police department needs to rebuild its relationship with african-americans in the area . one of my major goals is to try and strengthen the relationship that sanford police have with all elements of the community , especially the african-american community , ' he said . in america today , there still exists a great deal of unresolved tension about race and policing and i have a particular passion for working on those issues and helping to resolve conflict . so whether or not that was a factor in this case , it certainly is a factor in some tension that exists . we 're going to work on that . ' myers began his career in the suburbs of detroit and chicago before becoming chief of the appleton , wisconsin , police department . after that , he took the reins of the colorado springs police department in 2007 . myers resigned that post in 2011 . myers is supposed to spend a three- to five-month stint leading the sanford department , city officials have said . | richard myers , a 35-year veteran , is expected to serve for three to five months |
martin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- to those of my fellow evangelicals who are on the religious right , please , stop your fake trumpeting of biblical values if you 're going to run roughshod over your biblical convictions and let your partisan views take center stage . when mitt romney was running for the gop presidential nomination , many on the religious right were highly critical of his faith . the southern baptist convention and the billy graham evangelistic association characterized mormonism as a cult . but billy graham 's association scrubbed that view from its website in the wake of the rev . graham meeting with romney . and at least one prominent southern baptist leader who called mormonism a cult has put that aside in order to endorse the republican nominee . billy graham 's group removes mormon cult reference from website after romney graham , america 's pastor , ' has run full-page ads in national newspapers like the washington post and usa today that are thinly veiled endorsements of romney . in them , he shows he has forgotten big portions of biblical teaching . the ads read : i believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of israel . i urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman . ' in a similar full-page ad that ran in ohio 's columbus dispatch on sunday , graham said : we are at a crossroads and there are profound moral issues at stake . ... please join me in praying for america , that we will turn out hearts back toward god . ' graham is urging americans to vote for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles , ' support the nation of israel , ' protect the sanctity of life , ' and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman . ' that 's it . nothing else . the teachings of jesus christ are filled with examples of him helping the needy , feeding the hungry , healing the sick and wounded , and taking the haves to task for ignoring the have-nots . the bible talks about jesus spending his time with social outcasts and not basking in the glow of the 1 % . so , rev . graham , why no mention of the poor , sick or needy in your newspaper ads ? graham , and so many others on the religious right , apparently want to narrow the bible 's teachings down to only abortion and same-sex marriage . does the rest of the bible matter , or are we to tell bible believers that one or two issues matter more than any other ? i know the history of the billy graham evangelistic association , as well as graham 's son franklin , helping the needy through samaritan 's purse . but is n't it worth mentioning and advocating these issues to our presidential candidates ? i wonder how catholic bishops and nuns feel about graham not advocating that bible believers cast their ballots on the issue of health care ? should bible believers not be concerned with rep. paul ryan 's proposals to massively cut programs that help the poor ? cnn 's belief blog : the faith angles behind the biggest stories should bible believers know about the fatherhood initiative launched by president obama to shore up families and to confront the crisis of fatherless homes ? should bible believers be concerned about the candidates'stance on guns and gun violence ? is that not a biblical issue , rev . graham ? should bible believers be concerned about who prefers to end wars across the globe ? should bible believers vote on who is best able to tear down the ` -industrial complex that is destroying this country fiscally ? should bible believers know who is more concerned about the rich getting richer ? seriously , rev . graham , are these not moral issues that should be considered ? what has happened over the last 30 years is the religious right has perverted the bible to fit its narrow view of what christians should pay attention to . abortion and homosexuality . nothing else matters . well , my bible is bigger than that . my faith is bigger than that . and my jesus christ cares about more than abortion and homosexuality . please , make your case about those two issues . but do n't talk to me , rev . graham , franklin graham , or any other right-wing evangelical , about the sanctity of life when you are silent about such things as trayvon martin being gunned down or police brutality taking the lives of innocent americans . i refuse to think the biblical and social justice issues touted by the revs . dr. martin luther king jr. , fred shuttlesworth , ralph abernathy , c.t . vivian , and countless other pastors during the civil rights movement are n't worth considering today . support who you want , rev . graham , but do n't dare limit the biblical values to what i can count on one hand . the gospel according to obama the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin . | roland martin : those on the religious right have changed their views to support romney |
martin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- to those of my fellow evangelicals who are on the religious right , please , stop your fake trumpeting of biblical values if you 're going to run roughshod over your biblical convictions and let your partisan views take center stage . when mitt romney was running for the gop presidential nomination , many on the religious right were highly critical of his faith . the southern baptist convention and the billy graham evangelistic association characterized mormonism as a cult . but billy graham 's association scrubbed that view from its website in the wake of the rev . graham meeting with romney . and at least one prominent southern baptist leader who called mormonism a cult has put that aside in order to endorse the republican nominee . billy graham 's group removes mormon cult reference from website after romney graham , america 's pastor , ' has run full-page ads in national newspapers like the washington post and usa today that are thinly veiled endorsements of romney . in them , he shows he has forgotten big portions of biblical teaching . the ads read : i believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of israel . i urge you to vote for those who protect the sanctity of life and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman . ' in a similar full-page ad that ran in ohio 's columbus dispatch on sunday , graham said : we are at a crossroads and there are profound moral issues at stake . ... please join me in praying for america , that we will turn out hearts back toward god . ' graham is urging americans to vote for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles , ' support the nation of israel , ' protect the sanctity of life , ' and support the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman . ' that 's it . nothing else . the teachings of jesus christ are filled with examples of him helping the needy , feeding the hungry , healing the sick and wounded , and taking the haves to task for ignoring the have-nots . the bible talks about jesus spending his time with social outcasts and not basking in the glow of the 1 % . so , rev . graham , why no mention of the poor , sick or needy in your newspaper ads ? graham , and so many others on the religious right , apparently want to narrow the bible 's teachings down to only abortion and same-sex marriage . does the rest of the bible matter , or are we to tell bible believers that one or two issues matter more than any other ? i know the history of the billy graham evangelistic association , as well as graham 's son franklin , helping the needy through samaritan 's purse . but is n't it worth mentioning and advocating these issues to our presidential candidates ? i wonder how catholic bishops and nuns feel about graham not advocating that bible believers cast their ballots on the issue of health care ? should bible believers not be concerned with rep. paul ryan 's proposals to massively cut programs that help the poor ? cnn 's belief blog : the faith angles behind the biggest stories should bible believers know about the fatherhood initiative launched by president obama to shore up families and to confront the crisis of fatherless homes ? should bible believers be concerned about the candidates'stance on guns and gun violence ? is that not a biblical issue , rev . graham ? should bible believers be concerned about who prefers to end wars across the globe ? should bible believers vote on who is best able to tear down the ` -industrial complex that is destroying this country fiscally ? should bible believers know who is more concerned about the rich getting richer ? seriously , rev . graham , are these not moral issues that should be considered ? what has happened over the last 30 years is the religious right has perverted the bible to fit its narrow view of what christians should pay attention to . abortion and homosexuality . nothing else matters . well , my bible is bigger than that . my faith is bigger than that . and my jesus christ cares about more than abortion and homosexuality . please , make your case about those two issues . but do n't talk to me , rev . graham , franklin graham , or any other right-wing evangelical , about the sanctity of life when you are silent about such things as trayvon martin being gunned down or police brutality taking the lives of innocent americans . i refuse to think the biblical and social justice issues touted by the revs . dr. martin luther king jr. , fred shuttlesworth , ralph abernathy , c.t . vivian , and countless other pastors during the civil rights movement are n't worth considering today . support who you want , rev . graham , but do n't dare limit the biblical values to what i can count on one hand . the gospel according to obama the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin . | martin : jesus christ cares about the poor and the sick . why no mention of those issues ? |
mccain <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- john mccain has learned his lesson : do n't ever cancel on david letterman . appearing on cbs' late show with david letterman ' thursday , the republican presidential candidate apologized for skipping out on a scheduled visit in september that letterman later made the subject of an ongoing joke . i screwed up , ' mccain told letterman more than once in the interview that aired thursday night . mccain 's appearance on the show comes three weeks after he raised the ire of the generally mild-mannered host by canceling at the last minute , citing his decision to suspend his presidential campaign because of the financial crisis . this does n't smell right , ' letterman said . this is not the way a tested hero behaves . somebody 's putting something in his metamucil . ' letterman also did n't appear to buy the arizona senator 's explanation for the cancellation . at the time , he showed the audience a live feed of mccain preparing for an interview with cbs anchor katie couric . after praising mccain 's record as a prisoner of war in vietnam , he said , this is not the john mccain i know , by god . ' letterman has repeatedly harped on mccain for the missed appearance , noting the arizona senator 's poll numbers appeared to begin to slide right after he skipped out on the show . look at all the conversation i gave you . including having mr. olbermann on , ' mccain told letterman thursday night , referencing the msnbc liberal talk show host who filled in for him that night . however , thursday 's interview was not all fun and games , as letterman pressed mccain on republican vp sarah palin 's preparedness to lead the country through the next 9/11 attack .. ' ' absolutely , ' she is , mccain said . she has inspired americans . that 's the thing we need . ' mccain said her experience as a mayor , governor and pta member have prepared her to be president . in all due respect , one of the people i admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president , ' mccain said . i mean , ronald reagan was a cowboy , no experience in international affairs . so , look , i think she has shown leadership . ' when letterman asked mccain about palin 's charge that barack obama palled around with terrorists , ' the senator said he did . ' mccain said that while obama might have been just a child when william ayers founded the weathermen , a vietnam war era group blamed for several domestic bombings . ayers recently said he regretted not doing more attacks . mr. ayers , on 2001 , september 11 , 2001 said ,'i wish i had bombed more ,'' said mccain . mccain 's reference was to a new york times story published on september 11 , 2001 , when ayers wrote i do n't regret setting bombs ... i feel we did n't do enough . ' later , after the issue was raised in an april primary debate by sen. hillary clinton , ayers posted his 2001 reply to the times story on his blog , saying , i said i had a thousand regrets , but no regrets for opposing the war with every ounce of my strength . ' | i screwed up , ' john mccain tells david letterman for canceling scheduled visit |
mccain <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- john mccain has learned his lesson : do n't ever cancel on david letterman . appearing on cbs' late show with david letterman ' thursday , the republican presidential candidate apologized for skipping out on a scheduled visit in september that letterman later made the subject of an ongoing joke . i screwed up , ' mccain told letterman more than once in the interview that aired thursday night . mccain 's appearance on the show comes three weeks after he raised the ire of the generally mild-mannered host by canceling at the last minute , citing his decision to suspend his presidential campaign because of the financial crisis . this does n't smell right , ' letterman said . this is not the way a tested hero behaves . somebody 's putting something in his metamucil . ' letterman also did n't appear to buy the arizona senator 's explanation for the cancellation . at the time , he showed the audience a live feed of mccain preparing for an interview with cbs anchor katie couric . after praising mccain 's record as a prisoner of war in vietnam , he said , this is not the john mccain i know , by god . ' letterman has repeatedly harped on mccain for the missed appearance , noting the arizona senator 's poll numbers appeared to begin to slide right after he skipped out on the show . look at all the conversation i gave you . including having mr. olbermann on , ' mccain told letterman thursday night , referencing the msnbc liberal talk show host who filled in for him that night . however , thursday 's interview was not all fun and games , as letterman pressed mccain on republican vp sarah palin 's preparedness to lead the country through the next 9/11 attack .. ' ' absolutely , ' she is , mccain said . she has inspired americans . that 's the thing we need . ' mccain said her experience as a mayor , governor and pta member have prepared her to be president . in all due respect , one of the people i admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president , ' mccain said . i mean , ronald reagan was a cowboy , no experience in international affairs . so , look , i think she has shown leadership . ' when letterman asked mccain about palin 's charge that barack obama palled around with terrorists , ' the senator said he did . ' mccain said that while obama might have been just a child when william ayers founded the weathermen , a vietnam war era group blamed for several domestic bombings . ayers recently said he regretted not doing more attacks . mr. ayers , on 2001 , september 11 , 2001 said ,'i wish i had bombed more ,'' said mccain . mccain 's reference was to a new york times story published on september 11 , 2001 , when ayers wrote i do n't regret setting bombs ... i feel we did n't do enough . ' later , after the issue was raised in an april primary debate by sen. hillary clinton , ayers posted his 2001 reply to the times story on his blog , saying , i said i had a thousand regrets , but no regrets for opposing the war with every ounce of my strength . ' | mccain also discussed sarah palin , obama 's ties to 1960s'radical william ayers |
mccain <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- john mccain has learned his lesson : do n't ever cancel on david letterman . appearing on cbs' late show with david letterman ' thursday , the republican presidential candidate apologized for skipping out on a scheduled visit in september that letterman later made the subject of an ongoing joke . i screwed up , ' mccain told letterman more than once in the interview that aired thursday night . mccain 's appearance on the show comes three weeks after he raised the ire of the generally mild-mannered host by canceling at the last minute , citing his decision to suspend his presidential campaign because of the financial crisis . this does n't smell right , ' letterman said . this is not the way a tested hero behaves . somebody 's putting something in his metamucil . ' letterman also did n't appear to buy the arizona senator 's explanation for the cancellation . at the time , he showed the audience a live feed of mccain preparing for an interview with cbs anchor katie couric . after praising mccain 's record as a prisoner of war in vietnam , he said , this is not the john mccain i know , by god . ' letterman has repeatedly harped on mccain for the missed appearance , noting the arizona senator 's poll numbers appeared to begin to slide right after he skipped out on the show . look at all the conversation i gave you . including having mr. olbermann on , ' mccain told letterman thursday night , referencing the msnbc liberal talk show host who filled in for him that night . however , thursday 's interview was not all fun and games , as letterman pressed mccain on republican vp sarah palin 's preparedness to lead the country through the next 9/11 attack .. ' ' absolutely , ' she is , mccain said . she has inspired americans . that 's the thing we need . ' mccain said her experience as a mayor , governor and pta member have prepared her to be president . in all due respect , one of the people i admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president , ' mccain said . i mean , ronald reagan was a cowboy , no experience in international affairs . so , look , i think she has shown leadership . ' when letterman asked mccain about palin 's charge that barack obama palled around with terrorists , ' the senator said he did . ' mccain said that while obama might have been just a child when william ayers founded the weathermen , a vietnam war era group blamed for several domestic bombings . ayers recently said he regretted not doing more attacks . mr. ayers , on 2001 , september 11 , 2001 said ,'i wish i had bombed more ,'' said mccain . mccain 's reference was to a new york times story published on september 11 , 2001 , when ayers wrote i do n't regret setting bombs ... i feel we did n't do enough . ' later , after the issue was raised in an april primary debate by sen. hillary clinton , ayers posted his 2001 reply to the times story on his blog , saying , i said i had a thousand regrets , but no regrets for opposing the war with every ounce of my strength . ' | letterman used mccain 's no-show as subject of ongoing joke |
london <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at least 1 million people marked the passing of another year at the iconic ball drop in new york 's times square , despite an early morning dusting of snow and late-night freezing rain . with the help of new york city mayor michael bloomberg and students from 12 city high schools , the dazzling crystal ball began its descent at 11:59 p.m . et thursday . revelers counted down the final seconds of a decade that many were happy to bid farewell to . though it seemed the whole world was packed into a small portion of manhattan , celebrations were spread across the globe . the new year got under way with blasting horns and fireworks shot from the sky tower as revelers partied friday morning in auckland , new zealand . similar celebrations moved like a wave from east to west as midnight joyously struck across the globe , starting at the international date line in the mid-pacific ocean . throngs danced to pounding rock 'n'roll music and cheered a spectacular 12-minute fireworks display over the picturesque sydney harbour bridge in australia . a giant bell rang before a huge crowd in seoul , south korea . crowds across europe braved near-freezing temperatures to ring in 2010 . in london , england , people gathered along the banks of the river thames to hear big ben strike midnight and watch a fireworks display at the london eye . a multicolored light show at the eiffel tower dazzled crowds in paris , france . always up for a party , rio de janeiro , brazil , was among the first places in the western hemisphere to say hello to 2010 . in new york , security was tight for thursday night 's iconic ball drop . after the christmas day attempt to blow up a northwest airlines plane over detroit , michigan , security forces were on high alert . we want people to have a happy experience . but we are also concerned about a terrorist event . we have to do that after 9/11 , ' new york police commissioner ray kelly said . celebrating ? share your photos and videos new york police estimated a million people had already filled the square by early thursday evening . weighing 11,875 pounds , the sparkling sphere features 2,668 crystals woven into a triangular pattern and is powered by 32,256 led lights . it is capable of producing a kaleidoscopic array of 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns , according to the event 's official web site . this new year 's ball is also greener , consuming 10 to 20 percent less energy than last year 's ball and 78 percent less energy than the 2007 ball . it uses the equivalent amount of energy per hour as two traditional home ovens . the 2010 numerals are also more energy efficient , as duracell batteries set up a lab in which visitors ride stationary bikes to provide the power to light the numbers on the ball . key stories in 2009 : you rank them times square has served as one of the most popular sites of new year 's festivities since 1904 , though the new year 's eve ball made its inaugural drop down the flagpole at one times square in 1907 . that first ball , built with iron and wood , featured a hundred 25-watt light bulbs and was designed by jacob starr , a young immigrant metalworker . the new year 's eve ball has beamed every year since with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 , when america was embroiled in world war ii and new york city observed a city-wide dimout ' to cut energy costs . as in previous years , security was tight . police searched garages and subway tunnels for bombs , trash cans were removed and mailboxes and manhole covers were sealed . detectives were asking hotel and restaurant personnel if they had noticed any suspicious people or activity . see images from times square law enforcement officials have a number of tools at their disposal to help combat potential crime and terrorism , including sniper teams , bomb-sniffing dogs , infrared radar-equipped helicopters , and radiation detectors on new york 's waterways , kelly said . in the years before terrorism was a concern inside the united states , the times square celebration was a rowdy affair , fueled by copious amounts of alcohol , often transported via backpack . these days , alcohol and backpacks are banned from the area on new year 's eve , and revelers are herded into 2,500-person pens , but the mood is festive nonetheless . new yorker julio ortiz-teissonniere , a cnn ireporter , said he 's too jaded to take part in the spectacle , but that was n't always the case . when the ball drops , it 's like an earthquake , ' he said . the amount of people screaming and stomping -- it 's amazing . ' cnn 's allan chernoff , jim kavanaugh , jesse solomon , jamie guzzardo and katie hawkins-gaar contributed to this report . | crowds in london gather to hear big ben strike midnight , watch the london eye fireworks |
london eye <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at least 1 million people marked the passing of another year at the iconic ball drop in new york 's times square , despite an early morning dusting of snow and late-night freezing rain . with the help of new york city mayor michael bloomberg and students from 12 city high schools , the dazzling crystal ball began its descent at 11:59 p.m . et thursday . revelers counted down the final seconds of a decade that many were happy to bid farewell to . though it seemed the whole world was packed into a small portion of manhattan , celebrations were spread across the globe . the new year got under way with blasting horns and fireworks shot from the sky tower as revelers partied friday morning in auckland , new zealand . similar celebrations moved like a wave from east to west as midnight joyously struck across the globe , starting at the international date line in the mid-pacific ocean . throngs danced to pounding rock 'n'roll music and cheered a spectacular 12-minute fireworks display over the picturesque sydney harbour bridge in australia . a giant bell rang before a huge crowd in seoul , south korea . crowds across europe braved near-freezing temperatures to ring in 2010 . in london , england , people gathered along the banks of the river thames to hear big ben strike midnight and watch a fireworks display at the london eye . a multicolored light show at the eiffel tower dazzled crowds in paris , france . always up for a party , rio de janeiro , brazil , was among the first places in the western hemisphere to say hello to 2010 . in new york , security was tight for thursday night 's iconic ball drop . after the christmas day attempt to blow up a northwest airlines plane over detroit , michigan , security forces were on high alert . we want people to have a happy experience . but we are also concerned about a terrorist event . we have to do that after 9/11 , ' new york police commissioner ray kelly said . celebrating ? share your photos and videos new york police estimated a million people had already filled the square by early thursday evening . weighing 11,875 pounds , the sparkling sphere features 2,668 crystals woven into a triangular pattern and is powered by 32,256 led lights . it is capable of producing a kaleidoscopic array of 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns , according to the event 's official web site . this new year 's ball is also greener , consuming 10 to 20 percent less energy than last year 's ball and 78 percent less energy than the 2007 ball . it uses the equivalent amount of energy per hour as two traditional home ovens . the 2010 numerals are also more energy efficient , as duracell batteries set up a lab in which visitors ride stationary bikes to provide the power to light the numbers on the ball . key stories in 2009 : you rank them times square has served as one of the most popular sites of new year 's festivities since 1904 , though the new year 's eve ball made its inaugural drop down the flagpole at one times square in 1907 . that first ball , built with iron and wood , featured a hundred 25-watt light bulbs and was designed by jacob starr , a young immigrant metalworker . the new year 's eve ball has beamed every year since with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 , when america was embroiled in world war ii and new york city observed a city-wide dimout ' to cut energy costs . as in previous years , security was tight . police searched garages and subway tunnels for bombs , trash cans were removed and mailboxes and manhole covers were sealed . detectives were asking hotel and restaurant personnel if they had noticed any suspicious people or activity . see images from times square law enforcement officials have a number of tools at their disposal to help combat potential crime and terrorism , including sniper teams , bomb-sniffing dogs , infrared radar-equipped helicopters , and radiation detectors on new york 's waterways , kelly said . in the years before terrorism was a concern inside the united states , the times square celebration was a rowdy affair , fueled by copious amounts of alcohol , often transported via backpack . these days , alcohol and backpacks are banned from the area on new year 's eve , and revelers are herded into 2,500-person pens , but the mood is festive nonetheless . new yorker julio ortiz-teissonniere , a cnn ireporter , said he 's too jaded to take part in the spectacle , but that was n't always the case . when the ball drops , it 's like an earthquake , ' he said . the amount of people screaming and stomping -- it 's amazing . ' cnn 's allan chernoff , jim kavanaugh , jesse solomon , jamie guzzardo and katie hawkins-gaar contributed to this report . | crowds in london gather to hear big ben strike midnight , watch the london eye fireworks |
times square <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at least 1 million people marked the passing of another year at the iconic ball drop in new york 's times square , despite an early morning dusting of snow and late-night freezing rain . with the help of new york city mayor michael bloomberg and students from 12 city high schools , the dazzling crystal ball began its descent at 11:59 p.m . et thursday . revelers counted down the final seconds of a decade that many were happy to bid farewell to . though it seemed the whole world was packed into a small portion of manhattan , celebrations were spread across the globe . the new year got under way with blasting horns and fireworks shot from the sky tower as revelers partied friday morning in auckland , new zealand . similar celebrations moved like a wave from east to west as midnight joyously struck across the globe , starting at the international date line in the mid-pacific ocean . throngs danced to pounding rock 'n'roll music and cheered a spectacular 12-minute fireworks display over the picturesque sydney harbour bridge in australia . a giant bell rang before a huge crowd in seoul , south korea . crowds across europe braved near-freezing temperatures to ring in 2010 . in london , england , people gathered along the banks of the river thames to hear big ben strike midnight and watch a fireworks display at the london eye . a multicolored light show at the eiffel tower dazzled crowds in paris , france . always up for a party , rio de janeiro , brazil , was among the first places in the western hemisphere to say hello to 2010 . in new york , security was tight for thursday night 's iconic ball drop . after the christmas day attempt to blow up a northwest airlines plane over detroit , michigan , security forces were on high alert . we want people to have a happy experience . but we are also concerned about a terrorist event . we have to do that after 9/11 , ' new york police commissioner ray kelly said . celebrating ? share your photos and videos new york police estimated a million people had already filled the square by early thursday evening . weighing 11,875 pounds , the sparkling sphere features 2,668 crystals woven into a triangular pattern and is powered by 32,256 led lights . it is capable of producing a kaleidoscopic array of 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns , according to the event 's official web site . this new year 's ball is also greener , consuming 10 to 20 percent less energy than last year 's ball and 78 percent less energy than the 2007 ball . it uses the equivalent amount of energy per hour as two traditional home ovens . the 2010 numerals are also more energy efficient , as duracell batteries set up a lab in which visitors ride stationary bikes to provide the power to light the numbers on the ball . key stories in 2009 : you rank them times square has served as one of the most popular sites of new year 's festivities since 1904 , though the new year 's eve ball made its inaugural drop down the flagpole at one times square in 1907 . that first ball , built with iron and wood , featured a hundred 25-watt light bulbs and was designed by jacob starr , a young immigrant metalworker . the new year 's eve ball has beamed every year since with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943 , when america was embroiled in world war ii and new york city observed a city-wide dimout ' to cut energy costs . as in previous years , security was tight . police searched garages and subway tunnels for bombs , trash cans were removed and mailboxes and manhole covers were sealed . detectives were asking hotel and restaurant personnel if they had noticed any suspicious people or activity . see images from times square law enforcement officials have a number of tools at their disposal to help combat potential crime and terrorism , including sniper teams , bomb-sniffing dogs , infrared radar-equipped helicopters , and radiation detectors on new york 's waterways , kelly said . in the years before terrorism was a concern inside the united states , the times square celebration was a rowdy affair , fueled by copious amounts of alcohol , often transported via backpack . these days , alcohol and backpacks are banned from the area on new year 's eve , and revelers are herded into 2,500-person pens , but the mood is festive nonetheless . new yorker julio ortiz-teissonniere , a cnn ireporter , said he 's too jaded to take part in the spectacle , but that was n't always the case . when the ball drops , it 's like an earthquake , ' he said . the amount of people screaming and stomping -- it 's amazing . ' cnn 's allan chernoff , jim kavanaugh , jesse solomon , jamie guzzardo and katie hawkins-gaar contributed to this report . | in times square , up to 1 million people welcome 2010 with famous ball drop |
ondo state <tsp> lagos , nigeria ( cnn ) -- a plane carrying 20 people crashed on takeoff from nigeria 's murtala muhammed airport in lagos on thursday , killing 14 , the nation 's aviation minister said . the six survivors were promptly transported to the hospital and are receiving appropriate medical care , ' princess stella oduah-ogiemwonyi said in a statement on her facebook page . two of the injured were in critical condition , and four were in stable condition , said her spokesman , joe obi , on her facebook page . the incident occurred at 9:32 a.m. when an embraer 120 operated by associated airlines on a private charter flight to akure crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport 's domestic wing and burst into flames , she said . first responders reached the crash site and extinguished the fire within two minutes , despite the surging crowd , ' she said . the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have both been recovered from the wreckage , said muhtar usman , commissioner with the nigerian accident investigation bureau . the identities of the victims were being withheld pending notification of relatives , oduah-ogiemwony said . among the passengers were relatives of the late former governor of ondo state , olusegun agagu , who were accompanying his body on the flight , nigerian state-run tv broadcaster nta reported . agagu was a former aviation minister in nigeria . in a statement from an adviser , president goodluck jonathan extended his condolences to relatives of the dead . president jonathan views the plane crash as most unfortunate and regrettable , given the concerted efforts of the federal government to enhance aviation safety in the country , ' said the spokesman , reuben abati . he has therefore ordered a thorough investigation of the crash by all relevant agencies with a view to determining the cause and taking further actions , as may become necessary . ' cnn 's tom watkins contributed to this report . | body of late governor of ondo state was aboard the aircraft |
union county jail <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two inmates at new jersey 's union county jail made a movie-style escape saturday and remained at large monday , according to union county prosecutor ted romankow . otis blunt , left , and jose espinosa escaped from the union county jail saturday night , officials say . twenty-year-old jose espinosa and 32-year-old otis blunt , who are considered armed and dangerous , were discovered missing from their cells at about 5:15 p.m. saturday , romankow said . the men left behind dummies in their beds , cinder block dust and a note wishing authorities happy holidays . ' espinosa , who recently pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter , was to be sentenced on january 25 and faced a minimum of 17 years in prison . blunt was being held in lieu of $ 75,000 bond on weapon and robbery charges . both men were being housed in the high security area of the multilevel jail , romankow said . police said espinosa and blunt were in adjacent cells and used a long metal wire to scrape away mortar around the cinder block between their cells and the outer wall in espinosa 's cell . once the cement block between the cells was removed , they smashed the block and hid the pieces in a footlocker . according to police , blunt , who is 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 210 pounds , squeezed into espinosa 's cell through an approximately 16- to 18-inch hole . the two inmates wiggled through another 18-inch hole in the outer wall . from a roof landing , the two men took a running jump or they were standing and they jumped approximately 15 feet out and about 30 feet down , ' romankow said . then they jumped a razor-wire fence onto a new jersey transit railroad bed to freedom , police said . authorities found two sets of footprints in the snow heading in opposite directions . at a news conference monday , romankow read the note that was found in espinosa 's cell , saying it represented the arrogance of these two men . ' thank you officer -- -- -- -- for the tools needed , you 're a real pal , happy holidays , ' the note read , with a smiley face drawn next to it . authorities are investigating the note 's claims about the guard , the associated press reported . the guard has not turned in a report and disciplinary action has not been taken , romankow said , according to ap . to delay discovery of the escape , espinosa and blunt used dummies made of sheets and pillows in their beds . they also hung photographs of bikini-clad women to hide the holes in the walls , a move reminiscent of a scene in the hollywood hit the shawshank redemption . ' romankow played down the comparison . i think this is a very serious situation you saw , ' he said . i really prefer not to compare with any movie , although i can understand why you might because it does look certainly very similar to some of them . except in'the shawshank redemption'they had a better poster on the wall . ' according to police , blunt tried to escape in september using similar methods . there is an $ 8,000 reward for the men 's capture . romankow said a statewide hunt is under way , with several agencies involved . e-mail to a friend cnn 's brian vitagliano contributed to this report . | two inmates broke out of union county jail saturday night , officials say |
nielsen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- leslie nielsen , whose longtime career as a square-jawed dramatic actor took a sudden turn into comedy with gut-busting spoofs like airplane ! ' and the naked gun , ' has died at age 84 , his family said sunday . the canadian-born nielsen 's career reached back into the early days of television , when he made frequent appearances on live drama series like goodyear playhouse . ' he played the earnest starship captain in the 1956 science-fiction classic forbidden planet ' and made regular appearances on a wide range of tv dramas into the 1970s , including hawaii five-o . ' he also played the captain of an overturned ocean liner in the 1972 disaster movie , the poseidon adventure . ' much of that changed in 1980 , when he was cast as a doctor aboard an endangered jetliner in the gag-a-minute disaster-movie parody airplane ! ' nielsen 's deadpan response to the question surely , you ca n't be serious ? ' with i am serious -- and do n't call me shirley ' helped launch a second career . the film 's producers went on to cast him in their short-lived television series police squad ! ' he reprised that show 's bumbling lead character , lt. frank drebin , a decade later in three naked gun ' movies , in which he shared the screen with o.j . simpson and priscilla presley . nielsen appeared in several similar but less-acclaimed spoofs following those films . nielsen was made an officer of the order of canada in 2003 . the medal is awarded to canadian citizens for outstanding achievement and service to the country or to humanity at large . ' ireport : share your favorite quotes , memories nielsen died of complications of pneumonia in a hospital near his home in fort lauderdale , florida , surrounded by family and friends , a family statement said . doug nielsen called his uncle 's death a great loss . ' he was extremely funny , ' the younger nielsen said in an interview with cnn affiliate global network news in vancouver . at all of our family get-togethers , he was always the life of the party and a great-natured guy , ' nielsen said . he was a very good friend to me . ' | nielsen died of complications from pneumonia , his family says |
blake <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yohan blake stunned usain bolt over 100m in the jamaica olympic trials to signal his intent ahead of the london games where they will battle again for gold medal glory . the 2011 world champion was never headed as he set the best time of the year of 9.75 seconds at the national stadium in kingston friday night . bolt made an appalling start and had to charge through the field to claim second place , 0.11 seconds behind , with asafa powell in third place . only the top three in the jamaica trials are selected for the individual events at the olympics , so there was not room for error by any of the star sprinters . bolt was disqualified for a false start in the 100m in the world championships in daegu last year , leaving the way clear for the 22-year-old blake . it may have been playing on his mind as he got left off the blocks and could not make up the deficit on blake , who shares the same coach in glen mills . why do all the top sprinters come from jamaica ? he 's a class runner without a doubt and i have said it over the years that he is one of the best . so for me it 's just one of those things , ' bolt told afp . the pair were back in action saturday , winning their qualifying heats in the 200m ahead of sunday 's final over the longer sprint . in the women 's 100m there was more stunning action as defending olympic champion shelly-ann fraser-pryce clocked a world leading 10.70 seconds to edge out veronica campbell-brown ( 10.82 ) and kerron stewart ( 10.94 ) . this is the first hurdle and i crossed it and i am just looking forward to the olympics , ' fraser-pryce said . jamaican sprinters are expected to dominate their events and the relays at the london olympics which start in a month 's time . bolt won three gold medals in beijing in 2008 , claiming the 100-200 double and anchoring jamaica to victory in the 4x100m sprint relay . human to hero : champion blake bids to steal buddy bolt 's spring swag | bolt and blake to clash again over 200m at the trials |
blake <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yohan blake stunned usain bolt over 100m in the jamaica olympic trials to signal his intent ahead of the london games where they will battle again for gold medal glory . the 2011 world champion was never headed as he set the best time of the year of 9.75 seconds at the national stadium in kingston friday night . bolt made an appalling start and had to charge through the field to claim second place , 0.11 seconds behind , with asafa powell in third place . only the top three in the jamaica trials are selected for the individual events at the olympics , so there was not room for error by any of the star sprinters . bolt was disqualified for a false start in the 100m in the world championships in daegu last year , leaving the way clear for the 22-year-old blake . it may have been playing on his mind as he got left off the blocks and could not make up the deficit on blake , who shares the same coach in glen mills . why do all the top sprinters come from jamaica ? he 's a class runner without a doubt and i have said it over the years that he is one of the best . so for me it 's just one of those things , ' bolt told afp . the pair were back in action saturday , winning their qualifying heats in the 200m ahead of sunday 's final over the longer sprint . in the women 's 100m there was more stunning action as defending olympic champion shelly-ann fraser-pryce clocked a world leading 10.70 seconds to edge out veronica campbell-brown ( 10.82 ) and kerron stewart ( 10.94 ) . this is the first hurdle and i crossed it and i am just looking forward to the olympics , ' fraser-pryce said . jamaican sprinters are expected to dominate their events and the relays at the london olympics which start in a month 's time . bolt won three gold medals in beijing in 2008 , claiming the 100-200 double and anchoring jamaica to victory in the 4x100m sprint relay . human to hero : champion blake bids to steal buddy bolt 's spring swag | yohan blake powers to victory in 9.75 secs at jamaica olympic trials |
asafa powell <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yohan blake stunned usain bolt over 100m in the jamaica olympic trials to signal his intent ahead of the london games where they will battle again for gold medal glory . the 2011 world champion was never headed as he set the best time of the year of 9.75 seconds at the national stadium in kingston friday night . bolt made an appalling start and had to charge through the field to claim second place , 0.11 seconds behind , with asafa powell in third place . only the top three in the jamaica trials are selected for the individual events at the olympics , so there was not room for error by any of the star sprinters . bolt was disqualified for a false start in the 100m in the world championships in daegu last year , leaving the way clear for the 22-year-old blake . it may have been playing on his mind as he got left off the blocks and could not make up the deficit on blake , who shares the same coach in glen mills . why do all the top sprinters come from jamaica ? he 's a class runner without a doubt and i have said it over the years that he is one of the best . so for me it 's just one of those things , ' bolt told afp . the pair were back in action saturday , winning their qualifying heats in the 200m ahead of sunday 's final over the longer sprint . in the women 's 100m there was more stunning action as defending olympic champion shelly-ann fraser-pryce clocked a world leading 10.70 seconds to edge out veronica campbell-brown ( 10.82 ) and kerron stewart ( 10.94 ) . this is the first hurdle and i crossed it and i am just looking forward to the olympics , ' fraser-pryce said . jamaican sprinters are expected to dominate their events and the relays at the london olympics which start in a month 's time . bolt won three gold medals in beijing in 2008 , claiming the 100-200 double and anchoring jamaica to victory in the 4x100m sprint relay . human to hero : champion blake bids to steal buddy bolt 's spring swag | asafa powell claims third individual spot in london games in the 100m |
bolt <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yohan blake stunned usain bolt over 100m in the jamaica olympic trials to signal his intent ahead of the london games where they will battle again for gold medal glory . the 2011 world champion was never headed as he set the best time of the year of 9.75 seconds at the national stadium in kingston friday night . bolt made an appalling start and had to charge through the field to claim second place , 0.11 seconds behind , with asafa powell in third place . only the top three in the jamaica trials are selected for the individual events at the olympics , so there was not room for error by any of the star sprinters . bolt was disqualified for a false start in the 100m in the world championships in daegu last year , leaving the way clear for the 22-year-old blake . it may have been playing on his mind as he got left off the blocks and could not make up the deficit on blake , who shares the same coach in glen mills . why do all the top sprinters come from jamaica ? he 's a class runner without a doubt and i have said it over the years that he is one of the best . so for me it 's just one of those things , ' bolt told afp . the pair were back in action saturday , winning their qualifying heats in the 200m ahead of sunday 's final over the longer sprint . in the women 's 100m there was more stunning action as defending olympic champion shelly-ann fraser-pryce clocked a world leading 10.70 seconds to edge out veronica campbell-brown ( 10.82 ) and kerron stewart ( 10.94 ) . this is the first hurdle and i crossed it and i am just looking forward to the olympics , ' fraser-pryce said . jamaican sprinters are expected to dominate their events and the relays at the london olympics which start in a month 's time . bolt won three gold medals in beijing in 2008 , claiming the 100-200 double and anchoring jamaica to victory in the 4x100m sprint relay . human to hero : champion blake bids to steal buddy bolt 's spring swag | bolt and blake to clash again over 200m at the trials |
bolt <tsp> ( cnn ) -- yohan blake stunned usain bolt over 100m in the jamaica olympic trials to signal his intent ahead of the london games where they will battle again for gold medal glory . the 2011 world champion was never headed as he set the best time of the year of 9.75 seconds at the national stadium in kingston friday night . bolt made an appalling start and had to charge through the field to claim second place , 0.11 seconds behind , with asafa powell in third place . only the top three in the jamaica trials are selected for the individual events at the olympics , so there was not room for error by any of the star sprinters . bolt was disqualified for a false start in the 100m in the world championships in daegu last year , leaving the way clear for the 22-year-old blake . it may have been playing on his mind as he got left off the blocks and could not make up the deficit on blake , who shares the same coach in glen mills . why do all the top sprinters come from jamaica ? he 's a class runner without a doubt and i have said it over the years that he is one of the best . so for me it 's just one of those things , ' bolt told afp . the pair were back in action saturday , winning their qualifying heats in the 200m ahead of sunday 's final over the longer sprint . in the women 's 100m there was more stunning action as defending olympic champion shelly-ann fraser-pryce clocked a world leading 10.70 seconds to edge out veronica campbell-brown ( 10.82 ) and kerron stewart ( 10.94 ) . this is the first hurdle and i crossed it and i am just looking forward to the olympics , ' fraser-pryce said . jamaican sprinters are expected to dominate their events and the relays at the london olympics which start in a month 's time . bolt won three gold medals in beijing in 2008 , claiming the 100-200 double and anchoring jamaica to victory in the 4x100m sprint relay . human to hero : champion blake bids to steal buddy bolt 's spring swag | 2011 world champion relegates usain bolt to second place |
palestinian <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- following the breakdown of direct talks with israel , palestinians have begun seeking international recognition of an independent state from european nations . officials from the palestinian authority told cnn thursday that the governments of france , britain , sweden , and denmark had formally been asked to recognize a palestinian state based on borders that existed prior to the 1967 war between israel and it arab neighbors . senior palestinian negotiator nabil sha'ath told cnn that the requests were part of an ongoing strategy to achieve statehood outside the framework of talks with israel . these were the last ones , but i have been asking all european countries to do the same , ' sha'ath said . he said that while most countries in africa and asia had already recognized palestine as an independent state many countries , including the united states and a number of european nations , did not . we still have pockets which have not done so -- we are pursuing each of them ' sha'ath said . earlier this week the european union ruled out recognizing an independent palestinian state for now , fearing a unilateral declaration might adversely impact efforts to get the middle east peace process back on track . the eu commends the work of the palestinian authority in building the institutions of the future state of palestine and reiterates its full support for their endeavours ' read a statement released monday in brussels by the 27 eu foreign ministers . ... the council reiterates its readiness , when appropriate , to recognize a palestinian state . ' the statement was released the day after the top palestinian negotiator , saeb erakat , sent a letter to eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton , urging the body to back palestinian authority attempts to gain international recognition of a sovereign state . brazil , argentina and uruguay have all moved to recognize an independent palestinian state in recent weeks , and palestinian authority officials are hoping to convince more countries to follow suit . both the isareli and the american governments have opposed such moves insisting that the only way forward is though continued negotiations . there is no substitute for negotiations with israel , ' israeli government spokesman mark regev told cnn . the fundamental cause of the of breakdown in talks was because of the consistent refusal of palestinians to engage with israel . ' american sponsored talks between the two sides fell apart in september when israel resumed settlement construction the in the occupied west bank after a ten-month freeze . saeb erakat told cnn that is the reason palestinians would not return to the negotiating table . the israeli government had the choice between settlements and peace and they chose settlements . and they alone are responsible for the derailment of the peace process , ' he said . earlier this month the obama administration announced it would be abandoning efforts to persuade israel to renew the settlement freeze as a precondition for jump-starting israeli-palestinian peace talks . instead the united states is now focusing its efforts on separate talks with each side in hopes of developing a framework agreement on core issues of the conflict that could lead to the resumption of peace talks . | palestinian state would be based on borders prior to the 1967 arab-israeli war |
palestinian <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- following the breakdown of direct talks with israel , palestinians have begun seeking international recognition of an independent state from european nations . officials from the palestinian authority told cnn thursday that the governments of france , britain , sweden , and denmark had formally been asked to recognize a palestinian state based on borders that existed prior to the 1967 war between israel and it arab neighbors . senior palestinian negotiator nabil sha'ath told cnn that the requests were part of an ongoing strategy to achieve statehood outside the framework of talks with israel . these were the last ones , but i have been asking all european countries to do the same , ' sha'ath said . he said that while most countries in africa and asia had already recognized palestine as an independent state many countries , including the united states and a number of european nations , did not . we still have pockets which have not done so -- we are pursuing each of them ' sha'ath said . earlier this week the european union ruled out recognizing an independent palestinian state for now , fearing a unilateral declaration might adversely impact efforts to get the middle east peace process back on track . the eu commends the work of the palestinian authority in building the institutions of the future state of palestine and reiterates its full support for their endeavours ' read a statement released monday in brussels by the 27 eu foreign ministers . ... the council reiterates its readiness , when appropriate , to recognize a palestinian state . ' the statement was released the day after the top palestinian negotiator , saeb erakat , sent a letter to eu foreign policy chief catherine ashton , urging the body to back palestinian authority attempts to gain international recognition of a sovereign state . brazil , argentina and uruguay have all moved to recognize an independent palestinian state in recent weeks , and palestinian authority officials are hoping to convince more countries to follow suit . both the isareli and the american governments have opposed such moves insisting that the only way forward is though continued negotiations . there is no substitute for negotiations with israel , ' israeli government spokesman mark regev told cnn . the fundamental cause of the of breakdown in talks was because of the consistent refusal of palestinians to engage with israel . ' american sponsored talks between the two sides fell apart in september when israel resumed settlement construction the in the occupied west bank after a ten-month freeze . saeb erakat told cnn that is the reason palestinians would not return to the negotiating table . the israeli government had the choice between settlements and peace and they chose settlements . and they alone are responsible for the derailment of the peace process , ' he said . earlier this month the obama administration announced it would be abandoning efforts to persuade israel to renew the settlement freeze as a precondition for jump-starting israeli-palestinian peace talks . instead the united states is now focusing its efforts on separate talks with each side in hopes of developing a framework agreement on core issues of the conflict that could lead to the resumption of peace talks . | palestinian authority seeks recognition from european countries |
roll <tsp> editor 's note : rich roll , one of men 's fitness magazine 's 25 fittest guys in the world ' in 2009 , was the first athlete to compete in the ultraman world championships on an entirely plant-based diet . he 's sharing insights today as part of dr. sanjay gupta 's four months to fitness ' effort . before : at 40 years old , rich roll called himself fat , unhappy and fed up . ' ( cnn ) -- i can still remember it , vivid as yesterday . it was the eve of my 40th birthday , and i walked upstairs to take a shower . and i was winded . i mean very winded . as i was trying to catch my breath , i took off my shirt , looked in the mirror and tried to convince myself that i was still that fit guy i had always thought i was . somehow , i had been able to skate by on this delusion for all too many years . but the denial had finally caught up to me . i saw my true reflection , and i could n't lie to myself anymore . i was in the worst shape of my life . i was fat , unhappy and fed up . it 's the typical story . first it 's the career . then comes marriage , followed by kids . your time is no longer your own , and you resign yourself to maturity , ' filling out ' or whatever euphemism for middle age that soothes that idea that you are simply overweight , unfit and unhealthy . i 'm here to say that it does n't have to be that way . i do n't care how busy you are . i do n't care how old you are , how many kids you have or how little time you think you have . the power rests within yourself to enact any change in your life you desire . and i can say this because i have seen it happen in myself and countless others . after that fateful day of clarity , i made a decision to change my life . not a vague , wishy-washy notion that i should get in shape , ' maybe eat better ' or possibly go on a diet , ' but rather a specific long-term plan to enhance my wellness in a way that would not only stick , but fit within the parameters of my busy life as a full-time lawyer , husband and father of four small children . in my case , it began with a well-researched and supervised seven-day fruit and vegetable juice cleanse ( during which time i weaned myself off caffeine ) , followed by an entirely plant-based nutrition program -- an animal-product-free regimen i have adhered to ever since . the immediate result was a rather surprising and unexpected increase in my energy levels , leading to a very gradual return to exercise , building up slowly over an extended period of time . the results were hardly overnight . but two years later , i had lost well over 30 pounds . and not only did i keep the weight off , i was the most fit i had ever been in my life . at 42 years old , i competed in the ultraman world championships , a grueling three-day uber-endurance triathlon circumnavigating the big island of hawaii that involves 6.2 miles of swimming , 260 miles of cycling and culminates with a 52.4-mile double marathon run . i placed 11th overall and was the third-fastest american . to top it off , men 's fitness magazine recently named me one of the 25 fittest guys in the world . ' ( not that i actually believe i deserve such an honor ! ) quite an extreme contrast from that day i looked in the mirror . i 'm not advocating that everyone should test himself or herself so severely . but my point is that change starts with a decision followed by baby steps along a new , consistent trajectory that , over time , can lead to dramatic results . i 'm nothing special . i 'm not a professional athlete . i 'm just a normal family guy . but if i could experience such a vast transformation in my own life , i know with certainty that everybody has within himself the power to enact his own well-balanced transformation . change is never easy . and despite what you may see advertised , i 'm sorry to say there is no secret diet , mystery pill or overnight miracle that will do it for you . but there is a solution . here are some helpful tools i employed along the way that can help you get started : set a goal : vague , nonspecific notions of getting fit , ' going to the gym , ' or eating better ' are all fine , but they are not true goals ' and all too typically devolve , paving the way for relapse to old habits . instead , establish something very concrete you would like to achieve on a future date . the more specific , the better . then create a solid plan with reasonable interim steppingstone ' milestones along the way to achieving the larger goal . chart your progress , as meeting interim milestones will boost your confidence and invest you more deeply in the ultimate goal . create community and accountability : if you go public with your quest , then you are on the hook . a good support network is a key to success . but beware of the negative dream crushers . be selective , surrounding yourself with people who encourage your success . do what you love : when it comes to exercise , it should n't be too painful . ideally , it should be fun . if you absolutely hate running , find something else you enjoy . otherwise , you set yourself up to fail . and do n't be too rigid -- mix it up with a variety of activities you like to keep it interesting and fresh . do n't diet : instead , get honest about your habits and embark on implementing healthy , lasting changes in your nutrition . i feel quite strongly that a nutrition program built entirely around plant-based foods and completely devoid of animal products is optimal . conventional wisdom would say that an athlete can not perform on plants alone . but i am living proof that this is false , and i have ample research to support this position . personally , i can not overemphasize the difference this has made in my own life , a secret weapon for enhanced athletic performance and overall long-term wellness . ( in the last two years , i have not gotten sick or even suffered a cold . ) i realize , of course , that not everyone is ready to go 100 percent vegan , but a program built on a strong foundation of fresh organic vegetables , fruits and grains should be the focus . do n't skip meals , but reduce your portions slightly . read the labels and educate yourself . avoid saturated fats , processed foods and soft drinks , all of which are entirely devoid of nutritional value . eating whole fresh foods high in nutritional content will also stave off those unhealthy urges to binge . one day at a time : large goals can seem insurmountable . the idea that you can never eat a cupcake or sleep in again is daunting at best . instead , just focus on what is happening today , even if it 's hour to hour , and do n't worry about tomorrow . today , i 'm not going to eat that cupcake . maybe i 'll eat it tomorrow , just not today . ' and if you miss a beat , do n't flog yourself ; it only leads to discouragement and quitting altogether . the important thing is to make sure you get right back on it the next day -- do n't let another day go by . prioritize : take an honest look at your average week , identify your inefficient uses of time and eliminate the things that do n't serve your goals . no matter how busy you are , if you are truly honest about this inquiry , i guarantee you can make some cuts and carve out some time . remember : nothing changes if nothing changes . be consistent : it 's not about how much you do in a given workout or how hard it is . ten minutes of core exercises four to five times per week is far better than one long run a week . establishing a consistent rhythm of repetition is key , and another reason that your choice of exercise should be something you truly enjoy . let 's join together to shift the world 's perspective on long-term health and wellness . no matter how old , overweight or out of shape you are , you have the power to make a decision , set a goal and create a plan . positive change is always within your grasp , and today still remains the first day of the rest of your life . make it count ! the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of rich roll . | this year , men 's fitness named roll one of the 25 fittest guys in the world ' |
roll <tsp> editor 's note : rich roll , one of men 's fitness magazine 's 25 fittest guys in the world ' in 2009 , was the first athlete to compete in the ultraman world championships on an entirely plant-based diet . he 's sharing insights today as part of dr. sanjay gupta 's four months to fitness ' effort . before : at 40 years old , rich roll called himself fat , unhappy and fed up . ' ( cnn ) -- i can still remember it , vivid as yesterday . it was the eve of my 40th birthday , and i walked upstairs to take a shower . and i was winded . i mean very winded . as i was trying to catch my breath , i took off my shirt , looked in the mirror and tried to convince myself that i was still that fit guy i had always thought i was . somehow , i had been able to skate by on this delusion for all too many years . but the denial had finally caught up to me . i saw my true reflection , and i could n't lie to myself anymore . i was in the worst shape of my life . i was fat , unhappy and fed up . it 's the typical story . first it 's the career . then comes marriage , followed by kids . your time is no longer your own , and you resign yourself to maturity , ' filling out ' or whatever euphemism for middle age that soothes that idea that you are simply overweight , unfit and unhealthy . i 'm here to say that it does n't have to be that way . i do n't care how busy you are . i do n't care how old you are , how many kids you have or how little time you think you have . the power rests within yourself to enact any change in your life you desire . and i can say this because i have seen it happen in myself and countless others . after that fateful day of clarity , i made a decision to change my life . not a vague , wishy-washy notion that i should get in shape , ' maybe eat better ' or possibly go on a diet , ' but rather a specific long-term plan to enhance my wellness in a way that would not only stick , but fit within the parameters of my busy life as a full-time lawyer , husband and father of four small children . in my case , it began with a well-researched and supervised seven-day fruit and vegetable juice cleanse ( during which time i weaned myself off caffeine ) , followed by an entirely plant-based nutrition program -- an animal-product-free regimen i have adhered to ever since . the immediate result was a rather surprising and unexpected increase in my energy levels , leading to a very gradual return to exercise , building up slowly over an extended period of time . the results were hardly overnight . but two years later , i had lost well over 30 pounds . and not only did i keep the weight off , i was the most fit i had ever been in my life . at 42 years old , i competed in the ultraman world championships , a grueling three-day uber-endurance triathlon circumnavigating the big island of hawaii that involves 6.2 miles of swimming , 260 miles of cycling and culminates with a 52.4-mile double marathon run . i placed 11th overall and was the third-fastest american . to top it off , men 's fitness magazine recently named me one of the 25 fittest guys in the world . ' ( not that i actually believe i deserve such an honor ! ) quite an extreme contrast from that day i looked in the mirror . i 'm not advocating that everyone should test himself or herself so severely . but my point is that change starts with a decision followed by baby steps along a new , consistent trajectory that , over time , can lead to dramatic results . i 'm nothing special . i 'm not a professional athlete . i 'm just a normal family guy . but if i could experience such a vast transformation in my own life , i know with certainty that everybody has within himself the power to enact his own well-balanced transformation . change is never easy . and despite what you may see advertised , i 'm sorry to say there is no secret diet , mystery pill or overnight miracle that will do it for you . but there is a solution . here are some helpful tools i employed along the way that can help you get started : set a goal : vague , nonspecific notions of getting fit , ' going to the gym , ' or eating better ' are all fine , but they are not true goals ' and all too typically devolve , paving the way for relapse to old habits . instead , establish something very concrete you would like to achieve on a future date . the more specific , the better . then create a solid plan with reasonable interim steppingstone ' milestones along the way to achieving the larger goal . chart your progress , as meeting interim milestones will boost your confidence and invest you more deeply in the ultimate goal . create community and accountability : if you go public with your quest , then you are on the hook . a good support network is a key to success . but beware of the negative dream crushers . be selective , surrounding yourself with people who encourage your success . do what you love : when it comes to exercise , it should n't be too painful . ideally , it should be fun . if you absolutely hate running , find something else you enjoy . otherwise , you set yourself up to fail . and do n't be too rigid -- mix it up with a variety of activities you like to keep it interesting and fresh . do n't diet : instead , get honest about your habits and embark on implementing healthy , lasting changes in your nutrition . i feel quite strongly that a nutrition program built entirely around plant-based foods and completely devoid of animal products is optimal . conventional wisdom would say that an athlete can not perform on plants alone . but i am living proof that this is false , and i have ample research to support this position . personally , i can not overemphasize the difference this has made in my own life , a secret weapon for enhanced athletic performance and overall long-term wellness . ( in the last two years , i have not gotten sick or even suffered a cold . ) i realize , of course , that not everyone is ready to go 100 percent vegan , but a program built on a strong foundation of fresh organic vegetables , fruits and grains should be the focus . do n't skip meals , but reduce your portions slightly . read the labels and educate yourself . avoid saturated fats , processed foods and soft drinks , all of which are entirely devoid of nutritional value . eating whole fresh foods high in nutritional content will also stave off those unhealthy urges to binge . one day at a time : large goals can seem insurmountable . the idea that you can never eat a cupcake or sleep in again is daunting at best . instead , just focus on what is happening today , even if it 's hour to hour , and do n't worry about tomorrow . today , i 'm not going to eat that cupcake . maybe i 'll eat it tomorrow , just not today . ' and if you miss a beat , do n't flog yourself ; it only leads to discouragement and quitting altogether . the important thing is to make sure you get right back on it the next day -- do n't let another day go by . prioritize : take an honest look at your average week , identify your inefficient uses of time and eliminate the things that do n't serve your goals . no matter how busy you are , if you are truly honest about this inquiry , i guarantee you can make some cuts and carve out some time . remember : nothing changes if nothing changes . be consistent : it 's not about how much you do in a given workout or how hard it is . ten minutes of core exercises four to five times per week is far better than one long run a week . establishing a consistent rhythm of repetition is key , and another reason that your choice of exercise should be something you truly enjoy . let 's join together to shift the world 's perspective on long-term health and wellness . no matter how old , overweight or out of shape you are , you have the power to make a decision , set a goal and create a plan . positive change is always within your grasp , and today still remains the first day of the rest of your life . make it count ! the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of rich roll . | rich roll : approaching 40 , i was in the worst shape of my life ' |
chelsea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ghana international michael essien has followed goalkeeper petr cech in agreeing a new five-year contract with english premier league side chelsea . michael essien has made a big impression on new chelsea coach luiz felipe scolari . the midfielder , who is in china for the start of the club 's pre-season tour , is now tied to the london outfit until the summer of 2013 . the 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since moving to stamford bridge from french club lyon in a $ 49 million transfer in august 2005 , scoring 14 goals in total and helping chelsea win the league title that season . essien 's decision to commit his long-term future to the club is a boost for new manager luiz felipe scolari , who allowed veteran holding midfielder claude makelele to join paris st germain on monday . i have not been here long but it is clear to me that michael essien is one of the best midfield players in the world , ' scolari said . i have always admired him and it is good news for me and for chelsea that he signs for so long . ' the accra-born essien , who started his career in france with bastia in 2000 before moving to lyon three years later , was also pleased with the deal . i am really pleased to have extended my career with chelsea , ' he said . i am very happy here . we have a great team and fantastic fans who have always made me welcome . with the addition of the new manager , i am feeling very positive about the season ahead . ' chelsea announced on monday that czech republic goalkeeper cech signed a new five-year deal , while england full-back wayne bridge committed himself to four more years last week . scolari is still seeking to keep england midfielder frank lampard , who has ended talks over a new deal and now appears to be resigned to waiting until his contract runs out before joining inter milan following the upcoming season . the brazilian has so far added only portugal playmaker deco to his midfield ranks . his first match in charge will be wednesday 's friendly against guangzhou pharmaceutical , one of the three games the team will play in china . striker didier drogba , who has been linked with moves to ac milan and barcelona , is not among the touring squad due to a recurring knee problem . khalid boulahrouz , meanwhile , completed his transfer from chelsea to stuttgart on a four-year contract with the bundesliga club . the netherlands central defender was released monday by chelsea and arrived in stuttgart 's training camp in austria shortly before midnight after passing a medical exam in stuttgart . the deal between stuttgart and chelsea was completed tuesday . details were not given . the dutchman played for hamburger sv for two seasons before going to chelsea in 2006 . he was loaned to fc sevilla last season . boulahrouz 's departure came a day after 35-year-old former france international claude makelele signed a two-year deal with paris-saint germain after joining from chelsea on a free transfer . | dutch defender khalid boulahrouz leaves chelsea for stuttgart on 4-year deal |
chelsea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ghana international michael essien has followed goalkeeper petr cech in agreeing a new five-year contract with english premier league side chelsea . michael essien has made a big impression on new chelsea coach luiz felipe scolari . the midfielder , who is in china for the start of the club 's pre-season tour , is now tied to the london outfit until the summer of 2013 . the 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since moving to stamford bridge from french club lyon in a $ 49 million transfer in august 2005 , scoring 14 goals in total and helping chelsea win the league title that season . essien 's decision to commit his long-term future to the club is a boost for new manager luiz felipe scolari , who allowed veteran holding midfielder claude makelele to join paris st germain on monday . i have not been here long but it is clear to me that michael essien is one of the best midfield players in the world , ' scolari said . i have always admired him and it is good news for me and for chelsea that he signs for so long . ' the accra-born essien , who started his career in france with bastia in 2000 before moving to lyon three years later , was also pleased with the deal . i am really pleased to have extended my career with chelsea , ' he said . i am very happy here . we have a great team and fantastic fans who have always made me welcome . with the addition of the new manager , i am feeling very positive about the season ahead . ' chelsea announced on monday that czech republic goalkeeper cech signed a new five-year deal , while england full-back wayne bridge committed himself to four more years last week . scolari is still seeking to keep england midfielder frank lampard , who has ended talks over a new deal and now appears to be resigned to waiting until his contract runs out before joining inter milan following the upcoming season . the brazilian has so far added only portugal playmaker deco to his midfield ranks . his first match in charge will be wednesday 's friendly against guangzhou pharmaceutical , one of the three games the team will play in china . striker didier drogba , who has been linked with moves to ac milan and barcelona , is not among the touring squad due to a recurring knee problem . khalid boulahrouz , meanwhile , completed his transfer from chelsea to stuttgart on a four-year contract with the bundesliga club . the netherlands central defender was released monday by chelsea and arrived in stuttgart 's training camp in austria shortly before midnight after passing a medical exam in stuttgart . the deal between stuttgart and chelsea was completed tuesday . details were not given . the dutchman played for hamburger sv for two seasons before going to chelsea in 2006 . he was loaned to fc sevilla last season . boulahrouz 's departure came a day after 35-year-old former france international claude makelele signed a two-year deal with paris-saint germain after joining from chelsea on a free transfer . | ghana international michael essien signs new five-year contract with chelsea |
afghanistan <tsp> dover air force base , delaware ( cnn ) -- his name was phillip a. myers . a staff sergeant in the u.s. air force , he was killed in a roadside bombing in afghanistan on saturday . the body of phillip myers , 30 , arrived at dover air force base in delaware on sunday . the return of his body to the united states aboard a charter aircraft sunday marked a solemn moment that has been repeated more than 5,000 times at dover air force base in delaware since the start of the war in afghanistan in late 2001 . much of this night was like so many of the others : the well-practiced and crisp movement of the carry team silently transferring the body from the plane to the truck that would transport it to the base mortuary and the presence of myers'family , quietly watching every step and order , ensured dignity and respect for the fallen in an atmosphere that does not lend itself to peace and quiet . this night , however , was not like the other nights . watching all of this were about 40 journalists allowed to cover the return of myers'remains . it was the first time in almost 20 years the return of a fallen u.s. service member was able to be recorded by the media . myers'widow was the first to be asked by the military , under a new policy by defense secretary robert gates , if she wished to have news media at dover air force base for her husband 's final return home . her decision to do so was historical and allowed the public to see a side of the wars in afghanistan and iraq the country has not yet seen . the only noise on the flight line was the perpetual whine of the atlas air 747 's power generator . this was the plane that had brought myers and another fallen soldier back to the united states . the media were not allowed to cover the other soldier 's transfer and were not given his name or the circumstances of his death , because the family had not granted permission . on the flight line , journalists were asked not to speak , use camera flashes or make undue movement while watching the transfer . with cameras rolling , an eight-member carry team wearing battle-dress uniforms and white gloves stood by the flag-draped transfer case carrying myers , as the chaplain , maj. klabens noel , said a prayer . watch the coverage of the return of the fallen service member » the team slowly moved the transfer case from the aircraft onto the loader . with a jolt , the quiet of the night was shattered as a diesel engine was started to lower the loader toward the ground and then was shut off . bathed in light from the giant floodlights along the flight line , the team hoisted the transfer case and carried it to a waiting panel truck . as the transfer case was secured , the carry team saluted , the doors of the truck were slowly closed and then driven under police escort to the base mortuary . seven family members watched the truck until it was out of sight , one man among them crying into a tissue . myers was from hopewell , virginia , and died saturday of wounds suffered in a roadside bombing , the air force said . he was assigned to the 48th civil engineer squadron , with the royal air force lakenheath , uk , and in march 2008 received the bronze star for valor . he was 30 years old . casualties : afghanistan | iraq the ban on media coverage of returning war dead was implemented by president george bush in 1991 and the policy has been the subject of much debate since . some called it censorship ; others said it allowed privacy and respect for the families during a very difficult time . watch an army widow call the policy is'dignified'» an exception on the ban by president bill clinton in 2000 allowed coverage of the return of sailors killed in the attack on the uss cole . shortly after taking office , president obama asked gates to take a look at the policy . in february , gates reversed it , but with conditions . family members would be asked if they wanted news media to cover the transfer of their loved one 's body . ireport.com : what do you think about this decision ? service members'support groups had mixed opinions on the change . some welcomed the change to show the human cost of war , and others opposed it . we are committed to seeing that america 's fallen heroes are received back to their loved ones and their country with the honor , respect and recognition that they and their families have earned , ' gates said after his decision . the overriding principle is that decisions about media coverage should be made by those most affected : the families , ' he said . | air force staff sgt . phillip myers , 30 , died in afghanistan on saturday |
mark zuckerberg <tsp> menlo park , california ( cnn ) -- the search feature on facebook has traditionally been pretty limited . you type in a name of a person or a business , and it pulls up their facebook page . but that 's about to change . on tuesday , facebook introduced an upgraded search tool , called graph search , that will scour the massive social network to answer more sophisticated questions . want to find buddies of your pal chris who went to stanford and live in chicago ? no problem . people who like tennis and live nearby ? here you go . how about photos of berlin from 1989 ? done . this is one of the coolest things we 've done in a while , ' facebook co-founder and ceo mark zuckerberg said at a press event at the company 's headquarters . since it became a public company last year , facebook has been under pressure to launch exciting new products , especially for mobile , that will help boost its floundering stock price . cnnmoney : yelp stock falls 8 % on facebook graph search news facebook said graph search is launching immediately in beta , although users will need to get on a waitlist to gain access . the company will continue tweaking the product based on feedback from beta users , but zuckerberg said there 's no concrete estimate for how long the rollout will take . for now , graph search 's functions will be limited . it focuses on four main areas : people , photos , places and interests . more features will be added as they are developed , zuckerberg said . this is a beta product . we focused on a few use cases that we think are good , ' he said . even as an early product , graph search is a completely new way for people to get information on facebook . ' graph search delves the wealth of data already inside facebook , pulled from 1 billion profiles , 24 billion photos and 1 trillion connections . the tool indexes all of this content and works through the main search bar you 're already familiar with at the top of your facebook profile . for now there is no mobile version , it does n't loop in instagram , there 's no api ( which would allow outside developers to build related apps ) , and it 's only in english . the searches are natural language , which means you type the question just like you 'd say it : friends who like cats and'alias' or podiatrists in san francisco my friends like . ' you can use graph search to track down people you just met ( people named rebecca who work at chipotle and are friends with peter ' ) , to look for job candidates ( friends of co-workers who have been programmers ) , and to play yenta for your single friends ( friends of friends who are single men and live in los angeles ' ) . other searches could be useful for business recommendations . you can find doctors , or restaurants , based on friends'endorsements . for example , if you wanted good indian food in san francisco , you might search for indian restaurants in san francisco liked by my friends from india . ' the results pull in practical information as well , such as reviews and prices . the first concern people tend to have after any facebook announcement is , how will this impact my privacy ? facebook says graph search will return only content that has been shared with you . we take this really seriously , ' zuckerberg said . if you search for something outside graph search 's purview , it will return search results from microsoft 's bing search engine . the two companies have worked together before on integrating social search into bing . but graph search probably wo n't pose a threat to google anytime soon . i do n't necessarily think that people are going to start coming to facebook to do web searches with this , ' zuckerberg said . for now , the company will not be working with google on search functions , zuckerberg said , adding that google is not able to process facebook updates as quickly as facebook users might like . for example , if you unfriend someone , you might assume they would be blocked right away from seeing your personal data . but that might take more time with a google-powered search , he said . while the timing was the big issue during negotiations with google , it may have been a symptom of a bigger strategic rift ' between the companies , zuckerberg said . | mark zuckerberg : this is one of the coolest things we 've done in a while ' |
white house <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the acquittal and mistrial in john edwards'campaign finance fraud trial completes a fall from grace that transformed the man who might have been president into one of the most vilified and lampooned political figures in the country . opinion : edwards jury got it exactly right the boyish-looking , smooth-talking lawyer and self-described son of a millworker ' was once known for rallying supporters with a populist mantra describing two americas -- the haves and have-nots . now he is best known for fathering a child in an extramarital affair while his wife elizabeth battled incurable cancer and , according to prosecutors , scheming to use wealthy donors'money to help him cover up his affair and hide his mistress from the public . wtvd : juror had no intention of flirting with edwards it was all so different five years ago , when edwards could be heard preaching his populist prose to iowa voters who eagerly packed into lumber barns , veterans of foreign wars halls and restaurants across the state . he had every reason to believe he could be president . he felt the country would let hillary clinton and barack obama , both senators at the time with presidential ambitions of their own , destroy each other with negative campaigning . john edwards : once a cheater , always a cheater ? and if the country was n't ready to elect a black man or a woman president , he would rise as the more experienced and safe nominee . to many voters , edwards was a fitting candidate to live in the white house and serve as president . instead , edwards appeared in front of tv cameras thursday and took responsibility for my sins ' after his federal corruption case ended in an acquittal and mistrial . prosecutors had accused edwards of using almost $ 1 million in illegal campaign contributions to keep his pregnant mistress under wraps . but after more than 50 hours of deliberations , jurors cleared him of one of six counts and deadlocked on the rest . why politicians lie edwards , who turns 59 on june 10 , argued that while his actions were wrong , they were not illegal . emerging from the courthouse with his parents and daughter at his side , he said that while he never believed he committed a crime , i did an awful , awful lot that was wrong , and there is no one else responsible for my sins . ' now a widower , he is the sole caregiver to his two youngest children by his late wife -- emma claire , 13 , and jack , 11 . the couple also raised two older children . their son , wade , died at age 16 in a 1996 road accident . daughter cate edwards upham attended every day of her father 's four-week trial , sitting behind edwards and next to her grandparents . edwards charges : the rundown edwards also provides financial support for his daughter with rielle hunter , his mistress from the campaign trail during his unsuccessful bid for the democratic presidential nomination in the 2008 election . a product of a working class family from south carolina , edwards got a law degree from the university of north carolina at chapel hill in 1977 . he became a successful trial lawyer representing claimants against large corporations and insurance companies . he won his first , and only major , political race in 1998 , unseating a republican incumbent to become a u.s. senator from north carolina . as a senator , edwards reportedly made it onto a list of potential running mates for al gore in the 2000 presidential election . he did n't make the ticket that time . but before his first term ended , he was running for president and ended up as sen. john kerry 's running mate in 2004 . kerry lost to incumbent president george w. bush . once running mates , kerry and edwards quickly severed their friendship after what was a disappointing election for edwards . he quickly set his sights on iowa , gearing up for another presidential bid in 2008 . edwards met hunter in early 2006 at a bar at the regency hotel in new york city . hunter approached edwards , not believing it was him . later that evening , edwards and hunter met again , privately . overheard on cnn.com :'being a slimy dirtbag does n't equal being a criminal' the man who constantly spoke about two americas began living two lives . the 40-something hunter told edwards that she could help his campaign . edwards hired her to produce a few videos that would present the politician in a more relaxed manner . the videos were called webisodes ' and were posted to edwards'campaign site . however , instead of showing edwards in a new light , the flirtatious on-camera banter only highlighted just how close edwards and hunter had become . staffers began to suspect that hunter had become more than a videographer to edwards . that thought was fueled by edwards'directive that hunter be allowed to travel with him whenever either of them insisted . josh brumberger was edwards'chief of staff during the time hunter traveled with the campaign . on several occasions , he talked to edwards about hunter 's involvement with the campaign . one heated altercation ended with edwards firing brumberger , and by the fall of 2006 , several longtime senior aides left the campaign amid edwards'refusal to end his relationship with hunter , as detailed in game change , ' the book about the 2008 election . on december 28 , 2006 , edwards launched his presidential campaign in new orleans against the backdrop of a city trying to rebuild and revive itself . he vowed to strengthen the middle class , progressively end poverty and tackle the longstanding democratic health care platform . but just as the campaign got off the ground , it hit turbulence . in march 2007 , elizabeth edwards announced she had breast cancer for the second time , and it was incurable . still , they decided to continue with the campaign . and in the weeks after the devastating discovery , internal campaign polling showed edwards surging ahead of rivals clinton and obama in iowa . meanwhile , hunter had become pregnant . and to complicate things , edwards was swimming in a pool of bad press -- he had received $ 400 haircuts and had made a six-figure salary working for a hedge fund that was linked to subprime lending and foreclosed homes . enter rachel bunny ' mellon . the wealthy banking heiress and widow who was once a close friend of jacqueline kennedy had been a supporter of edwards since the 2004 election . after already contributing to edwards the maximum allowed by law , mellon provided additional money . according to court documents , between june 2007 and january 2008 , mellon allegedly wrote personal checks payable to a friend , hiding that she was giving money to edwards . the checks were made out to the wife of edwards aide andrew young , in her maiden name , and were deposited into accounts controlled by her and young . as edwards and young planned , young allegedly used the money to provide hunter with rent , furniture , care , living expenses , medical visits and prenatal care . in total , the now 101-year-old mellon gave edwards seven checks ranging from $ 10,000 to $ 200,000 . on october 10 , 2007 , the national enquirer ran its first story saying edwards was having an affair . the next day while campaigning in summerton , south carolina , edwards denied the report , calling it tabloid trash . ' with tabloid reporters and photographers chasing hunter and publishing photos of her pregnant , a second wealthy donor came forward . fred baron , a wealthy texas lawyer who is now deceased , was the national finance chair of the campaign . court documents show that from december 2007 to january 2008 , baron allegedly wrote nine checks ranging from $ 9,000 to $ 58,000 . the money was used for young to hide a pregnant hunter from the media , as he falsely claimed paternity for her child . baron 's money was used to charter a private jet for trips to fort lauderdale , florida ; aspen , colorado ; san diego and santa barbara , california . things were n't faring better for edwards on the campaign trail . he placed second in the iowa caucuses , and following disappointing losses in new hampshire and south carolina , he ended his campaign for president on january 30 , 2008 . amid rumors in democratic circles that he was secretly trying to broker a deal for vice president or attorney general in a clinton or obama administration , reporters remained persistent and continued to ask edwards if he was having an affair . in february 2008 , hunter 's and edwards'child was born . six months later , after repeated denials , edwards admitted he had an affair with hunter in an august 8 interview with abc . when asked in the interview if he was the father of hunter 's child , he responded , that is absolutely not true . ' while his name was not on the birth certificate , edwards would eventually claim paternity and apologize for denying the baby was his child . in february 2009 , the u.s. department of justice acknowledged they had opened an investigation on edwards regarding campaign finances . by this point , his more than 30-year marriage was falling apart . john and elizabeth separated and lived apart until elizabeth edwards succumbed to breast cancer weeks before christmas in 2010 , with edwards and their oldest daughter , cate , at her bedside . for edwards , life got worse . after testimony from a cast of former staffers , including hunter and young -- the latter having published a scandalous tell-all book -- a grand jury indicted edwards on june 3 , 2011 . edwards refused a plea bargain that would have given him a few months in prison but would have allowed him to keep his law license . | the former vice presidential candidate once had his eyes on the white house |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney had another debate saturday night in which he did n't make many mistakes , was smooth , knowledgeable , even presidential . it was his worst performance yet . the game has changed , and someone forgot to tell him . he is behind in national polls , and this time it 's serious : his main rival , newt gingrich , is polling well not just in iowa , but also across the country . saturday night 's debate was on a major network , with a wide audience , in the first state in the nation to hold a caucus -- and there is only one more debate before that voting . the conclusion is inescapable . romney blew it . let me reiterate something i 've said before ( it ca n't be overstated ) : your debating strategy must change based on your position . if the debate team i coach is a heavy favorite in a debate , i coach the debaters to keep doing the same things that made them the favorite . but if we 're an underdog , we will approach the debate with an entirely different argumentative strategy . mitt romney is still debating the way he was six months ago . he 's debating not to lose instead of debating to win . and that 's a mistake , given the rise and potential staying power of gingrich . romney committed three major errors in saturday evening 's debate . and what is maddening is that they were all opportunities for him to differentiate himself from gingrich -- but he failed each time . the first error was when george stephanopoulos directed a possible bonanza question to romney . he asked romney if he was more conservative ( his potential weakness ) and more electable ( his potential strength ) than gingrich . perfect softball . in one answer , romney could erase doubts about his conservatism for the base of republican voters and he could talk about how he is the only candidate who can beat obama ( as evidenced in polls ) . romney 's answer ? moon mining . seriously . after starting with some generic answer about the direction of the country , his first specific example was that he was different from gingrich on moon colonies . we could start with his idea to have a lunar colony that would mine minerals from the moon . i 'm not in favor of spending that kind of money to do that . ' that was his go to ' answer . awful . romney never mentioned his conservative principles or background , and he never attacked gingrich on electability . not even once . romney 's second mistake was that he was shallow when he should have been on the attack . gingrich recently said the palestinians were an invented ' people . while romney held his own in an exchange on this issue , saying he was not a rhetorical bomb thrower ' who would hurt our allies , he did not take the argument as far as he should have . one of gingrich 's perceived weaknesses is his imprudence , rhetorical and otherwise . romney could have hammered home an argument that gingrich would be a poor chief statesman because of his often-inappropriate outspokenness . finally , when the other candidates teamed up on both gingrich and romney , as they did with health care ( bachmann 's new angle of attack for the evening was calling the two newt romney ' ) , romney needed to immediately separate himself from gingrich . why ? if gingrich is leading , and the voters think he and romney are identical , then why would they vote for romney ? they would n't . but romney did n't ever get the separation he needed . the teamwork was effective , and both gingrich and romney were grouped together time and time again . this did not help romney . for his part , gingrich seemed to escape the other candidates'criticism , partly because it was split ( some attacks were aimed at romney ) , and because the discussion did not stay on one topic for long enough to make gingrich defend his positions in depth . he was able to get out his front line of debate answers , and that was good enough to get him by without too much damage . in any form of debate , if you want your attacks to stick , you must stay with them for an extended period of time so you can rebut the answer of the opponent you are attacking . this did not happen last night , and is one of the weaknesses of these presidential debates . but gingrich was far from passive , stepping up repeatedly to attack . a favorite line : i am a reaganite , i 'm proud to be a reaganite . i will tell the truth even at the risk of causing some confusion , sometimes with the timid . ' that 's what the republicans are looking for . they want tough conservative talk and someone who can take the fight to obama . gingrich behaved as though he was ready and willing to do so . and romney missed his chance in this debate . there is only one more debate before the new year and before the voting begins in iowa . i would suggest romney take a serious look at changing his approach . staying the course might feel safe , but it is no longer a winning strategy . sometimes you risk everything when you refuse to take risks . does romney really want to bet the nomination on the hopes that gingrich will implode ? ( he really needs to stop betting in these debates , by the way . a $ 10,000 bet he offered to perry , over perry 's accusation that he 'd excised one of his positions from a later edition of his book , could not have helped him in the heartland . ) debating not to lose is perhaps the riskiest thing romney can do at this point . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of todd graham . | graham : gingrich acted ready to take on obama ; romney acted as if he were trying not to lose |
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- mitt romney had another debate saturday night in which he did n't make many mistakes , was smooth , knowledgeable , even presidential . it was his worst performance yet . the game has changed , and someone forgot to tell him . he is behind in national polls , and this time it 's serious : his main rival , newt gingrich , is polling well not just in iowa , but also across the country . saturday night 's debate was on a major network , with a wide audience , in the first state in the nation to hold a caucus -- and there is only one more debate before that voting . the conclusion is inescapable . romney blew it . let me reiterate something i 've said before ( it ca n't be overstated ) : your debating strategy must change based on your position . if the debate team i coach is a heavy favorite in a debate , i coach the debaters to keep doing the same things that made them the favorite . but if we 're an underdog , we will approach the debate with an entirely different argumentative strategy . mitt romney is still debating the way he was six months ago . he 's debating not to lose instead of debating to win . and that 's a mistake , given the rise and potential staying power of gingrich . romney committed three major errors in saturday evening 's debate . and what is maddening is that they were all opportunities for him to differentiate himself from gingrich -- but he failed each time . the first error was when george stephanopoulos directed a possible bonanza question to romney . he asked romney if he was more conservative ( his potential weakness ) and more electable ( his potential strength ) than gingrich . perfect softball . in one answer , romney could erase doubts about his conservatism for the base of republican voters and he could talk about how he is the only candidate who can beat obama ( as evidenced in polls ) . romney 's answer ? moon mining . seriously . after starting with some generic answer about the direction of the country , his first specific example was that he was different from gingrich on moon colonies . we could start with his idea to have a lunar colony that would mine minerals from the moon . i 'm not in favor of spending that kind of money to do that . ' that was his go to ' answer . awful . romney never mentioned his conservative principles or background , and he never attacked gingrich on electability . not even once . romney 's second mistake was that he was shallow when he should have been on the attack . gingrich recently said the palestinians were an invented ' people . while romney held his own in an exchange on this issue , saying he was not a rhetorical bomb thrower ' who would hurt our allies , he did not take the argument as far as he should have . one of gingrich 's perceived weaknesses is his imprudence , rhetorical and otherwise . romney could have hammered home an argument that gingrich would be a poor chief statesman because of his often-inappropriate outspokenness . finally , when the other candidates teamed up on both gingrich and romney , as they did with health care ( bachmann 's new angle of attack for the evening was calling the two newt romney ' ) , romney needed to immediately separate himself from gingrich . why ? if gingrich is leading , and the voters think he and romney are identical , then why would they vote for romney ? they would n't . but romney did n't ever get the separation he needed . the teamwork was effective , and both gingrich and romney were grouped together time and time again . this did not help romney . for his part , gingrich seemed to escape the other candidates'criticism , partly because it was split ( some attacks were aimed at romney ) , and because the discussion did not stay on one topic for long enough to make gingrich defend his positions in depth . he was able to get out his front line of debate answers , and that was good enough to get him by without too much damage . in any form of debate , if you want your attacks to stick , you must stay with them for an extended period of time so you can rebut the answer of the opponent you are attacking . this did not happen last night , and is one of the weaknesses of these presidential debates . but gingrich was far from passive , stepping up repeatedly to attack . a favorite line : i am a reaganite , i 'm proud to be a reaganite . i will tell the truth even at the risk of causing some confusion , sometimes with the timid . ' that 's what the republicans are looking for . they want tough conservative talk and someone who can take the fight to obama . gingrich behaved as though he was ready and willing to do so . and romney missed his chance in this debate . there is only one more debate before the new year and before the voting begins in iowa . i would suggest romney take a serious look at changing his approach . staying the course might feel safe , but it is no longer a winning strategy . sometimes you risk everything when you refuse to take risks . does romney really want to bet the nomination on the hopes that gingrich will implode ? ( he really needs to stop betting in these debates , by the way . a $ 10,000 bet he offered to perry , over perry 's accusation that he 'd excised one of his positions from a later edition of his book , could not have helped him in the heartland . ) debating not to lose is perhaps the riskiest thing romney can do at this point . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of todd graham . | he says romney needed new strategy , but he blew chances to go after front-runner gingrich |
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