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jfk <tsp> a jetblue airways flight departing from luis munoz marin international airport in san juan , puerto rico , was evacuated saturday evening after one of its engines caught fire , according to a federal aviation administration statement . passengers and crew used emergency slides to evacuate the aircraft , ' the statement read . jetblue spokesperson gina recine told cnn there were no known injuries among the 186 passengers and six crew members on board . jetblue airways flight 704 was headed to john f. kennedy international airport in new york city . according to recine , the plane was taxing on the runway for takeoff when problems developed 7:15 p.m . et . recine could not elaborate on the nature of the mechanical issue . the faa said it will investigate the incident . | jetblue flight 704 was headed to jfk in new york |
halloween <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i have no idea why my 3-year-old wants to be a cowboy for halloween this year , because she wo n't tell me . that 's ok . i do n't need to know her reasoning to make it happen . thanks to her outdoorsy grandparents who live in the colorado mountains , we already have the cowboy hat and handkerchief . we found a great pair of overalls on sale for $ 1.69 at the local salvation army store . but we still needed a cowboy jacket , a flannel shirt and boots . and whatever else might make her look like a 3-foot version of a cowboy . entering a temporary halloween store that popped up in our town , i headed to the kids'costume section . the little girls'costumes seemed odd to me -- so many little skirts attached to superheroes and vampires . even if i could find a cowgirl costume among all the girly-girl stuff , my girl would probably find a cowgirl skirt pointless . how would she ride her toy horse with a skirt ? sidesaddle ? as i turned toward to the boys'section to continue the search for accessories , i saw the costume that scared me more than any vampire or ghost : the little black dress . posed seductively like a brown-haired version of jonbenet ramsey , the child model on the package looked 4 or 5 years old . i could n't imagine the photographer asking that little girl to pose that way . previously on cnn : parents , do n't dress your girls like tramps americans are expected to spend $ 1 billion on children 's costumes this year , up from $ 840 million last year , according to a national retail federation survey . from my limited scan of halloween costumes on sale this year , sexy costumes for younger girls are flooding the marketplace . many women i know have that little black dress , a somewhat slinky number that could be a cocktail dress or a basis for a suggestive black cat . but a grown woman makes a choice to dress in such a sexually suggestive outfit for halloween or any other night of the year . she knows a sexy dress is going to garner a different reaction than dorothy from the wizard of oz , but she can take precautions to stay safe from the weirdos . a child has no idea what 's going on . the message to our girls ( with these costumes ) is that they ca n't be too sexy , and they ca n't be sexy too soon , ' says melissa wardy , founder of pigtail pals , a clothing line for adventurous girls , who has blogged about sexy halloween costumes . it 's disgusting . she just potty trained . there 's nothing sexual about her . ' it can also be dangerous . dressing girls like grown women for halloween communicates that they have the sexuality of adults , in the bodies of children , ' says teresa downing-matibag , an assistant professor of sociology at iowa state university . while little girls themselves likely have very little awareness of adult or even adolescent sexuality , or what sex is really about , the adults who are seeing them on the streets do . we are also communicating to adults that little girls are sexually appealing , and this message has tragic implications for their vulnerability to sexual abuse . ' the sexualizing of halloween costumes for young girls is part of a larger marketing trend emphasizing girls'outsides over their insides , says michele yulo , founder of the princess free zone , featuring superhero super tool lula on t-shirts and in a new book . marketers basically decide what is'girl'and what is'boy ,'which ultimately leads to two very distinct ways to profit as well as a blind acceptance from the consumer who , often , does n't realize it 's happening , ' yulo says . girls are inundated from a very young age with inappropriate messaging by way of products like'skinny'jeans for toddlers , or t-shirts that say ,'i 'm too pretty to do homework , so my brother does it for me ,'and sexy halloween costumes . kids begin to codify other kids by placing them in strict categories that they 've been taught -- not born with . inevitably , kids begin to believe that girls need to be sexy , and boys believe it , too . ' what girls hear is who they are is how they look , and how they have to look is hot , ' which is creating problems for girls at an ever-younger age , says peggy orenstein , author of cinderella ate my daughter : dispatches from the front lines of the new girly-girl culture . ' girls are learning at the youngest ages that their value comes from how they look , and the definition of attractive is very narrowly defined as being sexy or sassy ( for the younger girls ) , ' orenstein says . sexuality is imposed upon them inappropriately , and they are encouraged to define their bodies -- not by how their bodies feel to themselves , but by how they look to others . this creates vulnerabilities for girls to the pitfalls we worry about -- distorted body image , eating disorders , depression and unhealthy sexual behavior . ' diane murray of wood-ridge , new jersey , has given up on store-bought costumes for her kids after ordering a spongebob squarepants costume that turned out to be less than she had bargained for . although it was supposedly the correct size for her 10-year-old daughter , the shirt was tight and the skirt was miniscule , barely covering her rear end . ' i was thinking how embarrassed i would be to have her walk around in that costume , and she was embarrassed as well , ' murray says . dressing up as a sexpot is not part of my vision for a happy , healthy childhood . outfits like that not only suggest a style of dress that is inappropriate but also emphasize the notion of dressing to titillate men , rather than dressing in clothes that make you feel good about yourself . ' what can a parent do this halloween to protect kids from growing up too fast ? emphasize your child 's imagination . yulo 's daughter is going to be a baseball slugger -- no skirts please . how do you slide into home plate safely in a skirt ? ( even though geena davis had to do it in a league of their own . ' ) murray 's daughter is going as a goth girl -- all black clothes and makeup . other ideas : girls can dress up as dragons , monsters , spies , secret agents , mummies , queens , and even peter pan and the fairy godmother , ' downing-matibag said . they can be captain hook , santa claus , the lone ranger and cowgirls , as well as lion tamers , scary clowns , astronauts , firefighters , sea captains , rock stars and indy 500 racers . ' think comfort and safety . if your daughter will be running from one house to the next , make sure she wears shoes she can run in and warm clothing that protects her from the cold . if she 's bundled up , she 's not likely to be wearing that little black dress . think cheap . my neighborhood listserv is filled with parent requests for costumes in specific sizes to borrow , rent or buy . i know someone is going to enjoy my daughter 's infant ladybug costume this year . i received it a couple of years ago from another parent who had bought it first . there 's also inspiration at your local thrift store , where i got part of my daughter 's costume cheap . make them . try some last-minute ideas from websites such as real simple . | some halloween costumes marketed to young girls are too provocative , author says |
spain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal was glowing with pride after winning the prestigious laureus sportsman of the year award , following in the footsteps of his greatest tennis rival roger federer . the spaniard was honored along with american skier lindsey vonn , who won the top women 's prize at a ceremony in abu dhabi on monday . it is very important ( in terms of ) personal satisfaction , ' the nine-time grand slam winner told cnn 's pedro pinto . this nomination is voted for by the world of sport ... the best sportsmen and sportswomen in the world voted for me , it 's a real honor . it was an emotional season for me , probably the most emotional of my career , so thank you very much for everyone who made this possible for me . ' federer won the men 's award four successive times until champion sprinter usain bolt reigned in 2009 and 2010 , but nadal took this year 's gong after reclaiming his world no . 1 ranking and winning three of the four tennis grand slam events . the 24-year-old , who won the best newcomer category in 2006 , headed off footballers lionel messi and andres iniesta , formula one world champion sebastian vettel , basketball star kobe bryant and boxer manny pacquaio . he said he was looking forward to returning to action after a leg injury effectively ended his hopes of completing a grand slam at the australian open last month . for me , the most important thing is not being no . 1 but to be healthy and keep being competitive in every tournament i play , ' nadal said . it was a big night for spain as the country 's 2010 world cup-winning footballers took out the team award , while german golfer martin kaymer claimed the sporting breakthrough prize and kelly slater notched a second u.s. success as he won the action sports category for the third time . kaymer 's compatriot , visually-impaired skier and biathlete verena bentele , won the sportsperson with a disability award while motorcycle champion valentino rossi was honored for best comeback achievement . french football legend zinedine zidane received a lifetime achievement award , while europe 's ryder cup-winning team -- which featured kaymer -- won the spirit of sport prize . the 26-year-old vonn won the top award for the first time after a year in which she won gold and bronze medals at the winter olympics in canada and a third consecutive overall world cup title . the most successful u.s. woman skier of all-time , she triumphed ahead of three-time winner serena williams , her compatriot 's fellow tennis stars kim clijsters and caroline wozniacki , and athletes jessica ennis and blanka vlasic . spain 's football team continued the trend that has seen the fifa world cup holders triumph every time since the award 's inception in 2000 , this time heading off treble-winning club side inter milan , the ryder cup golfers , bryant 's nba champions the la lakers , vettel 's all-conquering red bull outfit and rugby 's new zealand all blacks . kaymer , who was crowned europe 's no . 1 and has risen to second in the world rankings , was honored ahead of fellow golfers louis oosthuizen and matteo manassero , germany world cup star thomas muller and french athletes christophe lemaitre and teddy tamgho . rossi recovered from a broken leg to return to the track in just 41 days , but could not add to his seven world motogp titles . the italian won the comeback award from tennis star justine henin , athletes carolina kluft , tyson gay and merlene ottey , plus u.s. golfer paula creamer . bentele triumphed ahead of fellow paralympic star lauren woolstencroft of canada , who also won five gold medals in vancouver last year , skier jakub krako , swimmers matt cowdrey and daniel dias , plus wheelchair tennis star esther vergeer , a two-time winner . slater , who won a record 10th world title in 2010 , headed off nominees including australian women 's surfing star stephanie gilmore , last year 's winner who like the american has also been shortlisted eight times . | spain 's world cup-winning team also honored , while germans win two awards |
kaka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a seventh minute goal from brazilian teenager alexander pato proved enough to give ac milan a 1-0 home victory over fiorentina in a match totally dominated by manchester city 's $ 150 million bid for playmaker kaka this week . pato ( right ) and david beckham celebrate milan 's only goal at the san siro on saturday evening . the goal was created by david beckham who beat two defenders to a loose ball . he poked it back to marek jankulovski who played in pato inside the penalty area . there still appeared no danger to the fiorentina goal , but pato hit a stunning strike from the left that went in off the far post . fiorentina should have equalized on 66 minutes when juan vargas got to the byline and crossed to mario santana but the argentine put his shot too close to goalkeeper christian abbiati who managed to save . the result leaves milan in third place on 37 points , six points behind leaders and city rivals inter , who have a game in hand . jose mourinho 's side travel to atalanta on sunday . jankulovski collected a late red card for timewasting , but milan held on to secure the three points . meanwhile , milan supporters made their opposition to the kaka bid , and his possible departure , perfectly clear throughout the match -- unveiling a host of banners and singing songs pleading with the brazilian to stay at the san siro . reggina remain deep in relegation trouble after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of siena . mario frick 's goal 15 minutes from time was enough to give the bianconeri three points which sees them leapfrog sampdoria and move up to the relative comfort of 14th spot . siena in contrast , stay second from bottom and could slip to the foot of the serie a standings if chievo beat napoli on sunday . | milan supporters display displeasure at kaka 's possible departure from club |
serie a <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a seventh minute goal from brazilian teenager alexander pato proved enough to give ac milan a 1-0 home victory over fiorentina in a match totally dominated by manchester city 's $ 150 million bid for playmaker kaka this week . pato ( right ) and david beckham celebrate milan 's only goal at the san siro on saturday evening . the goal was created by david beckham who beat two defenders to a loose ball . he poked it back to marek jankulovski who played in pato inside the penalty area . there still appeared no danger to the fiorentina goal , but pato hit a stunning strike from the left that went in off the far post . fiorentina should have equalized on 66 minutes when juan vargas got to the byline and crossed to mario santana but the argentine put his shot too close to goalkeeper christian abbiati who managed to save . the result leaves milan in third place on 37 points , six points behind leaders and city rivals inter , who have a game in hand . jose mourinho 's side travel to atalanta on sunday . jankulovski collected a late red card for timewasting , but milan held on to secure the three points . meanwhile , milan supporters made their opposition to the kaka bid , and his possible departure , perfectly clear throughout the match -- unveiling a host of banners and singing songs pleading with the brazilian to stay at the san siro . reggina remain deep in relegation trouble after suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of siena . mario frick 's goal 15 minutes from time was enough to give the bianconeri three points which sees them leapfrog sampdoria and move up to the relative comfort of 14th spot . siena in contrast , stay second from bottom and could slip to the foot of the serie a standings if chievo beat napoli on sunday . | the win puts milan within six points of serie a leaders and rivals inter at top |
colorado <tsp> denver , colorado -- a colorado man terrorized by threats after testifying against his daughter 's abusive boyfriend says he has spent $ 10,000 on a security system , hired a bodyguard for his son 's wedding and never leaves home without a .45-caliber handgun strapped to his chest . keith reynolds was convicted for witness intimidation after threatening witnesses in his domestic assault case . the man , who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case , says the state did nothing to protect him after the 1999 conviction of keith reynolds for domestic abuse -- even after prosecutors told him a hit had been put on his family . a report in the denver post pointed out major problems protecting witnesses in the state of colorado . paul logli , chairman of national district attorneys association , told congress this year that witness intimidation has become almost epidemic , ' according to the denver post . when asked if prosecutors had made the family aware of colorado 's witness protection program , the witness in the reynolds case said , all they told us was maybe we should move . ' i 'm pretty sure i told one of them -- either him or his wife -- about the program . i ca n't remember if i gave them all the details . ' the prosecutor assigned to the case , who did n't want to be named , told cnn . after reynolds'conviction , the witness and his wife saw strange cars parked outside their home . they received phone calls during which the only sound on the other end of the line was a gun being cocked . the couple received a death threat from reynolds himself through the mail . watch witness describe fear of being targeted » reynolds was then sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison for witness intimidation . however , it is likely he 'll be released within five years . no national statistics on crimes against witnesses exist , and minimal research has been conducted on the subject . the latest national institute of justice survey on record -- conducted more than a decade ago -- shows that more than half of big city prosecutors consider witness intimidation a major problem . colorado has $ 50,000 allocated to its witness protection budget . in contrast , the city of denver spent almost $ 100,000 on landscaping last year . the state , on average , spends about $ 1,000 per witness . that figure supposedly includes moving expenses , rent , and furniture . the federal program spends in excess of $ 40 million per year on witness protection . one possible reason for the disparity is that witnesses in state cases do not get new identities , as do federal witnesses . it 's not designed to be a long-term relocation at the public 's expense ; it 's a way to ensure the immediate safety of the witnesses , ' according to peter weir , executive director of the colorado department of public safety . colorado 's witness protection program is a joke , ' according to the rev . leon kelly , founder and executive director of the open door youth gang alternatives . kelly says the state does n't provide enough incentive for witnesses to come forward . more than a decade ago , a young man named darryl givens asked kelly for advice while deciding whether to testify in a murder case or face prison . givens chose to testify . a few months later , he was shot twice in the head by men he considered friends . that day continues to haunt kelly . rhonda fields says failures in the witness protection program may have contributed to her son 's murder . javad fields was a college graduate who was engaged to be married . he had plans to move east when a fourth of july barbecue in 2004 in changed all that . he witnessed the murder of his best friend and subsequently testified against three men suspected in the killing . javad fields and his fiancee were gunned down while driving along a suburban street in aurora , colorado . the couple , both 22 , died instantly . rhonda fields says her son was never told about a witness protection program . she confronted prosecutors after his murder . fields told cnn , i asked them what happened . why were n't any measures taken to safeguard his life ? and i was told he never asked for any protection . ' javad 's mother does not think it was her son 's responsibility to ask for protection . i think it 's the authorities'responsibility to notify witnesses of the dangers that are involved with being a witness , ' she said . field 's case illustrates glaring weaknesses in the witness protection program . prosecutors filed an order for protection requesting javad fields'personal information be kept secret , but it was n't signed by a judge until one year later , after defense lawyers had already given the suspects fields'personal information , along with crucial trial documents . i felt like the da 's office used my son to win their case but did not take the proper measures to safeguard his life , ' rhonda fields told cnn . district attorney carol chambers maintains the program has improved . she says a notice about witness protection is now attached to every subpoena , ensuring witnesses are aware of their options . that did n't start , however , until two years after javad fields was killed . e-mail to a friend | community activist says colorado 's witness protection program is a joke ' |
colorado <tsp> denver , colorado -- a colorado man terrorized by threats after testifying against his daughter 's abusive boyfriend says he has spent $ 10,000 on a security system , hired a bodyguard for his son 's wedding and never leaves home without a .45-caliber handgun strapped to his chest . keith reynolds was convicted for witness intimidation after threatening witnesses in his domestic assault case . the man , who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case , says the state did nothing to protect him after the 1999 conviction of keith reynolds for domestic abuse -- even after prosecutors told him a hit had been put on his family . a report in the denver post pointed out major problems protecting witnesses in the state of colorado . paul logli , chairman of national district attorneys association , told congress this year that witness intimidation has become almost epidemic , ' according to the denver post . when asked if prosecutors had made the family aware of colorado 's witness protection program , the witness in the reynolds case said , all they told us was maybe we should move . ' i 'm pretty sure i told one of them -- either him or his wife -- about the program . i ca n't remember if i gave them all the details . ' the prosecutor assigned to the case , who did n't want to be named , told cnn . after reynolds'conviction , the witness and his wife saw strange cars parked outside their home . they received phone calls during which the only sound on the other end of the line was a gun being cocked . the couple received a death threat from reynolds himself through the mail . watch witness describe fear of being targeted » reynolds was then sentenced to ten years in a maximum security prison for witness intimidation . however , it is likely he 'll be released within five years . no national statistics on crimes against witnesses exist , and minimal research has been conducted on the subject . the latest national institute of justice survey on record -- conducted more than a decade ago -- shows that more than half of big city prosecutors consider witness intimidation a major problem . colorado has $ 50,000 allocated to its witness protection budget . in contrast , the city of denver spent almost $ 100,000 on landscaping last year . the state , on average , spends about $ 1,000 per witness . that figure supposedly includes moving expenses , rent , and furniture . the federal program spends in excess of $ 40 million per year on witness protection . one possible reason for the disparity is that witnesses in state cases do not get new identities , as do federal witnesses . it 's not designed to be a long-term relocation at the public 's expense ; it 's a way to ensure the immediate safety of the witnesses , ' according to peter weir , executive director of the colorado department of public safety . colorado 's witness protection program is a joke , ' according to the rev . leon kelly , founder and executive director of the open door youth gang alternatives . kelly says the state does n't provide enough incentive for witnesses to come forward . more than a decade ago , a young man named darryl givens asked kelly for advice while deciding whether to testify in a murder case or face prison . givens chose to testify . a few months later , he was shot twice in the head by men he considered friends . that day continues to haunt kelly . rhonda fields says failures in the witness protection program may have contributed to her son 's murder . javad fields was a college graduate who was engaged to be married . he had plans to move east when a fourth of july barbecue in 2004 in changed all that . he witnessed the murder of his best friend and subsequently testified against three men suspected in the killing . javad fields and his fiancee were gunned down while driving along a suburban street in aurora , colorado . the couple , both 22 , died instantly . rhonda fields says her son was never told about a witness protection program . she confronted prosecutors after his murder . fields told cnn , i asked them what happened . why were n't any measures taken to safeguard his life ? and i was told he never asked for any protection . ' javad 's mother does not think it was her son 's responsibility to ask for protection . i think it 's the authorities'responsibility to notify witnesses of the dangers that are involved with being a witness , ' she said . field 's case illustrates glaring weaknesses in the witness protection program . prosecutors filed an order for protection requesting javad fields'personal information be kept secret , but it was n't signed by a judge until one year later , after defense lawyers had already given the suspects fields'personal information , along with crucial trial documents . i felt like the da 's office used my son to win their case but did not take the proper measures to safeguard his life , ' rhonda fields told cnn . district attorney carol chambers maintains the program has improved . she says a notice about witness protection is now attached to every subpoena , ensuring witnesses are aware of their options . that did n't start , however , until two years after javad fields was killed . e-mail to a friend | some witnesses say colorado does nothing to protect them |
jessica jones <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marvel is the gift that just keeps on giving . fresh on the heels of the announcement that benedict cumberbatch has been officially cast as doctor strange , there is news that mike colter will portray luke cage in the netflix series marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones . ' colter , best known for starring in the xbox original series halo : nightfall ' and appearances on the good wife ' and american horror story : coven , ' will join actress krysten ritter , who will play jessica jones . the fictional character of cage first appeared in the marvel comics and is a superhero also known as power man . ' according to marvel.com : after a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint , jessica jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in new york city. fans have longed to see luke cage and in mike we 've found the perfect actor , ' jeph loeb , executive producer and marvel 's head of television , is quoted as saying on the site . viewers will get to meet luke cage in'marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones ,'and experience why he is such an important super hero in the marvel mythos . ' meanwhile , doctor strange ' director scott derrickson teased fans of that film by tweeting an image of cumberbatch as the character with the talking heads lyric strange but not a stranger . ' the netflix series ' marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones ' is set to premiere in 2015 . | krysten ritter will play jessica jones |
jessica jones <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marvel is the gift that just keeps on giving . fresh on the heels of the announcement that benedict cumberbatch has been officially cast as doctor strange , there is news that mike colter will portray luke cage in the netflix series marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones . ' colter , best known for starring in the xbox original series halo : nightfall ' and appearances on the good wife ' and american horror story : coven , ' will join actress krysten ritter , who will play jessica jones . the fictional character of cage first appeared in the marvel comics and is a superhero also known as power man . ' according to marvel.com : after a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint , jessica jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in new york city. fans have longed to see luke cage and in mike we 've found the perfect actor , ' jeph loeb , executive producer and marvel 's head of television , is quoted as saying on the site . viewers will get to meet luke cage in'marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones ,'and experience why he is such an important super hero in the marvel mythos . ' meanwhile , doctor strange ' director scott derrickson teased fans of that film by tweeting an image of cumberbatch as the character with the talking heads lyric strange but not a stranger . ' the netflix series ' marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones ' is set to premiere in 2015 . | he will star in marvel 's a.k.a . jessica jones ' |
francois hollande <tsp> paris ( cnn ) -- a woman stabbed and killed a french kindergarten teacher in her classroom as students watched friday morning -- the last day of school before summer break , the french education minister said . the teacher , 34 , identified only as fabienne , was stabbed in front of her students , allegedly by a parent of a child who attends the school in albi in southwestern france , education minister benoit hamon told reporters at a news conference . a suspect was taken into custody , hamon said . he did n't name the suspect or talk of a possible motive , but said she was the mother of a child who 'd been attending the school only for a month and a half . it is my role , and it is the role of the government , to ensure that in the future we better protect our schools and shield ( them ) from violence , ' hamon said . fabienne was married with two young children and was a fantastic teacher , ' hamon said . french president francois hollande expressed dismay and said public servants would look after the children who witnessed the killing , according to his office . a psychiatric unit has been set up to assist people in the community , hamon said . albi is about 40 miles ( 65 kilometers ) northeast of toulouse . police release 911 call in punching death of soccer ref doctor finds wisconsin stabbing suspect incompetent for trial cnn 's jason hanna contributed to this report . | french president francois hollande : officials will look after children who witnessed killing |
albi <tsp> paris ( cnn ) -- a woman stabbed and killed a french kindergarten teacher in her classroom as students watched friday morning -- the last day of school before summer break , the french education minister said . the teacher , 34 , identified only as fabienne , was stabbed in front of her students , allegedly by a parent of a child who attends the school in albi in southwestern france , education minister benoit hamon told reporters at a news conference . a suspect was taken into custody , hamon said . he did n't name the suspect or talk of a possible motive , but said she was the mother of a child who 'd been attending the school only for a month and a half . it is my role , and it is the role of the government , to ensure that in the future we better protect our schools and shield ( them ) from violence , ' hamon said . fabienne was married with two young children and was a fantastic teacher , ' hamon said . french president francois hollande expressed dismay and said public servants would look after the children who witnessed the killing , according to his office . a psychiatric unit has been set up to assist people in the community , hamon said . albi is about 40 miles ( 65 kilometers ) northeast of toulouse . police release 911 call in punching death of soccer ref doctor finds wisconsin stabbing suspect incompetent for trial cnn 's jason hanna contributed to this report . | teacher , 34 , stabbed at school in albi , france , education minister says |
bain <tsp> bartow , florida ( cnn ) -- after more than three decades in prison , a florida man was set free thursday after a dna test showed he did not kidnap and rape a 9-year-old boy in 1974 . i 'm not angry , ' james bain , 54 , told reporters after a brief hearing in bartow , florida . bain was 19 when he was convicted on charges of kidnapping , burglary and strong-arm rape . he received a life sentence . he 's going home for the first time in 35 years . i got god in my head , ' said bain , surrounded by supporters and wearing a t-shirt with not guilty ' across the front . i knew one day he will reveal me . ' of the 245 people in the united states whom dna testing has exonerated , none has spent more time behind bars than bain , according to the innocence project , a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through such testing . in 2001 , florida passed a statute allowing cases to be reopened for dna testing . bain submitted handwritten motions four times seeking such testing but was denied each time . his fifth attempt was successful after an appeals court ruled he was entitled to a hearing . bain initially was expected to be freed with some conditions as the state wanted a further review of dna test results . but the review was completed ahead of thursday 's hearing . polk county state attorney jerry hill told the judge that dna testing had excluded bain from the crime . he 's just not connected with this particular incident , ' hill said . mr. bain , i 'm now signing the order , sir , ' the judge said , referring to an order vacating the judgment and sentence . you are a free man . congratulations , ' he said , and the courtroom erupted into applause . in 1974 , the 9-year-old lake wales , florida , victim had told police that his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache . after being shown five photos of potential suspects , the victim picked out one of bain , the police report said . the victim , now 44 , lives in florida and was made aware of bain 's situation , according to multiple sources . speaking to reporters thursday , bain said he was going home with family . i 'm going to see my mom , ' he said . his mother , sarah reed , has been in and out of hospitals in recent years . she said she is putting her house and her car in her son 's name . i want him to have something by himself . he 's suffered enough , ' she said . asked about prison , bain said , so many things can happen to you at any time . ' but now , i guess i kind of feel like when they first landed on the moon . we have touchdown , ' he said , laughing . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report . | bain imprisoned for 35 years in abduction and rape of a 9-year-old florida boy |
bain <tsp> bartow , florida ( cnn ) -- after more than three decades in prison , a florida man was set free thursday after a dna test showed he did not kidnap and rape a 9-year-old boy in 1974 . i 'm not angry , ' james bain , 54 , told reporters after a brief hearing in bartow , florida . bain was 19 when he was convicted on charges of kidnapping , burglary and strong-arm rape . he received a life sentence . he 's going home for the first time in 35 years . i got god in my head , ' said bain , surrounded by supporters and wearing a t-shirt with not guilty ' across the front . i knew one day he will reveal me . ' of the 245 people in the united states whom dna testing has exonerated , none has spent more time behind bars than bain , according to the innocence project , a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through such testing . in 2001 , florida passed a statute allowing cases to be reopened for dna testing . bain submitted handwritten motions four times seeking such testing but was denied each time . his fifth attempt was successful after an appeals court ruled he was entitled to a hearing . bain initially was expected to be freed with some conditions as the state wanted a further review of dna test results . but the review was completed ahead of thursday 's hearing . polk county state attorney jerry hill told the judge that dna testing had excluded bain from the crime . he 's just not connected with this particular incident , ' hill said . mr. bain , i 'm now signing the order , sir , ' the judge said , referring to an order vacating the judgment and sentence . you are a free man . congratulations , ' he said , and the courtroom erupted into applause . in 1974 , the 9-year-old lake wales , florida , victim had told police that his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache . after being shown five photos of potential suspects , the victim picked out one of bain , the police report said . the victim , now 44 , lives in florida and was made aware of bain 's situation , according to multiple sources . speaking to reporters thursday , bain said he was going home with family . i 'm going to see my mom , ' he said . his mother , sarah reed , has been in and out of hospitals in recent years . she said she is putting her house and her car in her son 's name . i want him to have something by himself . he 's suffered enough , ' she said . asked about prison , bain said , so many things can happen to you at any time . ' but now , i guess i kind of feel like when they first landed on the moon . we have touchdown , ' he said , laughing . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report . | dna testing excluded bain from crime , authorities say |
bain <tsp> bartow , florida ( cnn ) -- after more than three decades in prison , a florida man was set free thursday after a dna test showed he did not kidnap and rape a 9-year-old boy in 1974 . i 'm not angry , ' james bain , 54 , told reporters after a brief hearing in bartow , florida . bain was 19 when he was convicted on charges of kidnapping , burglary and strong-arm rape . he received a life sentence . he 's going home for the first time in 35 years . i got god in my head , ' said bain , surrounded by supporters and wearing a t-shirt with not guilty ' across the front . i knew one day he will reveal me . ' of the 245 people in the united states whom dna testing has exonerated , none has spent more time behind bars than bain , according to the innocence project , a national organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people through such testing . in 2001 , florida passed a statute allowing cases to be reopened for dna testing . bain submitted handwritten motions four times seeking such testing but was denied each time . his fifth attempt was successful after an appeals court ruled he was entitled to a hearing . bain initially was expected to be freed with some conditions as the state wanted a further review of dna test results . but the review was completed ahead of thursday 's hearing . polk county state attorney jerry hill told the judge that dna testing had excluded bain from the crime . he 's just not connected with this particular incident , ' hill said . mr. bain , i 'm now signing the order , sir , ' the judge said , referring to an order vacating the judgment and sentence . you are a free man . congratulations , ' he said , and the courtroom erupted into applause . in 1974 , the 9-year-old lake wales , florida , victim had told police that his attacker had bushy sideburns and a mustache . after being shown five photos of potential suspects , the victim picked out one of bain , the police report said . the victim , now 44 , lives in florida and was made aware of bain 's situation , according to multiple sources . speaking to reporters thursday , bain said he was going home with family . i 'm going to see my mom , ' he said . his mother , sarah reed , has been in and out of hospitals in recent years . she said she is putting her house and her car in her son 's name . i want him to have something by himself . he 's suffered enough , ' she said . asked about prison , bain said , so many things can happen to you at any time . ' but now , i guess i kind of feel like when they first landed on the moon . we have touchdown , ' he said , laughing . cnn 's rich phillips contributed to this report . | you are a free man . congratulations , ' judge tells james bain |
china <tsp> hong kong ( cnn ) -- a bollywood star is facing a storm of controversy over the sex of his unborn child . india 's health ministry has launched an investigation into media reports that the actor shah rukh khan and his wife are expecting a boy through a surrogate mother . sex determination tests are banned in india , and elsewhere in asia , due to a traditional preference for sons . dr jignesh thakkar of the indian radiological & imaging association told cnn that india 's health ministry had investigated the case at the association 's request . we wanted to know how this had been leaked out because it 's confidential information that only a doctor and not even a patient knows , ' said thakkar , who is the association 's coordinator for the pre-conception pre-natal diagnostic techniques act that bans sex selection . action should be taken against the doctors and the patients who are not following this law . the celebrities or the rich and famous can not get away with it . ' khan -- who has a 16-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter -- has not yet commented on the issue . thakkar said that doctors proven to have divulged an unborn child 's sex could face three years in jail and the suspension of their medical license for five years , while parents could face up to five years in jail . india banned sex detection in 1996 as it attempted to prevent the abortions of girls but , according to rob brooks at the university of new south wales in australia , this measure has had little impact on the country 's skewed sex ratio . sex detection tests are also illegal in china , another country where sex ratios are strongly biased toward males , but the ban has done little to correct the country 's gender ratio , which in 2011 stood at 117 men for every 100 women . the global average is between 103 to 107 men per 100 women . it 's not particularly effective because there are always unscrupulous doctors , ' he said . and ultrasound is a really important diagnostic technology so people go and get the ultrasound for other reasons and sometimes you ca n't help but notice the sex of the child . ' pakistan , bangladesh , iran , afghanistan , taiwan and south korea also have unbalanced gender ratios , brooks added . brooks said that , in india , the preference for sons was historically confined to upper castes but as its economy has grown and the technology for sex selection made more widely available , the middle class had adopted the practice . in china , the preference is magnified by the country 's one-child policy and campaigns to stress gender equality are undermined by provisions that allow families in rural areas to have a second child if the first is a girl . rich people want to have a male heir to inherit the family fortune , while people in rural areas want strong manpower and farmers think boys can do more to the help the family , ' zhang zhongtang , an expert in family planning from the chinese academy of social sciences told the global times in march . brooks said that banning abortion for sex selection is just one small part of the measures needed to change attitudes , with improvements needed in women 's rights to property ownership and better pension provision to reduce parents'reliance on their children along with reform to dowries and dowry like systems . but change is possible . through legal reforms and a love your daughter ' public awareness campaign that highlighted the dangers of skewed sex ratios , south korea managed to reduce its sex ratio at birth from 116 men per 100 women to 107 by 2007 . | sex detection tests are also banned in china and south korea |
lawson <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- charles saatchi , the millionaire ex-husband of celebrity chef nigella lawson , said friday he believed his ex-wife had taken drugs but had no evidence of it , as he testified at the trial of two former assistants accused of fraud . the former assistants , italian sisters francesca and elisabetta grillo , deny embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds on company credit cards . allegations of drug use by lawson were made in a pre-trial hearing for the case earlier this week , when an e-mail sent by saatchi to lawson in october was read out by the defense . in the e-mail , saatchi wrote that the assistants would likely get off ' because lawson was using cocaine and marijuana on a daily basis and allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked . ' giving evidence friday in the west london court , saatchi said he was bereft ' that the e-mail -- in which he said he believed ' what the sisters claimed about lawson 's drug use -- had been made public . he said he never saw his wife taking drugs during their 10-year marriage and that he had no hard evidence she had done so . but he testified that the accusation sounded pretty compelling to me . ' the allegations emerged in june , around the time that the couple were photographed in a restaurant having an argument . in the photos , which were splashed across the front pages of national newspapers , saatchi is seen with his hand around lawson 's throat . saatchi accepted a police caution for assault , and the couple announced they would divorce soon afterward . the prosecution also showed saatchi a list of the top 50 transactions made by the sisters , totaling more than $ 1 million , which he said he did not recognize and had not authorized . he was not able to say whether lawson had approved them , he said . earlier , saatchi described the sisters'roles as housekeeping , organizing the household and helping out with any tasks needed by the family . they were first employed by lawson and then by his company , he said . saatchi said he was aware the two sisters were given credit cards in order to pay for household expenses . this was his ex-wife 's idea , he told the court . asked about the sisters'role when lawson 's children grew older , saatchi said : i 'm very fond of francesca and lisa ( elisabetta ) and they were part of our family ... the children were fond of them , we did n't want them to go , so they stayed with us as housekeepers and for general assistance . ' designer labels the first witness in the case , rahul gajjar , an accountant for saatchi , told the court thursday that francesca had 64,336.97 pounds ( $ 104,500 ) in expenses on her company credit card in june 2012 . among the expenses were purchases from designer labels prada , miu miu , louis vuitton and chloe , as well as hotel bills and plane tickets . the court heard that francesca 's average monthly expenditures were 48,000 pounds and elisabetta 's were 28,000 pounds , whereas other personal assistants to saatchi , a well-known art collector , spent a maximum of 8,000 pounds a month . the sisters were expected to make purchases for the household on the company credit card , gajjar said . but the prosecution says they spent large sums of money on themselves . drug use claims isleworth crown court heard at a pretrial hearing for the sisters this week that lawson and saatchi had a culture of secrecy ' around their marriage . representatives for lawson declined to comment on the drug allegations then , citing the ongoing court proceedings . the defense alleged that the e-mails showed both saatchi and lawson had attempted a manipulation of the court ' and that the case should be thrown out . the judge ruled the trial would proceed . the prosecution told the court wednesday that the two sisters spent about 685,000 pounds ( $ 1.1 million ) on company credit cards over the course of four years , according to uk media reports . lawson , whose culinary skills and flirtatious manner have long entranced uk audiences , has also appeared as a judge on abc show the taste ' in the united states . a second season of the show is due to air in january . | charles saatchi says he never saw nigella lawson take drugs but he believes she did |
lawson <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- charles saatchi , the millionaire ex-husband of celebrity chef nigella lawson , said friday he believed his ex-wife had taken drugs but had no evidence of it , as he testified at the trial of two former assistants accused of fraud . the former assistants , italian sisters francesca and elisabetta grillo , deny embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds on company credit cards . allegations of drug use by lawson were made in a pre-trial hearing for the case earlier this week , when an e-mail sent by saatchi to lawson in october was read out by the defense . in the e-mail , saatchi wrote that the assistants would likely get off ' because lawson was using cocaine and marijuana on a daily basis and allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked . ' giving evidence friday in the west london court , saatchi said he was bereft ' that the e-mail -- in which he said he believed ' what the sisters claimed about lawson 's drug use -- had been made public . he said he never saw his wife taking drugs during their 10-year marriage and that he had no hard evidence she had done so . but he testified that the accusation sounded pretty compelling to me . ' the allegations emerged in june , around the time that the couple were photographed in a restaurant having an argument . in the photos , which were splashed across the front pages of national newspapers , saatchi is seen with his hand around lawson 's throat . saatchi accepted a police caution for assault , and the couple announced they would divorce soon afterward . the prosecution also showed saatchi a list of the top 50 transactions made by the sisters , totaling more than $ 1 million , which he said he did not recognize and had not authorized . he was not able to say whether lawson had approved them , he said . earlier , saatchi described the sisters'roles as housekeeping , organizing the household and helping out with any tasks needed by the family . they were first employed by lawson and then by his company , he said . saatchi said he was aware the two sisters were given credit cards in order to pay for household expenses . this was his ex-wife 's idea , he told the court . asked about the sisters'role when lawson 's children grew older , saatchi said : i 'm very fond of francesca and lisa ( elisabetta ) and they were part of our family ... the children were fond of them , we did n't want them to go , so they stayed with us as housekeepers and for general assistance . ' designer labels the first witness in the case , rahul gajjar , an accountant for saatchi , told the court thursday that francesca had 64,336.97 pounds ( $ 104,500 ) in expenses on her company credit card in june 2012 . among the expenses were purchases from designer labels prada , miu miu , louis vuitton and chloe , as well as hotel bills and plane tickets . the court heard that francesca 's average monthly expenditures were 48,000 pounds and elisabetta 's were 28,000 pounds , whereas other personal assistants to saatchi , a well-known art collector , spent a maximum of 8,000 pounds a month . the sisters were expected to make purchases for the household on the company credit card , gajjar said . but the prosecution says they spent large sums of money on themselves . drug use claims isleworth crown court heard at a pretrial hearing for the sisters this week that lawson and saatchi had a culture of secrecy ' around their marriage . representatives for lawson declined to comment on the drug allegations then , citing the ongoing court proceedings . the defense alleged that the e-mails showed both saatchi and lawson had attempted a manipulation of the court ' and that the case should be thrown out . the judge ruled the trial would proceed . the prosecution told the court wednesday that the two sisters spent about 685,000 pounds ( $ 1.1 million ) on company credit cards over the course of four years , according to uk media reports . lawson , whose culinary skills and flirtatious manner have long entranced uk audiences , has also appeared as a judge on abc show the taste ' in the united states . a second season of the show is due to air in january . | representatives for nigella lawson have not commented on the drugs claims |
lawson <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- charles saatchi , the millionaire ex-husband of celebrity chef nigella lawson , said friday he believed his ex-wife had taken drugs but had no evidence of it , as he testified at the trial of two former assistants accused of fraud . the former assistants , italian sisters francesca and elisabetta grillo , deny embezzling hundreds of thousands of pounds on company credit cards . allegations of drug use by lawson were made in a pre-trial hearing for the case earlier this week , when an e-mail sent by saatchi to lawson in october was read out by the defense . in the e-mail , saatchi wrote that the assistants would likely get off ' because lawson was using cocaine and marijuana on a daily basis and allowed the sisters to spend whatever they liked . ' giving evidence friday in the west london court , saatchi said he was bereft ' that the e-mail -- in which he said he believed ' what the sisters claimed about lawson 's drug use -- had been made public . he said he never saw his wife taking drugs during their 10-year marriage and that he had no hard evidence she had done so . but he testified that the accusation sounded pretty compelling to me . ' the allegations emerged in june , around the time that the couple were photographed in a restaurant having an argument . in the photos , which were splashed across the front pages of national newspapers , saatchi is seen with his hand around lawson 's throat . saatchi accepted a police caution for assault , and the couple announced they would divorce soon afterward . the prosecution also showed saatchi a list of the top 50 transactions made by the sisters , totaling more than $ 1 million , which he said he did not recognize and had not authorized . he was not able to say whether lawson had approved them , he said . earlier , saatchi described the sisters'roles as housekeeping , organizing the household and helping out with any tasks needed by the family . they were first employed by lawson and then by his company , he said . saatchi said he was aware the two sisters were given credit cards in order to pay for household expenses . this was his ex-wife 's idea , he told the court . asked about the sisters'role when lawson 's children grew older , saatchi said : i 'm very fond of francesca and lisa ( elisabetta ) and they were part of our family ... the children were fond of them , we did n't want them to go , so they stayed with us as housekeepers and for general assistance . ' designer labels the first witness in the case , rahul gajjar , an accountant for saatchi , told the court thursday that francesca had 64,336.97 pounds ( $ 104,500 ) in expenses on her company credit card in june 2012 . among the expenses were purchases from designer labels prada , miu miu , louis vuitton and chloe , as well as hotel bills and plane tickets . the court heard that francesca 's average monthly expenditures were 48,000 pounds and elisabetta 's were 28,000 pounds , whereas other personal assistants to saatchi , a well-known art collector , spent a maximum of 8,000 pounds a month . the sisters were expected to make purchases for the household on the company credit card , gajjar said . but the prosecution says they spent large sums of money on themselves . drug use claims isleworth crown court heard at a pretrial hearing for the sisters this week that lawson and saatchi had a culture of secrecy ' around their marriage . representatives for lawson declined to comment on the drug allegations then , citing the ongoing court proceedings . the defense alleged that the e-mails showed both saatchi and lawson had attempted a manipulation of the court ' and that the case should be thrown out . the judge ruled the trial would proceed . the prosecution told the court wednesday that the two sisters spent about 685,000 pounds ( $ 1.1 million ) on company credit cards over the course of four years , according to uk media reports . lawson , whose culinary skills and flirtatious manner have long entranced uk audiences , has also appeared as a judge on abc show the taste ' in the united states . a second season of the show is due to air in january . | ex-aides francesca and elisabetta grillo deny embezzling money from saatchi , lawson |
super bowl xlviii <tsp> flea and the rest of red hot chili peppers will jump on to the stage , compliments of fellow performer bruno mars , at next month 's super bowl halftime show . the news was announced saturday during fox 's coverage of an nfc divisional playoff game . mars , a grammy-winning pop singer , invited the chili peppers to join him for the super bowl xlviii festivities on february 2 at metlife stadium in east rutherford , new jersey . one of the most successful acts in rock history , red hot chili peppers , which is singer anthony kiedis , bassist flea , drummer , chad smith , and guitarist josh klinghoffer , have sold more than 60 million albums , including five multi-platinum lps , and won six grammy awards , ' the nfl said in a press release . their hit songs include give it away , ' scar tissue , ' californication ' and suck my kiss . ' kiedis and flea , born michael balzary , are more than 20 years older than mars . their band has pioneered a bold style of rock infused with funk and rap . his 50th birthday bash in october 2012 gave flea time to take stock of his life , he told cnn . i 'm definitely wiser , and less likely to make gigantic blunders of an intellectual , spiritual , emotional or physical type , ' he said . ... but more than anything the passion for the things that i really care about like playing music , and being kind , and children , and the things i love -- sports , books , art -- my passion for all these things has deepened . ' expectations for super bowl halftime performances are always high . the nfl claims the pepsi super bowl halftime show is the most-watched musical event of the year . more than 110.5 million viewers in the u.s. watched last year 's show . ' beyonce 's performance in 2013 was critically acclaimed by fans . previous acts include madonna , the who , bruce springsteen and the e street band , tom petty and the heartbreakers , prince , the rolling stones , paul mccartney and u2 . michael jackson 's performance at super bowl xxvii in 1993 is credited with launching the tradition of blockbuster halftime shows . mars -- born peter gene hernandez in hawaii 28 years ago -- was just 4 when he began performing in his family 's show as an elvis impersonator . his debut album for atlantic records , doo-wops & hooligans , ' includes just the way you are , ' which won him a grammy for best male pop vocal performance in 2010 . he is nominated for multiple major categories at this year 's show and will launch the second leg of his tour with his band the hooligans this summer . mars'second album , unorthodox jukebox , ' includes the hits locked out of heaven ' and when i was your man . ' | super bowl xlviii is set for new jersey 's metlife stadium on february 2 |
la barbie <tsp> mexico city , mexico ( cnn ) -- authorities in mexico revealed additional details tuesday about an accused american-born drug kingpin detained monday who they say moved tons of cocaine into the united states . masked security forces in black uniforms and helmets , rifles in hand , escorted edgar valdez villarreal and some of his accused associates before news reporters and photographers during a news conference tuesday morning . valdez is known as la barbie ' because of his blue eyes and fair complexion , but investigators have described him as one of the most ruthless drug traffickers in mexico . the capture of valdez villarreal is a high-impact blow against organized crime , ' said alejandro poire , a spokesman for mexico 's president on security issues . this is an important step in the national security strategy . ' valdez was responsible for smuggling about a ton of cocaine a month into the united states , authorities said tuesday . they also displayed automatic rifles , ammunition and bags believed to contain drugs -- items they said police seized as they arrested him monday . authorities said they 're continuing to investigate to try to learn more about valdez 's organization . investigators arrested six people along with valdez -- four men and two women , the state-run notimex news agency reported . the six provided logistical help to valdez in mexico 's federal district , which includes the capital , mexico city . police recovered automatic weapons , nine packets of cocaine and three vehicles in the arrest , notimex reported . authorities identified the six who were arrested with valdez as maricela reyes lozada , 40 ; juan antonio lopez reyes , 26 ; maritzel lopez reyes , 18 ; mauricio lopez reyes , 25 ; arturo ivan arroyo , 26 , and jorge valentin landa coronado , 28 , the news agency said . viviana macias , a spokeswoman for the federal attorney general 's office , said valdez'capture came after a shootout . the arrest , a high-profile win for mexican authorities , followed intelligence operations in six mexican states to determine valdez 's whereabouts , poire said . he was captured in the state of mexico , which borders mexico city . valdez was allegedly a one-time top lieutenant of mexico 's most wanted man , joaquin el chapo ' guzman . valdez later joined the breakaway beltran leyva cartel , but the leader of that group , arturo beltran leyva , was killed in a shootout with mexican officials late last year . beltran 's brother carlos was arrested , leaving valdez in a fight to fill a power vacuum in one of mexico 's most powerful drug cartels . lieutenants loyal to the cartel 's co-founder deny valdez is the group 's leader , federal police have said . valdez , thought to be the first u.s.-born cartel leader in mexico , is accused in the united states of attempting to launder money and conspiring to import and distribute cocaine . he is believed to have played a key role in shipping roughly 100 kilograms of cocaine across the border at laredo , texas , every week for much of 2005 , u.s. authorities have said . in june , u.s. justice department officials offered a $ 2 million reward for information leading to the capture of the alleged cocaine kingpin . his arrest comes on the heels of another big blow against the drug cartels . ignacio nacho ' coronel villareal , a principal leader of the sinaloa drug cartel , was killed during a military raid in july . more than 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence since mexican president felipe calderon intensified the government 's fight against drug cartels and organized crime after taking office in december 2006 , according to government figures . the president is under increasing pressure to show results . cnn 's nick valencia contributed to this report . | he known as la barbie ' because of his blue eyes and fair complexion |
robertson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- evangelical patriarch rev . pat robertson has long been a leader in the conservative movement advocating for a better civil and moral society . but his recent support of marijuana legalization could n't be more wrongheaded . i really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol , ' robertson said last week in an interview with the new york times . i 've never used marijuana and i do n't intend to , but it 's just one of those things that i think : this war on drugs just has n't succeeded . ' it 's completely out of control , ' robertson added . prisons are being overcrowded with juvenile offenders having to do with drugs . and the penalties , the maximums , some of them could get 10 years for possession of a joint of marijuana . it makes no sense at all . ' robertson 's arguments are wrong on each and every fact . first , regulating marijuana like the way we regulate alcohol ( or cigarettes ) will only result in the increased use and abuse of marijuana , particularly among youths . as the late , great political scientist , james q. wilson , put it , the central problem with legalizing drugs is that it will increase drug consumption . ' arguing that adding a dangerous substance to the legal marketplace will reduce its usage is to renounce all common sense . does robertson truly believe that addicts and first-time users will be curtailed once the substance they seek becomes easier to obtain ? to stay on alcohol for a moment : there are about 79,000 alcohol-related deaths each year . the center for disease control calculated that excessive drinking cost the united states $ 223.5 billion annually and the government pays more than 60 percent of these health care costs . is that really the model that robertson would recommend for the betterment of society ? the household survey of substance abuse tells us that alcohol , more than tobacco and illegal drugs , is the most used and abused drug among youth . why is that ? because alcohol is legal ; drugs are not . alcohol is easily available ; drugs are less so . alcohol is culturally acceptable ; drugs are , for the most part , stigmatized , in large part because they are illegal . robertson has long respected the importance of the law and the culture . it is a grave error for him to abandon that now . as for his other claims , the 2011 world drug report paints a detailed picture of marijuana abusers . among cannabis users in treatment in the united states , 80.5 % are not married , 90 % have obtained an education of 12 years or less ; 25 % are unemployed and 46 % are not in the labor force ( of which 55 % are students ) . of the cannabis users who entered treatment services from 2000 to 2008 , nearly a quarter report psychiatric problems . in addition , new research suggests that driving under the influence of marijuana could double a person 's risk of getting in a serious or fatal car crash . why should we promote the legalization of a substance that can irretrievably harm our children 's brains and makes our citizens less intelligent , less productive and less safe ? open and unrestricted drug use can not coexist with a free , safe and productive society . moreover , robertson 's claim that our prisons are overflowing with marijuana users are wildly exaggerated . the u.s. criminal justice system is the largest referral source for drug treatment programs . and , the large majority of inmates in state and federal prison for marijuana have been found guilty of much more than simple possession . the office of national drug control policy , for example , recently reported that of all the inmates in state prisons , 0.3 % are arrested for offenses involving only marijuana possession . contrary to robertson 's view , we have had successes in the fight against drugs . according to the drug enforcement administration , 700,000 fewer teenagers used illicit drugs in 2010 than a decade earlier , a 16 % decline . from 2000 to 2010 , current marijuana use by teens has dropped 9 % , methamphetamine use by teens has plummeted 60 % , lsd use has dropped 50 % , and current cocaine use among high school seniors has dropped 38 % . there have been other important victories , too . in the late 1980s and early 1990s , with the help of the partnership for a drug free america , america 's policymakers and opinion shapers got tough on drugs . through movies , television , mass media , and , yes , sermons , america sent a message : drug use is not culturally or morally acceptable and it will not be tolerated . the nation was committed to defeating the cocaine epidemic , and it did . we have much work left in our own fight against drugs . we need more drug education and prevention classes in schools , more rehabilitation and treatment centers , and more resources for law enforcement officials . but all this is for naught if our nation 's leaders , including its religious leaders , undermine and abandon the cause . during a recent trip to mexico , vice president joe biden was right to reject the idea of legalization . there is no possibility the obama-biden administration will change its policy on legalization , ' he said . it 's time for a new bipartisan coalition committed to defending our children and our future from the dangers of drug abuse and addiction . surrendering , like robertson suggests , is not an option . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william j. bennett . | william bennett : pat robertson 's support of marijuana legalization is misguided |
robertson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- evangelical patriarch rev . pat robertson has long been a leader in the conservative movement advocating for a better civil and moral society . but his recent support of marijuana legalization could n't be more wrongheaded . i really believe we should treat marijuana the way we treat beverage alcohol , ' robertson said last week in an interview with the new york times . i 've never used marijuana and i do n't intend to , but it 's just one of those things that i think : this war on drugs just has n't succeeded . ' it 's completely out of control , ' robertson added . prisons are being overcrowded with juvenile offenders having to do with drugs . and the penalties , the maximums , some of them could get 10 years for possession of a joint of marijuana . it makes no sense at all . ' robertson 's arguments are wrong on each and every fact . first , regulating marijuana like the way we regulate alcohol ( or cigarettes ) will only result in the increased use and abuse of marijuana , particularly among youths . as the late , great political scientist , james q. wilson , put it , the central problem with legalizing drugs is that it will increase drug consumption . ' arguing that adding a dangerous substance to the legal marketplace will reduce its usage is to renounce all common sense . does robertson truly believe that addicts and first-time users will be curtailed once the substance they seek becomes easier to obtain ? to stay on alcohol for a moment : there are about 79,000 alcohol-related deaths each year . the center for disease control calculated that excessive drinking cost the united states $ 223.5 billion annually and the government pays more than 60 percent of these health care costs . is that really the model that robertson would recommend for the betterment of society ? the household survey of substance abuse tells us that alcohol , more than tobacco and illegal drugs , is the most used and abused drug among youth . why is that ? because alcohol is legal ; drugs are not . alcohol is easily available ; drugs are less so . alcohol is culturally acceptable ; drugs are , for the most part , stigmatized , in large part because they are illegal . robertson has long respected the importance of the law and the culture . it is a grave error for him to abandon that now . as for his other claims , the 2011 world drug report paints a detailed picture of marijuana abusers . among cannabis users in treatment in the united states , 80.5 % are not married , 90 % have obtained an education of 12 years or less ; 25 % are unemployed and 46 % are not in the labor force ( of which 55 % are students ) . of the cannabis users who entered treatment services from 2000 to 2008 , nearly a quarter report psychiatric problems . in addition , new research suggests that driving under the influence of marijuana could double a person 's risk of getting in a serious or fatal car crash . why should we promote the legalization of a substance that can irretrievably harm our children 's brains and makes our citizens less intelligent , less productive and less safe ? open and unrestricted drug use can not coexist with a free , safe and productive society . moreover , robertson 's claim that our prisons are overflowing with marijuana users are wildly exaggerated . the u.s. criminal justice system is the largest referral source for drug treatment programs . and , the large majority of inmates in state and federal prison for marijuana have been found guilty of much more than simple possession . the office of national drug control policy , for example , recently reported that of all the inmates in state prisons , 0.3 % are arrested for offenses involving only marijuana possession . contrary to robertson 's view , we have had successes in the fight against drugs . according to the drug enforcement administration , 700,000 fewer teenagers used illicit drugs in 2010 than a decade earlier , a 16 % decline . from 2000 to 2010 , current marijuana use by teens has dropped 9 % , methamphetamine use by teens has plummeted 60 % , lsd use has dropped 50 % , and current cocaine use among high school seniors has dropped 38 % . there have been other important victories , too . in the late 1980s and early 1990s , with the help of the partnership for a drug free america , america 's policymakers and opinion shapers got tough on drugs . through movies , television , mass media , and , yes , sermons , america sent a message : drug use is not culturally or morally acceptable and it will not be tolerated . the nation was committed to defeating the cocaine epidemic , and it did . we have much work left in our own fight against drugs . we need more drug education and prevention classes in schools , more rehabilitation and treatment centers , and more resources for law enforcement officials . but all this is for naught if our nation 's leaders , including its religious leaders , undermine and abandon the cause . during a recent trip to mexico , vice president joe biden was right to reject the idea of legalization . there is no possibility the obama-biden administration will change its policy on legalization , ' he said . it 's time for a new bipartisan coalition committed to defending our children and our future from the dangers of drug abuse and addiction . surrendering , like robertson suggests , is not an option . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of william j. bennett . | he says that contrary to robertson 's view , we have had successes in the drug fight |
ivy league <tsp> ( cnn ) -- northwestern university 's president emeritus said that if the players on its football team are successful at forming a union , he could see the prestigious private institution giving up division i football . henry bienen , speaking last week at the annual conference for the knight commission on intercollegiate athletics , said , if we got into collective bargaining situations , i would not take for granted that the northwesterns of the world would continue to play division i sports . ' bienen , who was president of northwestern from 1995 to 2009 , made his comments during a panel discussion that included a presentation from ramogi huma , the president of the national college players association and the man who helped organize former northwestern quarterback kain colter to lead a unionization attempt before the national labor relations board . huma talked , as he has for months , about the issues his organization sees as great flaws in the current ncaa model . the ncpa believes that athletes in the revenue-generating sports of college football and men 's basketball are taken advantage of by universities , conferences and the ncaa , making billions from games , while the players sometimes struggle with basic needs like medical care , concussion testing and guaranteed scholarships . players make argument for union in march , the ncpa took its fight before the nlrb in chicago and presented a case during a five-day hearing . both sides just recently submitted court briefs and a ruling could come by the end of this month , but will likely be appealed by the losing side and could go as far as the u.s. supreme court . in short , it could take years before there is a definitive decision . bienen did n't specifically speak about players being paid , but if the unionization is successful , that would be on the bargaining table , and critics of pay-for-play say they fear that would hurt the academic side of collegiate athletics . bienen alluded to that when he said a win for the players could lead private institutions with high academic standards -- he specifically cited duke and stanford -- to abandon the current model in order to preserve academic integrity . he compared it to the pullback of the ivy league schools decades ago , when the ivy league conference decided to opt out of postseason play and to end athletic scholarships , preserving the emphasis on academics for the players . in the 1950s , the ivies had some of the highest-ranked football teams in the country . the princeton teams were ranked in the top 5 or 10 at that time . they continue periodically to have ranked basketball teams , but they 've given up a certain kind of model of sports , ' he said , adding that under certain conditions ' the same could happen at other private elite universities that continue to play big time sports . ' jerry price , senior associate athletic director at princeton , said that change for the ivy league allowed those schools to maintain academic integrity in the sports where , at other schools , academics can often be compromised in the name of the game . it was sort of a breaking point moment , ' price said , saying the ivy league schools made the decision not to move forward like the bigger conferences -- to draw the line with the commercialization of what football was becoming . ' and the results have been that ivy football is not what it was in the first half of the 20th century , ' price said . certainly not like big ten football , sec football . its crowds are generally less than 10,000 people . they play only 10 games a year . ... certainly not what is going on at bcs level . ' a duke spokesman said the university did not have a comment on bienen 's remarks , and a stanford spokeswoman told cnn that stanford is monitoring the unionization attempt and , like northwestern , considers its athletes to be students , first and foremost . ' while supportive of the freedom of the athletes to file this petition to unionize , northwestern officials are fighting the petition , which hinges on whether athletes should be considered employees of the university . during his daylong testimony , ex-northwestern quarterback colter talked about time requirements that are year-round , at times 50 hours a week devoted to football . we are first and foremost an athlete , ' colter testified . everything we do is scheduled around football . ... it 's truly a job . ' colter said he had to give up his pre-med-related major because he could n't fit the classes into his schedule . the university countered that by bringing in students who were able to stay in rigorous classes , but colter 's sentiment was echoed by the ncaa itself in a 2012 survey that asked athletes what they would change about their college experience . about 15 % of men 's football , baseball and basketball players said they would have had different majors had they not been athletes . twelve percent of division 1 football players said athletics prevented them from majoring in what they wanted . the average time spent on athletics in-season hovered around 40 hours per week for all three sports , according to the survey . that flies in the face of the ncaa 20-hour rule , which states that , no matter the sport , coaches ca n't take up more than 20 hours of their players time . right before bienen spoke at the knight commission , big 12 commissioner bob bowlsby called the 20-hour rule a joke ' and said paperwork is constantly falsified . i do n't know in a particular case what was said to mr. colter , ' bienen said a few minutes later at the knight commission , referring to colter 's statement that he could n't take certain classes . i do know that there were many students at northwestern and at rice and at stanford and at duke who took , and for that matter at michigan and at minnesota who took very exacting courses , have had very distinguished academic careers and balanced being athletes and big-time sports with very exacting academic programs . ' if they win at the labor relations board , the athletes at northwestern would get a seat at the bargaining table and could negotiate for a cut of the billion-dollar revenues . but the most compelling argument they 've made is for continuing medical coverage for injuries that continue after they leave school . without it , athletes like former northwestern player jeff yarbrough are stuck with the potential for lifelong and crippling pain . yarbrough was called one of the fastest teens in illinois when he was recruited to northwestern in 2003 , but after fracturing both legs on the field , he was left with painful metal rods that are too expensive for him to have removed without help . he 's in so much pain , he can barely run , he said . he 's only 27 years old . i 'm like a 45-year-old man . i ca n't move , ' he said . colter walked into the labor hearing with a boot on his foot , just a few weeks out of ankle surgery -- an injury from last season . he testified that northwestern is disputing how much it should pay for his out-of-pocket expenses . huma argues that all former athletes should be guaranteed full coverage of injuries from their time playing for their schools . it 's the one area where bienen seemed to agree . i 'm willing to say that there may be extraordinary expenses through injuries on the playing field . i do n't know what other universities do , how long paying or helping pay for those injuries are , but i think that 's an important point and i think there are obligations that universities have here and i would like to have better information . ' athletes file class-action against ncaa | ivy league school abandoned big-time sports to preserve academic emphasis |
brazil <tsp> rio de janeiro , brazil ( cnn ) -- electricity returned early wednesday to a large swath of central and southern brazil that was plunged into darkness when power from a major hydroelectric dam was lost . up to 18 of brazil 's 26 states were left without power when electricity from the itaipu dam was interrupted around 10:15 p.m. ( 7:15 p.m . et ) tuesday , leaving sao paulo , rio de janeiro and other cities in darkened chaos . hundreds of people were trapped in elevators . subways , trains and buses stopped running their routes . video showed long snaking lines of cars at a near standstill on the roads , their headlights the only illumination . the outage also led to medical emergencies , with a report in sao paulo of neighbors having to rescue someone who breathes with the help of a ventilator but the back-up battery was running low . police also reported increased robberies and looting related to the blackout . authorities in rio de janeiro and other cities stepped up enforcement . officials said up to 60 million of brazil 's nearly 200 million residents were pitched into darkness . i thought ,'how is this happening ?' said rio de janeiro resident wesley ferreira . all of copacabana is black . ' power was restored to most of brazil by 6 a.m. ( 3 a.m . et ) , the government-run agencia brasil news agency said . but some water-treatment plants remained affected wednesday . authorities in sao paulo reported that 3 million residents in the metropolitan area remained without water , down from a previous 6.7 million . sao paulo is the largest municipality in south america , with about 11 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 20 million in the metro area . the itaipu dam , one of the world 's largest hydroelectric facilities , is shared by brazil and paraguay , which also lost power . neighboring uruguay also reported outages . itaipu provides more than 19 percent of brazil 's energy and 87 percent of paraguay 's , agencia brasil said . the outage affected 18 states , the uol noticias news outlet said , citing brazil 's minister of mines and energy , edison lobao . the states of sao paulo , mato grosso do sul , rio de janeiro and espirito santo went totally dark , while minas gerais , mato grosso , goias , rio grande do sul , santa catarina , parana , acre , rondonia , bahia , sergipe , paraiba , alagoas , pernambuco and rio grande do norte were partially affected . the federal district in which brasilia , the nation 's capital , is located also had outages . as a point of reference as to how widespread the blackout was , it is about 2,000 miles from the southern tip of santa catarina to the northern tip of pernambuco . jorge samek , the director general of the agency that runs the dam , said the blackouts were caused by a failure in the brazilian power delivery system , not the hydroelectric plant at the dam . officials said three transmission lines went out . officials said they had not determined an official cause for the power failure , but pointed at the weather . they discounted any type of sabotage . apparently , according to information that we have , it was because of meteorological conditions that were pretty adverse , with strong winds and strong rain at the same time , ' lobao said . some experts agreed that the electric system should not collapse because of a storm . there is a problem , ' said luiz pinguelli , director of the post-graduate engineering center at the rio de janeiro federal university . and you ca n't say under any circumstances that this is due to nature . there is a transmission problem , and the worst part of it is the dimension it takes . that is to say , an accident that can tumble one line is always possible . but for the power to go out in so many cities for such a long time , that should n't happen . ' some residents blamed a sudden surge in electricity use as brazil , which is in the southern hemisphere , enters spring and the weather gets warmer . those responsible for the energy supply do not perceive that the weather is changing and that there 's a lot of hot weather in the spring , ' said rio resident pabla de visconti . summer promises to be hot , and everyone is turning on air-conditioners and fans . ' the nation 's ability to handle basic utilities concerns some officials as brazil prepares to host the world cup in 2014 and the summer olympics two years later . i always say that brazil is a country that is growing much , that everyone takes pride in , that is talked about favorably in the rest of the world , but that has a third world infrastructure , ' said adriano pires , director of the brazilian center for infrastructure . when we have consumption peaks , there are blackouts . if the government does not invest in infrastructure , the problems will be more serious each time . it will lead to the strangulation of economic growth and could embarrass the country in events like the world cup and the olympics . ' cnn 's alessandra castelli and journalists fabiana frayssinet and lucrecia franco contributed to this report . | electricity returns to central and southern brazil after power from major hydroelectric dam was lost |
brazil <tsp> rio de janeiro , brazil ( cnn ) -- electricity returned early wednesday to a large swath of central and southern brazil that was plunged into darkness when power from a major hydroelectric dam was lost . up to 18 of brazil 's 26 states were left without power when electricity from the itaipu dam was interrupted around 10:15 p.m. ( 7:15 p.m . et ) tuesday , leaving sao paulo , rio de janeiro and other cities in darkened chaos . hundreds of people were trapped in elevators . subways , trains and buses stopped running their routes . video showed long snaking lines of cars at a near standstill on the roads , their headlights the only illumination . the outage also led to medical emergencies , with a report in sao paulo of neighbors having to rescue someone who breathes with the help of a ventilator but the back-up battery was running low . police also reported increased robberies and looting related to the blackout . authorities in rio de janeiro and other cities stepped up enforcement . officials said up to 60 million of brazil 's nearly 200 million residents were pitched into darkness . i thought ,'how is this happening ?' said rio de janeiro resident wesley ferreira . all of copacabana is black . ' power was restored to most of brazil by 6 a.m. ( 3 a.m . et ) , the government-run agencia brasil news agency said . but some water-treatment plants remained affected wednesday . authorities in sao paulo reported that 3 million residents in the metropolitan area remained without water , down from a previous 6.7 million . sao paulo is the largest municipality in south america , with about 11 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 20 million in the metro area . the itaipu dam , one of the world 's largest hydroelectric facilities , is shared by brazil and paraguay , which also lost power . neighboring uruguay also reported outages . itaipu provides more than 19 percent of brazil 's energy and 87 percent of paraguay 's , agencia brasil said . the outage affected 18 states , the uol noticias news outlet said , citing brazil 's minister of mines and energy , edison lobao . the states of sao paulo , mato grosso do sul , rio de janeiro and espirito santo went totally dark , while minas gerais , mato grosso , goias , rio grande do sul , santa catarina , parana , acre , rondonia , bahia , sergipe , paraiba , alagoas , pernambuco and rio grande do norte were partially affected . the federal district in which brasilia , the nation 's capital , is located also had outages . as a point of reference as to how widespread the blackout was , it is about 2,000 miles from the southern tip of santa catarina to the northern tip of pernambuco . jorge samek , the director general of the agency that runs the dam , said the blackouts were caused by a failure in the brazilian power delivery system , not the hydroelectric plant at the dam . officials said three transmission lines went out . officials said they had not determined an official cause for the power failure , but pointed at the weather . they discounted any type of sabotage . apparently , according to information that we have , it was because of meteorological conditions that were pretty adverse , with strong winds and strong rain at the same time , ' lobao said . some experts agreed that the electric system should not collapse because of a storm . there is a problem , ' said luiz pinguelli , director of the post-graduate engineering center at the rio de janeiro federal university . and you ca n't say under any circumstances that this is due to nature . there is a transmission problem , and the worst part of it is the dimension it takes . that is to say , an accident that can tumble one line is always possible . but for the power to go out in so many cities for such a long time , that should n't happen . ' some residents blamed a sudden surge in electricity use as brazil , which is in the southern hemisphere , enters spring and the weather gets warmer . those responsible for the energy supply do not perceive that the weather is changing and that there 's a lot of hot weather in the spring , ' said rio resident pabla de visconti . summer promises to be hot , and everyone is turning on air-conditioners and fans . ' the nation 's ability to handle basic utilities concerns some officials as brazil prepares to host the world cup in 2014 and the summer olympics two years later . i always say that brazil is a country that is growing much , that everyone takes pride in , that is talked about favorably in the rest of the world , but that has a third world infrastructure , ' said adriano pires , director of the brazilian center for infrastructure . when we have consumption peaks , there are blackouts . if the government does not invest in infrastructure , the problems will be more serious each time . it will lead to the strangulation of economic growth and could embarrass the country in events like the world cup and the olympics . ' cnn 's alessandra castelli and journalists fabiana frayssinet and lucrecia franco contributed to this report . | hydroelectric dam provides over 20 percent of brazil 's energy |
phoenix <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- on feb. 11 , 2009 , when joaquin phoenix made his infamous monosyllabic , grunged-out appearance on late show with david letterman , ' it inspired an orgy of media gossip fueled by a basic question : was phoenix having some sort of mental breakdown -- or was his whole shambling , beatnik-derelict routine an elaborate hoax ? i 'm still here , ' casey affleck 's fascinating and scary documentary about his brother-in-law , is powerful evidence that the answer is neither -- and that , in fact , it 's much sadder . the movie , an artful piece of exploitation vérité , follows phoenix 's self-righteous retirement from acting , his awkward attempt to relaunch himself as a hip-hop star , and his wasted retreat from human relationships . the joaquin we see in i 'm still here ' is a slurry , bloated shell of his former self , with taped sunglasses that never come off and unwashed hair that 's matted into crusty dreads . on stage in miami , during the notorious performance where he dove into the audience to brawl with a spectator who ticked him off ( apparently an easy thing to do ) , the hapless violence that we all saw 100 times on youtube is less shocking than the extraordinary , dilapidated numbness of phoenix 's demeanor during his abbreviated rap song . standing there in his shades and overly tight suit jacket , holding his cigarette as if he could n't be bothered to put it out for his act , phoenix , without doing much of anything , radiates such smarmy contempt that you may think : who is this -- the second coming of andy kaufman 's tony clifton ? a reincarnation of the last days of lenny bruce ? in i 'm still here , ' phoenix keeps saying that he wants to be a hip-hop musician , but he communicates a borderline indifference even to his own performance . and that suggests that his real mission is n't to be a rap star at all but to act out his superiority : to the curiosity seekers in the audience , to the legion of fans and movie industry colleagues whom he 's turned his back on . after all , why could n't he try to launch a music career without giving up his day job -- the way that , say , jamie foxx ( who appears briefly on the same stage as phoenix in a club in las vegas ) has done ? the answer is that it 's all about street cred . ' by trashing what he 's done before , phoenix thinks he 's not just another lowly entertainer on puppet strings but a pure artist who does n't give a damn about celebrity . ( even though his celebrity is the only reason anyone would begin to pay attention to his rap career . ) he 's become the kind of convoluted narcissist who flogs his sincerity until it becomes a twisted form of phoniness . that bedraggled desire to declare himself above and apart from everyone else is the defining feature of what now passes for joaquin phoenix 's conversation . ' as i 'm still here ' goes on , he talks and talks but never really listens , gushing forth instead in a slovenly , rambling mash-up of self-pity and self-glorification . the look phoenix is going for is late-period jim morrison ( with worse hygiene ) , but he sounds like a gen-x dennis hopper before rehab . what the film reveals is that phoenix , whom we see repeatedly snorting cocaine ( and surrounded by empty beer bottles ) , is less an enigmatic head case than a toxically ego-fueled drug casualty . some of the movie is funny in a hungover , entourage ' -meets-christopher guest sort of way . when ben stiller shows up , with the script of greenberg in hand , to offer joaquin a role in the movie , phoenix is so blurry and out-of-it that it 's clear he has never even looked at the script and has absolutely no idea which role he 's being pitched . he assumes that stiller wants him to play greenberg -- which only caps how annoyed stiller is to be wasting his time with this bum . the story is n't over , though . when stiller shows up as a presenter on the academy awards , in full-bearded joaquin costume , it 's now clearer , in hindsight , that he was getting his revenge . that phoenix 's handlers -- and casey affleck -- enable his behavior by never attempting an intervention amounts to an ethical lapse . yet the film 's unflinching honesty is , in the end , its own justification . affleck uses phoenix 's descent to forge a riveting -- and , in its way , cautionary -- case study of a celebrity self-destructively addicted to his own psychodrama . phoenix may say that he 's left acting behind , but whether he 's trolling the internet for hookers , trying ( hilariously ) to convince diddy to produce his rap album , getting huffy with an entertainment journalist at a junket for two lovers , or lashing out at fame while still enjoying all of its perks , the movie understands that his last honest man in showbiz routine is really a performance -- even if it 's one the actor himself is only dimly aware of . the real hoax is the one that phoenix has perpetrated on himself . it 's the illusion ( to quote one of his bad hip-hop songs ) that he 's a compli-f -- -in'-cated ' rebel rather than just another vain burnout who needs help . ew grade : a- see full article at ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2010 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | in the movie , phoenix is a slurry , bloated shell of his former self |
phoenix <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- on feb. 11 , 2009 , when joaquin phoenix made his infamous monosyllabic , grunged-out appearance on late show with david letterman , ' it inspired an orgy of media gossip fueled by a basic question : was phoenix having some sort of mental breakdown -- or was his whole shambling , beatnik-derelict routine an elaborate hoax ? i 'm still here , ' casey affleck 's fascinating and scary documentary about his brother-in-law , is powerful evidence that the answer is neither -- and that , in fact , it 's much sadder . the movie , an artful piece of exploitation vérité , follows phoenix 's self-righteous retirement from acting , his awkward attempt to relaunch himself as a hip-hop star , and his wasted retreat from human relationships . the joaquin we see in i 'm still here ' is a slurry , bloated shell of his former self , with taped sunglasses that never come off and unwashed hair that 's matted into crusty dreads . on stage in miami , during the notorious performance where he dove into the audience to brawl with a spectator who ticked him off ( apparently an easy thing to do ) , the hapless violence that we all saw 100 times on youtube is less shocking than the extraordinary , dilapidated numbness of phoenix 's demeanor during his abbreviated rap song . standing there in his shades and overly tight suit jacket , holding his cigarette as if he could n't be bothered to put it out for his act , phoenix , without doing much of anything , radiates such smarmy contempt that you may think : who is this -- the second coming of andy kaufman 's tony clifton ? a reincarnation of the last days of lenny bruce ? in i 'm still here , ' phoenix keeps saying that he wants to be a hip-hop musician , but he communicates a borderline indifference even to his own performance . and that suggests that his real mission is n't to be a rap star at all but to act out his superiority : to the curiosity seekers in the audience , to the legion of fans and movie industry colleagues whom he 's turned his back on . after all , why could n't he try to launch a music career without giving up his day job -- the way that , say , jamie foxx ( who appears briefly on the same stage as phoenix in a club in las vegas ) has done ? the answer is that it 's all about street cred . ' by trashing what he 's done before , phoenix thinks he 's not just another lowly entertainer on puppet strings but a pure artist who does n't give a damn about celebrity . ( even though his celebrity is the only reason anyone would begin to pay attention to his rap career . ) he 's become the kind of convoluted narcissist who flogs his sincerity until it becomes a twisted form of phoniness . that bedraggled desire to declare himself above and apart from everyone else is the defining feature of what now passes for joaquin phoenix 's conversation . ' as i 'm still here ' goes on , he talks and talks but never really listens , gushing forth instead in a slovenly , rambling mash-up of self-pity and self-glorification . the look phoenix is going for is late-period jim morrison ( with worse hygiene ) , but he sounds like a gen-x dennis hopper before rehab . what the film reveals is that phoenix , whom we see repeatedly snorting cocaine ( and surrounded by empty beer bottles ) , is less an enigmatic head case than a toxically ego-fueled drug casualty . some of the movie is funny in a hungover , entourage ' -meets-christopher guest sort of way . when ben stiller shows up , with the script of greenberg in hand , to offer joaquin a role in the movie , phoenix is so blurry and out-of-it that it 's clear he has never even looked at the script and has absolutely no idea which role he 's being pitched . he assumes that stiller wants him to play greenberg -- which only caps how annoyed stiller is to be wasting his time with this bum . the story is n't over , though . when stiller shows up as a presenter on the academy awards , in full-bearded joaquin costume , it 's now clearer , in hindsight , that he was getting his revenge . that phoenix 's handlers -- and casey affleck -- enable his behavior by never attempting an intervention amounts to an ethical lapse . yet the film 's unflinching honesty is , in the end , its own justification . affleck uses phoenix 's descent to forge a riveting -- and , in its way , cautionary -- case study of a celebrity self-destructively addicted to his own psychodrama . phoenix may say that he 's left acting behind , but whether he 's trolling the internet for hookers , trying ( hilariously ) to convince diddy to produce his rap album , getting huffy with an entertainment journalist at a junket for two lovers , or lashing out at fame while still enjoying all of its perks , the movie understands that his last honest man in showbiz routine is really a performance -- even if it 's one the actor himself is only dimly aware of . the real hoax is the one that phoenix has perpetrated on himself . it 's the illusion ( to quote one of his bad hip-hop songs ) that he 's a compli-f -- -in'-cated ' rebel rather than just another vain burnout who needs help . ew grade : a- see full article at ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2010 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | i 'm still here ' follows joaquin phoenix 's self-righteous retirement from acting |
i 'm still here <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- on feb. 11 , 2009 , when joaquin phoenix made his infamous monosyllabic , grunged-out appearance on late show with david letterman , ' it inspired an orgy of media gossip fueled by a basic question : was phoenix having some sort of mental breakdown -- or was his whole shambling , beatnik-derelict routine an elaborate hoax ? i 'm still here , ' casey affleck 's fascinating and scary documentary about his brother-in-law , is powerful evidence that the answer is neither -- and that , in fact , it 's much sadder . the movie , an artful piece of exploitation vérité , follows phoenix 's self-righteous retirement from acting , his awkward attempt to relaunch himself as a hip-hop star , and his wasted retreat from human relationships . the joaquin we see in i 'm still here ' is a slurry , bloated shell of his former self , with taped sunglasses that never come off and unwashed hair that 's matted into crusty dreads . on stage in miami , during the notorious performance where he dove into the audience to brawl with a spectator who ticked him off ( apparently an easy thing to do ) , the hapless violence that we all saw 100 times on youtube is less shocking than the extraordinary , dilapidated numbness of phoenix 's demeanor during his abbreviated rap song . standing there in his shades and overly tight suit jacket , holding his cigarette as if he could n't be bothered to put it out for his act , phoenix , without doing much of anything , radiates such smarmy contempt that you may think : who is this -- the second coming of andy kaufman 's tony clifton ? a reincarnation of the last days of lenny bruce ? in i 'm still here , ' phoenix keeps saying that he wants to be a hip-hop musician , but he communicates a borderline indifference even to his own performance . and that suggests that his real mission is n't to be a rap star at all but to act out his superiority : to the curiosity seekers in the audience , to the legion of fans and movie industry colleagues whom he 's turned his back on . after all , why could n't he try to launch a music career without giving up his day job -- the way that , say , jamie foxx ( who appears briefly on the same stage as phoenix in a club in las vegas ) has done ? the answer is that it 's all about street cred . ' by trashing what he 's done before , phoenix thinks he 's not just another lowly entertainer on puppet strings but a pure artist who does n't give a damn about celebrity . ( even though his celebrity is the only reason anyone would begin to pay attention to his rap career . ) he 's become the kind of convoluted narcissist who flogs his sincerity until it becomes a twisted form of phoniness . that bedraggled desire to declare himself above and apart from everyone else is the defining feature of what now passes for joaquin phoenix 's conversation . ' as i 'm still here ' goes on , he talks and talks but never really listens , gushing forth instead in a slovenly , rambling mash-up of self-pity and self-glorification . the look phoenix is going for is late-period jim morrison ( with worse hygiene ) , but he sounds like a gen-x dennis hopper before rehab . what the film reveals is that phoenix , whom we see repeatedly snorting cocaine ( and surrounded by empty beer bottles ) , is less an enigmatic head case than a toxically ego-fueled drug casualty . some of the movie is funny in a hungover , entourage ' -meets-christopher guest sort of way . when ben stiller shows up , with the script of greenberg in hand , to offer joaquin a role in the movie , phoenix is so blurry and out-of-it that it 's clear he has never even looked at the script and has absolutely no idea which role he 's being pitched . he assumes that stiller wants him to play greenberg -- which only caps how annoyed stiller is to be wasting his time with this bum . the story is n't over , though . when stiller shows up as a presenter on the academy awards , in full-bearded joaquin costume , it 's now clearer , in hindsight , that he was getting his revenge . that phoenix 's handlers -- and casey affleck -- enable his behavior by never attempting an intervention amounts to an ethical lapse . yet the film 's unflinching honesty is , in the end , its own justification . affleck uses phoenix 's descent to forge a riveting -- and , in its way , cautionary -- case study of a celebrity self-destructively addicted to his own psychodrama . phoenix may say that he 's left acting behind , but whether he 's trolling the internet for hookers , trying ( hilariously ) to convince diddy to produce his rap album , getting huffy with an entertainment journalist at a junket for two lovers , or lashing out at fame while still enjoying all of its perks , the movie understands that his last honest man in showbiz routine is really a performance -- even if it 's one the actor himself is only dimly aware of . the real hoax is the one that phoenix has perpetrated on himself . it 's the illusion ( to quote one of his bad hip-hop songs ) that he 's a compli-f -- -in'-cated ' rebel rather than just another vain burnout who needs help . ew grade : a- see full article at ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2010 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | i 'm still here ' follows joaquin phoenix 's self-righteous retirement from acting |
cnn español <tsp> washington ( cnn ) former president bill clinton reflected on the months of protests that have swept across america in response to the deaths unarmed black men at the hands of law enforcement , saying in an interview airing friday that the country needs to make people feel that everybody matters again . ' the fundamental problem you have anywhere is when people think their lives and the lives of their children do n't matter , they they are somehow disposable , just like a paper napkin after a lunch at a restaurant or something , ' clinton told cnn en español . if we want our freedom to be in deed as well as word in america , we have to make people feel that everybody matters again . ' clinton , who was in miami for the clinton foundation future of the americas ' summit , argued that the two issues at play in the protests were whether law enforcement made the correct decisions and how police departments can improve their relationships with communities . in the last three weeks , grand juries have cleared police officers in the killing of michael brown in ferguson , missouri , and eric garner in staten island , new york . clinton argued that in both cases , policing was an issue . there is not any question in ferguson , whatever the findings of the grand jury , if the law enforcement officer had not gone after the man and felt compelled to shoot him , he would be alive , ' clinton said . and on garner in staten island , clinton was clear to point out that police policy was against putting someone in a choke hold . ' during the interview with juan carlos lopez at the university of miami , clinton spoke at length about foreign policy throughout the americas and the recent release of the cia torture report . i think this is just the beginning , ' the former president said . there will now be a real effort to find out what the details were and whether or not any other action is appropriate in that . ' clinton has been getting used to playing second ( or possibly third ) fiddle in his family . clinton 's wife , former secretary of state hillary clinton is widely seen as the front-runner for the democratic nomination in 2016 and the recent birth of chelsea clinton 's first child , charlotte , has been the fascination of many . as is the case with every interview , bill clinton was asked about his wife 's presidential aspirations and when , in particular , hillary clinton expects to announce her candidacy . i do n't even know if she is going to run , ' bill clinton said . but if she , sometime next year i think she will make a decision and announce it . ' the full interview with bill clinton will air on cnn español at 6 p.m . et friday and on sunday at 8 p.m . et . | clinton was interview by cnn español 's juan carlos lopez |
kenyan <tsp> nairobi , kenya ( cnn ) -- baby showers herald the transition to motherhood . roses , greeting cards and invitations to lunch , celebrate mothers every may -- well at least in most parts of the world . in africa by and large the story is n't so rosy . every 90 seconds , somewhere in the world , a woman dies from a pregnancy-related complication ; for them and their families there will be no mother 's day ever . on this glorious day , i want to put a spin on what we are all celebrating and ask each woman to take a moment to think about the thousands of women across kenya and millions across africa who may never celebrate mother 's day . the process of becoming a mother -- pregnancy - can be difficult and sometimes life threatening . we do n't like to talk about these difficulties and dangers . after all africa is a continent of strong women . myths and tales are told about how we give birth in the bush and minutes later we are on our feet going to fetch firewood or water . i think what 's even more startling is the fact that when these women pass away , no one remembers them or eulogizes them . you will be hard pressed to find an obituary item that says she lost her life , giving life . ' for these women and their families , there is no mother 's day . that 's why this year , i ask you to heed my call and that of amref and stand up for african mothers , wherever they may be . according to the world health organization 's trends in maternal mortality report : • every 90 seconds a woman dies from a pregnancy related complication , that 's 1,000 women a day • 90 % of these deaths are preventable • 99 % of maternal deaths that took place in 2008 ( most recent data from 2010 study ) occurred in sub-saharan africa ( 57 % ) and south asia ( 30 % ) • 50 % of all maternal deaths take place during the first 48 hours after delivery . the causes for these astounding figures are not limited to the inability of women to access a health facility due to transportation costs ; only 10 % of women deliver at a health facility where a skilled birth attendant is present . read more : african women need a hand-up not a hand-out in most african rural areas , expectant mothers are mostly taken care of by traditional birth attendants at their households , rather than at hospitals . the typical and entrenched mentality is that since my mom and mom 's mom delivered at home , why ca n't i ? ' but the harsh truth is that poorly equipped with merely a kanga ( garment ) and razor blade , even the most experienced midwife in the village will find it impossible to handle deadly labor complications such as hemorrhage and high blood pressure . another reason behind the high maternal mortality in africa is women 's inferior social status . african women 's perceived inferiority to men leads to school dropouts and forced early marriages . a woman without proper education would not be self-protective in terms of reproductive health and a girl barely into her teens forced into early marriage risks her unprepared body in intercourse , both of which may raise the maternal death odds . to reduce maternal mortality and strengthen the poorly functioning health system a holistic strategy is necessary to be implemented . without political will and good stewardship to revamp the health care system women will continue to die needlessly . it 's up to you and i to stand up for african mothers . no woman should die while giving life . every year 1.5 million african children are left without a mother . for them , there will be no mother 's day . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of caroline mutoko . | kenyan radio presenter caroline mutoko highlights maternal mortality in africa |
tapper <tsp> new york ( cnn ) jake tapper is the next anchor of cnn 's sunday morning political interview program state of the union . ' cnn announced tapper 's promotion on friday morning . he will take over the program in june ; he 'll remain the channel 's chief washington correspondent and the anchor of the weekday afternoon newscast the lead . ' among his peers , tapper is seen as an authority on politics , something a program like state of the union ' demands . he received rave reviews when he was the interim anchor of abc 's sunday morning hour this week ' in 2010 . i could n't be more excited about this election season and the new platform i will have at cnn to cover it , ' tapper said in a statement . 'state of the union'has a rich tradition and i hope to not only build on its history but expand the definition of what a sunday show can be . ' tapper thanked cnn worldwide ceo jeff zucker for the confidence he continues to show in me and to my colleagues at cnn for the incredible support on air and off that i 've received since beginning this adventure two years ago . ' tapper joined cnn from abc in 2013 to anchor the lead . ' on state of the union , ' he succeeds candy crowley , who signed off the program last december . a rotation of fill-in hosts have been anchoring the program this year . zucker announced tapper 's appointment on the network 's editorial conference call on friday morning . i am thrilled that jake will take on this additional role at such a pivotal time in the election cycle , ' zucker said in a statement . he has the perfect combination of skills that make him uniquely qualified -- he 's a relentless reporter , a gifted storyteller , and a terrific interviewer who does n't stop until he gets answers . we are lucky to have him on both'the lead'and'state of the union .'' sunday political programs are among the most prestigious chairs at television networks . and changes are afoot : cbs is about to say goodbye to bob schieffer , the longtime moderator of face the nation , ' who will be succeeded by john dickerson in june . additionally , nbc replaced david gregory with chuck todd on the original sunday public affairs program , meet the press , ' last fall . with the anchor moves at the other networks , cnn may see an opportunity for what 's known in the industry as share-shifting -- viewers switching networks and sampling the new anchors . with his new position , tapper will become the second man to work weekdays and sunday mornings . abc 's george stephanopoulos is both a co-host of good morning america ' and the moderator of this week . ' there is precedent for this at cnn : for many years wolf blitzer anchored on the weekdays and led the sunday morning program late edition , ' the forerunner to state of the union . ' | tapper also anchors the lead ' on weekdays |
tapper <tsp> new york ( cnn ) jake tapper is the next anchor of cnn 's sunday morning political interview program state of the union . ' cnn announced tapper 's promotion on friday morning . he will take over the program in june ; he 'll remain the channel 's chief washington correspondent and the anchor of the weekday afternoon newscast the lead . ' among his peers , tapper is seen as an authority on politics , something a program like state of the union ' demands . he received rave reviews when he was the interim anchor of abc 's sunday morning hour this week ' in 2010 . i could n't be more excited about this election season and the new platform i will have at cnn to cover it , ' tapper said in a statement . 'state of the union'has a rich tradition and i hope to not only build on its history but expand the definition of what a sunday show can be . ' tapper thanked cnn worldwide ceo jeff zucker for the confidence he continues to show in me and to my colleagues at cnn for the incredible support on air and off that i 've received since beginning this adventure two years ago . ' tapper joined cnn from abc in 2013 to anchor the lead . ' on state of the union , ' he succeeds candy crowley , who signed off the program last december . a rotation of fill-in hosts have been anchoring the program this year . zucker announced tapper 's appointment on the network 's editorial conference call on friday morning . i am thrilled that jake will take on this additional role at such a pivotal time in the election cycle , ' zucker said in a statement . he has the perfect combination of skills that make him uniquely qualified -- he 's a relentless reporter , a gifted storyteller , and a terrific interviewer who does n't stop until he gets answers . we are lucky to have him on both'the lead'and'state of the union .'' sunday political programs are among the most prestigious chairs at television networks . and changes are afoot : cbs is about to say goodbye to bob schieffer , the longtime moderator of face the nation , ' who will be succeeded by john dickerson in june . additionally , nbc replaced david gregory with chuck todd on the original sunday public affairs program , meet the press , ' last fall . with the anchor moves at the other networks , cnn may see an opportunity for what 's known in the industry as share-shifting -- viewers switching networks and sampling the new anchors . with his new position , tapper will become the second man to work weekdays and sunday mornings . abc 's george stephanopoulos is both a co-host of good morning america ' and the moderator of this week . ' there is precedent for this at cnn : for many years wolf blitzer anchored on the weekdays and led the sunday morning program late edition , ' the forerunner to state of the union . ' | jake tapper will add the sunday show state of the union ' to his portfolio at cnn |
state of the union <tsp> new york ( cnn ) jake tapper is the next anchor of cnn 's sunday morning political interview program state of the union . ' cnn announced tapper 's promotion on friday morning . he will take over the program in june ; he 'll remain the channel 's chief washington correspondent and the anchor of the weekday afternoon newscast the lead . ' among his peers , tapper is seen as an authority on politics , something a program like state of the union ' demands . he received rave reviews when he was the interim anchor of abc 's sunday morning hour this week ' in 2010 . i could n't be more excited about this election season and the new platform i will have at cnn to cover it , ' tapper said in a statement . 'state of the union'has a rich tradition and i hope to not only build on its history but expand the definition of what a sunday show can be . ' tapper thanked cnn worldwide ceo jeff zucker for the confidence he continues to show in me and to my colleagues at cnn for the incredible support on air and off that i 've received since beginning this adventure two years ago . ' tapper joined cnn from abc in 2013 to anchor the lead . ' on state of the union , ' he succeeds candy crowley , who signed off the program last december . a rotation of fill-in hosts have been anchoring the program this year . zucker announced tapper 's appointment on the network 's editorial conference call on friday morning . i am thrilled that jake will take on this additional role at such a pivotal time in the election cycle , ' zucker said in a statement . he has the perfect combination of skills that make him uniquely qualified -- he 's a relentless reporter , a gifted storyteller , and a terrific interviewer who does n't stop until he gets answers . we are lucky to have him on both'the lead'and'state of the union .'' sunday political programs are among the most prestigious chairs at television networks . and changes are afoot : cbs is about to say goodbye to bob schieffer , the longtime moderator of face the nation , ' who will be succeeded by john dickerson in june . additionally , nbc replaced david gregory with chuck todd on the original sunday public affairs program , meet the press , ' last fall . with the anchor moves at the other networks , cnn may see an opportunity for what 's known in the industry as share-shifting -- viewers switching networks and sampling the new anchors . with his new position , tapper will become the second man to work weekdays and sunday mornings . abc 's george stephanopoulos is both a co-host of good morning america ' and the moderator of this week . ' there is precedent for this at cnn : for many years wolf blitzer anchored on the weekdays and led the sunday morning program late edition , ' the forerunner to state of the union . ' | jake tapper will add the sunday show state of the union ' to his portfolio at cnn |
cnn <tsp> new york ( cnn ) jake tapper is the next anchor of cnn 's sunday morning political interview program state of the union . ' cnn announced tapper 's promotion on friday morning . he will take over the program in june ; he 'll remain the channel 's chief washington correspondent and the anchor of the weekday afternoon newscast the lead . ' among his peers , tapper is seen as an authority on politics , something a program like state of the union ' demands . he received rave reviews when he was the interim anchor of abc 's sunday morning hour this week ' in 2010 . i could n't be more excited about this election season and the new platform i will have at cnn to cover it , ' tapper said in a statement . 'state of the union'has a rich tradition and i hope to not only build on its history but expand the definition of what a sunday show can be . ' tapper thanked cnn worldwide ceo jeff zucker for the confidence he continues to show in me and to my colleagues at cnn for the incredible support on air and off that i 've received since beginning this adventure two years ago . ' tapper joined cnn from abc in 2013 to anchor the lead . ' on state of the union , ' he succeeds candy crowley , who signed off the program last december . a rotation of fill-in hosts have been anchoring the program this year . zucker announced tapper 's appointment on the network 's editorial conference call on friday morning . i am thrilled that jake will take on this additional role at such a pivotal time in the election cycle , ' zucker said in a statement . he has the perfect combination of skills that make him uniquely qualified -- he 's a relentless reporter , a gifted storyteller , and a terrific interviewer who does n't stop until he gets answers . we are lucky to have him on both'the lead'and'state of the union .'' sunday political programs are among the most prestigious chairs at television networks . and changes are afoot : cbs is about to say goodbye to bob schieffer , the longtime moderator of face the nation , ' who will be succeeded by john dickerson in june . additionally , nbc replaced david gregory with chuck todd on the original sunday public affairs program , meet the press , ' last fall . with the anchor moves at the other networks , cnn may see an opportunity for what 's known in the industry as share-shifting -- viewers switching networks and sampling the new anchors . with his new position , tapper will become the second man to work weekdays and sunday mornings . abc 's george stephanopoulos is both a co-host of good morning america ' and the moderator of this week . ' there is precedent for this at cnn : for many years wolf blitzer anchored on the weekdays and led the sunday morning program late edition , ' the forerunner to state of the union . ' | jake tapper will add the sunday show state of the union ' to his portfolio at cnn |
gardner <tsp> republican cory gardner has opened up a four-point lead in a colorado senate race that 's key in determining whether democrats can hold onto their majority , a new cnn/orc poll shows . gardner held a 50 percent to 46 percent edge on first-term democratic sen. mark udall in the survey of 665 likely voters , conducted oct. 9-13 . the poll 's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points . republicans have targeted udall and several other democratic incumbents in their effort to win at least six seats this fall -- enough to gain a senate majority for president barack obama 's final two years in office . traditional democratic advantages among women and urban voters are n't enough to overcome strong headwinds , said cnn polling director keating holland . udall is getting clobbered in the all-important suburbs , as well as in rural areas , and his lead in colorado cities is not enough to overcome that , ' holland said . there is a gender gap , but in this case it appears to be working in favor of the republican . udall has a nine-point advantage among women , but that is dwarfed by the 20-point lead gardner has among men , ' he said . hurting udall is an underwater favorability rating of 45 percent -- with 51 percent of those surveyed saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the democrat . gardner , meanwhile , is viewed favorably by 50 percent of likely voters , with just 42 percent saying their opinion of him is unfavorable . colorado 's governor 's race is even closer . incumbent democratic gov . john hickenlooper is backed by 49 percent of likely voters , while republican challenger bob beauprez has 48 percent support , the cnn/orc poll found . the democratic incumbents are both outperforming obama , who twice won the state 's nine electoral votes but now has an approval rating of just 39 percent in colorado , while 59 percent of likely voters say they disapprove of the job he 's doing . | a cnn/orc poll finds republican cory gardner is leading democratic sen. mark udall , 50-46 . |
gardner <tsp> republican cory gardner has opened up a four-point lead in a colorado senate race that 's key in determining whether democrats can hold onto their majority , a new cnn/orc poll shows . gardner held a 50 percent to 46 percent edge on first-term democratic sen. mark udall in the survey of 665 likely voters , conducted oct. 9-13 . the poll 's margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points . republicans have targeted udall and several other democratic incumbents in their effort to win at least six seats this fall -- enough to gain a senate majority for president barack obama 's final two years in office . traditional democratic advantages among women and urban voters are n't enough to overcome strong headwinds , said cnn polling director keating holland . udall is getting clobbered in the all-important suburbs , as well as in rural areas , and his lead in colorado cities is not enough to overcome that , ' holland said . there is a gender gap , but in this case it appears to be working in favor of the republican . udall has a nine-point advantage among women , but that is dwarfed by the 20-point lead gardner has among men , ' he said . hurting udall is an underwater favorability rating of 45 percent -- with 51 percent of those surveyed saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the democrat . gardner , meanwhile , is viewed favorably by 50 percent of likely voters , with just 42 percent saying their opinion of him is unfavorable . colorado 's governor 's race is even closer . incumbent democratic gov . john hickenlooper is backed by 49 percent of likely voters , while republican challenger bob beauprez has 48 percent support , the cnn/orc poll found . the democratic incumbents are both outperforming obama , who twice won the state 's nine electoral votes but now has an approval rating of just 39 percent in colorado , while 59 percent of likely voters say they disapprove of the job he 's doing . | gardner 's lead is built on huge advantages in denver 's suburbs and colorado 's rural areas . |
patna <tsp> new delhi , india ( cnn ) -- fourteen people , most of them children , have been killed in a stampede during a hindu festival in eastern india , police said tuesday . the crush occurred monday on a bridge along the banks of the river ganges in patna , the capital of bihar state , according to authorities . the site was packed with hundreds of thousands of devotees celebrating the annual festival of chhath , patna 's police chief jayant kant said . during chhath , one of the biggest festivals of eastern india , worshipers gather along river banks to offer prayers to the sun . an electric short circuit generated sparks from power cables , triggering the panic that led to the stampede , kant said . about eight people were initially reported monday to have been injured in the crush . but kant said tuesday that authorities no longer had anybody recorded as injured after some people died from their injuries . | the stampede occurred near the river ganges in patna , the capital of bihar state |
khorasan group <tsp> not long ago , the threat of terrorist attacks against the united states boiled down to two words : al qaeda . but this week 's u.s. airstrikes against al qaeda offshoots show the president is playing whack-a-mole against a new generation of terrorists . the attacks tuesday inside syria came in three waves and targeted isis , the khorasan group and , apparently , al-nusra front . the groups share a similar ideology . but there are key differences . here 's how each stacks up : isis what its name means : the islamic state in iraq and syria . some world leaders use the acronym isil , or the islamic state in iraq and the levant . but the group now calls itself just the islamic state , believing it has already established a caliphate across sunni parts of syria and iraq . how it started : back in 2004 , abu musab al-zarqawi launched al qaeda in iraq . he later tried to ignite a sectarian war against iraq 's shiite majority . the new al qaeda group was rebranded in 2006 as the islamic state in iraq . it would add and syria ' to its name later . the group exploited a growing perception among many sunnis that they were being persecuted by iraq 's shia-dominated government , starved of resources and excluded from a share of power . what its goal is : isis has been trying to create an islamic state across sunni areas of iraq and in syria . but it does n't stop there , one former isis militant told cnn . the main and principal goal of the islamic state that they tell their new members is to establish an islamic state that will encompass the arab world , ' the ex-isis fighter said . and after that , we go to other countries . ' the group also claims its leader has authority over 1.5 billion muslims around the world . who leads it : abu bakr al-baghdadi took the reins of isis in 2010 at age 39 after the previous leader , abu omar al-baghdadi , was killed in a joint u.s.-iraqi operation . prior to taking over isis , abu bakr al-baghdadi was part of al qaeda in iraq . he served four years in a u.s. prison camp for insurgents , at bucca in southern iraq , where he likely developed a network of contacts and honed his ideology . he was released in 2009 and went to work . why the u.s. is targeting it : isis has been pretty vocal about wanting to attack americans and other westerners -- even though u.s. officials say isis fighters are n't a direct threat to the u.s. homeland right now . at this point , we have no information that isil is plotting an attack inside the united states , ' matthew olsen , director of the national counterterrorism center , testified to congress last week . the dangers , officials say , are to u.s. personnel and infrastructure in iraq . there 's also a risk of militants with u.s. or other western passports potentially returning home and staging attacks . a senior isis leader recently called for lone-wolf attacks in the united states and france -- two countries that have been conducting airstrikes against isis in iraq . the best thing you can do is to strive to your best and kill any disbeliever , whether he be french , american or from any of their allies , ' the isis official said . rig the roads with explosives for them . attack their bases . raid their homes . cut off their heads . do not let them feel secure . hunt them wherever they may be . ' inside the mind of an isis fighter al-nusra front what its name means : ' al-nusra front ' is translated from jabhat al-nusra , ' which means victory front . ' how it started : al-nusra was formed during the ongoing three-year syrian civil war . it has emerged as one of the most effective groups fighting the syrian regime , drawing on foreign fighters with combat experience in iraq and elsewhere . a number of separate rebel groups have emerged and preparations are being made for a post-assad syria as these groups vie for dominance and international support , ' the quilliam foundation said . what its goal is : unlike most syrian rebels , which are seeking political change , al-nusra front is fighting for ideological reasons . like isis , al-nusra front is trying to establish an islamic state -- though primarily in syria . it 's been a formidable force against president bashar al-assad 's regime . but even though it has helped the syrian opposition by taking out regime fighters , it has also hurt the moderate opposition by making world leaders hesitant to help rebels . the group has claimed hundreds of attacks in several cities , including suicide bombings , and is responsible for the deaths of numerous innocent syrians , ' the u.s. state department said . who leads it : al-nusra posted a statement saying its leader , abu yousef al-turki , was killed in the u.s.-led airstrikes tuesday in syria . the statement was accompanied by a so-called proof of death -- a photograph -- of the former fighter . cnn can not independently verify al-nusra 's claims , but the monitoring group the syrian observatory for human rights reported the terror group was among those targeted during the airstrikes . why the u.s. is targeting it : the united states has not identified al-nusra as a group targeted in its strikes in syria . but it is a rebel group that the u.s. has blacklisted as a foreign terror organization linked to al qaeda in iraq . al-nusra has sought to portray itself as part of the legitimate syrian opposition while it is , in fact , an attempt by aqi to hijack the struggles of the syrian people for its own malign purposes , ' the state department said . the khorasan group what its name means : calling the group khorasan ' does n't actually make sense in arabic or any other language , according to the carnegie endowment for international peace . khorasan is not an organizational name or even some exotic acronym , but an ancient islamic historical term from the far east of the muslim world , ' the think tank said . it is used today by al-qaeda ( and others who are fond of archaic islamic terminology ) to describe the afghanistan-pakistan-iran region . ' how it started : the new al qaeda franchise is a collection of al qaeda members who have moved into syria . u.s. president barack obama called the khorasan group seasoned al qaeda operatives . ' khorasan 's existence was publicly acknowledged only last week , when u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper said it was operating in iraq and syria with a focus on exporting terror to the west . what its goal is : the khorasan group 's mission is to find new ways to attack the united states and europe . for al qaeda , which is struggling against isis for the crown of leading global jihad , the creation of khorasan makes perfect sense . sources say the khorasan group is trying to emulate the success of isis in using social media to recruit westerners -- people who could be trained and then sent home to launch terror attacks . who leads it : a short and slight 33-year-old named muhsin al fadhli , according to intelligence sources in the united states and the middle east . he arrived in syria in april 2013 and began working with al-nusra front . at some point , he parted ways with al-nusra . why the u.s. is targeting it : the khorasan group was actively plotting against a u.s. homeland target and western targets , a senior u.s. official told cnn on tuesday . the intelligence community discovered the plots against the united states in the past week , an intelligence source told cnn . the source did not say what the khorasan group 's target may have been , but said the plot may have involved a bomb made of clothes dipped in explosive material . the u.s. blitz on khorasan group targets this week came a surprise to many . the united states wanted to catch the group off guard by mixing strikes against it with strikes against isis targets . | the u.s. launched airstrikes against isis and the khorasan group this week |
khorasan group <tsp> not long ago , the threat of terrorist attacks against the united states boiled down to two words : al qaeda . but this week 's u.s. airstrikes against al qaeda offshoots show the president is playing whack-a-mole against a new generation of terrorists . the attacks tuesday inside syria came in three waves and targeted isis , the khorasan group and , apparently , al-nusra front . the groups share a similar ideology . but there are key differences . here 's how each stacks up : isis what its name means : the islamic state in iraq and syria . some world leaders use the acronym isil , or the islamic state in iraq and the levant . but the group now calls itself just the islamic state , believing it has already established a caliphate across sunni parts of syria and iraq . how it started : back in 2004 , abu musab al-zarqawi launched al qaeda in iraq . he later tried to ignite a sectarian war against iraq 's shiite majority . the new al qaeda group was rebranded in 2006 as the islamic state in iraq . it would add and syria ' to its name later . the group exploited a growing perception among many sunnis that they were being persecuted by iraq 's shia-dominated government , starved of resources and excluded from a share of power . what its goal is : isis has been trying to create an islamic state across sunni areas of iraq and in syria . but it does n't stop there , one former isis militant told cnn . the main and principal goal of the islamic state that they tell their new members is to establish an islamic state that will encompass the arab world , ' the ex-isis fighter said . and after that , we go to other countries . ' the group also claims its leader has authority over 1.5 billion muslims around the world . who leads it : abu bakr al-baghdadi took the reins of isis in 2010 at age 39 after the previous leader , abu omar al-baghdadi , was killed in a joint u.s.-iraqi operation . prior to taking over isis , abu bakr al-baghdadi was part of al qaeda in iraq . he served four years in a u.s. prison camp for insurgents , at bucca in southern iraq , where he likely developed a network of contacts and honed his ideology . he was released in 2009 and went to work . why the u.s. is targeting it : isis has been pretty vocal about wanting to attack americans and other westerners -- even though u.s. officials say isis fighters are n't a direct threat to the u.s. homeland right now . at this point , we have no information that isil is plotting an attack inside the united states , ' matthew olsen , director of the national counterterrorism center , testified to congress last week . the dangers , officials say , are to u.s. personnel and infrastructure in iraq . there 's also a risk of militants with u.s. or other western passports potentially returning home and staging attacks . a senior isis leader recently called for lone-wolf attacks in the united states and france -- two countries that have been conducting airstrikes against isis in iraq . the best thing you can do is to strive to your best and kill any disbeliever , whether he be french , american or from any of their allies , ' the isis official said . rig the roads with explosives for them . attack their bases . raid their homes . cut off their heads . do not let them feel secure . hunt them wherever they may be . ' inside the mind of an isis fighter al-nusra front what its name means : ' al-nusra front ' is translated from jabhat al-nusra , ' which means victory front . ' how it started : al-nusra was formed during the ongoing three-year syrian civil war . it has emerged as one of the most effective groups fighting the syrian regime , drawing on foreign fighters with combat experience in iraq and elsewhere . a number of separate rebel groups have emerged and preparations are being made for a post-assad syria as these groups vie for dominance and international support , ' the quilliam foundation said . what its goal is : unlike most syrian rebels , which are seeking political change , al-nusra front is fighting for ideological reasons . like isis , al-nusra front is trying to establish an islamic state -- though primarily in syria . it 's been a formidable force against president bashar al-assad 's regime . but even though it has helped the syrian opposition by taking out regime fighters , it has also hurt the moderate opposition by making world leaders hesitant to help rebels . the group has claimed hundreds of attacks in several cities , including suicide bombings , and is responsible for the deaths of numerous innocent syrians , ' the u.s. state department said . who leads it : al-nusra posted a statement saying its leader , abu yousef al-turki , was killed in the u.s.-led airstrikes tuesday in syria . the statement was accompanied by a so-called proof of death -- a photograph -- of the former fighter . cnn can not independently verify al-nusra 's claims , but the monitoring group the syrian observatory for human rights reported the terror group was among those targeted during the airstrikes . why the u.s. is targeting it : the united states has not identified al-nusra as a group targeted in its strikes in syria . but it is a rebel group that the u.s. has blacklisted as a foreign terror organization linked to al qaeda in iraq . al-nusra has sought to portray itself as part of the legitimate syrian opposition while it is , in fact , an attempt by aqi to hijack the struggles of the syrian people for its own malign purposes , ' the state department said . the khorasan group what its name means : calling the group khorasan ' does n't actually make sense in arabic or any other language , according to the carnegie endowment for international peace . khorasan is not an organizational name or even some exotic acronym , but an ancient islamic historical term from the far east of the muslim world , ' the think tank said . it is used today by al-qaeda ( and others who are fond of archaic islamic terminology ) to describe the afghanistan-pakistan-iran region . ' how it started : the new al qaeda franchise is a collection of al qaeda members who have moved into syria . u.s. president barack obama called the khorasan group seasoned al qaeda operatives . ' khorasan 's existence was publicly acknowledged only last week , when u.s. director of national intelligence james clapper said it was operating in iraq and syria with a focus on exporting terror to the west . what its goal is : the khorasan group 's mission is to find new ways to attack the united states and europe . for al qaeda , which is struggling against isis for the crown of leading global jihad , the creation of khorasan makes perfect sense . sources say the khorasan group is trying to emulate the success of isis in using social media to recruit westerners -- people who could be trained and then sent home to launch terror attacks . who leads it : a short and slight 33-year-old named muhsin al fadhli , according to intelligence sources in the united states and the middle east . he arrived in syria in april 2013 and began working with al-nusra front . at some point , he parted ways with al-nusra . why the u.s. is targeting it : the khorasan group was actively plotting against a u.s. homeland target and western targets , a senior u.s. official told cnn on tuesday . the intelligence community discovered the plots against the united states in the past week , an intelligence source told cnn . the source did not say what the khorasan group 's target may have been , but said the plot may have involved a bomb made of clothes dipped in explosive material . the u.s. blitz on khorasan group targets this week came a surprise to many . the united states wanted to catch the group off guard by mixing strikes against it with strikes against isis targets . | isis , al-nusra front and the khorasan group all spawned from al qaeda |
turkish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the militant fighters of the kurdistan workers'party ( pkk ) have been engaged in a campaign of violence against the turkish state for more than two decades with the goal of establishing an autonomous kurdish homeland . pkk leader abdullah ocalan , pictured in 1992 . ocalan is currently serving a life sentence in a turkish prison . the pkk accuses turkey of oppressing kurdish culture and suppressing kurdish nationhood . more than half of the world 's kurds ( 10 to 12 million ) are estimated to live in turkey , making up a majority in the country 's south-eastern region . iraq , iran and syria also have sizeable kurdish minorities . but the group is considered a terrorist organization by the u.s. and the european union and is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 turkish security force members and civilians , according to the u.s. state department . in 1984 the pkk launched a guerrilla struggle in response to the wave of repression that followed turkey 's military coup in 1980 when the kurdish language and kurdish place names banned . by then the group 's founder , abdullah ocalan , was living in exile in syria where he organized pkk training camps . since the 1980s the group has claimed responsibility for regular ambushes on military targets in the southeast but also bomb attacks across the country , notably in turkish holiday resorts . during the 1990s the turkish military launched a concerted campaign to eliminate the pkk threat , adopting commando tactics and targeting the group 's mountain bases . the establishment of a no-fly zone ' over northern iraq following the first gulf war in 1991 also allowed turkish troops to conduct frequent raids on pkk strongholds across the border . in 1998 , under intensive turkish pressure , syria expelled ocalan and shut down the pkk camps he had established there . ocalan was snatched by turkish commandos a few months later while seeking asylum in kenya . despite calling for a pkk cease-fire and peaceful negotiation following his capture , ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 following a trial condemned by the european court of human rights . however his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment when turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002 . in the same year ocalan 's brother , osman ocalan , who had inherited leadership of the pkk , vowed to form a new group to campaign peacefully for kurdish rights . but the frequency of pkk terror attacks has steadily risen since 2004 and turkey claims the u.s.-led invasion of iraq and the country 's subsequent instability following the overthrow of the saddam hussein regime in 2003 has enabled the pkk to regroup . it accuses the pkk of launching attacks on turkish targets from secret bases in the mountainous and semi-autonomous kurdish region of northern iraq . earlier this year turkey sent large contingents of soldiers , tanks , guns and armored personnel carriers to reinforce its frontier . but following the deaths of 27 soldiers and 12 civilians in recent attacks , turkish military leaders have urged the government to give them the green light to strike at pkk bases inside iraq . e-mail to a friend | turkey accuses pkk of attacking turkish targets from bases in northern iraq |
turkish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the militant fighters of the kurdistan workers'party ( pkk ) have been engaged in a campaign of violence against the turkish state for more than two decades with the goal of establishing an autonomous kurdish homeland . pkk leader abdullah ocalan , pictured in 1992 . ocalan is currently serving a life sentence in a turkish prison . the pkk accuses turkey of oppressing kurdish culture and suppressing kurdish nationhood . more than half of the world 's kurds ( 10 to 12 million ) are estimated to live in turkey , making up a majority in the country 's south-eastern region . iraq , iran and syria also have sizeable kurdish minorities . but the group is considered a terrorist organization by the u.s. and the european union and is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 turkish security force members and civilians , according to the u.s. state department . in 1984 the pkk launched a guerrilla struggle in response to the wave of repression that followed turkey 's military coup in 1980 when the kurdish language and kurdish place names banned . by then the group 's founder , abdullah ocalan , was living in exile in syria where he organized pkk training camps . since the 1980s the group has claimed responsibility for regular ambushes on military targets in the southeast but also bomb attacks across the country , notably in turkish holiday resorts . during the 1990s the turkish military launched a concerted campaign to eliminate the pkk threat , adopting commando tactics and targeting the group 's mountain bases . the establishment of a no-fly zone ' over northern iraq following the first gulf war in 1991 also allowed turkish troops to conduct frequent raids on pkk strongholds across the border . in 1998 , under intensive turkish pressure , syria expelled ocalan and shut down the pkk camps he had established there . ocalan was snatched by turkish commandos a few months later while seeking asylum in kenya . despite calling for a pkk cease-fire and peaceful negotiation following his capture , ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 following a trial condemned by the european court of human rights . however his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment when turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002 . in the same year ocalan 's brother , osman ocalan , who had inherited leadership of the pkk , vowed to form a new group to campaign peacefully for kurdish rights . but the frequency of pkk terror attacks has steadily risen since 2004 and turkey claims the u.s.-led invasion of iraq and the country 's subsequent instability following the overthrow of the saddam hussein regime in 2003 has enabled the pkk to regroup . it accuses the pkk of launching attacks on turkish targets from secret bases in the mountainous and semi-autonomous kurdish region of northern iraq . earlier this year turkey sent large contingents of soldiers , tanks , guns and armored personnel carriers to reinforce its frontier . but following the deaths of 27 soldiers and 12 civilians in recent attacks , turkish military leaders have urged the government to give them the green light to strike at pkk bases inside iraq . e-mail to a friend | estimated to have killed more than 30,000 in attacks on turkish forces , civilians |
turkish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the militant fighters of the kurdistan workers'party ( pkk ) have been engaged in a campaign of violence against the turkish state for more than two decades with the goal of establishing an autonomous kurdish homeland . pkk leader abdullah ocalan , pictured in 1992 . ocalan is currently serving a life sentence in a turkish prison . the pkk accuses turkey of oppressing kurdish culture and suppressing kurdish nationhood . more than half of the world 's kurds ( 10 to 12 million ) are estimated to live in turkey , making up a majority in the country 's south-eastern region . iraq , iran and syria also have sizeable kurdish minorities . but the group is considered a terrorist organization by the u.s. and the european union and is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of more than 30,000 turkish security force members and civilians , according to the u.s. state department . in 1984 the pkk launched a guerrilla struggle in response to the wave of repression that followed turkey 's military coup in 1980 when the kurdish language and kurdish place names banned . by then the group 's founder , abdullah ocalan , was living in exile in syria where he organized pkk training camps . since the 1980s the group has claimed responsibility for regular ambushes on military targets in the southeast but also bomb attacks across the country , notably in turkish holiday resorts . during the 1990s the turkish military launched a concerted campaign to eliminate the pkk threat , adopting commando tactics and targeting the group 's mountain bases . the establishment of a no-fly zone ' over northern iraq following the first gulf war in 1991 also allowed turkish troops to conduct frequent raids on pkk strongholds across the border . in 1998 , under intensive turkish pressure , syria expelled ocalan and shut down the pkk camps he had established there . ocalan was snatched by turkish commandos a few months later while seeking asylum in kenya . despite calling for a pkk cease-fire and peaceful negotiation following his capture , ocalan was sentenced to death in 1999 following a trial condemned by the european court of human rights . however his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment when turkey abolished the death penalty in 2002 . in the same year ocalan 's brother , osman ocalan , who had inherited leadership of the pkk , vowed to form a new group to campaign peacefully for kurdish rights . but the frequency of pkk terror attacks has steadily risen since 2004 and turkey claims the u.s.-led invasion of iraq and the country 's subsequent instability following the overthrow of the saddam hussein regime in 2003 has enabled the pkk to regroup . it accuses the pkk of launching attacks on turkish targets from secret bases in the mountainous and semi-autonomous kurdish region of northern iraq . earlier this year turkey sent large contingents of soldiers , tanks , guns and armored personnel carriers to reinforce its frontier . but following the deaths of 27 soldiers and 12 civilians in recent attacks , turkish military leaders have urged the government to give them the green light to strike at pkk bases inside iraq . e-mail to a friend | pkk militants engaged in violent struggle against turkish state since 1980s |
novices'hurdle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it was a case of déjà vu at cheltenham on wednesday as ruby walsh and willie mullins took the opening race for a second day in a row . favorite faugheen proved too classy for rivals in the novices'hurdle , powering away from ballyalton and rathvinden to land another win for flamboyant american owner rich ricci . gosh , that was magic was n't it ? ' former banker ricci told reporters . he was just brilliant . he 's been a very hard horse to keep right but willie and ruby have done a fantastic job with him . ' sprinter sacre , one of the brightest stars of national hunt racing , is sadly absent from this year 's festival as vets continue to ponder his irregular heartbeat , but the magnificent selle francais did have a representative in the winners'enclosure in the shape of jockey nico de boinville . sprinter sacre 's regular work rider got up on whisper to deny ap mccoy on get me out of here in a photo finish in the day 's main handicap . beating perennial champion jockey mccoy added to the pleasure for amateur de boinville , who said : ' i was very , very worried when i could see him coming up to me , but it 's such a great feeling when they jump and travel as well as my horse did . i did n't have a clue that i 'd won -- you do n't dream this sort of thing happens . ' in the day 's feature race , the queen mother champion chase , sire de grugy produced the fairytale ending that connections and neutrals were hoping for by running away with the title by six lengths from somersby and module . purchased for £35,000 as a 50th birthday present for businessman steve preston by 50 of his friends and family , sire de grugy runs in silks inspired by preston 's other passion , crystal palace football club . it was not just the preston family who were celebrating the win ; the horse is trained by gary moore , who also owns a 25 % share , and ridden by his son jamie . it was jamie , in fact , who discovered the horse at a small french breeding operation and persuaded his father to take the plunge . his insistence resulted in his first cheltenham winner . this means so much to me and my family , ' said trainer gary . it 's something i thought could happen but these things do n't happen very often . i suppose i 'm very lucky to have such a great family . i 'm proud of all of them . ' first to congratulate the preston family was ricci himself , whose own representative in the race , arvika legionnierre , was pulled up before the finish . there could scarcely be a greater contrast between first-time owner preston and ricci , one of the sport 's most prominent figures . ricci , of course , also owns annie power , one of the revelations of this jumps season . the super mare puts her undefeated record on the line in thursday 's feature race , the world hurdle , where she will face four-time winner big buck 's . meanwhile , former footballer michael owen may not want to give up the day job just yet . on the opening day of the festival he successfully tipped three winners in a row . but on wednesday he was notably less successful . only one of his three fancied horses ran a place -- shaneshill in the 5:15 . unfortunately owen had tipped it to win . | faugheen won the novices'hurdle with ruby walsh in saddle |
south african <tsp> johannesburg , south africa ( cnn ) -- the hosting of the 2010 world cup by south africa was always going to be an occasion for celebration among football lovers around the world , but for former soccer greats who call the continent home , the event has a significance beyond mere fandom . having moved from a period where only four african sides qualified for the world cup in 44 years since the first event in 1930 , the continent now boasts some of the greatest stars in global soccer . superstars like didier drogba ( ivory coast ) , michael essien ( ghana ) and samuel eto'o ( cameroon ) may have global fame and great riches thanks to their talent , but for every modern legend from africa there are just as many pioneers who helped break down the barriers to allow such opportunity . former players such as kalusha bwalya ( zambia ) , abedi pele ( ghana ) and salif keita ( mali ) may not be household names that roll off the tongue , but they all played a crucial role in breaking down the prejudice that existed , and hampered , the abilities of players from africa . one such pioneer was nigerian great jay-jay okocha -- a skilful attacker who help guide the super eagles to olympic gold glory in 1996 -- told cnn he believes that the world cup proves african football has finally come of age . i think we have contributed a lot to world football and we are glad that fifa have finally recognized and believe that we belong , ' said the 36-year-old , who played in the top leagues in germany , france , england and turkey before retiring in 2008 . it 's not just a game for us , it 's like a religion , it 's like a tradition . we bring a lot of colors , we bring a lot of emotion and we bring a lot of enthusiasm to the game . ' 2010 world cup : a catalyst for a new south africa ? another great who did much to break down the barriers holding back footballers from africa was jomo sono . the south african former striker played during the apartheid era and significantly was one of the first black players to take part in the previously illegal activity of cross-color matches in the 1970s . sono was south africa 's youngest-ever professional and easily one of the country 's greatest football talents . but despite playing for the orlando pirates and the new york cosmos alongside franz beckenbauer and pele , he was unable to play in world competition due to the international ban that existed on the racist south african government . for sono , hosting the world cup is bitter sweet : it 's difficult to describe , it 's difficult being an ex-player who never got to play . i feel like i could turn the clock back and play now . but everything happens for a reason , ' he told cnn . sono controversially sacrificed a lucrative career in america to return to apartheid south africa in an attempt to help the country to change . they needed role models , they needed people who made it in spite of the regime , so ( they ) knew they could do it too . was it a sacrifice ? nelson mandela spent 27 years in prison . that 's sacrifice . me , i played football , ' sono said in an interview for ian hawkey 's feet of the chameleon ' book . no african side has ever progressed past the quarterfinals of the world cup , so many hopes rests on hosts bafana bafana ' to perform well . as a former technical director for the side sono had some words of advise for his former students : i know how the players are feeling . i 'll be speaking to them the day before the games . they will call me at night and i 'll say go out there and enjoy yourselves and do n't put pressure on yourselves , ' he told cnn . amos adamu , a member of the executive committees of football 's world governing body fifa and the confederation of african football ( caf ) , said whatever the progress of south africa , new standards are being set . african football has reached the stage where it 's compared favorably with football in any part if the world , ' he told cnn . if you look at african players , they are all around the world and they are very outstanding players . i 'm very proud that african football has got to that level . ' adamu also attacked critics who have said that the cost of south africa hosting the world cup is too high , and instead claimed the tournament will leave a lasting legacy for the country . people complain that it 's a waste of money , but it 's important that the organizers and the countries know that the benefits are very enormous , ' he said . no country hosts the world cup and remains the same . hosting these games brings a lot of financial social and economic benefits to the nation . ' | former south african footballer jomo sono will be offering advice to bafana bafana |
web <tsp> twenty years ago , a team of researchers shared the web with the world . now they want to show a generation that grew up online what it was like in its earliest days . the european organization for nuclear research , known as cern , is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the date it released , for free , the technology and software needed to run a web server . in honor of the anniversary , a team has been assembled to recreate a working version of the first website , a how-to guide hosted by the project 's creators . the organization issued a statement on april 30 , 1993 , that announced the release of that web to the public . british physicist tim berners-lee created and named the web ( also commonly called w3 ' for short in those days ) in 1989 at cern . originally , it was designed as a way for scientists at different universities and other institutes to share information . vague , but exciting , ' berners-lee 's supervisor wrote on the cover of a proposal while greenlighting the project . see a 1993 copy of the first website by 1993 , there were roughly 400 known web servers . but the world wide web accounted for only about 1 % of internet traffic . the rest was remote access to computer networks , e-mail and file transfers from one computer to another . since then it has , obviously , become a constant presence in the lives of people around the world . today , there are somewhere around 630 million websites . there is no sector of society that has not been transformed by the invention , in a physics laboratory , of the web , ' said rolf heuer , cern 's director-general . from research to business and education , the web has been reshaping the way we communicate , work , innovate and live . the web is a powerful example of the way that basic research benefits humankind . ' the first website was , not surprisingly , devoted to the web project itself , describing how to use it and set up a web server . it was hosted on berner-lee 's next computer -- the product developed at a company founded by steve jobs before he returned to apple . that computer is still at cern 's headquarters in geneva , switzerland . but it no longer hosts that first website . cern 's team aims to change that , restoring the earliest versions of files that were on the site as well as making it a home for stories about those formative days . they 'll be combing cern 's servers for data preserved from that time . | cern researchers created the world wide web in 1989 |
web <tsp> twenty years ago , a team of researchers shared the web with the world . now they want to show a generation that grew up online what it was like in its earliest days . the european organization for nuclear research , known as cern , is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the date it released , for free , the technology and software needed to run a web server . in honor of the anniversary , a team has been assembled to recreate a working version of the first website , a how-to guide hosted by the project 's creators . the organization issued a statement on april 30 , 1993 , that announced the release of that web to the public . british physicist tim berners-lee created and named the web ( also commonly called w3 ' for short in those days ) in 1989 at cern . originally , it was designed as a way for scientists at different universities and other institutes to share information . vague , but exciting , ' berners-lee 's supervisor wrote on the cover of a proposal while greenlighting the project . see a 1993 copy of the first website by 1993 , there were roughly 400 known web servers . but the world wide web accounted for only about 1 % of internet traffic . the rest was remote access to computer networks , e-mail and file transfers from one computer to another . since then it has , obviously , become a constant presence in the lives of people around the world . today , there are somewhere around 630 million websites . there is no sector of society that has not been transformed by the invention , in a physics laboratory , of the web , ' said rolf heuer , cern 's director-general . from research to business and education , the web has been reshaping the way we communicate , work , innovate and live . the web is a powerful example of the way that basic research benefits humankind . ' the first website was , not surprisingly , devoted to the web project itself , describing how to use it and set up a web server . it was hosted on berner-lee 's next computer -- the product developed at a company founded by steve jobs before he returned to apple . that computer is still at cern 's headquarters in geneva , switzerland . but it no longer hosts that first website . cern 's team aims to change that , restoring the earliest versions of files that were on the site as well as making it a home for stories about those formative days . they 'll be combing cern 's servers for data preserved from that time . | an effort is under way by the group that created the web to rebuild its first site |
web <tsp> twenty years ago , a team of researchers shared the web with the world . now they want to show a generation that grew up online what it was like in its earliest days . the european organization for nuclear research , known as cern , is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the date it released , for free , the technology and software needed to run a web server . in honor of the anniversary , a team has been assembled to recreate a working version of the first website , a how-to guide hosted by the project 's creators . the organization issued a statement on april 30 , 1993 , that announced the release of that web to the public . british physicist tim berners-lee created and named the web ( also commonly called w3 ' for short in those days ) in 1989 at cern . originally , it was designed as a way for scientists at different universities and other institutes to share information . vague , but exciting , ' berners-lee 's supervisor wrote on the cover of a proposal while greenlighting the project . see a 1993 copy of the first website by 1993 , there were roughly 400 known web servers . but the world wide web accounted for only about 1 % of internet traffic . the rest was remote access to computer networks , e-mail and file transfers from one computer to another . since then it has , obviously , become a constant presence in the lives of people around the world . today , there are somewhere around 630 million websites . there is no sector of society that has not been transformed by the invention , in a physics laboratory , of the web , ' said rolf heuer , cern 's director-general . from research to business and education , the web has been reshaping the way we communicate , work , innovate and live . the web is a powerful example of the way that basic research benefits humankind . ' the first website was , not surprisingly , devoted to the web project itself , describing how to use it and set up a web server . it was hosted on berner-lee 's next computer -- the product developed at a company founded by steve jobs before he returned to apple . that computer is still at cern 's headquarters in geneva , switzerland . but it no longer hosts that first website . cern 's team aims to change that , restoring the earliest versions of files that were on the site as well as making it a home for stories about those formative days . they 'll be combing cern 's servers for data preserved from that time . | researchers say they want a new generation to see what the web was like then |
turkey <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- it would be a mistake to write off threats of war against syria from turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan as mere bluster , assuming that turkey will maintain the status quo in valuing its relationship with the united states on one hand , while resisting iran 's hegemonic ambitions on the other . the recent cross-border confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as turkey is sucked into syria , leading to belated actions on the part of the international community . the assad regime knows its time is limited as the rate of military and intelligence officers defecting to jordan and turkey increases in momentum . rebel attacks are inching closer to the heart of the assad regime , such as the recent attack on the syrian air force intelligence compound in the damascus suburb of harasta . this contributes to the regime 's recklessness in firing upon turkey with impunity . ankara may also be emboldened by the fact that iran , a key assad ally , could be limited in its ability to intervene due to its economic woes at home . this week its currency -- the rial -- plummeted in value due to a combination of sanctions and tehran 's own mismanagement of the economy . turkey has less to lose by responding to syrian aggression -- this rationale is supported by recent reports that iran has withdrawn from syria 275 members from a special operations unit attached to its elite quds force . the conflict in syria is no longer considered a purely internal matter . it clearly has regional ramifications . thus i believe turkey 's aim to secure its border is inextricably linked with regime change . its increased military operations may stem from a calculus that it would accelerate the assad regime 's demise . the turkish parliament 's assent for its troops to conduct operations inside syria is not merely a symbolic attempt to bolster turkish pride while responding to domestic political pressure over the syrian attacks . it gives its armed forces the ability to do more than defend its borders . it is also likely that nato may assist turkey -- a member state -- with the defense of its 560-mile border , creating a de facto humanitarian buffer zone , where the syrian opposition could have a command post . however , this risks escalating the conflict into a nato-led mission outside the framework of the u.n. security council -- the kind of interventionist measure russia and china would oppose as they did in libya . the shift towards conflict with syria is characterized by the kind of strategic shift in the region that we 've seen before with turkey . erdogan was initially reluctant to impose sanctions on iran and is now embracing eu sanctions on tehran . the turkish premier was also supportive of iran 's nuclear ambitions all the while seeking to downgrade relations with tehran 's nemesis , israel . now it is aligning itself with the sunni bloc , including gulf states and jordan against iran and its syrian proxy . this could prompt an iranian military response and in turn instigate another spike in oil prices . the longer the syrian civil war continues , the greater the prospect of regional sectarian tensions emerging along sunni-shiite fault-lines . this could result in a middle eastern cold war between regional powerhouses saudi arabia , with its mainly sunni population , and the shiite-dominated iranians . meanwhile , the obama administration 's apparent strategy of leading from behind ' is an excuse for its dithering over the syrian humanitarian crisis . similarly , the united nations'inaction over the crisis results from a deadlock at the security council , with china and russia opposed to any intervention -- implausibly advocating that the rebels conduct dialogue with a murderous regime . yet with the un 's extensive history of paying lip service to upholding the values of human rights while ignoring genocide in rwanda , sudan , balkans and iraq , its dismissive manner towards the current massacres taking place on a daily basis in syria should come as no surprise . there are estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed , with up to two million people internally displaced since the conflict started . the u.n. claims that 300,000 syrians have fled the country . the u.s. , realistically the only nation with the necessary military and logistical capability , could easily have prevented the refugee crisis that has heightened the prospect of conflict with turkey . its wariness to arm rebels was to prevent blowback from the syrian muslim brotherhood and other empowered islamists in syria . yet the protracted conflict there has generated a kaleidoscopic civil-war and vacuum of governance across much of syria that has attracted islamists , and even revived al-qaeda , enabling it to infiltrate the ranks of the opposition and gain support in the wake of its attacks on syrian military and government installations . the u.s. and its nato allies could also have prevented much bloodshed by using air power to target the assad regime 's military apparatus . syria 's military concentrated in damascus , aleppo and northern raqqa province are strained and would be overstretched if forced to respond to external military pressure . yet washington and its nato allies could now be forced to place a significant number of troops on the ground to prevent the proliferation of syria 's stockpile of chemical and biological weapons . the obama administration has resigned itself to wishful thinking assuming , as defense secretary leon panetta has done , that syrian security forces could be held together to secure chemical weapons sites in the wake of the toppling of the assad regime . in a vacuum of governance dominated by islamists , this may become a proliferation nightmare . while the u.s. is keen on winding down its involvement in the middle east to refocus its attention on asia , syria may be the instigator that sucks it back into the region for another decade to manage a second cold war . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of barak seener . | turkey 's military retaliated against syria attacks on turkish border town recently |
turkey <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- it would be a mistake to write off threats of war against syria from turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan as mere bluster , assuming that turkey will maintain the status quo in valuing its relationship with the united states on one hand , while resisting iran 's hegemonic ambitions on the other . the recent cross-border confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as turkey is sucked into syria , leading to belated actions on the part of the international community . the assad regime knows its time is limited as the rate of military and intelligence officers defecting to jordan and turkey increases in momentum . rebel attacks are inching closer to the heart of the assad regime , such as the recent attack on the syrian air force intelligence compound in the damascus suburb of harasta . this contributes to the regime 's recklessness in firing upon turkey with impunity . ankara may also be emboldened by the fact that iran , a key assad ally , could be limited in its ability to intervene due to its economic woes at home . this week its currency -- the rial -- plummeted in value due to a combination of sanctions and tehran 's own mismanagement of the economy . turkey has less to lose by responding to syrian aggression -- this rationale is supported by recent reports that iran has withdrawn from syria 275 members from a special operations unit attached to its elite quds force . the conflict in syria is no longer considered a purely internal matter . it clearly has regional ramifications . thus i believe turkey 's aim to secure its border is inextricably linked with regime change . its increased military operations may stem from a calculus that it would accelerate the assad regime 's demise . the turkish parliament 's assent for its troops to conduct operations inside syria is not merely a symbolic attempt to bolster turkish pride while responding to domestic political pressure over the syrian attacks . it gives its armed forces the ability to do more than defend its borders . it is also likely that nato may assist turkey -- a member state -- with the defense of its 560-mile border , creating a de facto humanitarian buffer zone , where the syrian opposition could have a command post . however , this risks escalating the conflict into a nato-led mission outside the framework of the u.n. security council -- the kind of interventionist measure russia and china would oppose as they did in libya . the shift towards conflict with syria is characterized by the kind of strategic shift in the region that we 've seen before with turkey . erdogan was initially reluctant to impose sanctions on iran and is now embracing eu sanctions on tehran . the turkish premier was also supportive of iran 's nuclear ambitions all the while seeking to downgrade relations with tehran 's nemesis , israel . now it is aligning itself with the sunni bloc , including gulf states and jordan against iran and its syrian proxy . this could prompt an iranian military response and in turn instigate another spike in oil prices . the longer the syrian civil war continues , the greater the prospect of regional sectarian tensions emerging along sunni-shiite fault-lines . this could result in a middle eastern cold war between regional powerhouses saudi arabia , with its mainly sunni population , and the shiite-dominated iranians . meanwhile , the obama administration 's apparent strategy of leading from behind ' is an excuse for its dithering over the syrian humanitarian crisis . similarly , the united nations'inaction over the crisis results from a deadlock at the security council , with china and russia opposed to any intervention -- implausibly advocating that the rebels conduct dialogue with a murderous regime . yet with the un 's extensive history of paying lip service to upholding the values of human rights while ignoring genocide in rwanda , sudan , balkans and iraq , its dismissive manner towards the current massacres taking place on a daily basis in syria should come as no surprise . there are estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed , with up to two million people internally displaced since the conflict started . the u.n. claims that 300,000 syrians have fled the country . the u.s. , realistically the only nation with the necessary military and logistical capability , could easily have prevented the refugee crisis that has heightened the prospect of conflict with turkey . its wariness to arm rebels was to prevent blowback from the syrian muslim brotherhood and other empowered islamists in syria . yet the protracted conflict there has generated a kaleidoscopic civil-war and vacuum of governance across much of syria that has attracted islamists , and even revived al-qaeda , enabling it to infiltrate the ranks of the opposition and gain support in the wake of its attacks on syrian military and government installations . the u.s. and its nato allies could also have prevented much bloodshed by using air power to target the assad regime 's military apparatus . syria 's military concentrated in damascus , aleppo and northern raqqa province are strained and would be overstretched if forced to respond to external military pressure . yet washington and its nato allies could now be forced to place a significant number of troops on the ground to prevent the proliferation of syria 's stockpile of chemical and biological weapons . the obama administration has resigned itself to wishful thinking assuming , as defense secretary leon panetta has done , that syrian security forces could be held together to secure chemical weapons sites in the wake of the toppling of the assad regime . in a vacuum of governance dominated by islamists , this may become a proliferation nightmare . while the u.s. is keen on winding down its involvement in the middle east to refocus its attention on asia , syria may be the instigator that sucks it back into the region for another decade to manage a second cold war . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of barak seener . | seener : confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as turkey is sucked in to syria |
clinton <tsp> chicago ( cnn ) -- hillary clinton may be creating a problem for herself . in over a year on the paid speaking circuit , clinton has addressed recyclers , bankers , doctors , environmentalists , a fair share of canadians and a number of other diverse groups . her paid speeches have one thing in common : they are regularly to corporate or trade groups that disagree with clinton -- or her former colleagues in the obama administration -- on key issues such as health care , environmental policy or taxes . while it would be impossible for clinton to only speak to groups that agree with her on everything , speaking to organizations that openly disagree with democrats on certain issues has proven problematic for clinton . the appearances open the former secretary of state up to attacks from republicans and create situations where she appears evasive . that was the case again wednesday when clinton gave the keynote luncheon talk at advamed 2014 , the annual conference run by the medical device industry . one of the group 's top issues is getting rid of obamacare 's medical device tax , a cause wanda moebius , the group 's spokeswoman , called their premier issue . ' clinton , the prohibitive favorite for her democrats'presidential nomination in 2016 , was less than committal about the issue on wednesday , though . she did n't mention the tax by name during her prepared remarks and offered little indication one way or another what she would do about the issue when stephen ubl , the association 's president , asked her about it during a question and answer session . i do n't know what the right answer about the tax is , ' clinton said , but i think we could , taking a look at everything and not standing there with out arms folding staring at each other across the partisan divide , begin to sort it out . ' clinton seemed to play both sides of the issue , acknowledging the united states needs to look at the pluses and the minuses ' of the law , but also stating that she thinks medical device companies have an argument to make ' against the tax . the medical device tax is a 2.3 % excise tax created in part to fund obamacare ; it went into effect at the beginning of 2013 . the tax , which is a large component in funding obamacare , is unpopular with democrats and republicans alike , especially those with ties to the medical devices industry . sizing up a clinton-romney race clinton heralded a number of obamacare accomplishments during her speech -- something she regularly does -- but acknowledged that the law is adversely impacting some groups and needs to be altered . i am well aware there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and changes that are going to be proposed and evaluated because clearly there is more work to be done , ' clinton said . and your industry is bearing some of the burden alongside other stake holders . ' she later added , though , but you are also , in my view , positioned to reap the benefits of those millions of newly insured consumers using ... medical devices . ' warren buffett will bet you that hillary clinton wins in 2016 the response to clinton 's speech was polite , but far from excited . there were no applause lines during the speech and some attendees left the room before she was finished . republicans quickly jumped on clinton for her answer on wednesday . they blasted the video out to reporters shortly after the event and issued a statement earlier in the day that questioned whether clinton 's speaking at the conference puts her at odds with the obama administration . hillary clinton 's midterm campaign schedule this is not the first time , either , clinton has put herself in this position . clinton appeared before a group opposed to obamacare in 2013 and has regularly appeared before canadian audiences that very much support the keystone xl pipeline . during a handful of visits to canada this year , the former secretary of state has refused to definitively answer questions about the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states . well , you know , i cant really talk about it because i was in the office that has primary responsibility for making the decision , ' clinton said earlier in the week during an appearance in ottawa . i do n't want to inject myself into what is a continuing process . ' this answer is similar to what she said during a june even in toronto , when clinton planted herself squarely in the middle of the issue , telling an audience that these are people making arguments in good faith , ' despite the fact that both sides may have some facts and not others . ' | clinton speaks to medical device industry leaders |
clinton <tsp> chicago ( cnn ) -- hillary clinton may be creating a problem for herself . in over a year on the paid speaking circuit , clinton has addressed recyclers , bankers , doctors , environmentalists , a fair share of canadians and a number of other diverse groups . her paid speeches have one thing in common : they are regularly to corporate or trade groups that disagree with clinton -- or her former colleagues in the obama administration -- on key issues such as health care , environmental policy or taxes . while it would be impossible for clinton to only speak to groups that agree with her on everything , speaking to organizations that openly disagree with democrats on certain issues has proven problematic for clinton . the appearances open the former secretary of state up to attacks from republicans and create situations where she appears evasive . that was the case again wednesday when clinton gave the keynote luncheon talk at advamed 2014 , the annual conference run by the medical device industry . one of the group 's top issues is getting rid of obamacare 's medical device tax , a cause wanda moebius , the group 's spokeswoman , called their premier issue . ' clinton , the prohibitive favorite for her democrats'presidential nomination in 2016 , was less than committal about the issue on wednesday , though . she did n't mention the tax by name during her prepared remarks and offered little indication one way or another what she would do about the issue when stephen ubl , the association 's president , asked her about it during a question and answer session . i do n't know what the right answer about the tax is , ' clinton said , but i think we could , taking a look at everything and not standing there with out arms folding staring at each other across the partisan divide , begin to sort it out . ' clinton seemed to play both sides of the issue , acknowledging the united states needs to look at the pluses and the minuses ' of the law , but also stating that she thinks medical device companies have an argument to make ' against the tax . the medical device tax is a 2.3 % excise tax created in part to fund obamacare ; it went into effect at the beginning of 2013 . the tax , which is a large component in funding obamacare , is unpopular with democrats and republicans alike , especially those with ties to the medical devices industry . sizing up a clinton-romney race clinton heralded a number of obamacare accomplishments during her speech -- something she regularly does -- but acknowledged that the law is adversely impacting some groups and needs to be altered . i am well aware there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered and changes that are going to be proposed and evaluated because clearly there is more work to be done , ' clinton said . and your industry is bearing some of the burden alongside other stake holders . ' she later added , though , but you are also , in my view , positioned to reap the benefits of those millions of newly insured consumers using ... medical devices . ' warren buffett will bet you that hillary clinton wins in 2016 the response to clinton 's speech was polite , but far from excited . there were no applause lines during the speech and some attendees left the room before she was finished . republicans quickly jumped on clinton for her answer on wednesday . they blasted the video out to reporters shortly after the event and issued a statement earlier in the day that questioned whether clinton 's speaking at the conference puts her at odds with the obama administration . hillary clinton 's midterm campaign schedule this is not the first time , either , clinton has put herself in this position . clinton appeared before a group opposed to obamacare in 2013 and has regularly appeared before canadian audiences that very much support the keystone xl pipeline . during a handful of visits to canada this year , the former secretary of state has refused to definitively answer questions about the 1,179-mile-long project that would move oil from canada to refineries in the united states . well , you know , i cant really talk about it because i was in the office that has primary responsibility for making the decision , ' clinton said earlier in the week during an appearance in ottawa . i do n't want to inject myself into what is a continuing process . ' this answer is similar to what she said during a june even in toronto , when clinton planted herself squarely in the middle of the issue , telling an audience that these are people making arguments in good faith , ' despite the fact that both sides may have some facts and not others . ' | clinton does n't give definitive stance on issue |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the fall of 1995 , i jumped into a large van with about 20 other young black men , and we headed out from the small college town of kalamazoo , michigan , to washington . destination : the million man march . the mission : addressing the ills crippling black men . we were an intellectually curious and rambunctious group . loud , idealistic gen xers , raised on the sweet nectar of public enemy 's message of personal responsibility and the films of spike lee that encouraged us to fight the power . so convinced that this event was going to change the world that when we turned on the radio , and mcfadden and whitehead 's ai n't no stopping us now ' came on , i took the song as providence . nearly 20 years later and i 'm sure i do n't need to rattle off all of the discouraging statistics regarding men of color in this country to illustrate that moment was anything but the awakening it was designed to be . yet i sat thursday in the east room of the white house -- listening to president barack obama as he announced his my brother 's keeper ' initiative , looking at the young men who stood on risers behind him , listening to the affirmative audibles of the attendants , like the congregation of a southern baptist church -- and i found myself fondly reminiscing . i found myself inspired . when i first came to washington to address the unique circumstances hindering men of color , it was with a megaphone shouting at the white house . on this day , i was in the white house , and the megaphone had been replaced with a microphone clipped to a podium that bears the seal of the president . progress . afterward i was asked if i thought this initiative would make a difference . my answer was yes . true , the cynic will look at the laundry list of already created programs -- locally and nationally -- that were designed to dismantle the debilitating factors that have plagued men of color over the years , look at keeper ' and shrug . others will accuse obama of promoting division by using the office to highlight the issues of minorities over those of their white counterparts . as if one in three black males being projected to go to prison at some point in their lives can be construed as some sort of highlight . but such is the world of the first black president of these united states . obama spent the first five years of his administration cautiously touching on the issue of race -- a beer summit here , a hypothetical son ' in the wake of the killing of trayvon martin there -- likely for fear of being perceived as only caring about the needs of his people ' as opposed to the people . ' as a result , he has been the target of sharp criticism from some within the black community who see him aggressively addressing the pain of the lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender community , or tackling issues such as immigration that greatly affect latinos , and they wonder what about us ? what about our pain ? the wealth of black households has declined more than any other demographic during obama 's time as president and those hurt most by this wonder : what about us ? blood continues to flow and bullets fly in the neighborhood streets he calls home and the residents wonder , what ... about ... us ? thursday he said , i hear you . i was asked if that would make a difference . my answer is yes . obama 's address was not about government . it was about community . his community , which is my community , which is your community . for as much as the narrative has historically reflected a storyline framed around the troubles of one section of society , the reality is no section is immune economically from the effects of this crisis . men of color are more prone to drop out of high school than anyone else . a majority of inmates lack a high school diploma . in a 21-year span ending in 2003 , the amount of money spent on prisons increased by 570 % . that money comes from taxes . dots connected . not to mention the loss of workers and the well-documented effects of unplanned pregnancies coupled with absentee fathers . and when news reports of young men dying from gang violence no longer elicit an emotional response -- a sad reality the president talked about -- we are indeed in a moral crisis . will keeper ' make a difference ? . yes . whether obama is freed from the need to appease now that he 's in his second term or driven by the urgency of the moment , the forming of my brother 's keeper ' is the most tangible manifestation of his change we can believe in ' slogan in years . and while $ 200 million promised by various corporations and philanthropic groups is but a drop in the bucket ' in terms of the resources needed -- as one of his critics , tavis smiley , pointed out soon thereafter -- the fact he was able to raise that amount quietly is an indication that addressing this crisis has been on his mind for some time . even if he was hesitant to talk about it . michael cruz , a local student involved in an education supplemental program called communities in schools , was one of those young men standing on the risers behind the president . he spoke to me about what it was like to spend time with obama and how he has already been encouraged by what the president wants to do . people are always trying to bring your self-esteem down , ' the 16-year-old from washington told me . i have neighbors and kids in school telling me that i wo n't turn out to be anything and stuff like that . some parts of my neighborhood are good and some parts people are doing drugs and stuff like that . but i try not to pay any attention to them and stay focused on my goals . ' goals that include going to college and becoming a chemical engineer . over the past two days , he has gotten to know michael carter , a 15-year-old at his school . while cruz has two parents in the home , carter said he is raised by his mother and gets support from his aunts and cousins who help him stay out of trouble . getting to know michael has been a great experience because he has goals like i do , ' carter said . i did n't know him before , but now that i have , we 've become good friends . i know i will do all i can to encourage him and help him because seeing him do well will inspire me to do well . ' carter , who wants to attend syracuse university and major in computer science , is his brother 's keeper . and so if you saw the president 's address or read some of his remarks and wonder if it would make a difference ... first think of cruz and carter and invariably your answer will be yes . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | he says obama returns to change ' theme by addressing his community 's issues |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the fall of 1995 , i jumped into a large van with about 20 other young black men , and we headed out from the small college town of kalamazoo , michigan , to washington . destination : the million man march . the mission : addressing the ills crippling black men . we were an intellectually curious and rambunctious group . loud , idealistic gen xers , raised on the sweet nectar of public enemy 's message of personal responsibility and the films of spike lee that encouraged us to fight the power . so convinced that this event was going to change the world that when we turned on the radio , and mcfadden and whitehead 's ai n't no stopping us now ' came on , i took the song as providence . nearly 20 years later and i 'm sure i do n't need to rattle off all of the discouraging statistics regarding men of color in this country to illustrate that moment was anything but the awakening it was designed to be . yet i sat thursday in the east room of the white house -- listening to president barack obama as he announced his my brother 's keeper ' initiative , looking at the young men who stood on risers behind him , listening to the affirmative audibles of the attendants , like the congregation of a southern baptist church -- and i found myself fondly reminiscing . i found myself inspired . when i first came to washington to address the unique circumstances hindering men of color , it was with a megaphone shouting at the white house . on this day , i was in the white house , and the megaphone had been replaced with a microphone clipped to a podium that bears the seal of the president . progress . afterward i was asked if i thought this initiative would make a difference . my answer was yes . true , the cynic will look at the laundry list of already created programs -- locally and nationally -- that were designed to dismantle the debilitating factors that have plagued men of color over the years , look at keeper ' and shrug . others will accuse obama of promoting division by using the office to highlight the issues of minorities over those of their white counterparts . as if one in three black males being projected to go to prison at some point in their lives can be construed as some sort of highlight . but such is the world of the first black president of these united states . obama spent the first five years of his administration cautiously touching on the issue of race -- a beer summit here , a hypothetical son ' in the wake of the killing of trayvon martin there -- likely for fear of being perceived as only caring about the needs of his people ' as opposed to the people . ' as a result , he has been the target of sharp criticism from some within the black community who see him aggressively addressing the pain of the lesbian , gay , bisexual , and transgender community , or tackling issues such as immigration that greatly affect latinos , and they wonder what about us ? what about our pain ? the wealth of black households has declined more than any other demographic during obama 's time as president and those hurt most by this wonder : what about us ? blood continues to flow and bullets fly in the neighborhood streets he calls home and the residents wonder , what ... about ... us ? thursday he said , i hear you . i was asked if that would make a difference . my answer is yes . obama 's address was not about government . it was about community . his community , which is my community , which is your community . for as much as the narrative has historically reflected a storyline framed around the troubles of one section of society , the reality is no section is immune economically from the effects of this crisis . men of color are more prone to drop out of high school than anyone else . a majority of inmates lack a high school diploma . in a 21-year span ending in 2003 , the amount of money spent on prisons increased by 570 % . that money comes from taxes . dots connected . not to mention the loss of workers and the well-documented effects of unplanned pregnancies coupled with absentee fathers . and when news reports of young men dying from gang violence no longer elicit an emotional response -- a sad reality the president talked about -- we are indeed in a moral crisis . will keeper ' make a difference ? . yes . whether obama is freed from the need to appease now that he 's in his second term or driven by the urgency of the moment , the forming of my brother 's keeper ' is the most tangible manifestation of his change we can believe in ' slogan in years . and while $ 200 million promised by various corporations and philanthropic groups is but a drop in the bucket ' in terms of the resources needed -- as one of his critics , tavis smiley , pointed out soon thereafter -- the fact he was able to raise that amount quietly is an indication that addressing this crisis has been on his mind for some time . even if he was hesitant to talk about it . michael cruz , a local student involved in an education supplemental program called communities in schools , was one of those young men standing on the risers behind the president . he spoke to me about what it was like to spend time with obama and how he has already been encouraged by what the president wants to do . people are always trying to bring your self-esteem down , ' the 16-year-old from washington told me . i have neighbors and kids in school telling me that i wo n't turn out to be anything and stuff like that . some parts of my neighborhood are good and some parts people are doing drugs and stuff like that . but i try not to pay any attention to them and stay focused on my goals . ' goals that include going to college and becoming a chemical engineer . over the past two days , he has gotten to know michael carter , a 15-year-old at his school . while cruz has two parents in the home , carter said he is raised by his mother and gets support from his aunts and cousins who help him stay out of trouble . getting to know michael has been a great experience because he has goals like i do , ' carter said . i did n't know him before , but now that i have , we 've become good friends . i know i will do all i can to encourage him and help him because seeing him do well will inspire me to do well . ' carter , who wants to attend syracuse university and major in computer science , is his brother 's keeper . and so if you saw the president 's address or read some of his remarks and wonder if it would make a difference ... first think of cruz and carter and invariably your answer will be yes . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson . | lz granderson : will president obama 's my brother 's keeper ' initiative make a difference ? |
ntsb <tsp> a commuter train derailed in a curve in the new york borough of the bronx on sunday , killing four people and leaving dozens hurt , investigators said . all seven passenger cars and the locomotive jumped the tracks near the spuyten duyvil station , about 10 miles north of manhattan 's grand central terminal , the national transportation safety board reported . three of the dead were thrown out of the train as it came off the track and was twisting and turning , ' new york fire department chief edward kilduff told reporters . surviving passenger amanda swanson told cnn the windows of the coaches broke out , and the gravel came flying up in our faces . ' i really did n't know if i would survive , ' said swanson , who put her bag in front of her face to block the rubble . the train felt like it was on its side and dragging for a long time . ... the whole thing felt like slow motion . ' the train was en route to grand central from poughkeepsie , 74 miles up the hudson river , when it derailed about 7:20 a.m. , ntsb member earl weener said sunday . at least 67 people were injured , said joe bruno , new york 's commissioner of emergency management , and 11 remained in critical condition sunday evening , gov . andrew cuomo told reporters . the diesel locomotive was pushing passenger cars through a 30-mph curve north of the station at the time of the crash , weener said . he said that configuration is one of many things investigators will be examining as they try to determine the cause of the wreck . investigators have recovered an event recorder from the locomotive and another car but have n't yet examined them , weener said . our mission is to understand not just what happened , but why it happened , with the intent of preventing it from ever happening again , ' he said . about 150 people were on the train when it derailed , said laureen coyne , director of risk management for new york 's metropolitan transit authority , which includes the metro-north railroad . one car came to rest just feet away from the harlem river . i heard this horrible , whooshing sound . ... it was very disturbing , very loud , ' said hank goldman , who lives near the tracks . i jumped out of bed and looked out the window and i saw a light-colored object lying down . i thought it was the roadway to the train . then i got my binoculars , and i could n't believe my eyes , that the train had jumped the tracks right here . ' new york 's metropolitan transit authority identified the dead as donna l. smith , 54 , of newburgh , new york ; james g. lovell , 58 , of cold spring , new york ; james m. ferrari , 59 , of montrose , new york ; and so kisook ahn , 35 , of queens , new york . lovell did freelance audio and was headed into new york to work sunday morning , said dave merandy , a town council member in the hudson valley community of philipstown . he loved his family and did what was necessary to keep things afloat with his family . he was a great man , ' said merandy . lovell 's wife , nancy montgomery , sits on philipstown 's council , and merandy and lovell were high school classmates , merandy said . he leaves behind three sons and a daughter from a previous marriage . we 're just shocked . completely shocked , ' merandy said . the metro-north hudson line had a ridership of 15.9 million last year , with hundreds of people riding the packed trains during weekday rush hour , officials said . the train operator -- who is among the injured -- told investigators he applied brakes to the train , but it did n't slow down , a law enforcement official on the scene and familiar with the investigation said . that will be a key point of concern , whether this train was moving too quickly , ' bruno said . a freight train derailed in the same curve in july , damaging about 1,500 feet of track , the mta reported at the time . weener said the ntsb would look into whether there was any connection between that derailment and sunday 's crash , but both he and cuomo discounted the possibility . the curve has been here for many , many years , right , and trains take the curve every day , 365 days a year ... we 've always had this configuration . we did n't have accidents , ' cuomo said . so there has to be another factor , and that 's what we want to learn from the ntsb . ' investigators will look at the condition of the track , the signal system , crew performance and other factors . they 'll also search for data and video recordings that may have captured details tied to the derailment , ntsb chairwoman deborah hersman said . we 've got a lot of work to do , ' she said . we do n't have a lot of daylight hours to do it , but we 're going to do as much as we can . ' passenger : train stopped with a thud the incident quickly sparked chatter on twitter and drew a crowd of onlookers to the scene . passenger frank tatulli told wabc he thought the train was traveling a lot faster ' than usual . he escaped a derailed car on his own and had head and neck injuries , he said . other passengers were still on the train , he told wabc . another survivor told wabc that she climbed out of a train car that had overturned . nearby , she said , she heard injured victims moaning and asking for help . i almost feel guilty , ' she said . i was just in a really safe spot on the train , just the way it fell . ' swanson told cnn the train car she was in came to a stop with a thud . i just closed my eyes and kind of hoped to god that i was going to be able to call my mom with decent news , ' swanson said . she got off the train with her cell phone in hand : the screen was shattered , but it still worked , ' she said . among those hurt , one suffered a spinal cord injury that could leave him paralyzed from the neck down , said dr. david listman , director of the emergency department at st. barnabas hospital in the bronx . new york-presbyterian hospital said it was treating 17 patients , four of whom were in critical condition . federal authorities are also investigating another metro-north incident in which two passenger trains crashed during rush hour in connecticut in may . though no connection between the incidents has been established , one state lawmaker said sunday that the derailments are a sign that federal investigators should examine track conditions throughout the region . it is important that the entire regional track infrastructure be examined to identify any chronic issues that have led to past derailments or could lead to future derailments in order to ensure the safety of the millions of people who use the trains every single day , ' new york state sen. charles j. fuschillo jr. said in a statement . service was suspended sunday on part of the hudson line and wo n't be resumed until the ntsb finishes documenting the scene and returns the track to the mta for repairs , cuomo said . i think it 's fair to say tomorrow , people who use this line should plan on a long commute or plan on using the harlem line , ' cuomo said . amtrak trains were suspended between new york and albany for hours after the derailment . on sunday afternoon officials said service would resume with restricted speeds in the area . some delays can be expected , ' amtrak said . | locomotive was pushing cars at the time of the crash , ntsb says |
ntsb <tsp> a commuter train derailed in a curve in the new york borough of the bronx on sunday , killing four people and leaving dozens hurt , investigators said . all seven passenger cars and the locomotive jumped the tracks near the spuyten duyvil station , about 10 miles north of manhattan 's grand central terminal , the national transportation safety board reported . three of the dead were thrown out of the train as it came off the track and was twisting and turning , ' new york fire department chief edward kilduff told reporters . surviving passenger amanda swanson told cnn the windows of the coaches broke out , and the gravel came flying up in our faces . ' i really did n't know if i would survive , ' said swanson , who put her bag in front of her face to block the rubble . the train felt like it was on its side and dragging for a long time . ... the whole thing felt like slow motion . ' the train was en route to grand central from poughkeepsie , 74 miles up the hudson river , when it derailed about 7:20 a.m. , ntsb member earl weener said sunday . at least 67 people were injured , said joe bruno , new york 's commissioner of emergency management , and 11 remained in critical condition sunday evening , gov . andrew cuomo told reporters . the diesel locomotive was pushing passenger cars through a 30-mph curve north of the station at the time of the crash , weener said . he said that configuration is one of many things investigators will be examining as they try to determine the cause of the wreck . investigators have recovered an event recorder from the locomotive and another car but have n't yet examined them , weener said . our mission is to understand not just what happened , but why it happened , with the intent of preventing it from ever happening again , ' he said . about 150 people were on the train when it derailed , said laureen coyne , director of risk management for new york 's metropolitan transit authority , which includes the metro-north railroad . one car came to rest just feet away from the harlem river . i heard this horrible , whooshing sound . ... it was very disturbing , very loud , ' said hank goldman , who lives near the tracks . i jumped out of bed and looked out the window and i saw a light-colored object lying down . i thought it was the roadway to the train . then i got my binoculars , and i could n't believe my eyes , that the train had jumped the tracks right here . ' new york 's metropolitan transit authority identified the dead as donna l. smith , 54 , of newburgh , new york ; james g. lovell , 58 , of cold spring , new york ; james m. ferrari , 59 , of montrose , new york ; and so kisook ahn , 35 , of queens , new york . lovell did freelance audio and was headed into new york to work sunday morning , said dave merandy , a town council member in the hudson valley community of philipstown . he loved his family and did what was necessary to keep things afloat with his family . he was a great man , ' said merandy . lovell 's wife , nancy montgomery , sits on philipstown 's council , and merandy and lovell were high school classmates , merandy said . he leaves behind three sons and a daughter from a previous marriage . we 're just shocked . completely shocked , ' merandy said . the metro-north hudson line had a ridership of 15.9 million last year , with hundreds of people riding the packed trains during weekday rush hour , officials said . the train operator -- who is among the injured -- told investigators he applied brakes to the train , but it did n't slow down , a law enforcement official on the scene and familiar with the investigation said . that will be a key point of concern , whether this train was moving too quickly , ' bruno said . a freight train derailed in the same curve in july , damaging about 1,500 feet of track , the mta reported at the time . weener said the ntsb would look into whether there was any connection between that derailment and sunday 's crash , but both he and cuomo discounted the possibility . the curve has been here for many , many years , right , and trains take the curve every day , 365 days a year ... we 've always had this configuration . we did n't have accidents , ' cuomo said . so there has to be another factor , and that 's what we want to learn from the ntsb . ' investigators will look at the condition of the track , the signal system , crew performance and other factors . they 'll also search for data and video recordings that may have captured details tied to the derailment , ntsb chairwoman deborah hersman said . we 've got a lot of work to do , ' she said . we do n't have a lot of daylight hours to do it , but we 're going to do as much as we can . ' passenger : train stopped with a thud the incident quickly sparked chatter on twitter and drew a crowd of onlookers to the scene . passenger frank tatulli told wabc he thought the train was traveling a lot faster ' than usual . he escaped a derailed car on his own and had head and neck injuries , he said . other passengers were still on the train , he told wabc . another survivor told wabc that she climbed out of a train car that had overturned . nearby , she said , she heard injured victims moaning and asking for help . i almost feel guilty , ' she said . i was just in a really safe spot on the train , just the way it fell . ' swanson told cnn the train car she was in came to a stop with a thud . i just closed my eyes and kind of hoped to god that i was going to be able to call my mom with decent news , ' swanson said . she got off the train with her cell phone in hand : the screen was shattered , but it still worked , ' she said . among those hurt , one suffered a spinal cord injury that could leave him paralyzed from the neck down , said dr. david listman , director of the emergency department at st. barnabas hospital in the bronx . new york-presbyterian hospital said it was treating 17 patients , four of whom were in critical condition . federal authorities are also investigating another metro-north incident in which two passenger trains crashed during rush hour in connecticut in may . though no connection between the incidents has been established , one state lawmaker said sunday that the derailments are a sign that federal investigators should examine track conditions throughout the region . it is important that the entire regional track infrastructure be examined to identify any chronic issues that have led to past derailments or could lead to future derailments in order to ensure the safety of the millions of people who use the trains every single day , ' new york state sen. charles j. fuschillo jr. said in a statement . service was suspended sunday on part of the hudson line and wo n't be resumed until the ntsb finishes documenting the scene and returns the track to the mta for repairs , cuomo said . i think it 's fair to say tomorrow , people who use this line should plan on a long commute or plan on using the harlem line , ' cuomo said . amtrak trains were suspended between new york and albany for hours after the derailment . on sunday afternoon officials said service would resume with restricted speeds in the area . some delays can be expected , ' amtrak said . | investigators have recovered a recorder from the locomotive and another car , ntsb says |
florida <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hindered by painful stings and strong currents , endurance swimmer diana nyad ended her latest attempt to swim from cuba to florida about two-thirds of the way through the crossing sunday . the 62-year-old nyad suffered jellyfish and portuguese man-of-war stings saturday , while ocean cross-currents were pushing her off course , team captain mark sollinger said . she was pulled out of the water about 11 a.m. sunday , about 67 nautical miles through the 103-nautical-mile passage . treading water before being helped out of the water , nyad said the man-of-war stings had paralyzed some of the muscles in her back , given her chills and nausea . doctors warned her she could suffer long-term health problems if she suffered another sting . i 've never been in any pain , ever , like that in my whole life , ' she said , adding , now it 's set me so far back , i just do n't'have the lung capacity to swim the way i can . ' it was her third attempt to make the swim from cuba to florida . her first , in 1978 , was brought to an end by strong currents and bad weather after almost 42 hours in the water . she made a second try in august , before she was pulled from the water after 60 miles and almost 29 hours of swimming . she blamed a shoulder injury she suffered early in the journey , and an 11-hour-long asthma attack . her latest attempt , accompanied by shark divers , began just after 6 p.m. friday from havana 's hemingway marina . the former world champion swimmer projected the swim would take close to 60 hours . there was a bit of excitement early saturday afternoon as an oceanic whitetip shark swam near nyad , but a diver on her team faced it off and it meandered away . the swimmer improved her performance late saturday morning after struggling to maintain her usual stroke rate , her support team said . fortified by chicken soup , nyad was making good progress until the saturday evening incident . nyad got back in the water at 12:20 a.m. sunday and swam for nearly 11 hours before packing it in . but for each of us , is n't life about determining your own finish line ? ' she said in a statement on her website . this journey has always been about reaching your own other shore no matter what it is , and that dream continues . ' cnn 's matt sloane and shasta darlington contributed to this report . | it was the endurance swimmer 's third attempt to reach florida from cuba |
cornelius <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 1970s were the first full decade after civil rights legislation all but obliterated racial segregation in the united states . and it was in large part because of this great sea change that a bright , bold flowering of african-american popular culture affecting music , movies , fashion , television , sports and literature burst forth , its impact resonating with a breadth and force that had never been witnessed before -- or seen since . don cornelius , who was found dead wednesday , at age 75 , in his los angeles home , was one of the significant figures of this transformative era . as the creator and longtime host of the tv music-and-dance show , soul train , ' cornelius took an established broadcast genre of dancing teenagers , hit records and live performances by pop stars and infused it with assertively african-american style and attitude so electrifying that its appeal crossed racial , ethnic and even generational lines . as filmmaker melvin van peebles helped set off the black-movie boom with 1971 's sweet sweetback 's baadasssss song ' ; as richard pryor 's ribald , so-real-it's-surreal stand-up comedy hit its stride by mid-decade ; as alex haley 's 1976 epic family saga roots ' became the keystone to a nationwide phenomenon whose culminating tv miniseries is still talked about 35 years later , so did cornelius establish , through soul train , ' a crucial gauge for pop music 's ebb and flow that no one in the entertainment business could ignore . the elite of late-20th century black pop musicians , from aretha franklin , smokey robinson , james brown , teddy pendergrass , marvin gaye , al green , diana ross and gladys knight , to the jackson five , o'jays , spinners , gap band and commodores took live turns on the train ' -- and frequently delivered some of their more potent televised performances . eventually , white artists such as elton john , david bowie , sting and robert palmer played on the soul train ' stage . though he wisely never made himself more conspicuous than the music or the dancers , cornelius'buttery smooth baritone , colorful attire -- though relatively understated when compared to the dancers'flashy duds -- and avuncular presence provided an anchor for the show 's dazzling grooves and slick moves . he also became something of a star himself , making appearances at live concerts and political gatherings looking to share some of the youthful energy he presided over as host from 1970 to 1993 . other tv shows may have had live acts . but if you wanted to know how to move your body to funk , disco and soul music , soul train ' provided the first and best lesson for much of its long and legendary run . fred astaire , in a 60 minutes ' interview , said he was a soul train ' fan . one imagines the great man studying and perhaps even attempting many of those moves . if you were a true dance aficionado , you waited every week for the 'soul train line ' in which improbably limber young couples enacted breathtaking inventories of what would become known as breaking ' and popping . ' before he became an innovator , the chicago-born cornelius sold insurance for golden state mutual life for $ 250 a week . in 1966 , he decided to change his destiny , and reduce his salary by $ 200 , to work as a substitute disc jockey , news reader and interviewer at wvon radio . within two years , he had acquired enough facility as a broadcaster to secure an on-camera job as sports anchor on chicago 's wciu-tv show , a black 's view of the news . ' with his own money , cornelius produced a pilot episode of an all-black version of dick clark 's venerable american bandstand ' to be telecast on wciu . he had trouble interesting sponsors until the locally based sears roebuck & co. expressed interest , believing the show could boost its record sales . the program , dubbed soul train , ' debuted in 1970 , achieving such formidable ratings among the city 's black community that it was nationally syndicated the next year . cornelius not only served as soul train 's ' host , but was also responsible for drumming up advertisers and seeking more stations nationwide . some of these advertisers were black-oriented companies such as johnson products co. , the beauty specialists behind afro-sheen hair spray . by mid-decade , soul train ' had powered its way to more than 100 markets . by the time it ceased production in 2006 , after a series of guest hosts , soul train ' had become one of the longest running syndicated television programs in history . one wonders whether it 's possible in this digitized age to build a cultural phenomenon from the ground up as cornelius did . if so , his example of chutzpah and daring will serve as the template for future dreamers and cultural mavens to follow . that , along with the blend he suavely , fervently prescribed to his audiences week after week at the end of each train ' : love ! peace ! and -- all together now -- soul ! ' join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gene seymour . | he says don cornelius contributed singular dance show with cross-cultural appeal |
cornelius <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 1970s were the first full decade after civil rights legislation all but obliterated racial segregation in the united states . and it was in large part because of this great sea change that a bright , bold flowering of african-american popular culture affecting music , movies , fashion , television , sports and literature burst forth , its impact resonating with a breadth and force that had never been witnessed before -- or seen since . don cornelius , who was found dead wednesday , at age 75 , in his los angeles home , was one of the significant figures of this transformative era . as the creator and longtime host of the tv music-and-dance show , soul train , ' cornelius took an established broadcast genre of dancing teenagers , hit records and live performances by pop stars and infused it with assertively african-american style and attitude so electrifying that its appeal crossed racial , ethnic and even generational lines . as filmmaker melvin van peebles helped set off the black-movie boom with 1971 's sweet sweetback 's baadasssss song ' ; as richard pryor 's ribald , so-real-it's-surreal stand-up comedy hit its stride by mid-decade ; as alex haley 's 1976 epic family saga roots ' became the keystone to a nationwide phenomenon whose culminating tv miniseries is still talked about 35 years later , so did cornelius establish , through soul train , ' a crucial gauge for pop music 's ebb and flow that no one in the entertainment business could ignore . the elite of late-20th century black pop musicians , from aretha franklin , smokey robinson , james brown , teddy pendergrass , marvin gaye , al green , diana ross and gladys knight , to the jackson five , o'jays , spinners , gap band and commodores took live turns on the train ' -- and frequently delivered some of their more potent televised performances . eventually , white artists such as elton john , david bowie , sting and robert palmer played on the soul train ' stage . though he wisely never made himself more conspicuous than the music or the dancers , cornelius'buttery smooth baritone , colorful attire -- though relatively understated when compared to the dancers'flashy duds -- and avuncular presence provided an anchor for the show 's dazzling grooves and slick moves . he also became something of a star himself , making appearances at live concerts and political gatherings looking to share some of the youthful energy he presided over as host from 1970 to 1993 . other tv shows may have had live acts . but if you wanted to know how to move your body to funk , disco and soul music , soul train ' provided the first and best lesson for much of its long and legendary run . fred astaire , in a 60 minutes ' interview , said he was a soul train ' fan . one imagines the great man studying and perhaps even attempting many of those moves . if you were a true dance aficionado , you waited every week for the 'soul train line ' in which improbably limber young couples enacted breathtaking inventories of what would become known as breaking ' and popping . ' before he became an innovator , the chicago-born cornelius sold insurance for golden state mutual life for $ 250 a week . in 1966 , he decided to change his destiny , and reduce his salary by $ 200 , to work as a substitute disc jockey , news reader and interviewer at wvon radio . within two years , he had acquired enough facility as a broadcaster to secure an on-camera job as sports anchor on chicago 's wciu-tv show , a black 's view of the news . ' with his own money , cornelius produced a pilot episode of an all-black version of dick clark 's venerable american bandstand ' to be telecast on wciu . he had trouble interesting sponsors until the locally based sears roebuck & co. expressed interest , believing the show could boost its record sales . the program , dubbed soul train , ' debuted in 1970 , achieving such formidable ratings among the city 's black community that it was nationally syndicated the next year . cornelius not only served as soul train 's ' host , but was also responsible for drumming up advertisers and seeking more stations nationwide . some of these advertisers were black-oriented companies such as johnson products co. , the beauty specialists behind afro-sheen hair spray . by mid-decade , soul train ' had powered its way to more than 100 markets . by the time it ceased production in 2006 , after a series of guest hosts , soul train ' had become one of the longest running syndicated television programs in history . one wonders whether it 's possible in this digitized age to build a cultural phenomenon from the ground up as cornelius did . if so , his example of chutzpah and daring will serve as the template for future dreamers and cultural mavens to follow . that , along with the blend he suavely , fervently prescribed to his audiences week after week at the end of each train ' : love ! peace ! and -- all together now -- soul ! ' join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gene seymour . | seymour : cornelius was self-made impresario , innovator who built cultural phoneomenon |
south brunswick <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a minnesota man hit the jackpot , literally . paul white of ham lake , minnesota , stepped forward thursday to claim one-third of a $ 448 million powerball jackpot , according to the minnesota state lottery . the other two winning ticket-holders have not stepped forward . the two tickets were sold in new jersey , one at a super stop n shop in south brunswick and the other at an acme market in little egg harbor , carole hedinger , the executive director of the new jersey lottery , told reporters thursday . white , a project engineer at elliott contracting in minneapolis , said he 's imagined winning the powerball jackpot so many times in my head . ' that dream became a reality when white got a telephone call thursday morning from a friend telling him one of the winning tickets was sold in minneapolis . his ticket matched the winning numbers : 5 , 25 , 30 , 58 , 59 and powerball number 32 . though he could have chosen to receive $ 149.4 million over 30 years , he said he chose the immediate cash option of $ 86 million , which will net him $ 58.3 million after taxes . white bought the winning ticket at the holiday stationstore in ham lake , north of minneapolis , he said . the odds of getting hit by lightning in any given year are about one in 500,000 . you are about 350 times less likely to win the powerball lottery . the odds of cracking one that big ? who knows and who cares , when you 're splitting the equivalent of about the net worth of michael jordan or tiger woods , according to forbes magazine ? why you keep playing the lottery giant u.s. lottery jackpots have been coming more frequently , observers say . you could see maybe in the next several years ... an elusive billion-dollar jackpot , ' said victor matheson , economics professor at college of the holy cross in massachusetts . had no one won wednesday evening , the prize would have swollen to an estimated $ 600 million for saturday 's drawing , according to the multi-state lottery association . with the winning tickets , the jackpot falls to $ 40 million . the all-time largest u.s. jackpot was $ 656 million in the mega millions game in march 2012 . that was split among three tickets sold in illinois , kansas and maryland . powerball is played in 43 states , the district of columbia and the u.s. virgin islands . a single ticket costs $ 2 . white is minnesota 's 22nd powerball jackpot winner since powerball began in 1992 , according to the minnesota state lottery . costly courtesy in powerball line cnn 's tom foreman contributed to this report . | new : new jersey tickets were sold in south brunswick and little egg harbor |
a & e <tsp> ( cnn ) -- one down , one more to go . the role of johanna mason — one of the most anticipated new characters in the hunger games : catching fire ' — may be taken . lionsgate has reportedly already offered the part — a cunning , sarcastic tribute from district 7 — to malone , star of saved ! , sucker punch , and , most recently , the a & e mini-series hatfields & mccoys . ' ew reported last week that malone was in the running for the role . mason , who eventually allies herself with jennifer lawrence 's katniss and josh hutcherson 's peeta , also appears in suzanne collins'third book mockingjay , so we can probably expect to see malone in forthcoming sequels . still to be cast is the role of finnick odair , another tribute that aids the series'protagonists , even though production is expected to begin in september with francis lawrence directing . see full story at ew.com . click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | she most recently starred in the a & e mini-series hatfields & mccoys . ' |
aha <tsp> ( cnn ) have you ever found the creative inspiration you were seeking at the most unexpected time , or thought you were having that long-awaited problem-solving epiphany just as you nodded off to sleep ? according to neuroscientists john kounios and mark beeman , there 's a reason for that . their book , the eureka factor ' , explores the influences at work behind that much sought-after aha ! ' moment . research suggests that in trying to conjure up inspiration , most of us end up suppressing it . the book explains how to clear out mental junk , in order to make way for pivotal revelations . dr. kounios explained : insights involve unusual connections . cognitive psychologists call these'remote associations'. they are processed mostly in the brain 's right hemisphere . insights occur when a subconscious remote association suddenly pops into awareness . this is accompanied by a burst of activity in the brain 's right temporal lobe . ' we wrote the eureka factor ' to help people understand how creative insight works in the brain so they can use various strategies harmoniously without having them cross-circuit each other , said kounios . for example , there is evidence that imagining the future helps to put someone in an insightful state . however , if a person imagines a specific future that makes them anxious , then insightfulness could decrease because anxiety is a creativity killer . ' that said , a positive mood and a broad , expansive spread of attention are a couple of key features of the insightful state , ' he added . following are some of the tips they suggest for unleashing your creative potential -- both at home and at work . spaciousness helps broaden thoughts . even high ceilings have been shown to broaden attention . small , windowless offices , low ceilings and narrow corridors will do little to inspire our brains and make us flexible , creative thinkers . relaxing outdoor colors such as blue and green contribute to this state . emergency ' colors such as red suppress it . surprisingly , dark colors and dim lighting can also be beneficial : by obscuring visual details , they help people think more abstractly . static surroundings encourage static thinking . do n't be predictable . you should sometimes change everyday routines , such as where you go for coffee or your route to work . rearrange your furniture and decor from time to time , at home and in your workplace . hold meetings in a variety of places . make sure to include some nonconformists in your inner circle . unusual people tend to be out-of-the-box thinkers , and their unique outlook might help you attack a problem from a different angle . the threat of a firm deadline will narrow your thinking and inhibit your insight . try and use soft target dates and a flexible schedule to establish a helpful , nonthreatening time frame . rewards and punishments for meeting or missing deadlines , if needed at all , should be vague and mild so they do n't contribute added pressure . a positive outlook will help stimulate a more open mind , one that can process a greater number of ideas . if you struggle to think happy , try focusing on the people and things that bring you joy . to put a twist on pasteur 's famous saying , chance favors the happy mind . when you 're stuck on a problem , take a break to do or think about something very different . expose yourself to a variety of people and places . listen to music or go to a pleasing movie , art exhibit or talk a walk . play a game , dance , do yoga , read . insight triggers appear at the most unlikely times and places . we all know how important sleep is to our cognitive thinking . the sleep-deprived mind is more likely to fixate on small matters -- an absolute killer to creativity . ample sleep also helps foster the discovery of hidden connections between ideas . insightful thought is at its best when your powers of inhibition are weaker , because reduced focus opens up your awareness to remote associations that would n't come to you when you 're feeling sharp . if you 're an early bird , you should try doing your creative work at night . if you 're a night owl , try the morning . perhaps the single most important thing to remember is that your mental state can change . it takes a while to sink into an insightful mindset . try and schedule uninterrupted blocks of time for relaxed , freewheeling creative thought . turn off your phone . get rid of the clock . let abstract ideas and vague impressions flow where they will . tips have been extracted from the book the eureka factor ' , which has been written by dr. john kounios and dr. mark beeman . how missing sleep can damage your iq how to make rejection work for you 7 habits of highly ineffective people | sudden insights ' are otherwise known as eureka ' or aha ' moments |
thomas cuddy <tsp> silver spring , maryland ( cnn ) -- thomas cuddy enlisted in the u.s. army 28 years ago , but he 's facing his greatest battle now that he 's out . retired veteran thomas cuddy is so weakened by als that he often ca n't catch himself when he slips . cuddy spends most of his days in his small apartment in silver spring , maryland , reading on his couch , and working at his computer . he leaves only when it is absolutely necessary ; the trek down the three flights of stairs is exhausting and dangerous . he slips easily , and he does not have the strength to catch himself . thomas suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , als , also known as lou gehrig 's disease , after the legendary baseball star who lent his name to the mysterious illness over 60 years ago . his doctors have told him to stop working but he can not afford to , so he works when his body will let him . he is able to work from home most days -- he 's a community relations officer , command speechwriter and medical publications reviewer based at walter reed army medical center . but as typing becomes an increasingly strenuous chore , even this will become too much to bear . thomas hopes this day comes later rather than sooner . sitting idly is not is his nature , but ever so slightly , that is changing . this is a disease where ... one day you wake up and you can walk , and the next day you ca n't , ' he says . and once you lose it , you can never get it back . ' als is a progressive disease that attacks neurons in the brain , eventually leading to total paralysis . it affects 20,000 to 30,000 americans at any given time , according to the als association . it can take up to 10 years to fully develop , but by the time it is diagnosed , it is usually fatal within two to five years . als was first classified as a disease in 1869 , yet there are still few clues as to its cause . researchers are just as far from finding an effective treatment or cure . in fact , just one drug has been approved by the fda to treat als , and has been proved only to extend life by a few months . they have no idea what is happening to us . i 'm taking it one day at a time , ' thomas says . thomas has found that many of his brothers suffer from the illness as well -- his fellow veterans , that is . there have been recent studies that have been proven that if you are a veteran , your chances of developing als are double that of anyone else , ' thomas says . dr. mark weisskopf , an assistant professor at the harvard school of public health , said that doctors took notice as a large number of veterans of the first gulf war began to report non-specific neurological conditions . ' several subsequent studies published in the last decade have established an increased rate of als among gulf war veterans . weisskopf was co-author of a study in 2005 that found that men with any history of military service are about 60 percent more likely to develop als than men who did not serve in the military . he concluded that the branch , length of service , and where you served did n't seem to matter . ' the cause of this connection is still unknown . weisskopf says that there may be an environmental trigger , but due to the immensity of potential exposures to which military personnel are subjected , no one has been able to pinpoint exactly what that trigger might be . for men who are trained to fight for their lives , this disease is perhaps the ultimate torture . the way we are in the military , if you show us an enemy , we 'll defeat it , thomas says . it 's really hard to identify what you 're fighting . i 'm just fighting to stay alive . ' the department of veterans affairs established als as a service-connected disease on september 23 , 2008 . this acknowledgment gives veterans suffering from als access to much-needed benefits such as health care , disability compensation , and many other essential support systems . while it may seem as if the va has moved slowly in reacting to these studies , weisskopf notes that there is still a lot that is unknown about the connection between als and military service . in that regard , i commend the va in taking this step before many scientists are fully convinced , ' weisskopf says . nonetheless , for those suffering from als , navigating the vast bureaucracy at the va can be an exasperating process . veterans such as thomas find themselves in the helpless position of watching their disease advance at a much faster pace than their paperwork . when he filed for disability last march , thomas was told that his request could take up to a year to be approved -- if it is approved . for now he waits . despite his deteriorating condition , thomas has chosen to remain positive . each day , he carefully gets out of bed and tests his legs , hopeful that he is able to walk for one more day . he is all too aware that he will wake up one day soon and his limbs will no longer work . someday , he will lose the ability to talk , and eventually , he will stop breathing . but today , he can do all of these things , and he is grateful . what i do all day long , is i tell myself in six months , i will probably be in much worse condition , and in six months i would give anything to be where i am today , ' he says . so today i 'm happy with what i have . ' | retired vet thomas cuddy navigates va bureaucracy as his disease progresses |
britain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- flanked by british and french ships , the uss abraham lincoln aircraft carrier moved through the strait of hormuz without incident sunday despite recent threats from iran . the u.s . naval forces central command said in a statement that the lincoln completed a regular and routine transit of the strait ... to conduct maritime security operations . ' the lincoln is in the region with the uss carl vinson , giving the u.s. navy its standard two-carrier presence there . a british defense ministry spokesman , who was not named per policy , said sunday that the hms argyll and a french vessel joined a u.s. carrier group ' going through the strait to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law . ' britain maintains a constant presence in the region as part of our enduring contribution to gulf security , ' the spokesman said . several weeks ago , as the uss john stennis left the persian gulf and headed back to the western pacific , iranian officials warned the united states not to send in another carrier . we have always stated that there is no need for the forces belonging to the countries beyond this region to have a presence in the persian gulf , ' brig . gen. ahmad vahidi said in early january , according to the semi-official fars news agency . their presence does nothing but create mayhem , and we never wanted them to be present in the persian gulf . ' tehran has threatened to close the strait of hormuz , the only outlet to and from the persian gulf between iran and the united arab emirates as well as oman , as iran faces increased scrutiny over its nuclear program and possible sanctions on its oil exports . the critical shipping lane had 17 million barrels of oil per day passing through in 2011 , according to the u.s. energy information agency . u.s. defense secretary leon panetta has responded by threatening to respond ' if iran attempts to shut down traffic . he said that the u.s. naval and military presence in the region will not change and the current level is sufficient to deal with any situation that could arise . we have always maintained a very strong presence in that region , ' panetta said earlier this month . we have a navy fleet located there . we have a military presence in that region . and ... we have continually maintained a strong presence in the region to make very clear that we were going to do everything possible to help secure the peace in that part of the world . ' | british and french ships accompany the u.s. carrier group , britain 's military says |
murray <tsp> ( cnn ) andy murray picked up his first title of 2015 without having to so much as lift his racket after novak djokovic pulled out of the mubadala world tennis championship final in abu dhabi due to illness . djokovic comfortably defeated stan wawrinka 6-1 6-2 in friday 's semi-final but was overcome with a fever overnight . unfortunately i am not to be able to play in the final in abu dhabi tonight . i 've been sick today with a fever and i 'm not fit to play , ' read a message from the world no 1. relayed on the mwtc facebook page saturday . i said after my match last night , the crowds here have shown their love of tennis again this year and always inspire me to play my best so i am hugely disappointed not to be able to play for them . i love being a part of this tournament and i 'm really disappointed not be able to take my chance of winning the trophy here again . congratulations to andy , it 's a shame i could n't play him but i 'm sure we will meet again soon .'murray later picked up the trophy on court before the third place playoff between rafael nadal and wawrinka . the scot had been in fine form himself this week , overcoming feliciano lopez on thursday before trouncing world no . 3 nadal 6-2 6-0 on friday . the result marked the first time murray had beaten a top-four player since he triumphed in the 2013 wimbledon final against djokovic . a disappointing 2014 saw murray spend much of the season on the treatment table after back surgery but a late surge saw him climb up the rankings to appear at the season ending atp finals in london . both djokovic and murray will now ramp up their preparations for the year 's first major in the shape of the australian open which gets underway in a little over two weeks'time . djokovic is set to appear in the qatar open in doha next week while murray will travel to australia to compete for great britain in the hoffman cup . | murray picks up trophy before third place playoff match between stan wawrinka and rafa nadal |
murray <tsp> ( cnn ) andy murray picked up his first title of 2015 without having to so much as lift his racket after novak djokovic pulled out of the mubadala world tennis championship final in abu dhabi due to illness . djokovic comfortably defeated stan wawrinka 6-1 6-2 in friday 's semi-final but was overcome with a fever overnight . unfortunately i am not to be able to play in the final in abu dhabi tonight . i 've been sick today with a fever and i 'm not fit to play , ' read a message from the world no 1. relayed on the mwtc facebook page saturday . i said after my match last night , the crowds here have shown their love of tennis again this year and always inspire me to play my best so i am hugely disappointed not to be able to play for them . i love being a part of this tournament and i 'm really disappointed not be able to take my chance of winning the trophy here again . congratulations to andy , it 's a shame i could n't play him but i 'm sure we will meet again soon .'murray later picked up the trophy on court before the third place playoff between rafael nadal and wawrinka . the scot had been in fine form himself this week , overcoming feliciano lopez on thursday before trouncing world no . 3 nadal 6-2 6-0 on friday . the result marked the first time murray had beaten a top-four player since he triumphed in the 2013 wimbledon final against djokovic . a disappointing 2014 saw murray spend much of the season on the treatment table after back surgery but a late surge saw him climb up the rankings to appear at the season ending atp finals in london . both djokovic and murray will now ramp up their preparations for the year 's first major in the shape of the australian open which gets underway in a little over two weeks'time . djokovic is set to appear in the qatar open in doha next week while murray will travel to australia to compete for great britain in the hoffman cup . | andy murray handed opening title of 2015 |
cnn <tsp> shenzhen , china ( cnn ) -- three weeks ago , hip-hop star andre young -- better known as dr. dre -- made news as his beats electronics line , a maker of premium headphones , was valued at more than $ 1 billion thanks to an investment from the carlyle group . but the former n.w.a . rapper is not the only one profiting from his headphone line . across the pearl river delta in southern china , counterfeit beats are flowing out of factories , assembly workshops and shops , attracting businesspeople that sell the headphones on global markets . a cnn reporter approached wholesale companies about buying in bulk in order to learn how the underground sale of knock-off headphones works . business is very good , ' said a woman , who , with her family , runs a wholesale company selling copied headphones in one of shenzhen 's many mega-malls . you buy cheap from me , you sell expensive in your home country , we all make a lot of money , ' she added . to prove her point , she shows an excel spread sheet on her laptop listing customers from all over the world : italy , denmark , united states , canada , dubai , russia and more . she said she recently sold a large amount of counterfeit beats by dr. dre for $ 50,000 to a british businessman who sent them to the uk by jet -- which is considerably more expensive than container ship -- and sold them as originals . while top-line beats headphones retail for $ 400 , the shenzhen operators interviewed sell knock-off versions wholesale for $ 70 . a lot of people are making a lot of money on beats right now , ' she said . factory owners here have a nose for what 's hot and what 's not . nearly 70 % of all fake goods -- including dvds , clothing , and electronics goods -- seized worldwide from 2008-2010 came from china , according to the world customs organization . and looking at the shops in shenzhen 's huaqiangbei commercial district -- a destination for buying electronics , especially fakes -- beats by dr. dre are definitely hot , prominently displayed next to iphones , samsung gear and nikon cameras . to look at them , some are clearly fakes with poor packaging and logo color schemes that are wildly different from those well-known products . rise of high-priced headphones behind the shops and inside small rooms around the district , workers in their early 20s can be seen busily assembling counterfeit goods , such as smartphones and ipads . the long corridors are filled with cigarette smoke that drifts out from the tiny workshops as deliverymen rush by with their arms full of electronic components . everywhere you hear the sound of packing tape being wrapped around cardboard boxes . the counterfeit boom is fed , these days , by the rise of high-end headphones that dr. dre 's audio products helped kickstart with the launch of beats in 2008 , analysts say . just a few years ago , few people would be ready to pay several hundred dollars for a pair of headphones . now , with celebrities like lady gaga , justin bieber and p. diddy putting their names to signature pairs , beats is the hottest brand for stylish music lovers . today , the premium headphone market is defined by fashion and brands as much as it is by sound quality , ' ben arnold , director of industry analysis at market research firm npd group said in a recent report . one third of premium headphone buyers are under the age of 25 and many of these consumers view headphones as equal parts listening device and fashion accessory . ' richard kramer , analyst at arete research , added that better audio quality in smartphones is also one of the main driving forces behind making high-end headphones viable . in the u.s. , sales of headphones rose by a third last year to $ 2.4 billion , with beats by dr. dre making up almost 70 % of all high-end headphones during the christmas period , according to market research firm npd . in europe , sales of headphones hit an all-time high in the first quarter of the year , figures from market research group gfk show , with premium headphones leading the way . total sales increased by 9 % during q1 on europe 's 17 main markets to 304 million euro ( us $ 410 million ) , according to gfk . real or fake headphones ? at another shenzhen store , a sales executive at a factory and trading company , connects a pair of fake beats pro to her iphone and puts them on the reporter 's head . the sound quality is surprisingly good . in the u.s. , an original pair would cost $ 400 . she offers her best quality headphones for the wholesale price of $ 70 , medium quality for $ 45 and so-so quality ' for $ 30 . medium quality is most popular , but the trend is going towards high-end . consumers want good sound , ' she said , adding that she can deliver 100 units of any beats product by the following day . for 1,000 items it will take a week . since it 's copies , we do n't want to have too much in stock , ' she said . on the streets and down in the subway , in-ear beats headphones are sold for as little as $ 1 . according to the company website , real in-ear beats sell for $ 100 and up . beats electronics , the company behind the beats by dr. dre brand , said in an email to cnn that the company shows a fierce commitment ' to fight piracy and that it works in close collaboration with anti-counterfeiting organizations , police and customs authorities to identify counterfeit sellers , distributors and manufacturers on key markets . they also scan online marketplaces for unauthorized use of beats trademarks . since efforts began , beats has seized hundreds of thousands of counterfeit products in more than 50 countries , ' the company said . the u.s. government has long complained about the theft of intellectual property in china . cnn reached out to authorities in shenzhen to ask about counterfeit sales activities , but they have not yet responded . however it appears that chinese officials are moving to crack down on counterfeit trade . a month-long joint operation with u.s. customs in july resulted in the seizure of more than 243,000 counterfeit products using trademarks from beats by dr . dre. , apple , blackberry and samsung . u.s. customs and border protection said the operation was the biggest bilateral customs enforcement effort ever conducted by the u.s. as a result , a man in new orleans was arrested for allegedly importing counterfeit dr. dre headphones and selling them on craigslist . evading the police but in shenzhen , the counterfeiters are working hard , too . cnn spoke with another woman involved in the trade -- a copy brand exports professional ' according to her business card -- who helps companies to transport counterfeit goods from shenzhen to other countries . she said she advises her customers to avoid chinese logistic companies and always use european or american shipping companies since customs usually trusts these brands better . ' storeowners reveal other tricks to bypass customs . they send all beats in two boxes ; the outer box has a made-up name to hide the real goods . we got the idea from a european customer , ' she said . precautions aside , in the huaqiangbei commercial district few seem to have any moral objections about the pirating of goods . outside the huaqiangbei police station , a friendly officer in sunglasses points down the street when asked where the best fake mobile phones can be found . asked if such purchases are legal , he just breaks out in loud laughter . | cnn goes behind the scenes of sales of counterfeit beats by dr. dre in shenzhen |
champions league <tsp> ( cnn ) -- carlo ancelotti paid the ultimate price for failing to deliver trophies at chelsea last season , being sacked by the english club 's billionaire owner roman abramovich just hours after a defeat on the final day . the italian is determined to avoid a similar fate at paris saint-germain by guiding the big-spending french club back into the european champions league -- a competition where success proves ever elusive for abramovich -- for the first time since 2004 . ancelotti replaced the sacked antoine kombouare at the parc des princes in december , with psg sitting top of france 's ligue 1 . his appointment has been just one of many changes aimed at boosting the club 's profile since the qatar investment authority became psg 's majority shareholder in may 2011 . the 52-year-old inherited an expensively-assembled squad including argentina playmaker javier pastore , who signed from italy 's palermo for a french record transfer fee . the aim is to play the champions league next year , ' ancelotti , who won european club football 's biggest prize as a player and coach with ac milan , told cnn . i found the club at the top of the league and so i have to try to do the best to keep the club at the top of the league until the end of the season . but the aim is to play in the champions league . ' ancelotti fell out of favor at stamford bridge after failing to follow up the glory of his first season in charge , when he oversaw chelsea 's first premier league and fa cup double . after leading the blues to second place in the league , he was axed in favor of one of football 's rising stars -- former porto coach andre villas-boas . the 34-year-old is now himself in danger of losing his job , having overseen chelsea 's worst run of results since abramovich took charge in 2004 , and is reportedly facing a player revolt over his team selections . the blues are outside the qualification spots for next year 's champions league , and their hopes in this season 's competition hang by a thread after losing 3-1 in the first leg of the last-16 tie away to napoli on tuesday . villas-boas was heavily criticized for starting with experienced england duo of frank lampard and ashley cole and ghana 's michael essien on the subs'bench in naples -- players who were key figures during ancelotti 's time at chelsea . i think the problem at chelsea was that they tried to change something , to have a team younger , to give less matches to the most important players frank lampard , ashley cole , john terry , ' ancelotti said . but i think that this change needed time because it is very difficult to substitute players like lampard , cole and terry because they are the players in chelsea . ' ancelotti 's coaching staff at psg includes former chelsea midfielder claude makele , who won two premier league titles in london under coach jose mourinho before moving to the french capital in 2008 . it makes me sad when i see chelsea like this , ' the 39-year-old said . in a team , you ca n't change five or six players . it 's too much . now chelsea lose a lot with a lot of experienced players on the bench . this is not fair . ' fifth-placed chelsea will seek to end a run of five games without a win in all competitions in the league match against wigan on saturday , while ligue 1 leaders psg travel to sixth-placed lyon with a one-point advantage over montpellier . | carlo ancelotti says he has to deliver champions league football at psg |
gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- nearly four years into his speakership , john boehner is stronger than ever . boehner will be elected to his third term as speaker on thursday , a few days before his 66th birthday . he 's already facing post-election grumbling from conservatives , but his position is remarkably secure for a speaker whose tenure has been marked by the drama of the debt ceiling standoff , the government shutdown and the battles within the gop . the ohio republican will soon preside over the largest house gop majority since world war ii and have a new partner in the senate when mitch mcconnell , r-kentucky , becomes majority leader . boehner will still confront plenty of challenges as he shifts from being the face of the opposition party in congress to a leader aiming to prove republicans can govern ahead of the 2016 presidential election . conservatives say they are worried that boehner and mcconnell may put too much emphasis on proving they can make a dysfunctional congress work without focusing enough on laying out an agenda that sets up a clear contrast with democrats . kansas gop rep. tim huelskamp , a frequent boehner critic from the right , told cnn that the midterm elections were a mandate for change and change was n't compromise with the president . ' he said what won the election in 2014 was bold conservative principles and solutions . ' social conservatives huelskamp said he agrees with boehner 's pledge to again pass a series of gop economic measures next year that the democratic-led senate ignored . but he insisted that the gop base also wants to see a republican congress take measures backed by social conservatives , and he cited traditional marriage and pro-life bills . ' boehner and mcconnell , meanwhile , have largely stayed away from talking about social issues . if they define success as passing bills that the president signs , that is setting themselves up for failure over the next year , ' said dan holler , spokesman for heritage action , a conservative group that has clashed with boehner in the past . holler said the list of economic items that the two republican leaders listed in their op-ed published in the wall street journal last week was on target , but viewed by conservatives as just a good start . ' the expanded gop majority will give the speaker a bit of a cushion so he can push back against the band of house conservatives who thwarted his legislative strategy and pushed the house to shut down the government last fall . over the last four years , the speaker has reminded his own members who wanted bolder action that he faced limits on what he could do because he only controlled one half of one third of the government . ' most of us were tired of hearing'this is all harry reid will agree to'- that 's so 2014 , ' huelskamp said , referring to the current senate majority leader . opposing boehner other boehner critics already plan to vote against him serving another term . a small group of gop candidates who were elected last tuesday night campaigned on the pledge they would oppose boehner remaining speaker . but the movement is n't big enough or sufficiently organized to cause any serious trouble . there is an effort , backed by boehner allies , to get those who oppose him to do so behind closed doors on thursday . this would avoid the embarrassment he endured in 2013 when live c-span cameras showed a dozen house republicans voting for someone else or skipping the vote on the house floor when boehner began his second term . huelskamp is one of those who publicly opposed boehner two years ago . boehner stripped him of his seat on the budget committee after a series of splits with gop leaders in 2012 . huelskamp told cnn the speaker and i have our disagreements ' but that he planned to vote for him this time . he said he spoke with the speaker recently , but declined to describe the private discussion . ' the problem for those in the anti-boehner crowd is they do n't have an alternative candidate . texas republican rep. jeb hensarling , who is popular among many conservatives and considered a leadership bid , decided he wanted to remain in his current post as the chairman of the powerful house financial services committee . it is true that some of the new house republicans are just as conservative -- if not more so -- than the members they replaced . but several house republicans and leadership aides all say that numerically it 's a wash ' in terms of how big of a group of rabble rousers boehner can expect to deal with in the next congress . many of those in the right wing of the gop conference who split with boehner were fueled by support and encouragement from outside groups . but these groups lost a lot of their clout and credibility after the spending confrontation they demanded led to the shutdown , which boehner warned would damage the gop 's message after the surprise defeat of boehner 's former number two - eric cantor - who many viewed as his only possible successor , boehner has worked to solidify his power . boehner spent most of the summer and fall months traversing the country campaigning for republican candidates and collecting political chits . he visited 175 cities and remained the top house gop fundraiser - - bringing in a whopping $ 102 million for gop candidates from his various political committees .'strong position to persuade' boehner is in a strong position to persuade , ' oklahoma gop rep. tom cole told cnn . as a 24 year veteran of the house who once served as the chair of the house education committee , boehner is an institutionalist . he and mcconnell are both masters of the behind the scenes legislative maneuvering that is little noticed by the public , but can lead to important deals . it 's still unclear how willing boehner will be to give any major concessions and work with the president and democrats to pass items like new infrastructure programs and new trade authority . there 's a sense that corralling what can sometimes be a rambunctious house gop conference is a job that no one else besides boehner is prepared to take on at this point -- or even wants . when republicans gather this week , boehner is likely to walk a fine line between telling his members what they want to hear about pushing conservative legislation next year , while starting to set some expectations . those who have split with the speaker say their disagreements have never been personal , and he 's earned genuine respect . many enjoy it when he leads the infamous boehner birthday song , ' a fun , very short ditty members use to mark birthdays and now share on twitter . who else has a birthday song that everyone sings ? he 's clearly endeared and ingrained himself in a way that 's quite unprecedented , ' cole told cnn . | house gop will elect boehner speaker on thursday |
lashkar-e-tayyiba <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistani authorities have arrested two top leaders of the islamic militant group india blames for the november massacre in mumbai , pakistan 's prime minister confirmed wednesday . prime minister yousuf raza gilani said pakistani security forces had rounded up a number of militant figures . the top military officer in the u.s. on wednesday said he is encouraged ' by pakistan 's recent arrests of significant players ' in the mumbai attacks . u.s. joint chiefs chairman adm. mike mullen said the arrests amount to first steps ' toward determining who plotted the three day siege last month that killed 160 people in mumbai , india 's financial capital . there are more steps to follow , ' he noted . he also thanked india for showing restraint against pakistan , which it has accused of harboring the terrorist groups behind the november massacre . zarar shah , a top operational commander of lashkar-e-tayyiba , and zakir rehman lakhvi , whose arrest had been reported tuesday , were among the militant figures rounded up in recent days , prime minister yousuf raza gilani told reporters . gilani would not confirm the detention of masood azhar , the leader of another militant group , jaish-e-muhammad . but he said his government has launched its own investigation into india 's allegations that the gunmen who killed more than 160 people in mumbai had links to pakistan . the acknowledgment came three days after pakistani security forces raided an let camp near muzaffarabad , the capital of pakistani-controlled kashmir , in the first sign of government action against lashkar-e-tayyiba since the three-day siege of india 's financial capital . both let and jaish-e-muhammad were formed to battle indian rule in the divided himalayan territory of kashmir , and both were banned after a 2001 attack on the indian parliament that brought the south asian nuclear rivals to the brink of war . the united states has listed let as a terrorist group with ties to osama bin laden 's al qaeda network . according to the u.s. government , lakhvi , 47 , has directed let 's military operations in southeast asia , chechnya , bosnia and iraq . pakistan 's defense minister choudhry mukhtar ahmed told cnn 's sister network in india , cnn-ibn , that lakhvi and azhar had been arrested on monday . azhar has been in pakistan since 1999 , when he was released from an indian prison in exchange for hostages aboard a hijacked indian airliner . indian authorities say the sole surviving gunman in the mumbai attacks told investigators that he was trained at an let camp near muzaffarabad , along with the nine other attackers who were killed in the three-day siege . a pakistani security official said the terror raids on banned militant groups are ongoing and have resulted in at least 15 arrests . | zarar shah , top commander of lashkar-e-tayyiba , among those held |
michelin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- san sebastian has what you could call food form . three restaurants in the town of 200,000 on spain 's northeastern atlantic coast hold the gastronomic holy grail of three michelin stars -- only kyoto has more michelin-starred eateries per square meter . it 's already pretty obvious why global gourmets frequently place it atop their must-eat list . and then you add the pintxos . pintxos , or spikes in the basque language that 's proudly heard throughout the region , are tapas taken to a whole new level . no sweaty chorizo or clammy calamari on cocktail sticks here . san sebastian 's pintxos bars are culinary tours de force in their own right , delivering dishes that would n't look out of place in their michelin-starred neighbors . the only challenge facing visitors to this gastronomic wonderland is not what , but where , to eat . i took the route of long , slow restaurant lunches , followed by late night hopping between the pintxos bars . foie gras ice cream my food quest kicked off with lunch at the venerable institution , arzak . it 's here that 71-year-old juan-mari arzak has held a michelin star for 40 years and three stars for a quarter of a century . twenty-five years at the absolute pinnacle of any profession is remarkable , but in the uber-competitive world of fine dining , it 's unprecedented . arzak the restaurant is the story of the arzak family . juan-mari 's grandparents built the property as a wine cellar and tavern in 1897 , while he started working there in 1966 . the unassuming exterior on a suburban street leads into a modernist dining room where the same menu is served at lunch and in the evening . calling it a meal , however , does n't really do it justice . it 's a culinary joyride of beauty , complexity and even wit . foie gras is served as an ice cream , featuring caramelized onions and green tea , in an inverted yucca cone dusted with shellfish powder . fine dining laboratory a deceptively simple but sublime dish features cubes of potato , egg yolk and white truffle . for an overload of smells , tastes , sights and sounds , grilled lobster with charcoal-roasted zucchini is served on a translucent plate above an ipad playing a video of waves crashing in to shore . seriously . arzak 's post-dessert petits fours feature a candy shop and workshop mash-up called ferreteria arzak , or arzak ironmongers , with silver sugar keys , cola bottle tops , chocolate nuts and screws . as would be expected from one of the world 's top restaurants , the wine cellar features terrifyingly rare and expensive vintages . a back-of-house look reveals a laboratory where new dishes are created and a room featuring 1,500 different spices . world 's most popular tortillas ? the arzak family have defined and owned michelin-starred cuisine in san sebastian and cemented the town 's reputation . today that reputation is as much focused on pintxos bars as michelin stars and , having gradually recovered from an epic lunch , it 's time to consider evening options . while it 's possible to be led by your eyes into one of scores of pintxos bars , a small group tour is an excellent introduction and allows you to get to know some of the very best dishes and venues . englishman jon warren ditched a career in finance to follow his passion , setting up san sebastian food to offer tours of the bars , local producers and vineyards that give the basque region such an enviable reputation . he explains that the pintxos bars are the cool , young siblings to the michelin stars and offer ultimate flexibility ; informal dining , bite-sized portions , low prices and the chance to switch at the turn of a heel from traditional to modern cuisine . ' an evening tour led by a donostiarra ( a san sebastian local ) takes visitors from one to the next for small bites and pours of local ciders and wines , especially txakoli , a slightly sparkling young white wine . countless bars , some traditional , others more cutting edge in cuisine and atmosphere , try to outdo one another with heaving displays or specialties . bar nestor serves a famous tortilla , but only in limited numbers , at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. precisely . turn up 15 minutes late and prepare to leave disappointed . legendary anchovies the rare delicacy of percebes or goose barnacles at goiz barci are less punctual , but worth spending time on . the boquerones ( fresh anchovies ) at txepetxa are legendary . warren nails pintxos culture when he says it 's all about the social context . lining the streets of the old town , everyone is there to have fun , between the barmen , the locals and visitors , creating a lively camaraderie filled with wine , food and chattering . ' as if the culinary gods had n't blessed san sebastian enough with michelin stars and pintxos bars , there are also scores of artisanal producers dotted throughout the historic town . the central food market is a treasure trove of local produce , in particular the rightly famous jamon iberico de bellota ( ham from acorn-fed pigs ) . in those brief pauses between eating some of the world 's greatest food , it 's worth taking a walk on the beautiful beaches or promenade , drinking in the sea air and stunning vistas and dreaming of being a donostiarra . arzak , avda . alcalde elã³segui , 273 , donostia , san sebastian , spain ; +34 943 278 465 san sebastian food , hotel maria cristina , republica argentina kalea , 4 ; +34 943 42 11 43 | arzak is run by 71-year-old juan mari arzak , who has had a michelin star for 40 years , and his daughter |
singapore <tsp> singapore ( cnn ) -- singapore breathed a sigh of relief sunday as changing wind patterns created a pocket of clearer skies from a haze of choking fumes . pollution levels measured by the singaporean government dipped sharply after all-time record levels hit friday . the fumes were blamed on plantation fires in neighboring indonesia . small pockets of people ventured back out to the streets in neighborhoods such as ang mo kio , but many donned filter masks to help with the foul-smelling haze . masks quickly sold out at stores when the pollution hit last week . but by sunday , officials handed out emergency supplies of free masks at community centers . although haze levels have receded , officials warned that the smoke could make a strong comeback in the coming days , and may linger for months . that could have serious health implications , said philip eng , a professor of respiratory medicine at mt . elizabeth medical centre . in my patients , i have seen an increase ( in consultations ) by about 30 % or so , ' he said , particularly among older people with chronic conditions . but we are still in early days , ' he said . if this thing drags on for a month , i wo n't be surprised if more people get hospitalized . ' many usually crowded cafes along the waterfront sat empty saturday , with too few customers to stay open . but a scattering of tourists braved the haze to take photos at the city 's iconic merlion fountain . the smell of the burning peat and wood was distinct . we 're used to fog , but this was a real'pea souper', ' briton expatriate tom fairburn said . it smells like a pile of burning tires next to a bonfire , not pleasant . ' it 's hard to predict the final economic impact of the haze on singapore 's economy . one asia-pacific brokerage firm put the potential toll in the hundreds of millions . clsa said that the economy had taken a $ 300 million-hit in lost tourist income , closed offices and construction downtime in 1997 -- the previous all-time high in pollution . the current situation could be far more costly , it said . transport officials warned ships to be extra vigilant in the teeming straits between singapore and sumatra because the haze made it difficult to see other boats . it is easy to see the neighboring island from the beaches in singapore . but the view was not as clear in the past few days , with ships peeking in and out of the thick haze saturday . local shop owners felt the crunch . in one beach side shop , the owner looked forlornly into the horizon as bikes that would normally be rented out stood in stacks . | pollution levels dip sharply in singapore |
south african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- want to go out on a limb for your next vacation -- literally ? once the sole province of young boys and ewoks , tree houses offer adventurous travelers ( read : unafraid of heights ) a unique travel experience in an age of roadside motel chains and globe-stretching hotel corporations . building a hotel in the treetops is hardly a new idea : brazil 's ariau amazon towers hotel has been inviting guests to explore the jungle canopy from its rooms since the mid-1980s . but the concept has blossomed ; today you 'll find them everywhere from massachusetts to china . better yet , this new breed is more than just planks of wood nailed to an old oak . head to south africa 's tsala treetop lodge , in plettenberg bay , and you 'll find infinity pools and fireplaces . modern tree houses present a rare opportunity to drive past the mcresort and break free of travel 's predicable stops and well-traveled routes . up in the leaves , you 'll find something unique and exceptional -- surely the reward of any good journey . 20 of the world 's most outstanding places tree house lodge , limã³n , costa rica why it 's unique : the highlight of this 10-acre beachfront property , within the gandoca-manzanillo wildlife refuge on costa rica 's southern caribbean coast , is a sustainably built tree-house made from fallen trees , with solar heating , two bedrooms , a kitchen , and a shower built around the crooks and roots of a massive 100-year-old sangrillo tree . access : hanging steel bridge . what to do : snorkel or kayak off the nearby punta uva beach . travel + leisure : world 's coolest futuristic buildings treehotel , harads , sweden why it 's unique : leading swedish architects gave the backyard staple a strange futuristic makeover at the treehotel outside harads village ( population : 600 ) . perched four to six meters above the ground , each of five treetop suites has its own look , whether resembling a bird 's nest , a flying saucer or a construction of lego blocks . the most ingenious suite has a mirrored exterior , reflecting the forest on all six sides . access : ramp , bridge , or ( if you 're lucky ) electric stairs . what to do : pursue the northern lights by dog-sled ride or snowshoe hike through the lule river valley in winter , or go fishing and kayaking in summer . travel + leisure : world 's most unusual hotels playa viva , juluchuca , mexico why it 's unique : the eco-friendly playa viva north of acapulco on mexico 's pacific coast features three tree-house casitas completely built with sustainable materials . each has a bedroom and full porch for dining and lounging , and the master development plan calls for a beach club , lounge and a 40-room boutique hotel , plus solar-generated electricity and hot water . access : series of stairs , ramps , and bridges . what to do : tour the resort 's 200 acres , 80 percent of which is a private nature preserve . the aviary , lenox , massachusetts why it 's unique : located on 22 acres of parkland designed by frederick law olmsted , the two-story aviary tree-house is housed in a former aviary at wheatleigh , a sprawling 1893 summer cottage ' in the berkshire mountains . the luxury suite features a limestone wet room with an antique soaking tub , circular stairs leading to the second-floor sleeping quarters in the trees and a bang & olufsen entertainment system . access : ground-floor entrance . what to do : sample the season 's bounty in wheatleigh 's elegant dining room restaurant , or poke around the historic area 's local galleries , antique shops , and museums . travel + leisure : world 's coolest ferris wheels hinchinbrook island resort , hinchinbrook island , australia why it 's unique : hinchinbrook , a 96-acre national park with lush rainforests , rugged mountains , and coarse sandy beaches , has just one option for accommodations : the island resort , a secluded hideaway with 15 roomy tree-house bungalows , each with floor-to-ceiling glass windows , small kitchen , private balcony and bath , and easy beachfront access . access : winding timber boardwalks . what to do : stroll one of the island 's 11 secluded beaches , and in the evening relax at the island resort 's bar . world 's best airport hotels tsala treetop lodge , plettenberg bay , south africa why it 's unique : overlooking the tsitsikamma forest , this high-design stone-and-glass lodge counts 10 secluded tree-house suites , each with floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows , a log fireplace in the living room , a private deck , and an infinity-edge pool . access : wooden walkways . what to do : explore south africa 's garden route , which winds along the botanically rich western cape , or relax on the beach at nearby plettenberg bay . chewton glen , hampshire , uk why it 's unique : six private tree houses , with two stately suites in each , are on the 130-acre grounds of chewton glen in the hampshire countryside near new forest national park . floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic canopy views , as does a spacious outdoor terrace , with a hot tub and daybeds , 35 feet above ground . heated timber and marble floors encourage bare feet . access : gangplanks lead the way to these floating suites . what to do : after breakfast ( a chef-prepared hamper delivered to your tree house ) explore the english countryside via walking trails , horseback , or kayak . check out more of the world 's coolest tree-house hotels here . planning a getaway ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to the world 's best hotels copyright 2012 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved . | a south african tree house hotel overlooks the tsitsikamma forest |
tsitsikamma forest <tsp> ( cnn ) -- want to go out on a limb for your next vacation -- literally ? once the sole province of young boys and ewoks , tree houses offer adventurous travelers ( read : unafraid of heights ) a unique travel experience in an age of roadside motel chains and globe-stretching hotel corporations . building a hotel in the treetops is hardly a new idea : brazil 's ariau amazon towers hotel has been inviting guests to explore the jungle canopy from its rooms since the mid-1980s . but the concept has blossomed ; today you 'll find them everywhere from massachusetts to china . better yet , this new breed is more than just planks of wood nailed to an old oak . head to south africa 's tsala treetop lodge , in plettenberg bay , and you 'll find infinity pools and fireplaces . modern tree houses present a rare opportunity to drive past the mcresort and break free of travel 's predicable stops and well-traveled routes . up in the leaves , you 'll find something unique and exceptional -- surely the reward of any good journey . 20 of the world 's most outstanding places tree house lodge , limã³n , costa rica why it 's unique : the highlight of this 10-acre beachfront property , within the gandoca-manzanillo wildlife refuge on costa rica 's southern caribbean coast , is a sustainably built tree-house made from fallen trees , with solar heating , two bedrooms , a kitchen , and a shower built around the crooks and roots of a massive 100-year-old sangrillo tree . access : hanging steel bridge . what to do : snorkel or kayak off the nearby punta uva beach . travel + leisure : world 's coolest futuristic buildings treehotel , harads , sweden why it 's unique : leading swedish architects gave the backyard staple a strange futuristic makeover at the treehotel outside harads village ( population : 600 ) . perched four to six meters above the ground , each of five treetop suites has its own look , whether resembling a bird 's nest , a flying saucer or a construction of lego blocks . the most ingenious suite has a mirrored exterior , reflecting the forest on all six sides . access : ramp , bridge , or ( if you 're lucky ) electric stairs . what to do : pursue the northern lights by dog-sled ride or snowshoe hike through the lule river valley in winter , or go fishing and kayaking in summer . travel + leisure : world 's most unusual hotels playa viva , juluchuca , mexico why it 's unique : the eco-friendly playa viva north of acapulco on mexico 's pacific coast features three tree-house casitas completely built with sustainable materials . each has a bedroom and full porch for dining and lounging , and the master development plan calls for a beach club , lounge and a 40-room boutique hotel , plus solar-generated electricity and hot water . access : series of stairs , ramps , and bridges . what to do : tour the resort 's 200 acres , 80 percent of which is a private nature preserve . the aviary , lenox , massachusetts why it 's unique : located on 22 acres of parkland designed by frederick law olmsted , the two-story aviary tree-house is housed in a former aviary at wheatleigh , a sprawling 1893 summer cottage ' in the berkshire mountains . the luxury suite features a limestone wet room with an antique soaking tub , circular stairs leading to the second-floor sleeping quarters in the trees and a bang & olufsen entertainment system . access : ground-floor entrance . what to do : sample the season 's bounty in wheatleigh 's elegant dining room restaurant , or poke around the historic area 's local galleries , antique shops , and museums . travel + leisure : world 's coolest ferris wheels hinchinbrook island resort , hinchinbrook island , australia why it 's unique : hinchinbrook , a 96-acre national park with lush rainforests , rugged mountains , and coarse sandy beaches , has just one option for accommodations : the island resort , a secluded hideaway with 15 roomy tree-house bungalows , each with floor-to-ceiling glass windows , small kitchen , private balcony and bath , and easy beachfront access . access : winding timber boardwalks . what to do : stroll one of the island 's 11 secluded beaches , and in the evening relax at the island resort 's bar . world 's best airport hotels tsala treetop lodge , plettenberg bay , south africa why it 's unique : overlooking the tsitsikamma forest , this high-design stone-and-glass lodge counts 10 secluded tree-house suites , each with floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows , a log fireplace in the living room , a private deck , and an infinity-edge pool . access : wooden walkways . what to do : explore south africa 's garden route , which winds along the botanically rich western cape , or relax on the beach at nearby plettenberg bay . chewton glen , hampshire , uk why it 's unique : six private tree houses , with two stately suites in each , are on the 130-acre grounds of chewton glen in the hampshire countryside near new forest national park . floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic canopy views , as does a spacious outdoor terrace , with a hot tub and daybeds , 35 feet above ground . heated timber and marble floors encourage bare feet . access : gangplanks lead the way to these floating suites . what to do : after breakfast ( a chef-prepared hamper delivered to your tree house ) explore the english countryside via walking trails , horseback , or kayak . check out more of the world 's coolest tree-house hotels here . planning a getaway ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to the world 's best hotels copyright 2012 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved . | a south african tree house hotel overlooks the tsitsikamma forest |
frederick law olmsted <tsp> ( cnn ) -- want to go out on a limb for your next vacation -- literally ? once the sole province of young boys and ewoks , tree houses offer adventurous travelers ( read : unafraid of heights ) a unique travel experience in an age of roadside motel chains and globe-stretching hotel corporations . building a hotel in the treetops is hardly a new idea : brazil 's ariau amazon towers hotel has been inviting guests to explore the jungle canopy from its rooms since the mid-1980s . but the concept has blossomed ; today you 'll find them everywhere from massachusetts to china . better yet , this new breed is more than just planks of wood nailed to an old oak . head to south africa 's tsala treetop lodge , in plettenberg bay , and you 'll find infinity pools and fireplaces . modern tree houses present a rare opportunity to drive past the mcresort and break free of travel 's predicable stops and well-traveled routes . up in the leaves , you 'll find something unique and exceptional -- surely the reward of any good journey . 20 of the world 's most outstanding places tree house lodge , limã³n , costa rica why it 's unique : the highlight of this 10-acre beachfront property , within the gandoca-manzanillo wildlife refuge on costa rica 's southern caribbean coast , is a sustainably built tree-house made from fallen trees , with solar heating , two bedrooms , a kitchen , and a shower built around the crooks and roots of a massive 100-year-old sangrillo tree . access : hanging steel bridge . what to do : snorkel or kayak off the nearby punta uva beach . travel + leisure : world 's coolest futuristic buildings treehotel , harads , sweden why it 's unique : leading swedish architects gave the backyard staple a strange futuristic makeover at the treehotel outside harads village ( population : 600 ) . perched four to six meters above the ground , each of five treetop suites has its own look , whether resembling a bird 's nest , a flying saucer or a construction of lego blocks . the most ingenious suite has a mirrored exterior , reflecting the forest on all six sides . access : ramp , bridge , or ( if you 're lucky ) electric stairs . what to do : pursue the northern lights by dog-sled ride or snowshoe hike through the lule river valley in winter , or go fishing and kayaking in summer . travel + leisure : world 's most unusual hotels playa viva , juluchuca , mexico why it 's unique : the eco-friendly playa viva north of acapulco on mexico 's pacific coast features three tree-house casitas completely built with sustainable materials . each has a bedroom and full porch for dining and lounging , and the master development plan calls for a beach club , lounge and a 40-room boutique hotel , plus solar-generated electricity and hot water . access : series of stairs , ramps , and bridges . what to do : tour the resort 's 200 acres , 80 percent of which is a private nature preserve . the aviary , lenox , massachusetts why it 's unique : located on 22 acres of parkland designed by frederick law olmsted , the two-story aviary tree-house is housed in a former aviary at wheatleigh , a sprawling 1893 summer cottage ' in the berkshire mountains . the luxury suite features a limestone wet room with an antique soaking tub , circular stairs leading to the second-floor sleeping quarters in the trees and a bang & olufsen entertainment system . access : ground-floor entrance . what to do : sample the season 's bounty in wheatleigh 's elegant dining room restaurant , or poke around the historic area 's local galleries , antique shops , and museums . travel + leisure : world 's coolest ferris wheels hinchinbrook island resort , hinchinbrook island , australia why it 's unique : hinchinbrook , a 96-acre national park with lush rainforests , rugged mountains , and coarse sandy beaches , has just one option for accommodations : the island resort , a secluded hideaway with 15 roomy tree-house bungalows , each with floor-to-ceiling glass windows , small kitchen , private balcony and bath , and easy beachfront access . access : winding timber boardwalks . what to do : stroll one of the island 's 11 secluded beaches , and in the evening relax at the island resort 's bar . world 's best airport hotels tsala treetop lodge , plettenberg bay , south africa why it 's unique : overlooking the tsitsikamma forest , this high-design stone-and-glass lodge counts 10 secluded tree-house suites , each with floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows , a log fireplace in the living room , a private deck , and an infinity-edge pool . access : wooden walkways . what to do : explore south africa 's garden route , which winds along the botanically rich western cape , or relax on the beach at nearby plettenberg bay . chewton glen , hampshire , uk why it 's unique : six private tree houses , with two stately suites in each , are on the 130-acre grounds of chewton glen in the hampshire countryside near new forest national park . floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic canopy views , as does a spacious outdoor terrace , with a hot tub and daybeds , 35 feet above ground . heated timber and marble floors encourage bare feet . access : gangplanks lead the way to these floating suites . what to do : after breakfast ( a chef-prepared hamper delivered to your tree house ) explore the english countryside via walking trails , horseback , or kayak . check out more of the world 's coolest tree-house hotels here . planning a getaway ? do n't miss travel + leisure 's guide to the world 's best hotels copyright 2012 american express publishing corporation . all rights reserved . | the aviary is located on massachusetts parkland designed by frederick law olmsted |
republicans <tsp> washington ( cnn ) it 's the new gop civil war . republican presidential hopefuls -- all too aware of the party 's disconnect with the middle class -- are in a fierce competition among each other to prove they 're the candidate who can give voice to the struggles of americans left behind by the uneven economic recovery . the potential 2016 candidates are working to prove that democrats are n't the only ones sensitive to the nation 's growing economic inequality . the gop is also trying to move past serious stumbles -- such as mitt romney 's infamous 47 % comment -- that created an impression among some middle class voters that the party is out of touch . the effort was on full display wednesday when jeb bush went to detroit , one of america 's most economically distressed cities , to bemoan the challenges faced by the middle class . the recovery has been everywhere but in the family paychecks , ' bush said . the opportunity gap is the defining issue of our time . ' bush has plenty of competition from fellow republicans seizing on the economy as they eye the white house . marco rubio has devoted a book to the issue . ted cruz recently sounded more like a democratic populist than a gop firebrand when he lamented the share of income earned by the top 1 % . scott walker often stresses his humble origins while rand paul boasts of shopping at walmart . of course , there are plenty of political upsides to the gop refining its economic messaging . the appeal to the middle class could blunt similar democratic talking points and create a contrast to criticisms of hillary clinton 's more refined lifestyle . david winston , the pollster who helped coin the where are the jobs ' mantra for house republicans in 2010 , says the gop message in 2016 should be just as simple : where is the middle class ? ' but the strategy could be tough to pull off when headline economic numbers are improving . the unemployment rate is 5.6 % -- a level not seen since the precrisis summer of 2008 -- and consumer confidence has bounced back . the economy finally feels to be in what we call a self sustaining economic expansion , ' said stuart hoffman , chief economist at pnc . we 've reached this inflection point . ' that will force the gop to articulate a more nuanced critique of the economy during the obama years . there is plenty of data to help them . median net worth of upper-income families was around $ 640,000 in 2013 , close to seven times the $ 96,500 figure for middle-income families . this was the highest gap in 30 years , according to the pew research center 's analysis of federal reserve data released in december . potential republican candidates are honing in on prevailing weak spots in the economy , including stubbornly low wages that are not catching up with the rising cost of living and weak labor force participation . they say it 's too soon for obama and democrats to trumpet the recovery . we are creating a lot more jobs now , but we 're not generating any income ; we 're not attracting people back into the labor force , ' said douglas holtz-eakin , president of the american action forum and economic adviser to john mccain in 2008 . that 's short of complete victory . ' still , the gop focus on the economy could backfire if the party looks like it 's nitpicking in a search of problems or overlooking legitimate improvements . joseph lavorgna , chief u.s. economist at deutsche bank , predicted that the unemployment rate would be below 5 % by the end of this year and approach 4 % in 2016 . that would significantly undercut a key gop talking point that obama has n't created jobs . i 'm not sure how powerful those arguments will be , ' lavorgna said . it 's much easier to make those arguments when the unemployment 's up at 8 % as it was for much of 2012 . that 's what democrats are banking on . it takes away a lot of the talking points of the republicans -- that the sky is falling ... economically , ' said bill daley , obama 's former chief of staff . and ( democrats ) are not on the defensive as much as they would have been a year , a year-and-a-half , two years ago . ' gop candidates will have to prove they are doing more than stealing democratic messaging . and then there is the long term . despite intense debate , neither party has come up with answers to generational economic questions , which go far deeper than the 2008 recession . the united states , like many other developed nations , is locked in a period of structural economic change . millions of manufacturing and clerical jobs have been outsourced . technology has made some trades obsolete . and jobs that are being created often pay less and carry fewer benefits than those of the past . but republicans see an opportunity . there are signs of trouble for democrats among blue collar workers that the gop could jump on to improve its hopes of winning swing states . in 2008 , for example , 58 % of white , noncollege graduates voted republican and 40 % went democratic . in november 's midterm elections , 64 % of the same demographic voted gop and 34 % chose democrats . improving its standing among those who are slightly better off could also help the gop in battlegrounds such as virginia , florida and colorado . and some republicans believe a more inclusive economic argument could help repair ties with the hispanic community . progressive commentators say they are glad republicans are talking about income inequality but doubt their sincerity . david madland of the center for american progress said the gop might not be denigrating those struggling in today 's economy , but their policies still are a case of slapping lipstick on a pig . ' there is a radical shift , ' he said . to acknowledge a problem is a huge first step . ( but ) the real opportunity lies with the public in making demands that will force the politicians to listen . ' other analysts argue that while republicans are talking about helping the middle class , they are blocking attempts by the president to pass laws that would do just that -- for instance , on raising the minimum wage , creating jobs through infrastructure investment and hiking taxes on the rich to pay for middle class tax breaks . one thing that you have to watch for is people just tacking the words poverty and inequality onto a pre-existing agenda that has very little to do with addressing those problems , ' said jared bernstein , a former top chief economics adviser to vice president joe biden . for the most part , i hear lots of the same trickle-down economics that helped to get us into this mess in the first place . ' | republicans knew after 2012 they had a problem with the middle class |
condoleezza rice <tsp> ( cnn ) -- diplomats edged closer to finding a way to end the fighting in gaza on friday as the united states and israel signed an agreement designed to stop arms smuggling into the palestinian territory . israeli foreign minister tzipi livni says european nations and nato will be helping with anti-smuggling efforts . u.s. secretary of state condoleezza rice and israeli foreign minister tzipi livni signed a memorandum of understanding that calls for an international effort to stem the flow of weaponry and explosives . the agreement outlines a plan to share information and provide technical assistance to stop the smuggling of arms to the militants . the meeting in washington was one of several diplomatic moves afoot to end the fighting between israel and hamas in gaza . the diplomatic moves came as israel 's offensive against hamas militants continued , with israeli airstrikes pounding the northern and southern sections of gaza . watch more on the latest fighting in gaza » u.s. and israeli diplomats said the agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from iran from entering gaza , maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry , and the sharing of u.s. and european technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels . rice said the steps spelled out in the memorandum will stem the flow of weapons and explosives into gaza . ' the united states is reaching out to its partners as well . together , the steps that we and other members of the international community can take will contribute to a durable cease-fire , ' said rice , noting that there must be an international consensus that gaza never be used as a launching pad against israeli cities . ' livni said that ending the fighting in gaza wo n't be achieved by agreements with terror , but with effective arrangements against it ' -- a unified effort by the international community . she said a durable ' end to hostilities requires a stop to weapons smuggling into gaza . we have agreed on a series of actions with regional and international players in order to complement egyptian actions and end the flow of weapons to gaza , ' livni said . she said european nations and nato would be helping with the anti-smuggling efforts . the bush administration has been consulting with the barack obama team about the memorandum of understanding and efforts to forge a cease-fire . rice has spoken with president-elect obama , incoming secretary of state hillary clinton and incoming national security adviser james jones . israel on thursday dispatched senior defense ministry official amos gilad to cairo to discuss a cease-fire proposal , and gilad was continuing talks in cairo . a hamas delegation is also in the egyptian capital , talking with leaders there who are trying to hammer out a temporary truce . egypt has hosted peace talks with leaders from israel and the palestinian authority , and has acted as an intermediary between hamas and israel . arab and regional diplomats and leaders also have been meeting to deal with the crisis , but there is no unified arab stand . the state of qatar held an emergency summit friday in an attempt to find a unified arab voice on gaza . the meeting brought together some regional leaders , including the presidents of iran and syria and the leader of hamas , khaled meshaal . egypt , saudi arabia , kuwait and the palestinian authority were not in attendance . they plan to attend the regular annual arab league summit scheduled for next week in kuwait devoted to gaza . arab league foreign ministers were meeting in kuwait city on friday and were planning the groundwork for next week 's meeting . six members of the gulf cooperation council -- saudi arabia , bahrain , kuwait , oman , qatar and the united arab emirates -- focused on gaza at their emergency summit thursday in riyadh . also , u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon continued his trip through the region as part of the diplomatic effort to secure a truce . he has called for an immediate cease-fire between hamas and israel and said he is encouraged that the egyptian government is trying to broker a truce . he met with israeli officials thursday and condemned an israeli strike that damaged the u.n . relief and works agency 's compound in gaza city , sparked a massive fire and injured three people . once the fighting stops , the two sides can discuss how to make this cease-fire durable and sustainable , ' he said . cnn 's elise labott and caroline faraj contributed to this report | israeli foreign minister tzipi livni , u.s. secretary of state condoleezza rice meet |
kentucky <tsp> ( cnn ) when 65 cases of 20-year-old pappy van winkle -- one of the rarest and most expensive bourbons in the world -- were reported missing from a kentucky distillery in october 2013 , it was the crime heard round the whiskey-drinking world . franklin county sheriff pat melton , the man leading the investigation into the estimated $ 26,000 in missing pappy , said at the time that the high-end heist was indicative of an inside job . ' but ever since , the trail went largely cold . until now . on tuesday , a franklin county grand jury indicted nine members of a criminal syndicate that collaborated to promote or engage in the theft ... and illegal trafficking ' of liquor from two different kentucky distilleries : frankfort 's buffalo trace -- makers of pappy -- and the nearby wild turkey distillery , makers of the eponymous bourbon , according to the indictment . just like making good bourbon -- a specific type of whiskey synonymous with the bluegrass state -- melton 's case required time to develop and old-fashioned kentucky ingenuity . the sheriff 's hunch was reflected in the indictment : of the nine named , two worked at buffalo trace and one worked at wild turkey . the alleged ringleader , according to assistant commonwealth attorney zach becker , is gilbert toby ' curtsinger , a 45-year-old loading dock worker at the buffalo trace distillery . curtsinger and his wife , julie , each face eight charges for allegedly engaging in organized crime . curtsinger -- who has worked at buffalo trace for more than 20 years -- was arrested in march after authorities , acting on a tip , found five barrels of bourbon behind a shed on his property , according to cnn affiliate wkyt . those barrels , weighing more than 500 pounds each and worth up to $ 6,000 apiece , had recently been stolen from wild turkey , melton told bourbonblog.com 's tom fischer . while an additional search warrant allegedly turned up illegal steroids from curtsinger 's home , there was no sign of any pappy . he does n't know anything about ( stolen pappy van winkle ) , ' his mother , teresa curtsinger , told cnn last month . in fact , she said , once he bonded out of jail , curtsinger returned to his job at buffalo trace . however , according to melton , curtsinger was involved in numerous thefts of pappy van winkle , as well as eagle rare bourbon , both in bottles and barrels . ' melton said curtsinger distributed the highly coveted bourbon through a network of connections in his softball league . teresa curtsinger did not immediately return a message tuesday . but gilbert curtsinger 's attorney , whitney lawson , told the courier-journal of louisville , we 've been waiting patiently for this to happen . we 're glad that if they 're going to indict that they 've indicted so we can get to work . ' at a press conference announcing the indictments , melton got emotional as he described the tremendous amount of effort put into the investigation . ( franklin county detectives ) have done an absolute incredible job , ' he said as he choked back tears . and i 'm thrilled to have been a part of it . ' fischer , the whiskey blogger , got a different kind of emotional tug from what flanked the sheriff : several hundred thousand dollars'worth of recovered booze -- including 20 cases of pappy . whether those 20 were among the 65 that vanished is not immediately known , but that did n't matter to fischer . on behalf of bourbon lovers everywhere , we are thrilled that the pappy is back ! ' | employees at two kentucky distilleries among those indicted |
rosin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i almost always get asked the same question : how can it possibly be the end of men ' when there are so few female elected officials -- when men still hold the reins of political power ? it 's an excellent question . until now , i 've answered by pointing to statistical trends and future projections . always , i ask people to take a leap of faith . but after this election , i feel like i am on so much more solid ground . the women 's vote did not turn out to be historic in the way pundits predicted before the election . yes , more women voted for president obama , but not in record numbers . the gender gap was in fact a little smaller in this election than in 2008 . yes , women were important in certain states , but so were young people , african-americans and latinos , who , together , make up obama 's new winning coalition . what 's more , women did not even constitute a unified vote . married women tended to vote for romney , while single women went for obama . what changed in this election was that women accumulated power in a calm and measured way , and began to look for the first time much less like outsiders to the political process . new hampshire , arguably a state populated by the greatest concentration of political insiders and obsessives , gave us our first ever matriarchy -- a delegation of house , senate and governor that is entirely female . we elected a record number of women to the senate . one of those new senators is elizabeth warren , who over the rest of her career has the potential to embody women 's transition from outsider status to right in the thick of things . what about the war on women , ' the constantly mutating arguments over reproductive rights ? on this , women won handily . in missouri , democrat claire mccaskill ran against todd akin , who claimed that in legitimate rape ' the female body shuts down pregnancy . mccaskill not only beat akin , she trounced him , winning by 16 points . before the election , when mccaskill was still behind in the polls , women looked beleaguered and marginalized , subjected to lectures by men about their internal plumbing . afterward , it 's those who did the lecturing who seem like fringe , marginalized characters . in fact , practically all the candidates with the improbable akin-type theories lost . ( check out this scorecard on jezebel for a complete accounting . ) once , not all that long ago , women seemed like newcomers to the political scene , alien to its settled ways . women were scrutinized in their every public move as though they were a newly discovered species . think back to hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . could she be tough enough on china ? soft enough to cry ? would she wear red suits to all her big speeches ? if so , what did that mean ? now that the sight of a woman in a roomful of senators is becoming less unusual , our analysis becomes much less crude . debates about image and optics are ceding to debates about actual policies . we also realize that women come in all types . more are likely to vote democratic . among female voters , more than 50 % tend to favor abortion rights . akin , for example , split the vote among white women . minnesota republican michele bachmann , who is strongly pro-life , kept her seat . just as men have wide varieties of views , so do women . voting as a bloc is something you only do if you 're disenfranchised . voting the way you want is a sign that you 're gaining power . the important thing is for women to participate in the political process and speak for themselves . workplace studies from the 1970s showed that when women reached a third of an office population , their presence no longer seemed unusual . the senate will be one-fifth female . we 're not there yet , but we 're getting close . in this election , people are still discussing historic firsts -- the first openly lesbian senator ( democrat tammy baldwin of wisconsin ) , the first asian-american woman ( democrat mazie hirono of hawaii ) . slowly , over time , we want these firsts to fade away and for female senators to be elected without that fact alone constituting a news story . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of hanna rosin . | rosin : but for the first time , women look less like outsiders in the political process |
rosin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i almost always get asked the same question : how can it possibly be the end of men ' when there are so few female elected officials -- when men still hold the reins of political power ? it 's an excellent question . until now , i 've answered by pointing to statistical trends and future projections . always , i ask people to take a leap of faith . but after this election , i feel like i am on so much more solid ground . the women 's vote did not turn out to be historic in the way pundits predicted before the election . yes , more women voted for president obama , but not in record numbers . the gender gap was in fact a little smaller in this election than in 2008 . yes , women were important in certain states , but so were young people , african-americans and latinos , who , together , make up obama 's new winning coalition . what 's more , women did not even constitute a unified vote . married women tended to vote for romney , while single women went for obama . what changed in this election was that women accumulated power in a calm and measured way , and began to look for the first time much less like outsiders to the political process . new hampshire , arguably a state populated by the greatest concentration of political insiders and obsessives , gave us our first ever matriarchy -- a delegation of house , senate and governor that is entirely female . we elected a record number of women to the senate . one of those new senators is elizabeth warren , who over the rest of her career has the potential to embody women 's transition from outsider status to right in the thick of things . what about the war on women , ' the constantly mutating arguments over reproductive rights ? on this , women won handily . in missouri , democrat claire mccaskill ran against todd akin , who claimed that in legitimate rape ' the female body shuts down pregnancy . mccaskill not only beat akin , she trounced him , winning by 16 points . before the election , when mccaskill was still behind in the polls , women looked beleaguered and marginalized , subjected to lectures by men about their internal plumbing . afterward , it 's those who did the lecturing who seem like fringe , marginalized characters . in fact , practically all the candidates with the improbable akin-type theories lost . ( check out this scorecard on jezebel for a complete accounting . ) once , not all that long ago , women seemed like newcomers to the political scene , alien to its settled ways . women were scrutinized in their every public move as though they were a newly discovered species . think back to hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . could she be tough enough on china ? soft enough to cry ? would she wear red suits to all her big speeches ? if so , what did that mean ? now that the sight of a woman in a roomful of senators is becoming less unusual , our analysis becomes much less crude . debates about image and optics are ceding to debates about actual policies . we also realize that women come in all types . more are likely to vote democratic . among female voters , more than 50 % tend to favor abortion rights . akin , for example , split the vote among white women . minnesota republican michele bachmann , who is strongly pro-life , kept her seat . just as men have wide varieties of views , so do women . voting as a bloc is something you only do if you 're disenfranchised . voting the way you want is a sign that you 're gaining power . the important thing is for women to participate in the political process and speak for themselves . workplace studies from the 1970s showed that when women reached a third of an office population , their presence no longer seemed unusual . the senate will be one-fifth female . we 're not there yet , but we 're getting close . in this election , people are still discussing historic firsts -- the first openly lesbian senator ( democrat tammy baldwin of wisconsin ) , the first asian-american woman ( democrat mazie hirono of hawaii ) . slowly , over time , we want these firsts to fade away and for female senators to be elected without that fact alone constituting a news story . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of hanna rosin . | rosin : we will debate less about women 's image and more about their actual policies |
rosin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i almost always get asked the same question : how can it possibly be the end of men ' when there are so few female elected officials -- when men still hold the reins of political power ? it 's an excellent question . until now , i 've answered by pointing to statistical trends and future projections . always , i ask people to take a leap of faith . but after this election , i feel like i am on so much more solid ground . the women 's vote did not turn out to be historic in the way pundits predicted before the election . yes , more women voted for president obama , but not in record numbers . the gender gap was in fact a little smaller in this election than in 2008 . yes , women were important in certain states , but so were young people , african-americans and latinos , who , together , make up obama 's new winning coalition . what 's more , women did not even constitute a unified vote . married women tended to vote for romney , while single women went for obama . what changed in this election was that women accumulated power in a calm and measured way , and began to look for the first time much less like outsiders to the political process . new hampshire , arguably a state populated by the greatest concentration of political insiders and obsessives , gave us our first ever matriarchy -- a delegation of house , senate and governor that is entirely female . we elected a record number of women to the senate . one of those new senators is elizabeth warren , who over the rest of her career has the potential to embody women 's transition from outsider status to right in the thick of things . what about the war on women , ' the constantly mutating arguments over reproductive rights ? on this , women won handily . in missouri , democrat claire mccaskill ran against todd akin , who claimed that in legitimate rape ' the female body shuts down pregnancy . mccaskill not only beat akin , she trounced him , winning by 16 points . before the election , when mccaskill was still behind in the polls , women looked beleaguered and marginalized , subjected to lectures by men about their internal plumbing . afterward , it 's those who did the lecturing who seem like fringe , marginalized characters . in fact , practically all the candidates with the improbable akin-type theories lost . ( check out this scorecard on jezebel for a complete accounting . ) once , not all that long ago , women seemed like newcomers to the political scene , alien to its settled ways . women were scrutinized in their every public move as though they were a newly discovered species . think back to hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . could she be tough enough on china ? soft enough to cry ? would she wear red suits to all her big speeches ? if so , what did that mean ? now that the sight of a woman in a roomful of senators is becoming less unusual , our analysis becomes much less crude . debates about image and optics are ceding to debates about actual policies . we also realize that women come in all types . more are likely to vote democratic . among female voters , more than 50 % tend to favor abortion rights . akin , for example , split the vote among white women . minnesota republican michele bachmann , who is strongly pro-life , kept her seat . just as men have wide varieties of views , so do women . voting as a bloc is something you only do if you 're disenfranchised . voting the way you want is a sign that you 're gaining power . the important thing is for women to participate in the political process and speak for themselves . workplace studies from the 1970s showed that when women reached a third of an office population , their presence no longer seemed unusual . the senate will be one-fifth female . we 're not there yet , but we 're getting close . in this election , people are still discussing historic firsts -- the first openly lesbian senator ( democrat tammy baldwin of wisconsin ) , the first asian-american woman ( democrat mazie hirono of hawaii ) . slowly , over time , we want these firsts to fade away and for female senators to be elected without that fact alone constituting a news story . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of hanna rosin . | hanna rosin : the women 's vote did not turn out to be historic in this election |
dustin brown <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal , the man who stood on top of the tennis world after winning his ninth french open title last weekend , was brought back to earth with a bump thursday . the world no.1 , so dominant on the clay at roland garros , was beaten in the first round of the atp grass-court event in halle , germany , by a player ranked 84 places below him . german dustin brown required less than an hour to win 6-4 6-1 on the grass to send nadal crashing out of the tournament . the spaniard , playing his first match on grass since he was stunned in the opening game of last year 's wimbledon , appeared to struggle with the transition . at wimbledon 12 months ago , nadal was beaten by czech lukas rosol who was ranked 100 at the time in a five-set thriller . and any hopes he would be given the chance to warmup for a return to sw19 were given short shrift by home favorite brown . brown had only ever beaten one top-10 player , john isner , and this result ranks as his best yet . nadal was n't the only star to falter thursday -- andy murray , who is set to start the defense of his wimbledon title later this month , was beaten at queen 's club in london . murray was beaten by veteran czech radek stepanek 7-6 6-2 in his second match since appointing former women 's no . 1 amelie mauresmo as his new coach . the 27-year-old , who won the queens title in 2009 , 2011 and 2013 , had won his past 19 matches on grass . i have only got myself to blame that i lost the first set , ' the scot told the atp website . i do n't know how many set points i had , but quite a lot of them were on my serve . on this surface especially you should n't really be losing sets like that . for me , that 's what 's disappointing really about the match . then , unfortunately , got broken in the first game of the second set . i could n't quite get it back . ' the 35-year-old stepanek 's reward is a quarterfinal clash with south african kevin anderson . meanwhile , seven-time wimbledon champion roger federer survived a scare in halle before booking his place in the quarterfinals with a 6-7 6-4 6-2 win over joao sousa . the swiss ace , who has won this tournament on six occasions , will face taiwan 's yen-hsun lu for a place in the semifinals . it was slightly frustrating at times clearly , but nevertheless i served well and kept on doing my thing , ' said fourth-ranked federer , who lost in the last 16 at roland garros . it was important to stay calm and actually i think it gives me more confidence winning this way . i had to stay calm , fight through the match and find a way and then the last set and a half were much better . so , i 'm actually pretty happy now . ' | french open champion loses to world no . 85 dustin brown |
brea <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a bit actor who appeared on abc 's ugly betty ' series has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon after police said they found him wielding a 3-foot long sword near the body of his dead mother . police arrested michael brea , 31 , after responding to neighbors'complaints of shouting coming from a brooklyn apartment that brea shared with his mother , new york police department spokesman paul browne said . neighbors described hearing screams and loud voices coming from the apartment early tuesday . i heard the scream for help .'call 9-1-1', ' said clinton clare , a neighbor who lives below the brea apartment . it 's like something you would hear in the movies , ' said neighbor vernon bent . a scream , like ,'ahhhh'. it 's more feminine , fear , a curling scream . ' the victim , yannick brea , suffered multiple stab wounds and was found in a kneeling position in the apartment 's bathroom , police said . she was pronounced dead at the scene . neighbors said they heard chanting coming from brea 's apartment after the screaming had subsided . bent said he heard what he believed to be brea 's voice repeating certain words , religious words . ' bent quoted the voice as saying , jerusalem , aaron , moses . jesus said pick up your bed and walk . ' when authorities entered the apartment , in brooklyn 's prospect heights neighborhood , they found michael brea sitting in a chair with the sword in his hand , the police spokesman said . brea 's father , marcel brea , said the sword allegedly used to kill his former wife is a martial arts weapon that he used for martial arts practice the elder brea said that he refuses to believe his son committed the alleged crime . my son is not a violent person , a peaceful person , ' he said . my son would have done anything for his mother . i do n't know what happened , ' he added . my son did not kill his mother . ' the elder brea said his son -- a freemason -- had attended a freemason 's meeting at a masonic lodge in harlem , on the day of the incident . he said he later recieved a phone call from his son , complaining of a headache . the elder brea -- who is also a freemason -- said he told his son just hours before the incident occurred to say your prayers [ and ] lay in your bed and your headache will go away . ' neighbors said police arrived at the building quickly following reports of a disturbance , but questioned how long it took authorities to actually enter the apartment . neighbor gregory clare , who lives in brea 's apartment building , told cnn affiliate ny1 that for about 45 minutes , [ police ] did n't follow through [ in entering the apartment ] . ' it would 've made a big difference , ' he said . i think miss brea would still be here [ had police responded sooner ] . ' but new york city police commissioner ray kelly said during a news conference officers were following police procedures . when there is a barricade situation , responding patrol officers , if possible , wait for emergency service officers to come , ' he said . brea is being held at the bellvue hospital psychiatric ward , after having first been evaluated at kings county hospital , according to the spokesman . yannick brea had worked as housekeeper at a marriott hotel in manhattan , new york . we were shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely death of our housekeeping associate , ms. yannick brea , ' said kathleen duffy , spokesperson for nyc marriott hotels . our heartfelt sympathy goes out to ms. brea 's family and friends , ' she said . the elder brea said he is in the process of hiring a lawyer to defend his son . | new : brea attended a meeting the night of the incident , later complained of headaches |
brea <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a bit actor who appeared on abc 's ugly betty ' series has been charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon after police said they found him wielding a 3-foot long sword near the body of his dead mother . police arrested michael brea , 31 , after responding to neighbors'complaints of shouting coming from a brooklyn apartment that brea shared with his mother , new york police department spokesman paul browne said . neighbors described hearing screams and loud voices coming from the apartment early tuesday . i heard the scream for help .'call 9-1-1', ' said clinton clare , a neighbor who lives below the brea apartment . it 's like something you would hear in the movies , ' said neighbor vernon bent . a scream , like ,'ahhhh'. it 's more feminine , fear , a curling scream . ' the victim , yannick brea , suffered multiple stab wounds and was found in a kneeling position in the apartment 's bathroom , police said . she was pronounced dead at the scene . neighbors said they heard chanting coming from brea 's apartment after the screaming had subsided . bent said he heard what he believed to be brea 's voice repeating certain words , religious words . ' bent quoted the voice as saying , jerusalem , aaron , moses . jesus said pick up your bed and walk . ' when authorities entered the apartment , in brooklyn 's prospect heights neighborhood , they found michael brea sitting in a chair with the sword in his hand , the police spokesman said . brea 's father , marcel brea , said the sword allegedly used to kill his former wife is a martial arts weapon that he used for martial arts practice the elder brea said that he refuses to believe his son committed the alleged crime . my son is not a violent person , a peaceful person , ' he said . my son would have done anything for his mother . i do n't know what happened , ' he added . my son did not kill his mother . ' the elder brea said his son -- a freemason -- had attended a freemason 's meeting at a masonic lodge in harlem , on the day of the incident . he said he later recieved a phone call from his son , complaining of a headache . the elder brea -- who is also a freemason -- said he told his son just hours before the incident occurred to say your prayers [ and ] lay in your bed and your headache will go away . ' neighbors said police arrived at the building quickly following reports of a disturbance , but questioned how long it took authorities to actually enter the apartment . neighbor gregory clare , who lives in brea 's apartment building , told cnn affiliate ny1 that for about 45 minutes , [ police ] did n't follow through [ in entering the apartment ] . ' it would 've made a big difference , ' he said . i think miss brea would still be here [ had police responded sooner ] . ' but new york city police commissioner ray kelly said during a news conference officers were following police procedures . when there is a barricade situation , responding patrol officers , if possible , wait for emergency service officers to come , ' he said . brea is being held at the bellvue hospital psychiatric ward , after having first been evaluated at kings county hospital , according to the spokesman . yannick brea had worked as housekeeper at a marriott hotel in manhattan , new york . we were shocked and saddened to learn of the untimely death of our housekeeping associate , ms. yannick brea , ' said kathleen duffy , spokesperson for nyc marriott hotels . our heartfelt sympathy goes out to ms. brea 's family and friends , ' she said . the elder brea said he is in the process of hiring a lawyer to defend his son . | brea , an actor who appeared on abc 's ugly betty , ' is charged with 2nd-degree murder |
olympiakos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the final day of the european transfer window produced the usual flurry of frantic activity friday but no big deal to match the $ 61 million transfer of juan mata from chelsea to manchester united earlier this month . jose mourinho 's chelsea continued to re-invest the money until the last day , landing promising 19-year-old french central defender kurt zouma , who signed from saint-etienne for a reported fee of $ 19 million before being loaned back to the ligue 1 side . zouma , who has just served a 10-game ban for a foul challenge which broke an opponent 's leg , is the fourth player to sign for roman abramovich 's big spenders in january after nemanja matic , mohamed salah and bertrand traore . chelsea 's west london rivals fulham , battling against relegation from the english premier league , landed greek international striker konstantinos mitroglou from olympiakos for a fee of nearly $ 20 milllion . the 25-year-old is a national hero in greece after scoring three goals in their two-legged world cup qualifying play-off against romania last november . he will have to act as a replacement for former manchester united star dimitar berbatov . the bulgarian international striker has gone on loan to cash-rich monaco . claudio ranieri 's team are challenging for the french league title but have lost their big money summer signing of radamel falcoa to injury and berbatov will act as a high-profile replacement . monaco slipped six points behind leaders paris saint germain friday as the reigning champions beat bordeaux 2-0 with their big money signing from this window , former newcastle midfielder yohan cabaye , coming on as a substitute for the capital giants . epl title challengers arsenal , who signed mesut ozil from real madrid before the start of the current season , strengthened their squad by the acquisition of experienced swedish international midfielder kim kallstrom from spartak moscow on loan . arsenal is an amazing club with a lot of great players and a coach who has done really well here for a long time , ' kallstrom told the club 's official website . but top of the table manchester city have not added to their already strong squad , who are still campaigning on all four fronts under manuel pellegrini . city spent an estimated $ 100 million on player signings before the start of the current campaign , playing their part in record amounts changing hands by epl clubs in the 2013-14 period . according to football finance experts deloitte , the combined transfer spend of the 20 clubs had broken the £700 million ( $ 1.12b ) mark for the first time even before the frenetic last day of trading . this enormous sum is despite the likely restrictions imposed by uefa 's new financial fair play ( ffp ) rules , which limit the losses clubs can make . but according to a top lawyer specializing in sports finances , the big spending epl clubs like manchester city and chelsea are unlikely to be troubled by the new regulations . it seems the financial fair play rules are unlikely to have the desired effect of providing an even playing field if clubs generating huge losses can meet the rules , ' faye bargery , a senior associate at law firm thomas eggar llp , told cnn . manchester city recently announced a £51m ( $ 81.6 million ) loss ( down from £97m last year ) but are confident that they will meet the ffp rules . clubs have a number of ways to reduce their losses , including excluding money spent on youth development and facilities as well as amortizing transfer fees over the term of player'contracts . however , the significant increase in commercial and sponsorship income for the top clubs , as evidenced by arsenal 's recent kit deal with puma , is likely to mean that the larger clubs can meet the rules but smaller clubs with less income are adversely effected . ' la liga giants barcelona and real madrid , who signed tottenham hotspur 's gareth bale for a world record fee last august , kept their powder dry in the last day of trading , but other european powerhouses strengthened their squads . runaway serie a leaders juventus signed argentina-born forward dani osvaldo on loan from epl southampton . osvaldo was a club record signing for southampton but has lasted less than five months at st mary 's after he was reported to have had an altercation with teammate jose fonte last week . inter milan also completed the big money signing of brazilian midfield star hernanes from lazio on a four-and-a-half year deal . last season 's champions league finalists borussia dortmund attempted to boost a flagging season by signing 21-year-old serbia midfielder milos jojic from partizan belgrade on the final day of the window . dortmund celebrated later friday by scoring their first bundesliga win in five games with a 2-1 victory at bottom side eintracht braunschweig . pierre-emerick aubameyang grabbed both their goals . | greece international striker konstantinos mitroglou signs for fulham from olympiakos |
carter <tsp> former president jimmy carter said embattled celebrity chef paula deen should be forgiven , arguing that while there 's no condoning the racial slurs she uttered , the well-known personality has been candid and apologetic . she was maybe excessively honest in saying that she had in the past , 30 years ago , used this terrible word , ' carter told cnn 's suzanne malveaux in an interview friday . i think she has been punished , perhaps overly severely , for her honesty in admitting it and for the use of the word in the distant past . she 's apologized profusely . ' deen 's troubles began about two weeks ago when a deposition in a discrimination lawsuit was released in which she admitted using the n-word in the past . dean has insisted she does not tolerate prejudice , but her apologies have failed to suppress the controversy . the fallout has been swift and painful . her southern cooking business is reeling as major brands end or suspend their ties with her , prompting the celebrity chef to seek out professional crisis-management assistance . opinion : can we forgive paula deen ? sears holdings is the latest brand to weigh in . the company said friday it 's phasing out all products tied to her brand . carter said he remembers that the n-word was used quite frequently ' when racial segregation was the law of the land ' throughout the country , not just the south , where deen is from and resides . deen and southern food : critics say credit is past due carter mentioned deen 's programs in savannah , georgia , that benefit almost exclusively oppressed and poverty stricken black people . ' he advised her to get people she 's helping to speak up and show she 's changed in her relationship with african-americans . ' my heart goes out to her but there 's no condoning the use of a word that abuses other people , ' he said . i 've known paula deen quite well for a long period of time ; i advised her to let the dust settle and make apologies . ' carter was asked about a number of issues in the interview . the carter center in atlanta is hosting a human rights forum this weekend promoting the role of religion in advancing women 's rights . in tearful interview , deen slams'horrible lies ' | carter says let the dust settle and make apologies ' |
carter <tsp> former president jimmy carter said embattled celebrity chef paula deen should be forgiven , arguing that while there 's no condoning the racial slurs she uttered , the well-known personality has been candid and apologetic . she was maybe excessively honest in saying that she had in the past , 30 years ago , used this terrible word , ' carter told cnn 's suzanne malveaux in an interview friday . i think she has been punished , perhaps overly severely , for her honesty in admitting it and for the use of the word in the distant past . she 's apologized profusely . ' deen 's troubles began about two weeks ago when a deposition in a discrimination lawsuit was released in which she admitted using the n-word in the past . dean has insisted she does not tolerate prejudice , but her apologies have failed to suppress the controversy . the fallout has been swift and painful . her southern cooking business is reeling as major brands end or suspend their ties with her , prompting the celebrity chef to seek out professional crisis-management assistance . opinion : can we forgive paula deen ? sears holdings is the latest brand to weigh in . the company said friday it 's phasing out all products tied to her brand . carter said he remembers that the n-word was used quite frequently ' when racial segregation was the law of the land ' throughout the country , not just the south , where deen is from and resides . deen and southern food : critics say credit is past due carter mentioned deen 's programs in savannah , georgia , that benefit almost exclusively oppressed and poverty stricken black people . ' he advised her to get people she 's helping to speak up and show she 's changed in her relationship with african-americans . ' my heart goes out to her but there 's no condoning the use of a word that abuses other people , ' he said . i 've known paula deen quite well for a long period of time ; i advised her to let the dust settle and make apologies . ' carter was asked about a number of issues in the interview . the carter center in atlanta is hosting a human rights forum this weekend promoting the role of religion in advancing women 's rights . in tearful interview , deen slams'horrible lies ' | but , carter says , there 's no condoning abusive language |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- israel said tuesday it wo n't bow to demands by world leaders to abandon plans for new settlements on palestinian territory . israel will continue to stand by its essential interests even in the face of international pressure , and there will be no change in the decision that was taken , ' the israeli prime minister 's office said tuesday . the decision , which a senior israeli official in the prime minister 's office said was in response to last week 's united nations'vote elevating the u.n. status of the palestinian authority , has drawn international ire and concern that it could complicate efforts to restart peace talks . israel plans to build 3,000 housing units in east jerusalem and the west bank , many of them in the large west bank settlement of ma'ale adumim . long-term plans call for the eventual construction of 5,000 units in the area . palestinian leaders object , saying the settlements are illegal and would slice the west bank in two and cut it off from the proposed palestinian capitol of east jerusalem . israel has not yet formally acknowledged the plans . read more : clinton : new israeli settlements a'set back'for peace australia and egypt on tuesday joined five european countries that have summoned israel 's ambassador to hear criticism of the decision . australian diplomats expressed grave concern ' over the plan , the foreign ministry said in a statement . foreign minister bob carr , traveling in new guinea , said the decision would make peace negotiations more difficult . i am extremely disappointed with these reported israeli decisions , ' he said . egyptian foreign minister mohamed kamel amr told israeli ambassador yaakov amitai that his government 's decision does not comply with the principle of land versus peace that is the basis of the peace negotiations in the region , ' the foreign ministry said . britain , denmark , france , spain and sweden have also summoned israeli ambassadors for similar discussions , which are frequently used to publicly demonstrate a nation 's displeasure with another country 's actions . the british foreign office called israel 's move deplorable ' and said it threatens a two-state solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict . the foreign ministries of france , spain and denmark issued similar statements asking israeli officials to reverse their decision . british minister for the middle east alistair burt said he met with israeli ambassador daniel taub on monday , calling for israel to heed calls to avoid reacting to the u.n. general assembly resolution in a way that undermines the palestinian authority or a return to talks . ' read more : abbas calls for palestinian unity after'birth certificate'for palestinian state the palestinian authority also blasted israel 's decision tuesday as a provocation that flies in the face of international will . a clear message must be sent to israel that all of its illegal policies must be ceased or that it will be held accountable and will have to bear the consequences of its violations and obstruction of peace efforts , ' palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas wrote in a letter to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon . the united states has said it is opposed to israel 's decision , but has not taken the step of summoning its ambassador to say so . we urge israeli leaders to reconsider these unilateral decisions and exercise restraint , as these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations to achieve a two-state solution , ' white house spokesman jay carney said monday . read more : israel plans new homes in east jerusalem , west bank the israeli cabinet , in a unanimous vote sunday , rejected the u.n. general assembly 's decision on palestinian status , saying it changes nothing and will not be a basis for negotiations . in an e-mail statement to reporters tuesday , the prime minister 's office said that the u.n. decision was a one-sided move ' and said israel is not sitting with her hands tied . ' also on tuesday , israel demolished a mosque in the village of farqqa in the hebron region of the west bank and attempted to tear down the east jerusalem home of a palestinian family . the mosque , which was previously torn down in 2011 because it lacked proper permits , was demolished again tuesday as the result of a court case brought by regavim , a pro-settler organization . the group said the mosque had been built illegally and was blocking construction in the jewish settlement of abigail . the building was not a mosque but a building that was used for prayer ' and was demolished according to a court order , said guy inbar , a spokesman for the coordinator of government activities in the territories which is part of the israeli defense ministry . the case has no connection to the political developments and should not be connected to them in any way , ' he said . it was a court decision . ' village council head suliman addra deplored israel 's action . my message to the free world is to stop the israelis from committing crimes against religious sites and to help in rebuilding the mosque , ' addra said . in the east jerusalem incident , municipal workers and israeli border police began work to demolish the home , saying it lacks proper permits , before the homeowner was able to get a court order stopping the work . they destroyed all the internal furniture and electronics of the house and attacked my wife and handcuffed me , and held my children . it was done in a vicious way , ' homeowner tareq ghaith said . read more : palestinian bid explained cnn 's mike schwartz , kareem khadder and alexander fenton and journalist mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | israel is under pressure to reverse its decision to expand west bank settlements |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- israel said tuesday it wo n't bow to demands by world leaders to abandon plans for new settlements on palestinian territory . israel will continue to stand by its essential interests even in the face of international pressure , and there will be no change in the decision that was taken , ' the israeli prime minister 's office said tuesday . the decision , which a senior israeli official in the prime minister 's office said was in response to last week 's united nations'vote elevating the u.n. status of the palestinian authority , has drawn international ire and concern that it could complicate efforts to restart peace talks . israel plans to build 3,000 housing units in east jerusalem and the west bank , many of them in the large west bank settlement of ma'ale adumim . long-term plans call for the eventual construction of 5,000 units in the area . palestinian leaders object , saying the settlements are illegal and would slice the west bank in two and cut it off from the proposed palestinian capitol of east jerusalem . israel has not yet formally acknowledged the plans . read more : clinton : new israeli settlements a'set back'for peace australia and egypt on tuesday joined five european countries that have summoned israel 's ambassador to hear criticism of the decision . australian diplomats expressed grave concern ' over the plan , the foreign ministry said in a statement . foreign minister bob carr , traveling in new guinea , said the decision would make peace negotiations more difficult . i am extremely disappointed with these reported israeli decisions , ' he said . egyptian foreign minister mohamed kamel amr told israeli ambassador yaakov amitai that his government 's decision does not comply with the principle of land versus peace that is the basis of the peace negotiations in the region , ' the foreign ministry said . britain , denmark , france , spain and sweden have also summoned israeli ambassadors for similar discussions , which are frequently used to publicly demonstrate a nation 's displeasure with another country 's actions . the british foreign office called israel 's move deplorable ' and said it threatens a two-state solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict . the foreign ministries of france , spain and denmark issued similar statements asking israeli officials to reverse their decision . british minister for the middle east alistair burt said he met with israeli ambassador daniel taub on monday , calling for israel to heed calls to avoid reacting to the u.n. general assembly resolution in a way that undermines the palestinian authority or a return to talks . ' read more : abbas calls for palestinian unity after'birth certificate'for palestinian state the palestinian authority also blasted israel 's decision tuesday as a provocation that flies in the face of international will . a clear message must be sent to israel that all of its illegal policies must be ceased or that it will be held accountable and will have to bear the consequences of its violations and obstruction of peace efforts , ' palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas wrote in a letter to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon . the united states has said it is opposed to israel 's decision , but has not taken the step of summoning its ambassador to say so . we urge israeli leaders to reconsider these unilateral decisions and exercise restraint , as these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations to achieve a two-state solution , ' white house spokesman jay carney said monday . read more : israel plans new homes in east jerusalem , west bank the israeli cabinet , in a unanimous vote sunday , rejected the u.n. general assembly 's decision on palestinian status , saying it changes nothing and will not be a basis for negotiations . in an e-mail statement to reporters tuesday , the prime minister 's office said that the u.n. decision was a one-sided move ' and said israel is not sitting with her hands tied . ' also on tuesday , israel demolished a mosque in the village of farqqa in the hebron region of the west bank and attempted to tear down the east jerusalem home of a palestinian family . the mosque , which was previously torn down in 2011 because it lacked proper permits , was demolished again tuesday as the result of a court case brought by regavim , a pro-settler organization . the group said the mosque had been built illegally and was blocking construction in the jewish settlement of abigail . the building was not a mosque but a building that was used for prayer ' and was demolished according to a court order , said guy inbar , a spokesman for the coordinator of government activities in the territories which is part of the israeli defense ministry . the case has no connection to the political developments and should not be connected to them in any way , ' he said . it was a court decision . ' village council head suliman addra deplored israel 's action . my message to the free world is to stop the israelis from committing crimes against religious sites and to help in rebuilding the mosque , ' addra said . in the east jerusalem incident , municipal workers and israeli border police began work to demolish the home , saying it lacks proper permits , before the homeowner was able to get a court order stopping the work . they destroyed all the internal furniture and electronics of the house and attacked my wife and handcuffed me , and held my children . it was done in a vicious way , ' homeowner tareq ghaith said . read more : palestinian bid explained cnn 's mike schwartz , kareem khadder and alexander fenton and journalist mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | a clear message must be sent to israel , ' the palestinian leader says in u.n. letter |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- israel said tuesday it wo n't bow to demands by world leaders to abandon plans for new settlements on palestinian territory . israel will continue to stand by its essential interests even in the face of international pressure , and there will be no change in the decision that was taken , ' the israeli prime minister 's office said tuesday . the decision , which a senior israeli official in the prime minister 's office said was in response to last week 's united nations'vote elevating the u.n. status of the palestinian authority , has drawn international ire and concern that it could complicate efforts to restart peace talks . israel plans to build 3,000 housing units in east jerusalem and the west bank , many of them in the large west bank settlement of ma'ale adumim . long-term plans call for the eventual construction of 5,000 units in the area . palestinian leaders object , saying the settlements are illegal and would slice the west bank in two and cut it off from the proposed palestinian capitol of east jerusalem . israel has not yet formally acknowledged the plans . read more : clinton : new israeli settlements a'set back'for peace australia and egypt on tuesday joined five european countries that have summoned israel 's ambassador to hear criticism of the decision . australian diplomats expressed grave concern ' over the plan , the foreign ministry said in a statement . foreign minister bob carr , traveling in new guinea , said the decision would make peace negotiations more difficult . i am extremely disappointed with these reported israeli decisions , ' he said . egyptian foreign minister mohamed kamel amr told israeli ambassador yaakov amitai that his government 's decision does not comply with the principle of land versus peace that is the basis of the peace negotiations in the region , ' the foreign ministry said . britain , denmark , france , spain and sweden have also summoned israeli ambassadors for similar discussions , which are frequently used to publicly demonstrate a nation 's displeasure with another country 's actions . the british foreign office called israel 's move deplorable ' and said it threatens a two-state solution to the israeli-palestinian conflict . the foreign ministries of france , spain and denmark issued similar statements asking israeli officials to reverse their decision . british minister for the middle east alistair burt said he met with israeli ambassador daniel taub on monday , calling for israel to heed calls to avoid reacting to the u.n. general assembly resolution in a way that undermines the palestinian authority or a return to talks . ' read more : abbas calls for palestinian unity after'birth certificate'for palestinian state the palestinian authority also blasted israel 's decision tuesday as a provocation that flies in the face of international will . a clear message must be sent to israel that all of its illegal policies must be ceased or that it will be held accountable and will have to bear the consequences of its violations and obstruction of peace efforts , ' palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas wrote in a letter to u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon . the united states has said it is opposed to israel 's decision , but has not taken the step of summoning its ambassador to say so . we urge israeli leaders to reconsider these unilateral decisions and exercise restraint , as these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations to achieve a two-state solution , ' white house spokesman jay carney said monday . read more : israel plans new homes in east jerusalem , west bank the israeli cabinet , in a unanimous vote sunday , rejected the u.n. general assembly 's decision on palestinian status , saying it changes nothing and will not be a basis for negotiations . in an e-mail statement to reporters tuesday , the prime minister 's office said that the u.n. decision was a one-sided move ' and said israel is not sitting with her hands tied . ' also on tuesday , israel demolished a mosque in the village of farqqa in the hebron region of the west bank and attempted to tear down the east jerusalem home of a palestinian family . the mosque , which was previously torn down in 2011 because it lacked proper permits , was demolished again tuesday as the result of a court case brought by regavim , a pro-settler organization . the group said the mosque had been built illegally and was blocking construction in the jewish settlement of abigail . the building was not a mosque but a building that was used for prayer ' and was demolished according to a court order , said guy inbar , a spokesman for the coordinator of government activities in the territories which is part of the israeli defense ministry . the case has no connection to the political developments and should not be connected to them in any way , ' he said . it was a court decision . ' village council head suliman addra deplored israel 's action . my message to the free world is to stop the israelis from committing crimes against religious sites and to help in rebuilding the mosque , ' addra said . in the east jerusalem incident , municipal workers and israeli border police began work to demolish the home , saying it lacks proper permits , before the homeowner was able to get a court order stopping the work . they destroyed all the internal furniture and electronics of the house and attacked my wife and handcuffed me , and held my children . it was done in a vicious way , ' homeowner tareq ghaith said . read more : palestinian bid explained cnn 's mike schwartz , kareem khadder and alexander fenton and journalist mohamed fahmy contributed to this report . | israel says it wo n't back down from the decision |
africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nigeria 's main militant group issued a veiled threat monday against an upcoming world football tournament that is tentatively scheduled to take place in the west african nation later this year . militants from the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta , pictured september 2008 in the niger delta . the movement for the emancipation of the niger delta warned the international football association fifa that it should rethink ' allowing nigeria to host the upcoming under-17 world cup series later this year . the safety of international players and visitors can not be guaranteed due to the current unrest , ' mend said in an e-mail . only two out of the nine stadiums in nigeria are close to being ready for the tournament which is scheduled to take place between october 24 and november 15 , according to fifa . the association has given the country a grace period to start constructing the remaining venues , fifa vice president jack warner said . in its e-mail , mend claimed to have attacked a chevron oil station in the niger delta region monday as part of its latest offensive against the nigerian government , dubbed hurricane piper alpha . ' hurricane piper alpha hit the abiteye flow station operated by chevron today , monday , june 15 , 2009 at about 0200 hrs triggering another'systems failure'which resulted in a massive fire outbreak that is consuming the entire facility , ' mend said . it threatened further attacks in other states in the niger delta region , as well as offshore oil facilities . chevron , which halted its onshore operations in the region last month , said it is investigating the reported attack on its abiteye flow station . we are working to ensure the safety of our people , restore the integrity of our operations as soon as possible and are not speculating on any comment while investigations are being undertaken , ' according to an e-mailed statement from chevron spokesman scott walker . last month , the militant group declared an all-out war ' on the government after what it said was a deadly bombing raid on civilians . it is not the first declaration of war by mend , which demands that more of nigeria 's oil wealth be reinvested in the region instead of enriching those whom the militants consider corrupt politicians . the militant group declared war against the government in september for what it said were unprovoked attacks . at that time , mend destroyed several oil facilities , forcing nigeria to cut its oil exports by as many as 1 million barrels of oil per day , or 40 percent . the recent violence -- which has included attacks on pipelines and hostage-taking -- has limited shipment of crude oil supplies out of nigeria , africa 's largest producer . | nigeria , africa 's largest oil producer , produces 2.4 million barrels of oil per day |
what not to wear <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the year stacy london turned 11 , she started wearing a turtleneck and long , corduroy pants every day , even in summer . for the next two years , that was her uniform . she was a long way away from being known as a fashion expert who guts people 's closets . at the time , she felt like long sleeves and high necks were her only choice : she had woken up one morning with angry psoriasis scales covering her body from neck to toes . it taught her a painful lesson in self-consciousness . when my skin disease was at its worst , i hated the summer sun . i was like emily the strange . i was like wednesday addams , ' she said . it was so painful to live with something that there was so little i could do about and at the same time could inflict so much emotional damage . it made me feel like a monster . ' hiding behind clothes and worrying about looks is not about vanity when it is a question of identity , ' london said . we 're worried about it because we 're worried about what kind of image we 're putting forward , what people are going to think about us . people want to be accepted and respected , approved of and loved . ' as a fashion expert on tlc 's what not to wear , ' which starts its final season on august 9 , london and her colleague clinton kelly have seen some tragic attempts to hide what makeover clients see as flaws , whether it 's extra weight around their waist or legs they think should be longer . for many , though , it 's skin : chronic conditions such as psoriasis , but also freckles , aging skin , poor circulation , stretch marks , scars and body hair cause skin shame , and make people want to cover up , london said . but how do you dress to suit that ? especially in summer ? when i was in my 20s , i loved summer clothes , ' said naked fashion help image consultant carmen westbrook , from atlanta . i loved wearing short skirts and dresses and showing off my legs . and i 'm glad i had that time in my life . now i 'm in my 40s , my skin is aging . i do n't enjoy summer clothes , ' she said . i do n't like showing off my skin . ' she joked that she might be a vampire , but had to accept it : i 'm white , that 's who i am . i have really pale skin . ' atop a bathing suit , she makes sure to add a fabulous hat and some jewelry , maybe even an elegant cover-up , to make it more of an outfit , ' she said . as her clients try to hide their arms , knees , legs and even feet , westbrook 's plan is to focus on the positive and adhere to the advice she learned at the london image institute : show your skinny bits . when ankles , wrists , lower arms and calves are exposed in tasteful ways , everyone looks longer and leaner , westbrook said , while still covering up the parts of their skin that they do n't want to show . i tell clients ,'let 's accentuate what we like , ' she said . look in the mirror and focus on one good part . i hope everyone can at least do that . ' clothes used to be the tool london used to hide her skin , but fashion helped saved her , she said . and now she hopes to share the secrets she has learned over the years . when style is at its best , it 's a wonderful source of confidence , ' london said . it becomes a kind of armor . ' she teamed up up with abbvie to launch the uncover your confidence ' campaign this week . the website aims to help those with psoriasis , a chronic immune system disease that affects the skin , to feel empowered through fashion advice , empathetic personal testimonies and help finding dermatologists . style and beauty products are supposed to help you forget about the parts of your body that you perceive as flaws , london said , even if only for a little while . london uses makeup , moisturizer and smart fabric choices to combat her skin troubles . these are things that we can do , these little tricks of the trade . you put a shiny moisturizer or foundation on your decolletage area , which can get very wrinkly as you get older , more freckly , liver spotty . but the more shiny moisturizer you use , the more reflective it is , and you see less of those things . ' sally hansen makes a leg foundation that i live by , because for most of my life , my skin has been discolored . if i do n't put that on when i 'm wearing a dress , it looks like i am wearing blue stockings instead of skin , ' because of poor circulation due to psoriasis . she finds ways to make fads work for her , too . with longer silhouettes strutted into spring and summer collections , maxi dresses , full midi skirts , floaty bermuda shorts and even jumpsuits made of tissue-thin cotton are all trendy clothing options that look like deliberate fashion choices , but are in actuality cover-ups , london said . all of your clothing still has to be chosen with fashion in mind , ' she said . look around you so you know what the trends are , not if they 're going to work for you . ' as i sit here wearing an isabel marant etoile [ jumpsuit , ] ' london explained , the outfit offers nearly complete body coverage , but because the fabric is cotton and ultra-thin , it 's breathable . very , very easy to wear in the swamp-like weather we 're having now in new york city , without having to show a lot of skin , ' she said . what else will london be wearing this summer ? i am all about cotton dresses , ' she said . particularly this season i am obsessed with white . and one of my favorite companies , dolce vita , makes these beautiful white cotton dresses . a bunch of their designs have three-quarter sleeves . they 're so whisper-thin , the sleeves do n't feel like you 're in a straight jacket , and you can wear them in the hottest weather . ' | the what not to wear ' expert has fashion guidance for people feeling skin shame |
continental airlines onepass plus chase mastercard <tsp> ( budgettravel.com ) -- we know , you and your credit card have been through a lot together . you used it to buy your new laptop and your vacation to france , to pay the electricity bill and support your weekly whole foods habit . there have been good times , like the time your card covered your car rental insurance , or the time you got a $ 50 gift card in the mail from the company 's rewards program . but ask yourself , what has your credit card really done for you lately ? hiked its annual percentage rate , added mysterious fees , punished you for'foreign transactions'on your trip to mexico ? accept it : this relationship is n't going to work out . it 's time to put your spending power into a credit card program that values your thirst for traveling . budget travel : 10 gorgeous pools you wo n't believe are public citi gold/aadvantage visa signature card best for : domestic travelers who often fly to the same destination so you visit your grandmother twice a year in cincinnati and fly home to santa barbara on all major holidays ? this visa card features a'reduced mileage awards'program that allows cardholders to fly to select aa destinations for 7,500 fewer miles ] on a round-trip ticket . if you spend just $ 750 on the card in the first four months , american airlines will award you 20,000 bonus miles . you 'll earn one aadvantage mile for every dollar spent , and there are no blackout dates for travel . annual fee after first year - $ 50 chase sapphire preferred best for : globetrotters let 's say it together now : no foreign transaction fees . that means you wo n't be charged extra for using your card anywhere overseas , a crucial benefit for international travelers . the chase sapphire preferred also lets you turn your points into miles with a 1:1 exchange into continental/united airlines and british airways . the introductory offer is tempting : spend $ 3,000 in the first three months and you 'll earn 50,000 miles . annual fee after first year - $ 95 budget travel : 12 restaurants with spectacular views starwood preferred guest/american express best for : hotel connoisseurs and travelers to latin america always wanted to stay at the w barcelona or the st. regis new york ? starpoints earned on this card can be redeemed at over 1,000 hotels in nearly 100 countries . the first time you use your card , you 'll earn 10,000 starpoints , enough for a free night at a 4-star property you can also transfer your starpoints on a 1:1 basis into more than 30 frequent flier programs . travelers to central and south america win especially big with this card - starpoints are instantly doubled if you transfer them into lan 's frequent flier program . annual fee after first year - $ 65 american express premier rewards gold card best for : big spenders do you put more than $ 2,000 a month on your credit card ? this program will triple your points when you buy a plane ticket and double your points when you spend on gas and groceries . because the annual fee is on the steep side , this card is a much better deal if you rack up a lot of charges on your card each month . your earned points never expire ; use them on any airline , anytime , by reserving a flight through american express travel , or transfer them into your preferred frequent flyer program . annual fee after first year - $ 175 continental airlines onepass plus chase mastercard best for : continental/united frequent flyers the continental/united frequent flyer program is widely considered one of the easiest to use-it often charges fewer miles to qualify for a free ticket than other programs do and there are fewer blackout dates . the onepass plus offers cardholders a free checked bag on any flight in the system ( continental charges $ 25 for the first checked bag ) , flexibility to change your reward travel dates for free up to 21 days in advance of travel , and a 25,000-mile bonus when you make your first purchase . annual fee after first year - $ 95 budget travel : 4 most common reasons airlines lose luggage get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you free - click here ! copyright © 2011 newsweek budget travel , inc. , all rights reserved . | continental airlines onepass plus chase mastercard suits those flying united/continental |
paralympic <tsp> animal welfare groups have criticized the utterly barbaric ' whipping of a horse which competed in a race against paralympic icon oscar pistorius . the south african double amputee , who made history by competing in the 2012 olympic and paralympic games , beat an arab horse in a race in doha , qatar on wednesday -- as part of a campaign highlighting contributions made by people with disabilities . world horse welfare , a body which advises on rules for international equestrian competitions , branded the treatment of the horse , which started the race 15 meters behind pistorius , as a disgrace ' . world horse welfare are appalled at the way the jockey used the whip which was not only completely unnecessary but utterly barbaric , ' the organization told cnn . excessive whip use like this is a disgrace to racing as a sport . we applaud the achievements of oscar pistorius and his race could have been a great spectacle , but instead it was marred by the flagrant abuse of this horse . ' prior to the race against pistorius , world horse welfare had said it had no problem with the horse competing providing it was treated fairly . we commented on the race beforehand to say we did n't see any immediate welfare concerns providing the horse was treated well . clearly it was n't , ' said the body 's deputy chief executive tony tyler . in a statement to cnn , six-time paralympic gold medalist pistorius -- who also reached the semifinals of the olympic 400 meters competition -- said he was unaware of any ill treatment to the horse . i participated in the race in good faith as it was to promote abilities across sport and i was totally unaware of any alleged excessive force being used on the horse , ' said the 26-year-old . i do n't condone any ill-treatment of animals and would always hope that a horse would be ridden in the correct way . those who know me well are very aware of my well-publicized care and love of animals . ' the organizers of the race were not immediately available for comment . the use of the whip in horse racing has been a source of controversy in recent years , notably in britain . regulator british horseracing association completed a 10-month review of whip regulations in november 2011 , recommending its use be regulated , with bans issued for excessive use . penalties , which can include losing prize money , become more severe depending on the number of times a jockey breaches regulations . | double amputee pistorius , a six-time paralympic gold medalist , beat an arab horse on wednesday |
syria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in syria , there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against president bashar al-assad . there is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country . and those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in syria should not prompt libyan-style intervention by nato and its arab allies . in washington tuesday , sen. john mccain , r-arizona , said the united states should consider all options , including arming the opposition . the blood-letting has got to stop . ' so far , the international community 's response to the violence in syria has been limited . there has been diplomatic censure , with envoys withdrawn or recalled for consultations , ' and syrian ambassadors expelled from several arab states . a growing raft of sanctions is draining the syrian regime 's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength . this is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival . an arab league monitoring mission is in abeyance , after a much criticized few weeks on the ground that drew ridicule even from within its own ranks and fury ( for its perceived complacency ) from protesters . and back in november , france floated the idea of humanitarian corridors that would be protected by armed observers -- while ruling out military intervention . so far the idea has not gained traction . none of this amounts to the sort of pressure that will make the al-assad regime buckle , especially when it perceives as divided both internal opposition and the international community . compare the situation to that in libya -- almost a year ago . as then-libyan leader moammar gadhafi was about to unleash his forces on the rebel stronghold of benghazi , the world came together in the shape of the u.n. security council to authorize international intervention and prevent a bloodbath . the french and british were prime movers behind u.n. security council resolution 1973 ; the united states an enthusiastic supporter . russia abstained , but at the time its ambassador noted that many questions remained unanswered , including how it would be enforced and by whom , and what the limits of engagement would be . ' russian later complained that a humanitarian mandate had become a blank check in support of the rebels . perhaps in part because of the bad blood over libya , the world body has reached no similar consensus over syria . rather , the opposite , with some of the harshest diplomatic language traded for years . to the united states , the vetoes were a travesty . ' german ambassador peter wittig essentially said that moscow and beijing had syrian blood on their hands . china and russia will now have to assume that responsibility in the face of the international public opinion and especially in the arab world , the arab citizens and , of course , in face of the syrian people , ' wittig said . beyond the rhetoric , the vetoes had a more practical consequence . nato officials have made it clear that the alliance can not act , by enforcing a no-fly zone for example , without u.n. support . writer derek flood , recently in syria with elements of the free syrian army , says nato officials envision no role for the alliance in syria this year . but they have not ruled out a coalition of the willing ' outside the nato orbit . both russia and china are wary of any international action supporting protest against authoritarian rule . and syria has been first the soviet union 's -- and now russia 's -- key ally in the region after egypt'defected'in the 1970s . as it has for decades , russia still supplies the syrian government with weapons . one russian analyst , ruslan pukhov , told cnn : once the assad regime vanishes , we have zero influence in the region . ' according to andrew tabler of the washington institute for near east policy , al-assad has ably judged the diplomatic red lines ' to keep moscow onside . there have been no massacres on the scale of what happened in hama 30 years ago ( when thousands were killed after a brief uprising against his father 's rule ) that might have forced russia into a corner . the persistent drip of civilian casualties over almost a year has not unleashed a tide of irresistible outrage . last weekend 's casualties in homs , which opposition activists said numbered in the hundreds , may have changed that . but what can be done ? in bosnia , the international community declared safe havens ' for muslims but failed to protect them . the result in july 1995 was srebrenica , the worst massacre in europe since 1945 , when some 8,000 bosnian muslim civilians were killed by serb forces . havens are only safe when protected against superior forces . others support sen. john mccain in arguing for arming the fledgling free syrian army . anne-marie slaughter , professor of politics and international affairs at princeton university , told cnn that is the most likely [ option ] , that the arab league countries , turkey and probably nato as well arms the free syrian army , gives them the means to fight back . but then you 've got a long and bloody civil war , ' slaughter says -- reminiscent of bosnia . analysts say that even setting aside the lack of international will , successful intervention in syria would pose problems not present in libya : geography : most regime targets in libya were close to the mediterranean coast and within easy reach of nato air bases in italy . even so , nato warplanes flew some 21,000 missions over nearly six months to enforce the no-fly zone , suppress air defenses and destroy command centers and armor . military analysts say that , while no match for the best nato members could summon , syrian armed forces are better equipped and coordinated than anything gadhafi could muster . neighboring states : few of syria 's neighbors would likely allow their territory to be used to pre-position supplies or military units . certainly neither iraq nor lebanon , both countries with their own volatile sectarian mixes . the hezbollah militia , strongly allied with syria , remains powerful within lebanon . the presence of foreign troops on jordanian soil might have repercussions for a monarchy that already has plenty of problems domestically . using israeli territory would send the wrong message altogether . that leaves turkey , a nato member that has run out of patience with al-assad . last month , the turkish foreign minister compared the syrian president with former serbian leader slobodan milosevic , and on tuesday prime minister recep tayyip erdogan warned al-assad -- pointedly in arabic -- what goes around , comes around . ' turkey has military bases ( incirlik , diyarbakir ) close to the border that -- theoretically -- could serve as staging posts for intervention . but even for the turks , there would be risks -- including a flood of refugees and possible retaliation by damascus supporting the kurdish terrorist group active in turkey , the pkk . topography : libya was flat desert ; there was little cover for regime forces and most of the fighting was along a narrow coastal strip . target acquisition ' was relatively simple . syria 's physical geography is more challenging ; and much of its northern border with turkey and lebanon is mountainous , with few major roads . getting aid into any safe havens within syria would be a logistical nightmare . the opposition : the libyan rebels , for all their military shortcomings , quickly grabbed a swathe of eastern libya and major air and seaports in benghazi and tobruk that became their resupply hubs . the free syrian army ( fsa ) , at best , controls a few neighborhoods in homs and elsewhere .'the fsa has established very small slices of liberated territory , ' says derek flood , who has just left idlib province close to the turkish border . he says the fsa is poorly armed ; he was told the price of weapons on the black market has soared , with a used ak-47 fetching as much as $ 2,000 - $ 3,000 . ' flood says the fsa in that area wants a 5 kilometer buffer zone inside syria to provide protection from regime forces . crucially , the regime retains control of syria 's frontiers , and its armed forces appear cohesive , according to analysts in the region . there have been military defections , mainly of low-rank conscripts , but not of entire units with their armor . against all this and the political risks of western military action in yet another muslim country , some argue there is a moral imperative -- as there was in libya and kosovo ( done ) , rwanda ( ignored ) and bosnia ( eventually . ) writing last month in the atlantic , steven cook argued : if there is no intervention and political will to stop assad 's crimes remains absent , the world will once again have to answer for standing on the sidelines of a mass murder . ' cook -- a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations -- asked : at what point in the body count is international intervention deemed to be an acceptably worthwhile option that can have a positive effect on the situation ? after assad has killed 6,000 people ? 7,000 ? 10,000 ? 20,000 ? ' scholar fouad ajami agrees , telling cnn 's anderson cooper : not just the russians and chinese , shame to the rest of us . there 's abdication elsewhere , by the turks nearby , abdication by the arab league and washington . washington spent an enormous amount of time chasing after the false mirage [ that ] maybe we can get the russians and chinese on board . ' some also argue that , despite the price , there would also eventually be a strategic gain : a post-al-assad syria would unlikely be as close to iran as is the current regime and might also deprive hezbollah of critical regional support . others see the risks of international intervention as outweighing any benefits , with the danger that civil war would inevitably spill into lebanon . in an interview with cnn 's wolf blitzer tuesday , u.s . ambassador to the u.n. susan rice preferred tighter and more coordinated sanctions , saying that our strong preference is not to fuel what has the potential to become a full-blown civil war ' by arming the opposition . diplomats expect a new contact group ' on syria to involve at least the united states , france , the arab league and turkey . we think that the assad regime is on its last legs , that the pressure is increasing , the economy is crumbling , ' rice said . syrians may already be discounting direct intervention by the west . in one youtube video uploaded tuesday from homs , a doctor pleads for help from abroad . but he directs his message to the leaders of turkey , qatar and saudi arabia . | the united nations'response to violence in syria differs from its response in libya |
tabler <tsp> ( cnn ) -- amid growing outrage over civilian casualties in syria , there are ever more urgent calls to aid -- or at least protect -- the uprising against president bashar al-assad . there is renewed talk of creating safe havens and humanitarian corridors inside the country . and those demanding tougher measures are again asking why events in syria should not prompt libyan-style intervention by nato and its arab allies . in washington tuesday , sen. john mccain , r-arizona , said the united states should consider all options , including arming the opposition . the blood-letting has got to stop . ' so far , the international community 's response to the violence in syria has been limited . there has been diplomatic censure , with envoys withdrawn or recalled for consultations , ' and syrian ambassadors expelled from several arab states . a growing raft of sanctions is draining the syrian regime 's coffers but only gradually sapping its strength . this is not a country that has relied on international trade for its survival . an arab league monitoring mission is in abeyance , after a much criticized few weeks on the ground that drew ridicule even from within its own ranks and fury ( for its perceived complacency ) from protesters . and back in november , france floated the idea of humanitarian corridors that would be protected by armed observers -- while ruling out military intervention . so far the idea has not gained traction . none of this amounts to the sort of pressure that will make the al-assad regime buckle , especially when it perceives as divided both internal opposition and the international community . compare the situation to that in libya -- almost a year ago . as then-libyan leader moammar gadhafi was about to unleash his forces on the rebel stronghold of benghazi , the world came together in the shape of the u.n. security council to authorize international intervention and prevent a bloodbath . the french and british were prime movers behind u.n. security council resolution 1973 ; the united states an enthusiastic supporter . russia abstained , but at the time its ambassador noted that many questions remained unanswered , including how it would be enforced and by whom , and what the limits of engagement would be . ' russian later complained that a humanitarian mandate had become a blank check in support of the rebels . perhaps in part because of the bad blood over libya , the world body has reached no similar consensus over syria . rather , the opposite , with some of the harshest diplomatic language traded for years . to the united states , the vetoes were a travesty . ' german ambassador peter wittig essentially said that moscow and beijing had syrian blood on their hands . china and russia will now have to assume that responsibility in the face of the international public opinion and especially in the arab world , the arab citizens and , of course , in face of the syrian people , ' wittig said . beyond the rhetoric , the vetoes had a more practical consequence . nato officials have made it clear that the alliance can not act , by enforcing a no-fly zone for example , without u.n. support . writer derek flood , recently in syria with elements of the free syrian army , says nato officials envision no role for the alliance in syria this year . but they have not ruled out a coalition of the willing ' outside the nato orbit . both russia and china are wary of any international action supporting protest against authoritarian rule . and syria has been first the soviet union 's -- and now russia 's -- key ally in the region after egypt'defected'in the 1970s . as it has for decades , russia still supplies the syrian government with weapons . one russian analyst , ruslan pukhov , told cnn : once the assad regime vanishes , we have zero influence in the region . ' according to andrew tabler of the washington institute for near east policy , al-assad has ably judged the diplomatic red lines ' to keep moscow onside . there have been no massacres on the scale of what happened in hama 30 years ago ( when thousands were killed after a brief uprising against his father 's rule ) that might have forced russia into a corner . the persistent drip of civilian casualties over almost a year has not unleashed a tide of irresistible outrage . last weekend 's casualties in homs , which opposition activists said numbered in the hundreds , may have changed that . but what can be done ? in bosnia , the international community declared safe havens ' for muslims but failed to protect them . the result in july 1995 was srebrenica , the worst massacre in europe since 1945 , when some 8,000 bosnian muslim civilians were killed by serb forces . havens are only safe when protected against superior forces . others support sen. john mccain in arguing for arming the fledgling free syrian army . anne-marie slaughter , professor of politics and international affairs at princeton university , told cnn that is the most likely [ option ] , that the arab league countries , turkey and probably nato as well arms the free syrian army , gives them the means to fight back . but then you 've got a long and bloody civil war , ' slaughter says -- reminiscent of bosnia . analysts say that even setting aside the lack of international will , successful intervention in syria would pose problems not present in libya : geography : most regime targets in libya were close to the mediterranean coast and within easy reach of nato air bases in italy . even so , nato warplanes flew some 21,000 missions over nearly six months to enforce the no-fly zone , suppress air defenses and destroy command centers and armor . military analysts say that , while no match for the best nato members could summon , syrian armed forces are better equipped and coordinated than anything gadhafi could muster . neighboring states : few of syria 's neighbors would likely allow their territory to be used to pre-position supplies or military units . certainly neither iraq nor lebanon , both countries with their own volatile sectarian mixes . the hezbollah militia , strongly allied with syria , remains powerful within lebanon . the presence of foreign troops on jordanian soil might have repercussions for a monarchy that already has plenty of problems domestically . using israeli territory would send the wrong message altogether . that leaves turkey , a nato member that has run out of patience with al-assad . last month , the turkish foreign minister compared the syrian president with former serbian leader slobodan milosevic , and on tuesday prime minister recep tayyip erdogan warned al-assad -- pointedly in arabic -- what goes around , comes around . ' turkey has military bases ( incirlik , diyarbakir ) close to the border that -- theoretically -- could serve as staging posts for intervention . but even for the turks , there would be risks -- including a flood of refugees and possible retaliation by damascus supporting the kurdish terrorist group active in turkey , the pkk . topography : libya was flat desert ; there was little cover for regime forces and most of the fighting was along a narrow coastal strip . target acquisition ' was relatively simple . syria 's physical geography is more challenging ; and much of its northern border with turkey and lebanon is mountainous , with few major roads . getting aid into any safe havens within syria would be a logistical nightmare . the opposition : the libyan rebels , for all their military shortcomings , quickly grabbed a swathe of eastern libya and major air and seaports in benghazi and tobruk that became their resupply hubs . the free syrian army ( fsa ) , at best , controls a few neighborhoods in homs and elsewhere .'the fsa has established very small slices of liberated territory , ' says derek flood , who has just left idlib province close to the turkish border . he says the fsa is poorly armed ; he was told the price of weapons on the black market has soared , with a used ak-47 fetching as much as $ 2,000 - $ 3,000 . ' flood says the fsa in that area wants a 5 kilometer buffer zone inside syria to provide protection from regime forces . crucially , the regime retains control of syria 's frontiers , and its armed forces appear cohesive , according to analysts in the region . there have been military defections , mainly of low-rank conscripts , but not of entire units with their armor . against all this and the political risks of western military action in yet another muslim country , some argue there is a moral imperative -- as there was in libya and kosovo ( done ) , rwanda ( ignored ) and bosnia ( eventually . ) writing last month in the atlantic , steven cook argued : if there is no intervention and political will to stop assad 's crimes remains absent , the world will once again have to answer for standing on the sidelines of a mass murder . ' cook -- a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations -- asked : at what point in the body count is international intervention deemed to be an acceptably worthwhile option that can have a positive effect on the situation ? after assad has killed 6,000 people ? 7,000 ? 10,000 ? 20,000 ? ' scholar fouad ajami agrees , telling cnn 's anderson cooper : not just the russians and chinese , shame to the rest of us . there 's abdication elsewhere , by the turks nearby , abdication by the arab league and washington . washington spent an enormous amount of time chasing after the false mirage [ that ] maybe we can get the russians and chinese on board . ' some also argue that , despite the price , there would also eventually be a strategic gain : a post-al-assad syria would unlikely be as close to iran as is the current regime and might also deprive hezbollah of critical regional support . others see the risks of international intervention as outweighing any benefits , with the danger that civil war would inevitably spill into lebanon . in an interview with cnn 's wolf blitzer tuesday , u.s . ambassador to the u.n. susan rice preferred tighter and more coordinated sanctions , saying that our strong preference is not to fuel what has the potential to become a full-blown civil war ' by arming the opposition . diplomats expect a new contact group ' on syria to involve at least the united states , france , the arab league and turkey . we think that the assad regime is on its last legs , that the pressure is increasing , the economy is crumbling , ' rice said . syrians may already be discounting direct intervention by the west . in one youtube video uploaded tuesday from homs , a doctor pleads for help from abroad . but he directs his message to the leaders of turkey , qatar and saudi arabia . | al-assad has ably judged the diplomatic red lines ' to keep moscow on its side , says tabler |
astros <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the new york yankees'andy pettitte , the winningest pitcher in post-season history , will retire after this season , the yankees said friday . pettitte , 41 , owns a 255-152 career record with a 3.86 era in 529 appearances over 18 major league seasons . in the post-season , he went 19-11 with a 3.81 era in 44 career starts . it 's still possible for pettitte to see another post-season , since the 80-73 yankees are still eligible to go to the playoffs in the post-season as a wild card . i 've reached the point where i know that i 've left everything i have out there on that field . the time is right . i 've exhausted myself , mentally and physically , and that 's exactly how i want to leave this game . ' the lefty played most of his career for the yankees but had a brief stint in the last decade with the houston astros . his career was n't without controversy . in december 2007 , he was cited by a group led by former sen. george mitchell in a report on illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball . pettitte was among dozens named in its findings , and the report became the basis of a hearing two months later by the house committee on oversight and government reform . he later admitted to using growth hormones in 2002 and 2004 , one of the few players to admit to the use of such drugs . what will future hold for yankees ?'tip my cap'to yankees fans but pettitte 's career has been filled with highlights . a three-time all-star and 2001 american league championship series mvp , he 's the only pitcher in the majors to pitch at least 17 seasons without a losing season , the yankees said . this year , he has gone 10-10 with 3.93 era in 28 starts . pettitte will end his career as one of 12 players to spend at least 15 seasons with the yankees , the team said . a louisiana native and texas resident , he pitched three seasons with the houston astros and appeared in the 2005 world series , when the chicago white sox swept the astros . he also posted a winning record in each of the first 13 seasons of his career , from 1995 to 2007 . that was the third-longest such streak to begin a career all time , the yankees said , behind hall of famers grover cleveland alexander , at 17 , and cy young , at 15 . i 'm announcing my retirement prior to the conclusion of our season because i want all of our fans to know now , while i 'm still wearing this uniform , how grateful i am for their support throughout my career . i want to have the opportunity to tip my cap to them during these remaining days and thank them for making my time here with the yankees so special , ' pettitte said . pettitte 's announcement comes as the yankees honor their great reliever , baseball 's all-time saves leader mariano rivera . sunday 's sold-out game against the san francisco giants will feature a pregame ceremony honoring rivera , who is also retiring . one of the things i struggled with in making this announcement now was doing anything to take away from mariano 's day on sunday . it is his day , ' pettitte said . he means so much to me , and has meant so much to my career that i would just hate to somehow take the attention away from him . ' | andy pettitte pitched mostly for the yankees , three seasons with astros |
sandusky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jerry sandusky will probably be incarcerated for the rest of his life for child sex abuse convictions , but the former penn state assistant football coach is making sure he has his say outside the prison walls . documentary filmmaker john ziegler interviewed sandusky , 68 , for a project he calls the framing of joe paterno . ' on monday , nbc 's today ' show aired a portion of a phone conversation between the two men . in the broadcast excerpts , sandusky questioned the credibility of prosecution witness mike mcqueary , another former penn state assistant coach , who testified that he walked in on sandusky raping a child in the showers at a school facility . i think there 's a lot of things that transpired . i think these investigators , the way they went about business , you know , his story changed a lot . i think he said some things , and then it escalated on him , ' sandusky said . i do n't understand how anybody would have walked into that locker room from where he was and heard sounds associated that was sex going on . ( laughter ) you know , like he said that could 've been , i mean , there was ... that would have been the last thing i would have thought about . i would 've thought maybe fooling around or something like that . ( laughter ) ' sandusky also discussed what joe paterno , the legendary penn state head coach who was forced out as a result of the scandal , knew -- or did n't know . paterno family : freeh report'factually wrong' ' if he absolutely thought i was ( a pedophile ) , i 'd say no . if he had a suspicion , i do n't know the answer to that , ' sandusky said . ziegler wrote an open letter to the media on sunday , and said on the today ' show that the media , in this particular case , has an agenda . they do n't want to hear what the truth is . this has been a rush to judgment from the very beginning . ' jerry sandusky had his day in court . joe paterno never did . i am trying to get joe paterno , effectively , his day in court , ' ziegler said , later adding , this is all about joe paterno 's alleged culpability , which i do n't believe the facts back up . i think he was railroaded . ' both penn state and the paterno family lambasted sandusky and the release of his audio . jerry sandusky 's statements today continue to open wounds for his victims , and the victims of child sexual abuse everywhere . we have tremendous respect for the men who came forward to tell their stories publicly , ' said penn state spokesman david la torre .'the sandusky 8'describe seduction , molestation and betrayal and paterno family attorney wick sollers released a statement saying , the release of the audio recording of jerry sandusky is a sad and unfortunate development . sandusky had the opportunity to speak , under oath , during his trial and he chose not to do so . releasing a recording at this time , nearly a year after he was found guilty on 45 counts , is transparently self-serving and yet another insult to the victims and anyone who cares about the truth in this tragic story . the paterno family would prefer to remain silent on this matter , but they feel it is important to make it clear that they had no role in obtaining or releasing this recording . moreover , they believe that any attempt to use this recording as a defense of joe paterno is misguided and inappropriate . i encourage anyone who wants to understand the facts of this case to go to paterno.com and read the reports of former attorney general dick thornburgh , former fbi profiler , james clemente , noted pedophilia expert , dr. fred berlin and the king and spalding legal team . from the beginning , the family has been committed to due process and a careful , objective examination of the facts . this is the path they will continue to follow . ' sandusky was sentenced in october to 30 to 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period . on february 21 , he filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence with the pennsylvania superior court , according to court records . letters by sandusky , wife blame everyone else cnn 's sara ganim and susan candiotti contributed to this report | sandusky says he 's not sure if head coach joe paterno suspected he was a pedophile |
sandusky <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jerry sandusky will probably be incarcerated for the rest of his life for child sex abuse convictions , but the former penn state assistant football coach is making sure he has his say outside the prison walls . documentary filmmaker john ziegler interviewed sandusky , 68 , for a project he calls the framing of joe paterno . ' on monday , nbc 's today ' show aired a portion of a phone conversation between the two men . in the broadcast excerpts , sandusky questioned the credibility of prosecution witness mike mcqueary , another former penn state assistant coach , who testified that he walked in on sandusky raping a child in the showers at a school facility . i think there 's a lot of things that transpired . i think these investigators , the way they went about business , you know , his story changed a lot . i think he said some things , and then it escalated on him , ' sandusky said . i do n't understand how anybody would have walked into that locker room from where he was and heard sounds associated that was sex going on . ( laughter ) you know , like he said that could 've been , i mean , there was ... that would have been the last thing i would have thought about . i would 've thought maybe fooling around or something like that . ( laughter ) ' sandusky also discussed what joe paterno , the legendary penn state head coach who was forced out as a result of the scandal , knew -- or did n't know . paterno family : freeh report'factually wrong' ' if he absolutely thought i was ( a pedophile ) , i 'd say no . if he had a suspicion , i do n't know the answer to that , ' sandusky said . ziegler wrote an open letter to the media on sunday , and said on the today ' show that the media , in this particular case , has an agenda . they do n't want to hear what the truth is . this has been a rush to judgment from the very beginning . ' jerry sandusky had his day in court . joe paterno never did . i am trying to get joe paterno , effectively , his day in court , ' ziegler said , later adding , this is all about joe paterno 's alleged culpability , which i do n't believe the facts back up . i think he was railroaded . ' both penn state and the paterno family lambasted sandusky and the release of his audio . jerry sandusky 's statements today continue to open wounds for his victims , and the victims of child sexual abuse everywhere . we have tremendous respect for the men who came forward to tell their stories publicly , ' said penn state spokesman david la torre .'the sandusky 8'describe seduction , molestation and betrayal and paterno family attorney wick sollers released a statement saying , the release of the audio recording of jerry sandusky is a sad and unfortunate development . sandusky had the opportunity to speak , under oath , during his trial and he chose not to do so . releasing a recording at this time , nearly a year after he was found guilty on 45 counts , is transparently self-serving and yet another insult to the victims and anyone who cares about the truth in this tragic story . the paterno family would prefer to remain silent on this matter , but they feel it is important to make it clear that they had no role in obtaining or releasing this recording . moreover , they believe that any attempt to use this recording as a defense of joe paterno is misguided and inappropriate . i encourage anyone who wants to understand the facts of this case to go to paterno.com and read the reports of former attorney general dick thornburgh , former fbi profiler , james clemente , noted pedophilia expert , dr. fred berlin and the king and spalding legal team . from the beginning , the family has been committed to due process and a careful , objective examination of the facts . this is the path they will continue to follow . ' sandusky was sentenced in october to 30 to 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period . on february 21 , he filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence with the pennsylvania superior court , according to court records . letters by sandusky , wife blame everyone else cnn 's sara ganim and susan candiotti contributed to this report | nbc 's today ' show airs audio excerpts of an interview with jerry sandusky in prison |
world cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jonny wilkinson , who enshrined his name in rugby history with his match-winning drop-goal in the 2003 world cup final , has announced the end of his international career . the flyhalf struggled to regain the giddy heights of that day in sydney , when england won the sport 's biggest prize for the first time , as he suffered frustrating injury setbacks in the following years . the 32-year-old was one of many england players to struggle at this year 's tournament , which ended in a quarterfinal exit to france and the subsequent departure of his 2003 teammate martin johnson as manager following a series of controversies among the squad and the ruling body . to do so fills me with great sadness , but i know that i have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what i have with the england rugby team , ' wilkinson said on his website on monday . to say i have played through four world cups , two lions tours , 91 international games and a ridiculous number of injuries and other setbacks gives me an incredibly special feeling of fulfillment . but by now i know myself well enough to know that i will never truly be satisfied . ' a perfectionist in his approach on and off the pitch , perhaps best illustrated by his painstaking goalkicking style , wilkinson was twice rugby 's record points scorer before the mantle was retaken by new zealand 's dan carter this year . he totaled 1,246 in all internationals for england and the british & irish lions , and has a record 277 scored at world cups -- helping beat australia 20-17 in extra-time eight years ago , then losing to south africa in the 2007 final . wilkinson started his career at newcastle in 1997 , but joined toulon in 2009 and will continue his career with the french club . stuart lancaster , who has taken over as england 's interim head coach , said wilkinson was one of the nation 's greatest players . he will of course be remembered for that drop-goal but he is more than that , a model sportsman -- down to earth and hard working , who has never stopped trying to be the best that he can , ' said england 's head of elite player development . everyone who has played with , coached and watched jonny play should feel privileged to have had an involvement with him . not only has he been a world-class player but he has inspired thousands to play and watch the game of rugby . he will continue to do great things with toulon and i would like to go and see him in france to learn from his vast knowledge and experience of 13 years at the very top of the international game . ' | the 2003 world cup winner will continue to play for french club toulon |
chen <tsp> taipei , taiwan ( cnn ) -- a taiwan court early tuesday ordered ex-president chen shui-bian , who is facing corruption charges , back to jail after deeming him a flight risk . former taiwan president chen shui-bian speaks to reporters on december 12 in taipei . chen had been free on bail , but prosecutors sought his return to state custody . after 12 hours of deliberation , a panel of three district court judges approved the request at 3 a.m. taiwan time . chen was immediately taken to jail . the island 's first former president to ever face prosecution , chen was freed earlier in december after spending a month in jail while prosecutors prepared his indictment on several corruption charges , including embezzlement and accepting bribes . judges ordered chen released after the indictment was formally presented , saying they did not believe he was a flight risk . however , taiwan 's high court was not satisfied with the decision and assigned a new judge to the case . chen 's attorney , jen wen long , told reporters after the court order : we question the work of the taipei district court . changing the judge is an interference with the justice system . ' chen , whose term ended in may , is accused of embezzling about $ 18 million . a trial date has not been set in the case . prosecutors allege he also took bribes , laundered money and illegally removed classified documents from the president 's office . chen , 58 , has denied any wrongdoing and insists the charges are politically motivated . his party favors independence for taiwan , while the administration of president ma ying-jeou favors closer ties with mainland china -- from which the island split amid civil war in 1949 . if convicted , chen faces 25 years or more in prison , although prosecutors did not seek any specific jail time in their indictment . thirteen others , including chen 's wife , son , daughter-in-law and brother-in-law , also were indicted . prosecutors have alleged that chen 's son has a swiss bank account containing $ 22 million in what they believe is illegal proceeds . journalist andrew lee contributed to this report . | a court freed chen in early december , but high court disagreed with decision |
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