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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 . | chen , facing trial on corruption charges , had been free on bail |
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 . | chen , whose term ended in may , is accused of embezzling about $ 18 million |
japan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the number of people in japan who killed themselves last year because they could n't find a job jumped 20 % , the national police agency reported thursday . the figures were released as part of the agency 's annual study of suicides . in 2010 , 424 people killed themselves because they failed to find a job , according to the npa . in 2009 , the number was 354 . police said the greatest growth in the category came among students . in 2009 , 23 students killed themselves . in 2010 , the number grew to 53 -- a 130 % increase . the stark figures stood in contrast to the overall decrease in the number of suicides in japan , down 3.5 % to 31,690 . about 127 million people live in the island nation . police figures also showed an increase in the number of child caretakers who killed themselves . the number in 2010 grew to 157 , up 44 % from 2009 . japan has one of the developed world 's highest suicide rates . the health , labor and welfare ministry says the number of suicides in japan has been over 30,000 per year for 13 years in a row . prime minister naoto kan has made tackling suicides one of his priorities , saying , in the past that he aimed to reduce the factors that make people unhappy . ' on world suicide prevention day last september , the government launched a website featuring a popular soccer star , urging the country become more aware of the warning signs of suicide . but the suicide rate persists , in a society where a stigma surrounds mental health issues . | some 31,690 people committed suicide in japan in 2010 |
gotbaum <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of a woman who died last year while in police custody at phoenix , arizona 's , sky harbor international airport filed an $ 8 million claim wednesday against the city of phoenix and its police department , the first step in filing a wrongful death suit . carol gotbaum , shown in an undated family photo , died accidentally , a medical examiner said . carol gotbaum , a 45-year-old mother of three from new york traveling to tucson , arizona , to enter an alcohol rehabilitation center , was taken into custody by phoenix police on september 28 after she missed her connecting flight and flew into a rage . she was left alone in a holding cell at the airport and subsequently died , accidentally strangling herself while trying to escape her handcuffs . the claim accuses the police department of using excessive and unreasonable force ' on gotbaum and failing to follow its own procedures in handling people who are obviously disturbed . good people here made lethal , unreasonable mistakes , with catastrophic results for carol , her three small children and for her husband , ' the claim says . gotbaum was treated as if she was a dangerous criminal , rather than as a sick , intoxicated and vulnerable person she was , ' it says . she had no weapon and never threatened anyone . ' city attorneys responded to the claim , saying that police officers acted properly and responsibly in restraining gotbaum . the gotbaum family has publicly admitted , not only that carol hid her medical and mental condition , but that the officers responded to carol exactly the way her husband knew they would respond because they did not have critical information known only to the gotbaum family , ' city attorneys representing the police department wrote . gotbaum , the stepdaughter-in-law of new york public advocate betsy gotbaum , became agitated after missing her flight when gate agents were unable to seat her on a subsequent flight . airport surveillance video shows gotbaum 's arrest , with police officers struggling to handcuff her . police reports say she was uncooperative ' and resisted arrest , screaming during their attempts to escort her out of the airport terminal . she was accused of disorderly conduct and placed in a holding cell at the airport , where she continued to scream for several minutes after police left the room . shortly after she stopped screaming , an officer found her unconscious , and rescuers were unable to resuscitate her . the maricopa county medical examiner ruled that her death was an accidental hanging . e-mail to a friend | police took carol gotbaum into custody after she missed a flight , flew into a rage |
gotbaum <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the family of a woman who died last year while in police custody at phoenix , arizona 's , sky harbor international airport filed an $ 8 million claim wednesday against the city of phoenix and its police department , the first step in filing a wrongful death suit . carol gotbaum , shown in an undated family photo , died accidentally , a medical examiner said . carol gotbaum , a 45-year-old mother of three from new york traveling to tucson , arizona , to enter an alcohol rehabilitation center , was taken into custody by phoenix police on september 28 after she missed her connecting flight and flew into a rage . she was left alone in a holding cell at the airport and subsequently died , accidentally strangling herself while trying to escape her handcuffs . the claim accuses the police department of using excessive and unreasonable force ' on gotbaum and failing to follow its own procedures in handling people who are obviously disturbed . good people here made lethal , unreasonable mistakes , with catastrophic results for carol , her three small children and for her husband , ' the claim says . gotbaum was treated as if she was a dangerous criminal , rather than as a sick , intoxicated and vulnerable person she was , ' it says . she had no weapon and never threatened anyone . ' city attorneys responded to the claim , saying that police officers acted properly and responsibly in restraining gotbaum . the gotbaum family has publicly admitted , not only that carol hid her medical and mental condition , but that the officers responded to carol exactly the way her husband knew they would respond because they did not have critical information known only to the gotbaum family , ' city attorneys representing the police department wrote . gotbaum , the stepdaughter-in-law of new york public advocate betsy gotbaum , became agitated after missing her flight when gate agents were unable to seat her on a subsequent flight . airport surveillance video shows gotbaum 's arrest , with police officers struggling to handcuff her . police reports say she was uncooperative ' and resisted arrest , screaming during their attempts to escort her out of the airport terminal . she was accused of disorderly conduct and placed in a holding cell at the airport , where she continued to scream for several minutes after police left the room . shortly after she stopped screaming , an officer found her unconscious , and rescuers were unable to resuscitate her . the maricopa county medical examiner ruled that her death was an accidental hanging . e-mail to a friend | city says police officers acted properly and responsibly in restraining gotbaum |
google+ <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in a big swerve in policy , google has decided to allow people to sign up using nicknames or other pseudonyms on its growing social network , google+ . this summer , google took some flak for booting users who had used fake names on the 7-month-old site . members of the tech community , who as early adopters had flocked to the search giant 's facebook alternative , argued that some people are better known on the internet by their assumed names . they also noted that people who used social media as part of social movements , such as those in iran and egypt , need to be able to conceal their identity for safety reasons . today we 're pleased to be launching features that will address and remedy the majority of these issues , ' bradley horowitz , a vice president for product development at google , wrote tuesday on his profile on the site . to be clear -- our work here is n't done , but i 'm really pleased to be shipping a milestone on our journey . ' starting this week , users will be able to add a nickname alongside their real name , horowitz said . an example ? dwayne the rock ' johnson , he wrote . they will also be able to change their actual name to an assumed one . ( one amusing example ? madonna ) . if google flags a new name as inappropriate , users will be able to appeal and provide documentation , from a driver 's license to appearances in media to proof of an established identity online with a meaningful following ' -- presumably something like a blog or twitter account . the changes are google 's response to feedback after initial complaints , horowitz said . but not everyone was pleased with the results . on the next web blog , writer anna helm complained that the new system would , by default , carry a user 's google+ name across all of its platforms , such as gmail . so , someone who wanted to use a pseudonym there would , in effect , be announcing that name to anyone they send an e-mail to , whether they want to or not . ( gmail does have a send mail as ' field in its settings that lets users change how their name appears each time they send a message ) . we are many things to many people , and that 's what most nicknames are about ; we would n't necessarily want our parents to know how our friends call us , and vice-versa ... . , ' helm wrote . one thing is for sure , this is a huge missed opportunity -- after all , did n't google+ acknowledge early on that our social life revolves around different circles ? she clarified , however , that complaints do n't negate high hopes for the site . please wait a second before calling us'trolls'or haters'-- if i and other people are pointing out these flaws , it 's because we sincerely hope google+ will become a great facebook alternative , ' she wrote . in his post , horowitz said that only a tiny percentage of google+ users have issues with the names they submit . only about 0.1 percent ( one/tenth of one percent ) submit name appeals , he said . of those , about 60 percent simply want to add a nickname and 20 percent are businesses who accidentally tried to set up an account as an individual . the struggle is n't unique to google , which last week announced that the site now has more than 90 million users . facebook policy also requires users to register for the site with their real names . that site 's terms and conditions state : we reserve the right to remove or reclaim [ a user 's name ] if we believe appropriate ( such as when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user 's actual name ) . ' the sheer size of facebook ( the site claims more than 800 million accounts ) means it may take longer for fake accounts to be found , though . | google+ will now allow pseudonyms , nicknames |
florida <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. hillary clinton will win florida 's democratic presidential primary tuesday , cnn projects , although party sanctions have stripped the state of its convention delegates and no democrats campaigned there . hillary clinton addresses a crowd in davie , florida , after winning the state 's primary . published polls showed the new york senator and former first lady was heavily favored in the state . her leading rivals , south carolina primary winner sen. barack obama and sen. john edwards , did not campaign in florida . they opted to concentrate on next week 's super tuesday ' contests in states such as new york , california , missouri and georgia . cnn 's projection is based on precincts reporting results , entrance polls and other statistical models -- including the number of votes outstanding in areas where clinton was expected to do well . the sanctions make tuesday night 's results largely meaningless to the democratic presidential race . obama described the primary as a beauty contest ' tuesday , and his campaign issued a statement declaring the race a tie in the delegate count : zero for obama , zero for clinton . ' but clinton has pledged to fight to have the state 's delegates seated at the august convention in denver , and has increasingly stressed the state 's importance since losing saturday 's hotly contested primary in south carolina to obama . though democrats agreed to leave the state off their itineraries in a show of solidarity with the national party , clinton attended permitted fund-raisers in florida on sunday and planned to appear with supporters there after polls closed . and turnout was high for the race even though no delegates were at stake . nearly 400,000 people cast early or absentee ballots ahead of the primary , and tuesday 's vote was expected to top the nearly 800,000 who turned out in 2004 . donna brazile , who managed former vice president al gore 's presidential bid , said many democrats were likely to turn out to vote on a state constitutional amendment that would limit property tax increases and expand homestead exemptions . people are very afraid this will cut public services , cut back education , ' said brazile , a cnn analyst . so the florida education association and all of the unions are spending millions of dollars to get voters to turn out . ' e-mail to a friend | there were no delegates at stake in florida |
florida <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. hillary clinton will win florida 's democratic presidential primary tuesday , cnn projects , although party sanctions have stripped the state of its convention delegates and no democrats campaigned there . hillary clinton addresses a crowd in davie , florida , after winning the state 's primary . published polls showed the new york senator and former first lady was heavily favored in the state . her leading rivals , south carolina primary winner sen. barack obama and sen. john edwards , did not campaign in florida . they opted to concentrate on next week 's super tuesday ' contests in states such as new york , california , missouri and georgia . cnn 's projection is based on precincts reporting results , entrance polls and other statistical models -- including the number of votes outstanding in areas where clinton was expected to do well . the sanctions make tuesday night 's results largely meaningless to the democratic presidential race . obama described the primary as a beauty contest ' tuesday , and his campaign issued a statement declaring the race a tie in the delegate count : zero for obama , zero for clinton . ' but clinton has pledged to fight to have the state 's delegates seated at the august convention in denver , and has increasingly stressed the state 's importance since losing saturday 's hotly contested primary in south carolina to obama . though democrats agreed to leave the state off their itineraries in a show of solidarity with the national party , clinton attended permitted fund-raisers in florida on sunday and planned to appear with supporters there after polls closed . and turnout was high for the race even though no delegates were at stake . nearly 400,000 people cast early or absentee ballots ahead of the primary , and tuesday 's vote was expected to top the nearly 800,000 who turned out in 2004 . donna brazile , who managed former vice president al gore 's presidential bid , said many democrats were likely to turn out to vote on a state constitutional amendment that would limit property tax increases and expand homestead exemptions . people are very afraid this will cut public services , cut back education , ' said brazile , a cnn analyst . so the florida education association and all of the unions are spending millions of dollars to get voters to turn out . ' e-mail to a friend | rivals sens . barack obama and john edwards did not campaign in florida |
gergen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- here in boston , people will grieve for many days . how could anyone be so evil as to plant a bomb that would murder an 8-year-old child , rip the legs off parents and devastate a celebration of athletics that is pure joy . these were murders that wrench the soul . but if these cowards thought they would scare this city -- that their acts of terror would actually terrorize -- they picked the wrong place . boston , as president barack obama so rightly said monday night , is a tough and resilient town ' -- always has been and always will be . it will heal but will not forget ; it will care for the wounded but will make the murderers pay their price . boston has a reputation as an intellectual town , and it is that . two of the world 's best universities are here , along with a dozen other fine colleges and universities . it is electric with creativity and innovation . as they showed again after the bombing , its doctors and hospitals are world-class . citizens can find a great concert or art gallery anytime they want . no wonder that in contrast to most other aging cities , young and old are streaming here to live these days . but that does n't mean boston is soft . just the opposite . boston has plenty of fight , too -- just ask any team that has banged up against the patriots , red sox , celtics or bruins . since 2004 , do n't forget , boston has won championships in all four major sports . that does n't happen to softies . rothkopf : in the face of terror , keep calm the graveyards here are full of glorious men and women -- brave souls who carved the first communities out of wilderness , stood up first against british oppression , stood up first against the abomination of slavery , stood up early for the rights of women , and in recent years has stood up early and often for the rights of gays and lesbians . harvard has lots of nobel laureates , but it is also proud that it has the largest number of medal of honor winners of any university , save the military academies . traditionally , the marathon itself occurs on patriots'day in massachusetts -- a moment when people take time off to remember lexington and concord . one can watch re-enactments of the british marching to rid themselves of rebels -- and men without uniform but deadeyes with a rifle picking them off from the woods . if you want to remember the grit of the early men and women of massachusetts , pull down your copies of david mccullough 's histories . reread 1776 ' and its fabulous stories of bunker hill and lifting the british siege of boston ( when men pulled cannons all the way across massachusetts to chase away the most powerful navy in the world ) . or reread john adams , ' the book that was originally intended to be about adams and jefferson -- until mccullough fell out of love with jefferson and into love with abigail . one of my favorite episodes in the adams book occurs when her husband insists on taking their teenage son , john quincy , on a perilous voyage to england . abigail writes a farewell letter to john quincy that captures the new england spirit : ' it is not in the still calm of life , or the repose of a pacific station , that great characters are formed . the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties . great necessities call out great virtues ... qualities which would otherwise lay dormant wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman . ' in most of the country , that spirit is called toughness ; in new england , it is often called hardiness . and with the passage of time , it has not disappeared . lz : it can happen anywhere monday 's bombings cap a 50-year period for boston that has been marked by violence , tragedy and grief . it started with the assassination of a favorite son , john f. kennedy , in 1963 , and continued with the assassination of his brother robert , later the plane crash of young john jr. and the loss of another brother , ted . so much sadness across these years . yet there has been more . massachusetts lost 1,537 in vietnam , 12 in the first gulf war , and 118 so far in iraq and afghanistan . on 9/11 , two of those planes flew from boston 's logan international airport . violence has also stalked the streets of boston , but as they have done so often , people here stood up against the tide . in the late 1980s , gang violence and murder were rampant ; by 1990 , boston felt like chicago today as it had the highest number of killings in its history , many among the young . opinion : our'greatest day'turns to horror but even if it is occasionally knocked down , as it was by these bombings , the real boston story is how it always gets up again . that spree in the '80s and early '90s of kids killing kids , even at funerals , so shocked the city that leaders of all stripes -- political , religious , business , nonprofit -- initiated a comprehensive , community-based strategy to reach at-risk youth early , and over five years , the rate of youth homicides dropped 80 % . there was an upward spike in the mid 2000s , but the numbers are now again falling steadily . war , violence , tragedy -- boston wo n't surrender to darker forces . monday 's bombings shattered any feeling of safety . people here looked with horror into the abyss . but count on it : boston is still alive with the spirit of abigail adams . great necessities will call out great virtues , and qualities that may seem dormant will wake into life , forming the character of new heroes and new leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen . | gergen : difficulties call out great virtues , ' she said in letter |
gergen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- here in boston , people will grieve for many days . how could anyone be so evil as to plant a bomb that would murder an 8-year-old child , rip the legs off parents and devastate a celebration of athletics that is pure joy . these were murders that wrench the soul . but if these cowards thought they would scare this city -- that their acts of terror would actually terrorize -- they picked the wrong place . boston , as president barack obama so rightly said monday night , is a tough and resilient town ' -- always has been and always will be . it will heal but will not forget ; it will care for the wounded but will make the murderers pay their price . boston has a reputation as an intellectual town , and it is that . two of the world 's best universities are here , along with a dozen other fine colleges and universities . it is electric with creativity and innovation . as they showed again after the bombing , its doctors and hospitals are world-class . citizens can find a great concert or art gallery anytime they want . no wonder that in contrast to most other aging cities , young and old are streaming here to live these days . but that does n't mean boston is soft . just the opposite . boston has plenty of fight , too -- just ask any team that has banged up against the patriots , red sox , celtics or bruins . since 2004 , do n't forget , boston has won championships in all four major sports . that does n't happen to softies . rothkopf : in the face of terror , keep calm the graveyards here are full of glorious men and women -- brave souls who carved the first communities out of wilderness , stood up first against british oppression , stood up first against the abomination of slavery , stood up early for the rights of women , and in recent years has stood up early and often for the rights of gays and lesbians . harvard has lots of nobel laureates , but it is also proud that it has the largest number of medal of honor winners of any university , save the military academies . traditionally , the marathon itself occurs on patriots'day in massachusetts -- a moment when people take time off to remember lexington and concord . one can watch re-enactments of the british marching to rid themselves of rebels -- and men without uniform but deadeyes with a rifle picking them off from the woods . if you want to remember the grit of the early men and women of massachusetts , pull down your copies of david mccullough 's histories . reread 1776 ' and its fabulous stories of bunker hill and lifting the british siege of boston ( when men pulled cannons all the way across massachusetts to chase away the most powerful navy in the world ) . or reread john adams , ' the book that was originally intended to be about adams and jefferson -- until mccullough fell out of love with jefferson and into love with abigail . one of my favorite episodes in the adams book occurs when her husband insists on taking their teenage son , john quincy , on a perilous voyage to england . abigail writes a farewell letter to john quincy that captures the new england spirit : ' it is not in the still calm of life , or the repose of a pacific station , that great characters are formed . the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties . great necessities call out great virtues ... qualities which would otherwise lay dormant wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman . ' in most of the country , that spirit is called toughness ; in new england , it is often called hardiness . and with the passage of time , it has not disappeared . lz : it can happen anywhere monday 's bombings cap a 50-year period for boston that has been marked by violence , tragedy and grief . it started with the assassination of a favorite son , john f. kennedy , in 1963 , and continued with the assassination of his brother robert , later the plane crash of young john jr. and the loss of another brother , ted . so much sadness across these years . yet there has been more . massachusetts lost 1,537 in vietnam , 12 in the first gulf war , and 118 so far in iraq and afghanistan . on 9/11 , two of those planes flew from boston 's logan international airport . violence has also stalked the streets of boston , but as they have done so often , people here stood up against the tide . in the late 1980s , gang violence and murder were rampant ; by 1990 , boston felt like chicago today as it had the highest number of killings in its history , many among the young . opinion : our'greatest day'turns to horror but even if it is occasionally knocked down , as it was by these bombings , the real boston story is how it always gets up again . that spree in the '80s and early '90s of kids killing kids , even at funerals , so shocked the city that leaders of all stripes -- political , religious , business , nonprofit -- initiated a comprehensive , community-based strategy to reach at-risk youth early , and over five years , the rate of youth homicides dropped 80 % . there was an upward spike in the mid 2000s , but the numbers are now again falling steadily . war , violence , tragedy -- boston wo n't surrender to darker forces . monday 's bombings shattered any feeling of safety . people here looked with horror into the abyss . but count on it : boston is still alive with the spirit of abigail adams . great necessities will call out great virtues , and qualities that may seem dormant will wake into life , forming the character of new heroes and new leaders . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david gergen . | david gergen : bostonians will grieve , but terrorists picked the wrong city to try to frighten |
indiana <tsp> ( cnn ) standing up for what you believe . what does it cost you ? what do you gain ? memories pizza in the indiana town of walkerton is finding out . the family-run restaurant finds itself at the center of the debate over the state 's religious freedom restoration act after its owners said they 'd refuse to cater a same-sex couple 's wedding . if a gay couple was to come and they wanted us to bring pizzas to their wedding , we 'd have to say no , ' crystal o'connor told cnn affiliate wbnd-tv in south bend . the statement struck at the heart of fears by critics , who said the new law would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians . they called for boycotts . but supporters also rallied . and by the end of the week , they had donated more than $ 842,000 for the business . social media unloaded on the pizzeria in the community of 2,100 people that few folks outside northern indiana knew existed before this week . riskyliberal tweeted : dear # memoriespizza . no . my boycotting your business because i do n't like your religious bigotry is not a violation of your freedom to practice your religion . ' do n't threaten # memoriespizza ' tweeted aღanda . just mock them for their ignorance . ' bad reviews flooded the restaurant 's facebook page , most having little to do with the quality of the food . many too vulgar to share . do you really want to financially support a company that treats some of your fellow citizens like second class citizens ? boycott memories pizza ! ! ' said rob katz of indianapolis . let 's hope they either rethink their policy or the free market puts them out of business . ' anti-bigotry critics harass wrong pizzeria but one outburst in particular shut down the restaurant wednesday and was expected to do the same thursday . who 's going to walkerton with me to burn down memories pizza ? ' jessica dooley of goshen tweeted , according to the walkerton police department . the account has been deleted since the tweet was posted . detectives who investigated have recommended charges of harassment , intimidation and threats , according to charles kulp , assistant police chief . the mood was a bit more subdued on the streets of walkerton . a man stood outside memories simply holding a sign that reads bigots . ' jason narducy bought $ 100 of pizza from another shop down the street and started handing it out , wbnd reported . do you want some non-discriminatory pizza ? ' narducy asked . but for every tweet and facebook post taking memories pizza to task were words of support and a groundswell of financial support . because nothing says tolerance like threatening to kill christians & burn down their businesses , ' said a tweet from victor nikki . what 's happening to # memoriespizza is n't the free market , it 's a lynch mob , ' tweeted savannah . cyber bulling is n't the same as taking your business elsewhere . ' supporters rallied to a gofundme page in support of memories pizza . by the time the fundraiser ended late friday , $ 842,387 had been raised . the purpose of the campaign is to relieve the financial loss endured by the proprietors'stand for faith , ' according to lawrence billy jones ii , the man who started it . for the o'connors their stand was no pie in the sky dream . it was n't calculated but was spurred by their beliefs , they told wbnd . that 's a lifestyle that you choose . i choose to be heterosexual . they choose to be homosexual , ' kevin o'connor told the tv station . you ca n't beat me over the head with something they choose to be . ' faced with threats against business , they 're still weighing the cost . cnn 's rob frehse and melanie whitley contributed to this report . | indiana town 's memories pizza is shut down after online threat |
memories pizza <tsp> ( cnn ) standing up for what you believe . what does it cost you ? what do you gain ? memories pizza in the indiana town of walkerton is finding out . the family-run restaurant finds itself at the center of the debate over the state 's religious freedom restoration act after its owners said they 'd refuse to cater a same-sex couple 's wedding . if a gay couple was to come and they wanted us to bring pizzas to their wedding , we 'd have to say no , ' crystal o'connor told cnn affiliate wbnd-tv in south bend . the statement struck at the heart of fears by critics , who said the new law would allow businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians . they called for boycotts . but supporters also rallied . and by the end of the week , they had donated more than $ 842,000 for the business . social media unloaded on the pizzeria in the community of 2,100 people that few folks outside northern indiana knew existed before this week . riskyliberal tweeted : dear # memoriespizza . no . my boycotting your business because i do n't like your religious bigotry is not a violation of your freedom to practice your religion . ' do n't threaten # memoriespizza ' tweeted aღanda . just mock them for their ignorance . ' bad reviews flooded the restaurant 's facebook page , most having little to do with the quality of the food . many too vulgar to share . do you really want to financially support a company that treats some of your fellow citizens like second class citizens ? boycott memories pizza ! ! ' said rob katz of indianapolis . let 's hope they either rethink their policy or the free market puts them out of business . ' anti-bigotry critics harass wrong pizzeria but one outburst in particular shut down the restaurant wednesday and was expected to do the same thursday . who 's going to walkerton with me to burn down memories pizza ? ' jessica dooley of goshen tweeted , according to the walkerton police department . the account has been deleted since the tweet was posted . detectives who investigated have recommended charges of harassment , intimidation and threats , according to charles kulp , assistant police chief . the mood was a bit more subdued on the streets of walkerton . a man stood outside memories simply holding a sign that reads bigots . ' jason narducy bought $ 100 of pizza from another shop down the street and started handing it out , wbnd reported . do you want some non-discriminatory pizza ? ' narducy asked . but for every tweet and facebook post taking memories pizza to task were words of support and a groundswell of financial support . because nothing says tolerance like threatening to kill christians & burn down their businesses , ' said a tweet from victor nikki . what 's happening to # memoriespizza is n't the free market , it 's a lynch mob , ' tweeted savannah . cyber bulling is n't the same as taking your business elsewhere . ' supporters rallied to a gofundme page in support of memories pizza . by the time the fundraiser ended late friday , $ 842,387 had been raised . the purpose of the campaign is to relieve the financial loss endured by the proprietors'stand for faith , ' according to lawrence billy jones ii , the man who started it . for the o'connors their stand was no pie in the sky dream . it was n't calculated but was spurred by their beliefs , they told wbnd . that 's a lifestyle that you choose . i choose to be heterosexual . they choose to be homosexual , ' kevin o'connor told the tv station . you ca n't beat me over the head with something they choose to be . ' faced with threats against business , they 're still weighing the cost . cnn 's rob frehse and melanie whitley contributed to this report . | indiana town 's memories pizza is shut down after online threat |
maria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at long last , maria toorpakai wazir can indulge her life 's greatest love without fear of persecution . hounded out of the notoriously dangerous tribal region that borders pakistan and afghanistan -- once referred to as hell 's door knocker ' -- salvation has been found thousands of miles away on a different continent . she survived death threats , spent countless hours alone in her room and masqueraded as a boy for years . and all for her love of squash . now pakistan 's number one female player , who is ranked 53rd in the world , is homing in on her quest to become the best female player in the world , under the tutelage of jonathon power , the canadian star whose name was inscribed on the first racket she ever owned . it is a fairytale story that has taken the 22-year-old a world away from a treacherous existence in the mountains of pakistan , to power 's academy in toronto , and morphed her into an agent for social change in her native country . i think positive and i do positive so i think people in pakistan need to be educated , need to take part in sports and skills so they have high integrity , high self-esteem and so they use energy in a positive way , ' she told cnn 's human to hero series . they will start holding rackets and bats rather than holding guns and grenades . i do n't want militancy or talibanisation -- i just want a brighter future for all the kids . i do n't want them to end up as suicide bombers . ' growing up in south waziristan provided wazir with a crash course in conservatism , a prevalent theme in a territory with a reputation for fierce tribalism . it was an area in between mountains and mud houses and as it was 100 or 200 years ago , ' she explained . the girls are deprived of all those basic rights . they stay inside the home and get married off at a young age . my whole family was different to the rest of the people in the area -- you could see the progress , the different mindset -- but they were still living in the stone age . they had no awareness about education or any health or exercise , or women 's rights or child 's rights . they did n't know how any education can be important for one person as a human . ' exasperated at the barriers placed in front of her , wazir took drastic action aged just four , burning all her dresses , putting on her brother 's clothes and shearing off her long , dark hair . my dad believes that it is your choice and your right to live the way you want , ' she said . he laughed and he gave me a boyish name genghis khan , the greatest warrior in the history of the world . he said'so , we have a fifth son , and his name is genghis khan .'' however for wazir and her family , domestic tolerance came at a price . in a society cloaked by repression and inequality , even being seen unaccompanied in public could be perceived as a betrayal of her culture and muslim religion . and the liberal attitude of her father , shamsul qayyum wazir , who encouraged his wife to continue her education and allowed their daughter to play outside with her brothers , was contradictory to the prevailing attitude of ultra-conservatism . so much so that he family decided they 'd had enough after a campaign of intimidation that included the stoning of the family house , attempts on their lives and an imposed spell in an asylum for the father . the family moved to the city of peshawar -- another taliban stronghold -- where wazir 's scrapes intensified , with one scuffle leading to a head injury that required 12 stitches . realizing she needed to channel this aggression , her father enrolled her in weightlifting classes at a local sports club , keeping up the pretense she was a boy . wazir went on to win a junior weightlifting championship , but she also grew fixated on squash , having seen it played on her breaks from training . she earned a place at a squash academy run by the pakistan air force , though she had to reveal her true identity to the director . such was his delight at seeing a girl enraptured by squash he donated a racket to maria bearing the name of jonathon power -- who won 36 top level events during his 15-year career at the top of the sport . but as word spread of her emerging talent , the anonymity wazir had reveled in for so long evaporated . attitudes changed , they started bullying but i used to find a way , ' she explained . i used to go early in the morning when there was no-one in my way . i used to repair those balls that were bad and torn in the squash court that guys used to throw away with tape and glue . ' taliban 's unwanted attention a steady improvement in her game led to appearances in high profile tournaments and prominence in the pakistani media . awards from then president pervez musharraf and prime minister shaukat aziz were a mark of her pioneering spirit , but they also attracted the taliban 's unwanted attention . it was exhausting at every step , ' she said . it was hard to let people know all i want is to play squash . that 's how i can live happy but i had to change my life with time . for the last eight years i 've been trying hard to come through to the common people and today i 'm getting threats from taliban . i was totally exhausted . i did n't know what to do . i stopped going to the academy because it 's the biggest dishonor if a daughter is kidnapped . that 's ( why ) i locked myself in my room and started hitting from evening to morning . ' her absence was noted and when she relayed the threats she 'd received the issue was debated in parliament , who reacted by beefing up security around her . they put so many attack posts on the way to the squash court and around the squash court too , ' she said . above the squash court they put snipers . i was going once a week or twice a month but at that time i completely stopped because if a bomb happened -- there is so much glass in the squash court itself -- it would kill the innocent kids . i did n't want it to be the reason so i stopped going and started playing in my room for three-and-a-half years . ' it was during this time wazir says she knew she had to leave pakistan to follow her dream . my dad said'if a baby bird wants to learn flying , he has to leave the nest'and at that time i realized i can not learn flying while am here . for three-and-a-half years i did n't get any email from anyone and one day i got an email back from jonathan power saying that he 's going to help me , support me , teach me how to play squash so i can play at tournaments and become a world champion for pakistan . ' power himself was sent to london as a 12-year-old to train with former pakistani world champion and all-time squash great jahangir khan , and was immersed in the culture of khan 's country , traveling to play there on many occasions during his career . wazir 's plea struck a chord with power , who flew her to toronto and has since been working on building her strength and stamina , and molding the rawness of her technique into a formidable weapon . i recognized right away this girl is special , she 's very courageous girl and i wanted to help , ' said power . she 'll run through that wall 10 times until she finally breaks it . she thinks working hard just means killing your body and you 'll get better , but sometimes you have to work smart . it 's so rare to find somebody who has so much drive and so much passion , who is just dying to absorb knowledge . i think she 's going to make it to number one in the world . she knows it 's going to take a lot and she 's prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes . i think she has the skills and the mental ability to make it all the way . ' building bridges as for wazir , her ambition to be the finest player on the world is now allied to a desire to campaign for other young girls in pakistan to have the freedom to explore sport . i feel the luckiest person and i think whether my hard work turned me into being lucky or if i am the chosen one to bring change to the world , ' she said . i learned it 's more about humanity . it 's not about religion , it 's not about culture or caste or tribe or where you 're from or the value of the background of the person . it 's all about being a human . i learned a lot and squash taught me . through squash i made it and learned otherwise i 'd be stuck in those tribal regions . i want to create bridges between east and west , friendship between country and country , family to family and people to people . it 's all about brotherhood -- sharing knowledge , skills , helping each other and sharing love and care for each other . ' | maria and her father suffered death threats for pursuing her dream of playing squash |
maria <tsp> ( cnn ) -- at long last , maria toorpakai wazir can indulge her life 's greatest love without fear of persecution . hounded out of the notoriously dangerous tribal region that borders pakistan and afghanistan -- once referred to as hell 's door knocker ' -- salvation has been found thousands of miles away on a different continent . she survived death threats , spent countless hours alone in her room and masqueraded as a boy for years . and all for her love of squash . now pakistan 's number one female player , who is ranked 53rd in the world , is homing in on her quest to become the best female player in the world , under the tutelage of jonathon power , the canadian star whose name was inscribed on the first racket she ever owned . it is a fairytale story that has taken the 22-year-old a world away from a treacherous existence in the mountains of pakistan , to power 's academy in toronto , and morphed her into an agent for social change in her native country . i think positive and i do positive so i think people in pakistan need to be educated , need to take part in sports and skills so they have high integrity , high self-esteem and so they use energy in a positive way , ' she told cnn 's human to hero series . they will start holding rackets and bats rather than holding guns and grenades . i do n't want militancy or talibanisation -- i just want a brighter future for all the kids . i do n't want them to end up as suicide bombers . ' growing up in south waziristan provided wazir with a crash course in conservatism , a prevalent theme in a territory with a reputation for fierce tribalism . it was an area in between mountains and mud houses and as it was 100 or 200 years ago , ' she explained . the girls are deprived of all those basic rights . they stay inside the home and get married off at a young age . my whole family was different to the rest of the people in the area -- you could see the progress , the different mindset -- but they were still living in the stone age . they had no awareness about education or any health or exercise , or women 's rights or child 's rights . they did n't know how any education can be important for one person as a human . ' exasperated at the barriers placed in front of her , wazir took drastic action aged just four , burning all her dresses , putting on her brother 's clothes and shearing off her long , dark hair . my dad believes that it is your choice and your right to live the way you want , ' she said . he laughed and he gave me a boyish name genghis khan , the greatest warrior in the history of the world . he said'so , we have a fifth son , and his name is genghis khan .'' however for wazir and her family , domestic tolerance came at a price . in a society cloaked by repression and inequality , even being seen unaccompanied in public could be perceived as a betrayal of her culture and muslim religion . and the liberal attitude of her father , shamsul qayyum wazir , who encouraged his wife to continue her education and allowed their daughter to play outside with her brothers , was contradictory to the prevailing attitude of ultra-conservatism . so much so that he family decided they 'd had enough after a campaign of intimidation that included the stoning of the family house , attempts on their lives and an imposed spell in an asylum for the father . the family moved to the city of peshawar -- another taliban stronghold -- where wazir 's scrapes intensified , with one scuffle leading to a head injury that required 12 stitches . realizing she needed to channel this aggression , her father enrolled her in weightlifting classes at a local sports club , keeping up the pretense she was a boy . wazir went on to win a junior weightlifting championship , but she also grew fixated on squash , having seen it played on her breaks from training . she earned a place at a squash academy run by the pakistan air force , though she had to reveal her true identity to the director . such was his delight at seeing a girl enraptured by squash he donated a racket to maria bearing the name of jonathon power -- who won 36 top level events during his 15-year career at the top of the sport . but as word spread of her emerging talent , the anonymity wazir had reveled in for so long evaporated . attitudes changed , they started bullying but i used to find a way , ' she explained . i used to go early in the morning when there was no-one in my way . i used to repair those balls that were bad and torn in the squash court that guys used to throw away with tape and glue . ' taliban 's unwanted attention a steady improvement in her game led to appearances in high profile tournaments and prominence in the pakistani media . awards from then president pervez musharraf and prime minister shaukat aziz were a mark of her pioneering spirit , but they also attracted the taliban 's unwanted attention . it was exhausting at every step , ' she said . it was hard to let people know all i want is to play squash . that 's how i can live happy but i had to change my life with time . for the last eight years i 've been trying hard to come through to the common people and today i 'm getting threats from taliban . i was totally exhausted . i did n't know what to do . i stopped going to the academy because it 's the biggest dishonor if a daughter is kidnapped . that 's ( why ) i locked myself in my room and started hitting from evening to morning . ' her absence was noted and when she relayed the threats she 'd received the issue was debated in parliament , who reacted by beefing up security around her . they put so many attack posts on the way to the squash court and around the squash court too , ' she said . above the squash court they put snipers . i was going once a week or twice a month but at that time i completely stopped because if a bomb happened -- there is so much glass in the squash court itself -- it would kill the innocent kids . i did n't want it to be the reason so i stopped going and started playing in my room for three-and-a-half years . ' it was during this time wazir says she knew she had to leave pakistan to follow her dream . my dad said'if a baby bird wants to learn flying , he has to leave the nest'and at that time i realized i can not learn flying while am here . for three-and-a-half years i did n't get any email from anyone and one day i got an email back from jonathan power saying that he 's going to help me , support me , teach me how to play squash so i can play at tournaments and become a world champion for pakistan . ' power himself was sent to london as a 12-year-old to train with former pakistani world champion and all-time squash great jahangir khan , and was immersed in the culture of khan 's country , traveling to play there on many occasions during his career . wazir 's plea struck a chord with power , who flew her to toronto and has since been working on building her strength and stamina , and molding the rawness of her technique into a formidable weapon . i recognized right away this girl is special , she 's very courageous girl and i wanted to help , ' said power . she 'll run through that wall 10 times until she finally breaks it . she thinks working hard just means killing your body and you 'll get better , but sometimes you have to work smart . it 's so rare to find somebody who has so much drive and so much passion , who is just dying to absorb knowledge . i think she 's going to make it to number one in the world . she knows it 's going to take a lot and she 's prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes . i think she has the skills and the mental ability to make it all the way . ' building bridges as for wazir , her ambition to be the finest player on the world is now allied to a desire to campaign for other young girls in pakistan to have the freedom to explore sport . i feel the luckiest person and i think whether my hard work turned me into being lucky or if i am the chosen one to bring change to the world , ' she said . i learned it 's more about humanity . it 's not about religion , it 's not about culture or caste or tribe or where you 're from or the value of the background of the person . it 's all about being a human . i learned a lot and squash taught me . through squash i made it and learned otherwise i 'd be stuck in those tribal regions . i want to create bridges between east and west , friendship between country and country , family to family and people to people . it 's all about brotherhood -- sharing knowledge , skills , helping each other and sharing love and care for each other . ' | pakistani maria toorpakai wazir battled taliban persecution to indulge her love of squash |
laurent nkunda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- nine hutu tribal fighters and several rwandan and congolese troops were killed in fighting in eastern congo , a united nations spokesman said , as the two governments continued an unprecedented partnership to combat ethnic violence . laurent nkunda , seen here in november 2008 , was reportedly arrested last week in rwanda . the fighting against the hutus in the lubero region came a day after congolese rebel leader laurent nkunda , of the rival tutsi ethnic group , was arrested by rwandan authorities . u.n. spokesman jean paul deitrich told cnn on saturday that no further details about the fighting were immediately available . lubero is about 200 kilometers ( 124 miles ) northeast of goma , the regional capital . nkunda 's arrest early friday raised hopes for peace in the war-ravaged region . international observers hope it will lead the roughly 1,500 fighters that follow him to join with government forces . hear how nkunda tried to flee capture » rwanda and the democratic republic of congo have traditionally been on different sides of the conflict in eastern congo -- which pits ethnic tutsis , supported by rwanda , against congo-backed hutus . the fighting is effectively an extension of the rwandan genocide of the early 1990s , when hundreds of thousands of rwandans were killed in ethnic battles between minority tutsi and majority hutu . a united nations report last month accused rwanda and congo of fighting a proxy war in the region , using the ethnic groups . it said both sides had used child soldiers , and committed executions and rape , in the conflict . cnn 's katy byron contributed to this report . | fighting comes day after rwanda arrests tutsi rebel leader , laurent nkunda |
hope solo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- goalkeeper hope solo tells cnn the current united states women 's team want to emulate the achievements of the 1999 world cup-winning squad . pia sundhage 's u.s. face japan in the 2011 world cup final in frankfurt on sunday , 12 years after a team containing stars such as mia hamm and michelle akers defeated china on penalties to claim the sport 's biggest prize . solo was 17 when the u.s. clinched their second world cup triumph on home soil at the rose bowl in pasadena and , now 29 , the magicjack goalkeeper wants the class of 2011 to create their own piece of sporting history . of course they [ the 1999 team ] inspired me , ' said solo , michelle akers being the true inspiration . soccer inspires post-quake japan ' not only me but many members of this team . she was a true , true winner and we hope she 's back there watching . the'99 team truly paved the way for all of us . we would n't be where we are today as a federation [ without them ] . they set the standard , they set the bar high ... with that said , 12 years on this team wants to write their own storybook ending . ' solo has been one of the standout performers in the u.s. team 's run to the final , her highlight being a save from daiane during a pulsating penalty shootout victory over brazil in the quarterfinals . wambach heads to world cup final but despite the plaudits that have come her way , solo insists the u.s. squad will not be satisfied unless they return home with the world cup trophy . we 're not surprised where we stand right now . we came into this tournament with one goal . it was n't to beat brazil in the quarterfinal , it was n't to make it to the final . it was to win the whole thing . i think when you get this close , you would have a lot of regrets if you walked away and you did n't win it all . ' | hope solo has told cnn the u.s. women 's team are inspired by the'99 world champions |
baltimore <tsp> ( cnn ) looting , fires and violence descended on baltimore . like most who know and love that city , i was heartbroken . i was once a cop in baltimore . police , trying to save their city last weekend , were blamed both for doing too little and for doing too much . the ghetto , and i 'm talking class and not race , was on full display by monday . the whole nation saw beautiful baltimore at its worst . the protests started in response to the death of freddie gray in police hands . we still do n't know what happened to freddie gray . something bad happened . there 's an investigation . maybe the investigation should be going faster . but maybe rushing the investigation would compromise prosecution . ( and forced testimony ca n't be used in prosecution ; police officers too have constitutional rights as criminal defendants . ) i do n't know . here 's the thing : police officers who were n't there do n't know what happened to freddie gray . if there are criminally guilty cops , police have no problem with justice . but those who caused destruction on monday had little , if anything , to do with freddie gray protests . they were , as the mayor put it , thugs . call them what you will , normally what happens in the hood stays in the hood . those who cut fire hoses and burned down homes and businesses ? police deal with them every day , literally . those criminals did n't just appear on monday , and they wo n't be gone tomorrow . they live there , without jobs , education , mainstream social skills , or hope . they do n't come from stable families . they do n't go to church . most violent criminals are actively or passively involved in the drug trade . in baltimore this year -- just like last year and just like next year -- police will arrest tens of thousands of poor black men , mostly on drug charges . from the same pool , 200 will be shot and killed . another 200 will do the killing . these are communities , like the baltimore 's eastern district , in which more than 10 % of men are murdered . if all of america had homicide levels found in parts of baltimore , there would be over 300,000 murders per year ( as opposed to the still shamefully high 12,000 homicides in america ) . and yet some continue to think of police as the main problem rather than part of the solution . but baltimore is not ferguson . the police department is 50 % non-white . the mayor is black . so is the police commissioner . the city is 65 % african-american . so imagine you 're a young white cop , as i was , in a rough neighborhood . a nice retired african-american gentleman calls 911 because the kids in front of his house , also black , are rowdy , breaking bottles , selling drugs , and otherwise being disrespectful . just out of the police academy , i pulled up to countless of these situations . what to do ? usually i stopped , stared , and they moved on . sometimes i would get out of my car . but i should n't have to . we all played by the same rules . it 's about respect . sometimes i would ask politely . sometimes i had to order rudely . sometimes i would ask for id . sometimes i would frisk , search , or arrest . that 's what cops do . every day . that 's what i did . i had to . that was my job . ultimately police are in a no-win situation . and when things go wrong , they go wrong fast . people run . there are fights . guns . people get hurt . sometimes people die . sometimes -- not very often -- it 's the police officer 's fault . but even if there were no racist or brutal cops -- if every cop were a polite , fit , college-educated , bilingual , african-american gentleman or woman -- this would n't solve the greater problems of the ghetto or even police abuse . police abuse has less to do with race than poverty and class . and police will never solve the problems of absent parents , mass incarceration , or a violence culture centered around the economics of drug prohibition . even so , rather than face up to our problems , we calls for the cops to do something , anything . yes , bad cops need to be punished . but it 's too easy to blame police for all our problems . problems police did not cause and can not solve . and then when a cop makes a mistake , as one inevitably will , we jump on all police with a confident smugness and unbecoming glee . the problems in policing mirror the problems of society . we can and should improve police . the best way to do that is to improve society . true justice requires us to look both inward for blame and outward to the suffering around us . the worst thing we could do is nothing at all . | peter moskos : when man died in police custody , many unfairly blamed all baltimore cops . but cops are in a no-win situation |
louisiana <tsp> ( cnn ) -- humans have always looked to birds for joy , inspiration and comfort , but if we look toward the birds of the gulf coast today , we feel no comfort , only a deep and growing unease . what began on april 20 with the horrific loss of 11 human lives in the explosion of the offshore oil rig deepwater horizon now threatens to become a devastating and far-reaching environmental disaster -- one that should shake the american people to our very core . hour by hour , a massive oil slick is spreading to the fragile coastal wetlands and barrier islands of the mississippi river delta in louisiana . coastal areas of mississippi , alabama and florida are also at risk . birds are key indicators of the environment in which they -- and we -- live and eat and breathe . their health or decline eventually mirrors our own , and the diagnosis this week is n't looking very good . the spreading oil threatens important bird areas , ' sites identified by audubon and other conservation experts as vital to the health or even the survival of entire species . coastal bird species -- graceful terns , gangly pelicans , peaceful plovers -- have everything to lose if the oil reaches them . it is breeding season for these year-round coastal denizens , and it is also peak migration season for millions of other birds headed north , right through the areas that may be hardest hit . a host of well-known species are at risk , among them : • brown pelicans , the state bird of louisiana , are incubating eggs on barrier islands . the species was removed from the endangered species list late last year -- a victory to be sure -- but nevertheless faces an uncertain future . • reddish egret , a tall , colorful bird that dances ' wildly in the surf as it hunts for prey , is a scarce denizen of warm , salty coasts . • royal terns , and several of their relatives , nest on beaches and dunes and catch small fish by executing spectacular plunge-dives into the waters of the gulf . but a dive into oily water could prove deadly for these beautiful creatures . • mottled ducks , locally called summer ducks ' because they are the only ducks that breed along the gulf coast , living , feeding and nesting in coastal salt marshes where oil would have devastating consequences . • seaside sparrows , tiny and secretive marsh birds , will have nowhere to go if the salt marsh edges they frequent are destroyed by oil . they would simply fade away . why does it matter if birds are in trouble ? like most americans , i believe that living things have intrinsic worth and should be celebrated and allowed to thrive . they add beauty and wonder to our world . but if that does n't convince you , consider this : if birds are in trouble , so are we . the problem is simply too big to contain . birds and marine life will die . sensitive habitats will be damaged . industries and families will suffer . cleanup will cost billions and take months or even years . long-term recovery is uncertain . we commend the federal , state and industry personnel who are working long hours in difficult and dangerous conditions attempting to stop and contain the spill . however , everyone shares the sickening realization that even heroic efforts probably will not be enough to avert significant environmental damage . this disaster confronts us squarely with the risks to which we expose ourselves and our environment any time we drill for oil . as a nation , we must stop and consider what we 've done , and what we will do tomorrow . we must pause and reflect on what places can truly be considered safe ' for oil extraction , having the courage to recognize that in some , the risks are simply too great and the resources too precious to spoil . elected representatives must keep the picture of this spreading catastrophe in mind as they consider the path to our energy future . america 's energy needs are great . but so is our concern for the people and nature imperiled by our addiction to fossil fuel . it 's time to redouble our efforts to move toward a future powered by cleaner , renewable sources of energy that make the planet a safer place for us and all the life with which we share it . the images from the gulf are tragic reminders that we can not afford to wait . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frank gill . | massive oil slick threatens coastal louisiana , mississippi , alabama and florida |
fbi <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a 14-year-old girl disappears on her way home from school , another is last seen near her home and a 16-year-old vanishes after leaving her fast-food job for the day . amanda berry is shown near the time of her disappearance in 2003 , and how she might appear today . all from the same neighborhood in cleveland , ohio , the girls disappeared within five blocks of each other over a four-year span , starting in 2003 . agents and detectives from the fbi and cleveland police are looking into hundreds of leads in the cases and whether they may be linked , according to fbi special agent scott wilson in the agency 's cleveland bureau . we kind of put all three of these cases together to work them to see if there 's any connection , ' wilson said . amanda berry , 16 , vanished on april 21 , 2003 , after she left her job at a burger king at about 7:30 p.m . but she never made it to her home just a few blocks away , the fbi says . berry has pierced ears , a pierced left eyebrow and a scar on her lower abdomen . she would now be 22 . georgina dejesus was last seen at a pay phone around 3 p.m. on april 2 , 2004 , as she headed home from school . she and a friend had called the friend 's mother seeking permission for a sleepover at dejesus'house , but the answer was no . the girls then parted ways , and dejesus was never seen again . she was wearing a white jacket , a sky blue sweater , blue jeans and a cream shirt . she has a light birthmark on her right leg and pierced ears , the fbi says . dejesus was 14 when she disappeared and would now be 19 . ashley summers , last seen july 6 , 2007 , has a heart-shaped tattoo with gene ' on her upper arm . she was initially reported as a runaway after a family argument . but the problem is , she 's never been seen again , ' wilson said . summers , 14 , would now be 15 . citing fbi policy , wilson declined to say whether there are persons of interest in any of the three cases . the girls did not know each other and the fbi would not say whether any of them had mutual friends or acquaintances . it 's certainly very concerning to us that we have three young girls missing from the same general area and we have to look at every possibility of what happened to them , ' wilson said . | police , fbi in cleveland , ohio , looking into hundreds of leads |
fbi <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a 14-year-old girl disappears on her way home from school , another is last seen near her home and a 16-year-old vanishes after leaving her fast-food job for the day . amanda berry is shown near the time of her disappearance in 2003 , and how she might appear today . all from the same neighborhood in cleveland , ohio , the girls disappeared within five blocks of each other over a four-year span , starting in 2003 . agents and detectives from the fbi and cleveland police are looking into hundreds of leads in the cases and whether they may be linked , according to fbi special agent scott wilson in the agency 's cleveland bureau . we kind of put all three of these cases together to work them to see if there 's any connection , ' wilson said . amanda berry , 16 , vanished on april 21 , 2003 , after she left her job at a burger king at about 7:30 p.m . but she never made it to her home just a few blocks away , the fbi says . berry has pierced ears , a pierced left eyebrow and a scar on her lower abdomen . she would now be 22 . georgina dejesus was last seen at a pay phone around 3 p.m. on april 2 , 2004 , as she headed home from school . she and a friend had called the friend 's mother seeking permission for a sleepover at dejesus'house , but the answer was no . the girls then parted ways , and dejesus was never seen again . she was wearing a white jacket , a sky blue sweater , blue jeans and a cream shirt . she has a light birthmark on her right leg and pierced ears , the fbi says . dejesus was 14 when she disappeared and would now be 19 . ashley summers , last seen july 6 , 2007 , has a heart-shaped tattoo with gene ' on her upper arm . she was initially reported as a runaway after a family argument . but the problem is , she 's never been seen again , ' wilson said . summers , 14 , would now be 15 . citing fbi policy , wilson declined to say whether there are persons of interest in any of the three cases . the girls did not know each other and the fbi would not say whether any of them had mutual friends or acquaintances . it 's certainly very concerning to us that we have three young girls missing from the same general area and we have to look at every possibility of what happened to them , ' wilson said . | tip ? call the fbi at ( 216 ) 522-1400 or cleveland police at ( 216 ) 623-5000 |
mexico <tsp> ( cnn ) -- glee ' star naya rivera is now mrs. ryan dorsey . the 27-year-old actress has surprised fans with the news that she married fellow actor dorsey in cabo san lucas , mexico , on saturday . people magazine , which first reported the nuptials , says the pair kept the guest list to close family . i 'm so happy for her even though it was kind of sudden , ' tweeted one onlooker , while another twitter user was playing catchup with the star 's abrupt name change . umm naya rivera dorsey ? she got married ? ? congrats ! ' according to people , rivera and dorsey , who 's made appearances in southland ' and the new fx comedy you 're the worst , ' were longtime friends before deciding to become husband and wife . the magazine indicates that dorsey 's relationship with rivera changed after her engagement with rapper big sean ended in april . we feel truly blessed to be joined as husband and wife , ' rivera and dorsey told people in a joint statement . our special day was fated and everything we could have ever asked for . ' cnn 's joan yeam contributed to this report . | she wed actor ryan dorsey in mexico on july 19 |
south <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rev . fred shuttlesworth , who helped lead the civil rights movement , has died , the birmingham civil rights institute said wednesday . he was 89 . shuttlesworth is among the iconic figures honored in the international civil rights walk of fame at the martin luther king jr. national historic site in atlanta . king once called shuttlesworth the most courageous civil rights fighter in the south . ' president barack obama issued a statement honoring shuttleworth , saying he dedicated his life to advancing the cause of justice for all americans . he was a testament to the strength of the human spirit . and today we stand on his shoulders , and the shoulders of all those who marched and sat and lifted their voices to help perfect our union . ... ' america owes reverend shuttlesworth a debt of gratitude , and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife , sephira , and their family , friends and loved ones . ' when the u.s. supreme court ruled against segregated busing in montgomery , alabama , shuttlesworth rallied the membership of a group he established in may 1956 -- the alabama christian movement for human rights -- to challenge the practice of segregated busing in birmingham . shuttlesworth also helped found the southern christian leadership conference , with king and other civil rights leaders . shuttlesworth 's efforts were n't without a price : his home was bombed on christmas day in 1956 , but he and his family were not injured . he was , however , hurt in 1957 when he was beaten with chains and whips as he sought to integrate an all-white public school . that same year , shuttlesworth helped king organize the sclc , serving as the organization 's first secretary from 1958 to 1970 . he later served briefly as its president in 2004 . in 2001 , president bill clinton awarded shuttlesworth a presidential citizens medal -- the nation 's second-highest civilian award -- for his leadership in the non-violent civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s , leading efforts to integrate birmingham , alabama 's schools , buses and recreational facilities ' and helping found the sclc . shuttlesworth also protested segregated lunch counters and helped lead sit-ins at the eateries in 1960 . he participated in organizing the freedom rides against segregated interstate buses in the south when he joined forces with the congress on racial equality . in 1963 , he was injured again when a fire hose was turned on him during a protest against segregation in birmingham . the blast of water , directed against demonstrators by order of birmingham commissioner of public safety bull connor , slammed shuttlesworth against a wall . he was hospitalized but recovered . he was also a principal in the historic march from selma to montgomery in 1965 , which he helped organize . in the early 1960s , he moved to cincinnati , ohio , where he fought homelessness and continued the movement against racism . there , he founded and served as pastor of the greater new light baptist church from 1966 to 2006 . in the 1980s , he established the shuttlesworth housing foundation in cincinnati , which provided grants to help low-income families buy homes . the ohio civil rights commission has placed shuttlesworth in its hall of fame . cnn 's tenisha bell contributed to this report . | martin luther king jr. called him most courageous civil rights fighter in the south ' |
nate robinson <tsp> ( cnn ) -- los angeles lakers center andrew bynum was forced to retire from the fourth game of the nba finals with an ongoing knee problem , as his team went down 96-89 to the boston celtics . bynum had fluid drained from his knee just days before the first game of the best-of-seven series last week , but until now the injury has not hampered his performance . however , the 22-year-old spent almost half of thursday night 's game in boston on the bench , only managing 12 minutes of action in the second half as l.a. 's east coast rivals leveled the finals at 2-2 . obviously we miss andrew when he 's not out there , ' the lakers'spanish center pau gasol told his team 's official web site . he 's been so effective blocking shots and rebounding . those two things alone are a big plus for us . ' trailing two points going into the last quarter , the celtics came from behind to win the game to prevent the defending champions from pulling ahead in the series . paul pierce was boston 's top scorer , finishing with 19 points . but veteran celtics players glen davis and nate robinson were instrumental in their team sealing the win . coming off the bench davis scored nine of his 18 points in the final quarter and robinson all of his 12 . i just felt like a beast . i just felt like i could n't be denied , ' davis told the official nba web site . it was all will and determination . this is where you grab the moment . all you can do is play in the moment . ' lakers coach phil jackson believes that his team were outplayed by the new englanders , especially in the closing stages of the game . they really stepped on it in the fourth quarter , ' said phil jackson . we seemed to not be able to stop the momentum of their game . and jackson has hinted at a change of tactics in the next game in order to make the most of guard kobe bryant , who scored 33 points but was not effective in the fourth quarter . he was tired , ' jackson said . physically he had to work too hard in the course of the game , and he could n't finish it out like he wanted to . we 'll have to do something different the next game to get him off the floor and keep him ready for that fourth quarter . ' the lakers are now hoping they can bounce back in game five , hopefully with the help of a fully fit bynum , and not allow the celtics to take a series lead . i think we have enough in our arsenal to produce , ' said gasol . we know what to do , we know how to get it done . game five will take place in boston on sunday , before the series moves back to l.a. for the sixth , and if required , seventh game . the celtics are seeking a record breaking 18th nba title , and the lakers their 16th . | veteran celtics players glen davis and nate robinson helped celtics come from behind in final quarter |
grigor dimitrov <tsp> ( cnn ) -- while all about him were losing their heads , roger federer kept his cool . in a week when grand slam champions have been falling like flies at the australian open , the old master survived a fourth-set fightback to defeat world no . 4 andy murray 6-3 6-4 6-7 ( 6-8 ) 6-3 . federer 's win means he advances to the last four in melbourne for the 11th year in a row , with his archrival rafael nadal standing between him and a sixth final . top seed nadal had beaten bulgaria 's grigor dimitrov earlier on wednesday to continue his bid for a 14th grand slam title . federer and nadal met in the semifinals two years ago , the latter emerging victorious , while the spaniard holds a 22-10 winning record over the swiss star having won the last four matches between them . he 's been tough to play against , no doubt , ' federer told reporters when asked about nadal . i 'm happy i get a chance to play him in a grand slam again . i do n't remember the last time we played . ' federer recently recruited six-time grand slam winner stefan edberg to his coaching team , with the swede set to spent 10 weeks working with the former world no . 1 throughout the season . with edberg now onside , federer is hoping he can reverse his fortunes against nadal . the head-to-head record is in his favor , ' the 32-year-old told reporters . i 'm looking forward to speaking to stefan , because when we spoke together , you know , when he came to dubai and we spoke about the game , we clearly spoke about playing rafa , as well . he thought he had some good ideas , so i 'm looking forward to what he has to say . ' nadal narrowly avoided joining second seed novak djokovic -- beaten by federer 's compatriot stanislas wawrinka on tuesday -- on the sidelines , eventually overcoming dimitrov , the bulgarian 's cheering section and a nasty blister on the spaniard 's left palm . the world no . 1 prevailed 3-6 7-6 7-6 6-2 , saving three set points in the third set . i was so lucky , ' nadal said in an on-court interview . i felt anything could happen in the third set . a lot of bulgarians here today . thanks everyone for supporting -- it was a great atmosphere . i hope you enjoyed it . i suffered a lot . ' nadal said the blister , which troubled him in the previous round , particularly affects him on serve and he duly struck three double faults in one game . but it was dimitrov -- the man , now to his dismay , still being compared to federer because of their similar styles -- who faltered on the key points . he missed a makeable forehand and return on two of his three set points in the third . his backers were frequently out of their chairs chanting his name throughout the three-and-a-half-hour encounter , prompting one fan to counter , shut up and sit down . ' dimitrov left the court in tears and then became emotional when speaking to reporters . it should hurt , and it does hurt , ' said the bulgarian . | world no . 1 nadal defeats grigor dimitrov in his quarterfinal |
chris brown <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the year is almost out of here , and boy has it been a whopper . no , we do n't mean the economy or politics . we 're talking about the ups and downs of hollywood celebrities . for some , 2013 has been an amazing year filled with all the good things fame can bring : fans , sales and awards . for others , not so much . the less fortunate have had to deal with criticism , lawsuits and blaring headlines . here are five stars who rocked it out in 2013 -- and five who had the rock fall on them : miley cyrus cyrus may not have been named time 's person of the year , but for a minute there it seemed possible . at one point cyrus was leading in an online poll for the coveted title , but ultimately the magazine 's editors chose pope francis ( thank god , right ? ) . yet even without the honor , it 's hard to dispute the obvious : cyrus kind of owned 2013 . her scantily clad performance with singer robin thicke at the 2013 mtv video music awards in august had everyone talking , and spawned everything from infographics to halloween costumes . you can call miley cyrus a lot of things after her bizarre 2013 , but poor , uneventful and un-newsworthy are n't some of them , ' wrote scott davis for forbes . in one of the most calculated exercises in marketing 101 , cyrus schooled major brands by understanding that it is not just about becoming the dialog , but orchestrating it and the ecosystem that surrounds it . ' much like her disney channel character hannah montana , cyrus seemed to emerge in 2013 as two different people . one , the young woman crazy in love with her gorgeous ( now-ex ) fiance liam hemsworth , and the other an edgy singer who hung out with rappers and twerked in a unicorn onsie . ( you can probably thank cyrus for the fact that you even know what twerking ' is despite the dance style having been around for years . ) and she did n't stop there . the video for her ode to heartbreak , wrecking ball , ' featured a nude cyrus swinging on a wrecking ball , showing the singer suggestively licking a sledgehammer . in november she lit up what appeared to be a joint on stage at the 2013 mtv europe music awards , performed alongside a crying kitten at the american music awards , and she was one of only three female solo artists in 2013 to debut an album with more than 150,000 copies sold ( lady gaga and katy perry were the other two ) . cyrus charmed while hosting saturday night live ' ; her cache allowed her to celebrate her 21st birthday by taking over ' mtv for the day , and her more than 15 million twitter followers are happy to retweet her candid photos of anything and everything , including the singer in bed and kissing her dog . cyrus may be the most visible , but she 's not the only celebrity to have a big year . there is also : justin timberlake the former boy bander had the biggest album of the year , the 20/20 experience , ' which sold 968,000 copies when it debuted in march , held the no . 1 position for weeks and followed that with a second volume , the 20/20 experience -- 2 of 2 ' last month . he joined the elite five-timers club ' of hosts for snl , ' and his history of rap performances with jimmy fallon are viral gold . timberlake 's reunion ' with 'n sync at the vmas almost exploded the internet , and he toured with the equally cool jay z. oh , and did we mention he continued to bring sexy back by looking adorable the whole entire time ? kerry washington her success in 2013 was , dare we say , scandal ' -ous . not only does she star on one of the hottest tv shows of the year , but she also graced countless magazine covers , was named best dressed by people and was the emmy it ' girl of the season . washington also managed to pull off a secret marriage , keep her pregnancy under wraps and host snl ' during a firestorm of controversy regarding the comedy show 's lack of diversity . jennifer lawrence do n't you just love her ? lawrence has continued to build a reputation as incredibly approachable and just downright cool . whether it 's giving the best quotes during interviews or inspiring amazing gifs , she is helping to shape pop culture . along the way she also starred in the hunger games : catching fire , ' one of the biggest and most eagerly awaited films of the year , and american hustle . ' we are n't the only ones enthralled by the actress : barbara walters selected her as one of the 10 most fascinating people of 2013 . sandra bullock bullock continued to be america 's sweetheart . she was equally comfortable in the pages of vogue as she was dressed up for halloween with son louis . early buzz has her pegged as an oscar contender for gravity . ' she also scored with lighter fare such as the female buddy-cop film the heat ' with melissa mccarthy . and how many movie stars know the lyrics to the classic hip-hop tune rapper 's delight ' ? while these celebrities enjoyed a great year , there are a few who did n't fare as well : justin bieber the poster child for a not-so-great 2013 would have to be bieber . where to begin even ? it seemed like he stayed in the news with everything from losing his monkey to a car accident and a run-in with a neighbor . there was also lots of speculation about his time spent in brazil . to pull it all together for you , we prepared a guide to justin bieber 's bad year . amanda bynes bynes easily assumed the mantle of troubled starlet that lindsay lohan had previously owned . bynes had quite a bit of legal trouble and some bizarre tweets in which she attacked fellow celebs . nick cannon penned a letter of support . after being placed on a psychiatric hold , she eventually went into treatment and now appears to be on the mend . lindsay lohan speaking of lohan , her comeback ' fell kind of flat . the new york times painted a less than flattering portrait of her on the set of the canyons ' which , despite having an actual porn star acting opposite her , failed to generate much heat ( the sxsw festival passed on it ) . even what was billed as a super confessional interview with oprah winfrey did n't seem to get people very excited about her and her career . kimye it should have been a great year for kim kardashian and kanye west . a new baby and an engagement and a new album for him . but the pair spent 12 months being raked over the coals from the body shaming of kardashian 's pregnant body to further shaming after she lost weight and posted a selfie of her ample curves in a revealing bathing suit . meanwhile , west seemed to court contention every time he opened his mouth -- be it comparing kardashian to michelle obama or deeming himself the no.1 rock star on the planet . it got so bad that people wanted to believe west really said he was the next nelson mandela , ' but even he would n't say that . and let 's not forget that now notorious music video . chris brown there is probably little sympathy for brown for landing on the list of those who had a bad year . the singer has never fully rebounded from pleading guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend , rihanna , in 2009 . many did n't know what to make of it when the pair briefly reconciled in 2013 . brown was booked on a hit-and-run charge in july that was later dropped , and in october was accused of assaulting a man in washington . brown later entered rehab to deal with anger management issues and consequently was kicked out for acting violently . ' here 's to continued success for those who did well and a better 2014 for those who did n't . | others -- such as justin bieber and chris brown -- not so much |
unicef <tsp> ( cnn ) an improvised bomb exploded near a u.n. vehicle traveling near the northeastern somali city of garowe on monday morning , killing six people -- including four aid workers for the international children 's agency unicef . somalia 's president called it an attack against the future of our country . ' the attack follows a separate incident sunday in which three african union troops died in an ambush in the lower shabelle region of somalia . the terrorist group al-shabaab claimed responsibility for monday 's attack , which occurred about 8 a.m. in the administrative capital of the autonomous puntland region , according to the united nations assistance mission in somalia . four of the victims were foreigners and two were somalis , said ahmed abdullahi samatar , the police chief of puntland . unicef , the u.n. aid agency focused on children , said it employed four of the dead . four other workers were in serious condition , the agency said . the bomb went off as a vehicle was taking workers from their guest house to their office . the local police chief said the bomber was inside the vehicle among the u.n. staff . the bomber also died in the attack , according to authorities . nick kay , the special representative of the u.n. secretary-general for somalia , condemned the attack on his twitter account . shocked and appalled by loss of life , ' he said . somalia 's president , hassan sheikh mohamud , said he was horrified by the attack . this attack is not just targeted at the united nations , but in attacking unicef , al-shabaab has also attacked somali children . it is an attack against the future of our country and i condemn it in the strongest possible terms , ' he said . unicef called the slain workers an integral part of unicef 's work in somalia , dedicated to improving the lives of others . ' al-shabaab , the al qaeda-affiliated terrorist group based in somalia , caused outrage this month by carrying out an attack on a kenyan university . nearly 150 people , most of them students , died in that attack . in the sunday incident , three african union troops were ambushed in the lower shabelle region . the african union commission for somalia , or amisom , said sunday that the troops died during a spirited fight ' with attackers . this attack on amisom peacekeepers is part of the continuous effort to subvert somalia . it is an attempt at disrupting the growth that is evident across all regions , by the enemies of the somali people . the blood of our brothers will however not be shed in vain . amisom will remain committed to pacifying somalia , ' said amisom ambassador maman s. sidikou . cnn 's nana karikari-apau and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | unicef says the staff members'vehicle was hit by an explosion on its way to their office |
somalia <tsp> ( cnn ) an improvised bomb exploded near a u.n. vehicle traveling near the northeastern somali city of garowe on monday morning , killing six people -- including four aid workers for the international children 's agency unicef . somalia 's president called it an attack against the future of our country . ' the attack follows a separate incident sunday in which three african union troops died in an ambush in the lower shabelle region of somalia . the terrorist group al-shabaab claimed responsibility for monday 's attack , which occurred about 8 a.m. in the administrative capital of the autonomous puntland region , according to the united nations assistance mission in somalia . four of the victims were foreigners and two were somalis , said ahmed abdullahi samatar , the police chief of puntland . unicef , the u.n. aid agency focused on children , said it employed four of the dead . four other workers were in serious condition , the agency said . the bomb went off as a vehicle was taking workers from their guest house to their office . the local police chief said the bomber was inside the vehicle among the u.n. staff . the bomber also died in the attack , according to authorities . nick kay , the special representative of the u.n. secretary-general for somalia , condemned the attack on his twitter account . shocked and appalled by loss of life , ' he said . somalia 's president , hassan sheikh mohamud , said he was horrified by the attack . this attack is not just targeted at the united nations , but in attacking unicef , al-shabaab has also attacked somali children . it is an attack against the future of our country and i condemn it in the strongest possible terms , ' he said . unicef called the slain workers an integral part of unicef 's work in somalia , dedicated to improving the lives of others . ' al-shabaab , the al qaeda-affiliated terrorist group based in somalia , caused outrage this month by carrying out an attack on a kenyan university . nearly 150 people , most of them students , died in that attack . in the sunday incident , three african union troops were ambushed in the lower shabelle region . the african union commission for somalia , or amisom , said sunday that the troops died during a spirited fight ' with attackers . this attack on amisom peacekeepers is part of the continuous effort to subvert somalia . it is an attempt at disrupting the growth that is evident across all regions , by the enemies of the somali people . the blood of our brothers will however not be shed in vain . amisom will remain committed to pacifying somalia , ' said amisom ambassador maman s. sidikou . cnn 's nana karikari-apau and journalist omar nor contributed to this report . | the bombing is an attack against the future of our country , ' somalia 's president says |
vijay chokalingam <tsp> ( cnn ) you may know mindy kaling from fox 's cult hit comedy the mindy project , ' in which she plays mindy lahiri , a perky , quirky ob/gyn juggling her career and love life in new york . ( only in the big apple can a doctor not afford an apartment ! ) the show was a breakthrough for on-screen representation — the first network sitcom created by and starring a woman of color — and it looks likely to be renewed for the coming 2015-16 season . recently , however , kaling 's brother vijay chokalingam unveiled a project of his own , and while it has been getting a lot of attention , it has n't generated quite as many laughs — either from observers or from his famous sibling , who told him it brought shame upon their family . ' you see , chokalingam revealed that , as an undergraduate at the university of chicago , he engaged in a daring ( his view ) or ridiculous and offensive ( pretty much everyone else ) scam : he applied to medical school claiming to be african-american . chokalingam had spent his college years as a hard-partying frat boy , ' and achieved a less than stunning 3.1 gpa . upon facing graduation and exploring his med school options , he realized that fellow indian-americans with his grades were getting turned down from the universities of his choice — but that black , hispanic , and native american applicants with my grades and test scores were much more likely to gain acceptance . ' this revelation led him to make the decision to pose as a black man , both to dramatically improve ' his chances of admission , and to illustrate the unfair advantage that blacks and other underrepresented minorities receive when applying to prestigious schools . to accomplish this goal , chokalingam shaved his head of its naturally wavy black locks , trimmed his long indian-american eyelashes , ' checked black ' under the optional race/ethnicity declaration and submitted his application to 14 schools under his childhood nickname jojo . ' he received invitations for in-person interviews at 11 schools , results that he claims support the notion that african-americans garner special privileges that are unavailable to whites or asians . and now that the statute of limitations on his act of fraud has expired , he 's looking to write a book on his experiences , titled almost black : the true story of an indian american who got into medical school pretending to be an african american . ' what 's truly curious is that even if you agree with chokalingam that affirmative action is merely a form of systematic racism , ' when all is said and done , it offers very little evidence of the privilege ' that he claims is accorded to black , hispanic and native american candidates . chokalingam had mediocre grades and mcats , but he graduated from one of the most prestigious schools in the nation . yet even while representing himself as black , chokalingam received only a single admission offer , to st. louis university 's school of medicine , which falls somewhere between 57th and 67th in national rankings . harvard , university of pennsylvania , columbia and all the higher ranked schools he applied to rejected him . meanwhile , he admits , pretending to be black came with disadvantages . he found himself being accused of shoplifting by store clerks and harassed by cops — who would regularly stop him while driving and demand that he tell them how much his car cost , implying that he must have stolen it . these acts of very real prejudice , experienced regularly by blacks and hispanics of all backgrounds — multimillionaire comedian chris rock has recently been tweeting pictures of the occasions when he is pulled over by police for no reason — did n't seem to dissuade chokalingam from his adamant belief in the unfairness of a system that seeks to address the shockingly low numbers of minority health practitioners by providing some weight to race and ethnicity in decision-making . it 's not just a matter of what individual applicants deserve . ' one-third of americans are black , hispanic or native american ; just one in 10 physicians are . since minority medical practitioners are up to three times as likely to practice in their own communities , this lack of diversity has produced doctor deserts , ' in which urban and rural ethnic enclaves across the nation go without access to primary care physicians . years ago , when i told my father — a doctor from a long line of doctors — that i did n't want to follow in his footsteps , he told me that was fine , because medicine is a service trade , and anyone not interested in serving should avoid the profession . a medical degree is n't a reward to be earned , he said , but a responsibility to be accepted . which really cuts to the heart of what 's so sad about chokalingam 's racial farce . like others who 've recently been exposed for falsely claiming racial identities — including putative presidential candidate jeb bush , who registered himself as hispanic ' on a 2009 voter form , and massachusetts sen. elizabeth warren , who was excoriated during her campaign for having claimed native american ancestry in the past — chokalingam wanted to claim the fruits of racial affiliation without having to carry black people 's burden . race is n't just about color or blood ; it is about the collective experiences and inherited cultural context and present-day condition of a community of people . many of the markers of race are persistently corrosive ; others are deeply painful . affirmative action programs are a means of redress for these awful realities of our nation 's history ; an imperfect one , but necessary . there are some fields where the imbalances might never correct themselves on their own . industries like health care and hollywood . because what 's most ironic about chokalingam 's decision to ride on his sister 's coattails in telling his story : while asians are well represented in medicine , our numbers are vanishingly low in the entertainment and media world , and until the recent breakthrough of modern pioneers like mindy kaling , it was impossible to imagine film and television that included our faces , voices and stories . kaling 's immense talent and charisma made her a star . but it was a quota-based affirmative action initiative -- nbc 's diversity writers program -- that gave her a start . | mindy kaling 's brother vijay chokalingam pretended to be black to get into med school |
mindy kaling <tsp> ( cnn ) you may know mindy kaling from fox 's cult hit comedy the mindy project , ' in which she plays mindy lahiri , a perky , quirky ob/gyn juggling her career and love life in new york . ( only in the big apple can a doctor not afford an apartment ! ) the show was a breakthrough for on-screen representation — the first network sitcom created by and starring a woman of color — and it looks likely to be renewed for the coming 2015-16 season . recently , however , kaling 's brother vijay chokalingam unveiled a project of his own , and while it has been getting a lot of attention , it has n't generated quite as many laughs — either from observers or from his famous sibling , who told him it brought shame upon their family . ' you see , chokalingam revealed that , as an undergraduate at the university of chicago , he engaged in a daring ( his view ) or ridiculous and offensive ( pretty much everyone else ) scam : he applied to medical school claiming to be african-american . chokalingam had spent his college years as a hard-partying frat boy , ' and achieved a less than stunning 3.1 gpa . upon facing graduation and exploring his med school options , he realized that fellow indian-americans with his grades were getting turned down from the universities of his choice — but that black , hispanic , and native american applicants with my grades and test scores were much more likely to gain acceptance . ' this revelation led him to make the decision to pose as a black man , both to dramatically improve ' his chances of admission , and to illustrate the unfair advantage that blacks and other underrepresented minorities receive when applying to prestigious schools . to accomplish this goal , chokalingam shaved his head of its naturally wavy black locks , trimmed his long indian-american eyelashes , ' checked black ' under the optional race/ethnicity declaration and submitted his application to 14 schools under his childhood nickname jojo . ' he received invitations for in-person interviews at 11 schools , results that he claims support the notion that african-americans garner special privileges that are unavailable to whites or asians . and now that the statute of limitations on his act of fraud has expired , he 's looking to write a book on his experiences , titled almost black : the true story of an indian american who got into medical school pretending to be an african american . ' what 's truly curious is that even if you agree with chokalingam that affirmative action is merely a form of systematic racism , ' when all is said and done , it offers very little evidence of the privilege ' that he claims is accorded to black , hispanic and native american candidates . chokalingam had mediocre grades and mcats , but he graduated from one of the most prestigious schools in the nation . yet even while representing himself as black , chokalingam received only a single admission offer , to st. louis university 's school of medicine , which falls somewhere between 57th and 67th in national rankings . harvard , university of pennsylvania , columbia and all the higher ranked schools he applied to rejected him . meanwhile , he admits , pretending to be black came with disadvantages . he found himself being accused of shoplifting by store clerks and harassed by cops — who would regularly stop him while driving and demand that he tell them how much his car cost , implying that he must have stolen it . these acts of very real prejudice , experienced regularly by blacks and hispanics of all backgrounds — multimillionaire comedian chris rock has recently been tweeting pictures of the occasions when he is pulled over by police for no reason — did n't seem to dissuade chokalingam from his adamant belief in the unfairness of a system that seeks to address the shockingly low numbers of minority health practitioners by providing some weight to race and ethnicity in decision-making . it 's not just a matter of what individual applicants deserve . ' one-third of americans are black , hispanic or native american ; just one in 10 physicians are . since minority medical practitioners are up to three times as likely to practice in their own communities , this lack of diversity has produced doctor deserts , ' in which urban and rural ethnic enclaves across the nation go without access to primary care physicians . years ago , when i told my father — a doctor from a long line of doctors — that i did n't want to follow in his footsteps , he told me that was fine , because medicine is a service trade , and anyone not interested in serving should avoid the profession . a medical degree is n't a reward to be earned , he said , but a responsibility to be accepted . which really cuts to the heart of what 's so sad about chokalingam 's racial farce . like others who 've recently been exposed for falsely claiming racial identities — including putative presidential candidate jeb bush , who registered himself as hispanic ' on a 2009 voter form , and massachusetts sen. elizabeth warren , who was excoriated during her campaign for having claimed native american ancestry in the past — chokalingam wanted to claim the fruits of racial affiliation without having to carry black people 's burden . race is n't just about color or blood ; it is about the collective experiences and inherited cultural context and present-day condition of a community of people . many of the markers of race are persistently corrosive ; others are deeply painful . affirmative action programs are a means of redress for these awful realities of our nation 's history ; an imperfect one , but necessary . there are some fields where the imbalances might never correct themselves on their own . industries like health care and hollywood . because what 's most ironic about chokalingam 's decision to ride on his sister 's coattails in telling his story : while asians are well represented in medicine , our numbers are vanishingly low in the entertainment and media world , and until the recent breakthrough of modern pioneers like mindy kaling , it was impossible to imagine film and television that included our faces , voices and stories . kaling 's immense talent and charisma made her a star . but it was a quota-based affirmative action initiative -- nbc 's diversity writers program -- that gave her a start . | mindy kaling 's brother vijay chokalingam pretended to be black to get into med school |
nathan <tsp> clovis , california ( cnn ) -- jeff hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a great , great young man ' who was killed last week in iraq in a helicopter crash . it 's the second time he 's had to bury a son killed in the iraq war . jeff and peggy hubbard with sons army spc . jason hubbard , left , and cpl . nathan hubbard . this time , it was made even more tragic . his third son , also a soldier in iraq , was immediately on the scene of last week 's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother , 21-year-old army cpl . nathan hubbard , from the crash site . nathan 's flag-draped coffin arrived in fresno earlier this week and eventually to his hometown of clovis . watch we love you nate ' » hundreds of mourners gathered friday to remember nathan at st. anthony of padua , the same church where his oldest brother 's funeral was held in 2004 . nathan will be laid to rest at clovis cemetery , beside his brother , jared . nathan and his other brother entered the military shortly after jared was killed -- to honor his sacrifice . their decision to join the military was motivated by a love for their brother and a desire to serve their country , ' the priest told mourners friday . the death of jared touched him deeply . losing a brother and a friend made a profound impact on him , and brought to his attention the seasons of war and grief and loss . ' jeff hubbard spoke to reporters thursday ahead of the funeral , struggling to find words to describe how much his youngest son meant to him and his family . i want everybody to remember and celebrate nate in their own way , the way they want , ' he said . we want him honored , remembered and celebrated -- he was a great , great young man . wonderful young man . ' tragically , the hubbards have gone through this anguish before . in 2004 their son , marine lance cpl . jared hubbard , was on patrol in iraq with his best friend and fellow marine , jeremiah baro -- also from clovis -- when a roadside bomb exploded , killing both . jeff hubbard says there 's no way for a parent to prepare for the agony a second time . they 're each absolutely individual terrible instances that you deal with the best you can as you go forward , ' he said . six months after jared was killed , nathan and jason hubbard decided to enlist and serve together -- to follow in their brother 's footsteps . on august 22 after returning from a scouting mission south of kirkuk , iraq , the blackhawk helicopter carrying nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed . jason , who served in the same army platoon , was in a separate helicopter when his brother went down and was ordered to secure the crash site . when he and his men reached the downed blackhawk , jason says he realized it was his brother 's unit . we also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter , ' jason remembered . and i could n't participate in that . i knew my -- i knew nathan was in there . i tried several times to kind of gather myself , but i just -- i could n't . ' jason says as the men carried bodies out of the wreckage , he spotted his younger brother . at one point they did carry nathan by me . and that 's when the reality , the complete reality , and complete understanding of the situation came to me and i began dealing with it . ' under the department of defense sole survivor policy , jason says he was told he will not be allowed to return to war . his wife and young son will join him at his base in hawaii . e-mail to a friend | new : funeral held friday for army cpl . nathan hubbard |
nathan <tsp> clovis , california ( cnn ) -- jeff hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a great , great young man ' who was killed last week in iraq in a helicopter crash . it 's the second time he 's had to bury a son killed in the iraq war . jeff and peggy hubbard with sons army spc . jason hubbard , left , and cpl . nathan hubbard . this time , it was made even more tragic . his third son , also a soldier in iraq , was immediately on the scene of last week 's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother , 21-year-old army cpl . nathan hubbard , from the crash site . nathan 's flag-draped coffin arrived in fresno earlier this week and eventually to his hometown of clovis . watch we love you nate ' » hundreds of mourners gathered friday to remember nathan at st. anthony of padua , the same church where his oldest brother 's funeral was held in 2004 . nathan will be laid to rest at clovis cemetery , beside his brother , jared . nathan and his other brother entered the military shortly after jared was killed -- to honor his sacrifice . their decision to join the military was motivated by a love for their brother and a desire to serve their country , ' the priest told mourners friday . the death of jared touched him deeply . losing a brother and a friend made a profound impact on him , and brought to his attention the seasons of war and grief and loss . ' jeff hubbard spoke to reporters thursday ahead of the funeral , struggling to find words to describe how much his youngest son meant to him and his family . i want everybody to remember and celebrate nate in their own way , the way they want , ' he said . we want him honored , remembered and celebrated -- he was a great , great young man . wonderful young man . ' tragically , the hubbards have gone through this anguish before . in 2004 their son , marine lance cpl . jared hubbard , was on patrol in iraq with his best friend and fellow marine , jeremiah baro -- also from clovis -- when a roadside bomb exploded , killing both . jeff hubbard says there 's no way for a parent to prepare for the agony a second time . they 're each absolutely individual terrible instances that you deal with the best you can as you go forward , ' he said . six months after jared was killed , nathan and jason hubbard decided to enlist and serve together -- to follow in their brother 's footsteps . on august 22 after returning from a scouting mission south of kirkuk , iraq , the blackhawk helicopter carrying nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed . jason , who served in the same army platoon , was in a separate helicopter when his brother went down and was ordered to secure the crash site . when he and his men reached the downed blackhawk , jason says he realized it was his brother 's unit . we also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter , ' jason remembered . and i could n't participate in that . i knew my -- i knew nathan was in there . i tried several times to kind of gather myself , but i just -- i could n't . ' jason says as the men carried bodies out of the wreckage , he spotted his younger brother . at one point they did carry nathan by me . and that 's when the reality , the complete reality , and complete understanding of the situation came to me and i began dealing with it . ' under the department of defense sole survivor policy , jason says he was told he will not be allowed to return to war . his wife and young son will join him at his base in hawaii . e-mail to a friend | jared 's brothers nathan and jason hubbard were inspired to enlist |
nathan <tsp> clovis , california ( cnn ) -- jeff hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a great , great young man ' who was killed last week in iraq in a helicopter crash . it 's the second time he 's had to bury a son killed in the iraq war . jeff and peggy hubbard with sons army spc . jason hubbard , left , and cpl . nathan hubbard . this time , it was made even more tragic . his third son , also a soldier in iraq , was immediately on the scene of last week 's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother , 21-year-old army cpl . nathan hubbard , from the crash site . nathan 's flag-draped coffin arrived in fresno earlier this week and eventually to his hometown of clovis . watch we love you nate ' » hundreds of mourners gathered friday to remember nathan at st. anthony of padua , the same church where his oldest brother 's funeral was held in 2004 . nathan will be laid to rest at clovis cemetery , beside his brother , jared . nathan and his other brother entered the military shortly after jared was killed -- to honor his sacrifice . their decision to join the military was motivated by a love for their brother and a desire to serve their country , ' the priest told mourners friday . the death of jared touched him deeply . losing a brother and a friend made a profound impact on him , and brought to his attention the seasons of war and grief and loss . ' jeff hubbard spoke to reporters thursday ahead of the funeral , struggling to find words to describe how much his youngest son meant to him and his family . i want everybody to remember and celebrate nate in their own way , the way they want , ' he said . we want him honored , remembered and celebrated -- he was a great , great young man . wonderful young man . ' tragically , the hubbards have gone through this anguish before . in 2004 their son , marine lance cpl . jared hubbard , was on patrol in iraq with his best friend and fellow marine , jeremiah baro -- also from clovis -- when a roadside bomb exploded , killing both . jeff hubbard says there 's no way for a parent to prepare for the agony a second time . they 're each absolutely individual terrible instances that you deal with the best you can as you go forward , ' he said . six months after jared was killed , nathan and jason hubbard decided to enlist and serve together -- to follow in their brother 's footsteps . on august 22 after returning from a scouting mission south of kirkuk , iraq , the blackhawk helicopter carrying nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed . jason , who served in the same army platoon , was in a separate helicopter when his brother went down and was ordered to secure the crash site . when he and his men reached the downed blackhawk , jason says he realized it was his brother 's unit . we also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter , ' jason remembered . and i could n't participate in that . i knew my -- i knew nathan was in there . i tried several times to kind of gather myself , but i just -- i could n't . ' jason says as the men carried bodies out of the wreckage , he spotted his younger brother . at one point they did carry nathan by me . and that 's when the reality , the complete reality , and complete understanding of the situation came to me and i began dealing with it . ' under the department of defense sole survivor policy , jason says he was told he will not be allowed to return to war . his wife and young son will join him at his base in hawaii . e-mail to a friend | nathan was killed august 22 ; jason was ordered to return home for good |
jared hubbard <tsp> clovis , california ( cnn ) -- jeff hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a great , great young man ' who was killed last week in iraq in a helicopter crash . it 's the second time he 's had to bury a son killed in the iraq war . jeff and peggy hubbard with sons army spc . jason hubbard , left , and cpl . nathan hubbard . this time , it was made even more tragic . his third son , also a soldier in iraq , was immediately on the scene of last week 's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother , 21-year-old army cpl . nathan hubbard , from the crash site . nathan 's flag-draped coffin arrived in fresno earlier this week and eventually to his hometown of clovis . watch we love you nate ' » hundreds of mourners gathered friday to remember nathan at st. anthony of padua , the same church where his oldest brother 's funeral was held in 2004 . nathan will be laid to rest at clovis cemetery , beside his brother , jared . nathan and his other brother entered the military shortly after jared was killed -- to honor his sacrifice . their decision to join the military was motivated by a love for their brother and a desire to serve their country , ' the priest told mourners friday . the death of jared touched him deeply . losing a brother and a friend made a profound impact on him , and brought to his attention the seasons of war and grief and loss . ' jeff hubbard spoke to reporters thursday ahead of the funeral , struggling to find words to describe how much his youngest son meant to him and his family . i want everybody to remember and celebrate nate in their own way , the way they want , ' he said . we want him honored , remembered and celebrated -- he was a great , great young man . wonderful young man . ' tragically , the hubbards have gone through this anguish before . in 2004 their son , marine lance cpl . jared hubbard , was on patrol in iraq with his best friend and fellow marine , jeremiah baro -- also from clovis -- when a roadside bomb exploded , killing both . jeff hubbard says there 's no way for a parent to prepare for the agony a second time . they 're each absolutely individual terrible instances that you deal with the best you can as you go forward , ' he said . six months after jared was killed , nathan and jason hubbard decided to enlist and serve together -- to follow in their brother 's footsteps . on august 22 after returning from a scouting mission south of kirkuk , iraq , the blackhawk helicopter carrying nathan and 13 other soldiers crashed . jason , who served in the same army platoon , was in a separate helicopter when his brother went down and was ordered to secure the crash site . when he and his men reached the downed blackhawk , jason says he realized it was his brother 's unit . we also had to remove as many of the men as we could out of that helicopter , ' jason remembered . and i could n't participate in that . i knew my -- i knew nathan was in there . i tried several times to kind of gather myself , but i just -- i could n't . ' jason says as the men carried bodies out of the wreckage , he spotted his younger brother . at one point they did carry nathan by me . and that 's when the reality , the complete reality , and complete understanding of the situation came to me and i began dealing with it . ' under the department of defense sole survivor policy , jason says he was told he will not be allowed to return to war . his wife and young son will join him at his base in hawaii . e-mail to a friend | marine lance cpl . jared hubbard was killed by a roadside bomb in 2004 |
mccain <tsp> camden , south carolina ( cnn ) -- sen. john mccain , r-arizona , told cnn wednesday he agrees with president bush 's veto of legislation expanding a children 's health insurance program , saying the bill provided a phony smoke and mirrors way of paying for it . ' sen. john mccain says the president was right to veto the expansion of a children 's health insurance program . right call by the president , ' the republican white house hopeful told cnn 's john king . we 've laid a debt on these same children ... that we 're saying we 're going to give health insurance to . ' the bill , which would cost $ 35 billion over five years , is meant to expand the state children 's health insurance program to provide coverage to an additional 10 million children . bush said he vetoed the bill because he considered it a step towards federalizing ' medicine and an inappropriately expanding the program 's goal beyond its original focus on helping poor children . during an interview onboard the cnn election express in south carolina , mccain said he agreed with the president 's decision . watch sen. mccain 's interview with cnn 's john king » ' the american people have rebelled against out-of-control spending . if they can find a legitimate way to pay for it , i would consider it , ' he said . expanding the program to cover children in families up to 400 percent of the poverty line would an unfunded liability , ' the arizona republican said . just like the medicare prescription drug program . ' in the wide ranging interview , mccain also answered questions about the health of his campaign , saying he currently feels like he is in a good position . i am feeling good , not only because of my gut instinct , but because people do n't really focus on the nominees until after labor day and i understand that , ' he said . our turnouts at the town halls are excellent ; particularly in new hampshire and here in south carolina . i can sense that enthusiasm . ' but mccain also acknowledged he would have to win some important states early in the primary process to have a chance at his party 's nomination . i think history shows since 1980 , the nominee of our party has to win two of the first three : iowa , new hampshire , and south carolina . ' mccain also continued to clarify his recent controversial interview with a religious web site in which he called america a christian nation ' and said he would prefer a christian president . in the interview wednesday , mccain broadened his language a bit , emphasizing the judeo-christian roots of the nation . my views are ... this nation was founded by our founders who were informed by judeo-christian values , ' he told cnn . i believe that , and i think it 's evident by reading federalist papers , the declaration of independence , and our constitution . that 's what i believe . and i believe that those judeo-christian values inform our lives today - and certainly mine . ' and yes , i believe a muslim could be president , ' he continued . i believe anybody can be president in america . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's alexander mooney contributed to this report . | sen. john mccain says he supports veto of children 's health insurance bill |
mccain <tsp> camden , south carolina ( cnn ) -- sen. john mccain , r-arizona , told cnn wednesday he agrees with president bush 's veto of legislation expanding a children 's health insurance program , saying the bill provided a phony smoke and mirrors way of paying for it . ' sen. john mccain says the president was right to veto the expansion of a children 's health insurance program . right call by the president , ' the republican white house hopeful told cnn 's john king . we 've laid a debt on these same children ... that we 're saying we 're going to give health insurance to . ' the bill , which would cost $ 35 billion over five years , is meant to expand the state children 's health insurance program to provide coverage to an additional 10 million children . bush said he vetoed the bill because he considered it a step towards federalizing ' medicine and an inappropriately expanding the program 's goal beyond its original focus on helping poor children . during an interview onboard the cnn election express in south carolina , mccain said he agreed with the president 's decision . watch sen. mccain 's interview with cnn 's john king » ' the american people have rebelled against out-of-control spending . if they can find a legitimate way to pay for it , i would consider it , ' he said . expanding the program to cover children in families up to 400 percent of the poverty line would an unfunded liability , ' the arizona republican said . just like the medicare prescription drug program . ' in the wide ranging interview , mccain also answered questions about the health of his campaign , saying he currently feels like he is in a good position . i am feeling good , not only because of my gut instinct , but because people do n't really focus on the nominees until after labor day and i understand that , ' he said . our turnouts at the town halls are excellent ; particularly in new hampshire and here in south carolina . i can sense that enthusiasm . ' but mccain also acknowledged he would have to win some important states early in the primary process to have a chance at his party 's nomination . i think history shows since 1980 , the nominee of our party has to win two of the first three : iowa , new hampshire , and south carolina . ' mccain also continued to clarify his recent controversial interview with a religious web site in which he called america a christian nation ' and said he would prefer a christian president . in the interview wednesday , mccain broadened his language a bit , emphasizing the judeo-christian roots of the nation . my views are ... this nation was founded by our founders who were informed by judeo-christian values , ' he told cnn . i believe that , and i think it 's evident by reading federalist papers , the declaration of independence , and our constitution . that 's what i believe . and i believe that those judeo-christian values inform our lives today - and certainly mine . ' and yes , i believe a muslim could be president , ' he continued . i believe anybody can be president in america . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's alexander mooney contributed to this report . | americans have rebelled against out-of-control spending , ' mccain says |
obama <tsp> editor 's note : campbell brown anchors cnn 's campbell brown : no bias , no bull ' at 8 p.m . et mondays through fridays . she delivered this commentary during the cutting through the bull ' segment of wednesday night 's broadcast . cnn 's campbell brown says it 's the media 's job to be annoying to the president-elect . ( cnn ) -- it goes without saying , the media is annoying . it is the media 's job to be annoying . especially those members of the media assigned to cover the president . or in this case the president-elect . their role is not to support president-elect barack obama , but to challenge him , to do their best to hold him accountable . this week the media is no doubt annoying obama with daily questions about democratic illinois gov . rod blagojevich allegedly trying to sell obama 's senate seat and the role of certain members of obama 's team . here was the exchange he had tuesday with a reporter from the chicago tribune : john mccormick : you told us at your first press conference after the election that you were going to take a very hands-off approach to filling that spot . over the weekend , the tribune reported that rahm emanuel , your incoming chief of staff , had presented a list of potential names . watch campbell brown 's commentary » obama : john , let me just cut you off , because i do n't want you to waste your question . as i indicated yesterday , we 've done a full review of this . the facts are going to be released next week . it would be inappropriate for me to comment , because the -- for example , the story that you just talked about in your own paper , i have n't confirmed that it was accurate , and i do n't want to get into the details at this point . so do you have another question ? mr. president-elect , this is the second time i have observed you doing this . cutting off a reporter because the question did n't suit you . mr. president-elect , this sort of approach reminds a lot of us of the current administration now packing up to go , and it frankly does n't fly in a democracy . you do n't get to choose the questions you get asked at a news conference . that 's not the way it works , even with a media that many believe has been more than friendly toward you , which makes it all the more surprising that you could act testy , annoyed or intolerant of any question you get . you have an extraordinarily high approval rating right now . people in this country who voted against you are pulling for you . these are desperate times for many americans and most of this country wants you to succeed . but you will not succeed if you discard the very ideals you promoted during your campaign : directness , honesty , candor , transparency , openness . you 've made a deal with the prosecutor to keep a lid on certain information about this investigation until next week . fine . but that does n't give you a blanket excuse to dismiss any and all questions associated with blagojevich or anything else . you are the one who embraced openness , and you could stand to be a little more open to it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of campbell brown . | brown : obama should n't brush off reporters asking about blagojevich |
obama <tsp> editor 's note : campbell brown anchors cnn 's campbell brown : no bias , no bull ' at 8 p.m . et mondays through fridays . she delivered this commentary during the cutting through the bull ' segment of wednesday night 's broadcast . cnn 's campbell brown says it 's the media 's job to be annoying to the president-elect . ( cnn ) -- it goes without saying , the media is annoying . it is the media 's job to be annoying . especially those members of the media assigned to cover the president . or in this case the president-elect . their role is not to support president-elect barack obama , but to challenge him , to do their best to hold him accountable . this week the media is no doubt annoying obama with daily questions about democratic illinois gov . rod blagojevich allegedly trying to sell obama 's senate seat and the role of certain members of obama 's team . here was the exchange he had tuesday with a reporter from the chicago tribune : john mccormick : you told us at your first press conference after the election that you were going to take a very hands-off approach to filling that spot . over the weekend , the tribune reported that rahm emanuel , your incoming chief of staff , had presented a list of potential names . watch campbell brown 's commentary » obama : john , let me just cut you off , because i do n't want you to waste your question . as i indicated yesterday , we 've done a full review of this . the facts are going to be released next week . it would be inappropriate for me to comment , because the -- for example , the story that you just talked about in your own paper , i have n't confirmed that it was accurate , and i do n't want to get into the details at this point . so do you have another question ? mr. president-elect , this is the second time i have observed you doing this . cutting off a reporter because the question did n't suit you . mr. president-elect , this sort of approach reminds a lot of us of the current administration now packing up to go , and it frankly does n't fly in a democracy . you do n't get to choose the questions you get asked at a news conference . that 's not the way it works , even with a media that many believe has been more than friendly toward you , which makes it all the more surprising that you could act testy , annoyed or intolerant of any question you get . you have an extraordinarily high approval rating right now . people in this country who voted against you are pulling for you . these are desperate times for many americans and most of this country wants you to succeed . but you will not succeed if you discard the very ideals you promoted during your campaign : directness , honesty , candor , transparency , openness . you 've made a deal with the prosecutor to keep a lid on certain information about this investigation until next week . fine . but that does n't give you a blanket excuse to dismiss any and all questions associated with blagojevich or anything else . you are the one who embraced openness , and you could stand to be a little more open to it . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of campbell brown . | obama campaigned on directness and openness , brown says |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- scotland may have voted no on independence , but 16- and 17- year-olds offered a resounding yes to the question of whether young people can be motivated to take part in the political process after being allowed to vote for the first time . with voter turnout reportedly edging close to a remarkable 90 % in some areas , many are pondering what we can expect from the youth vote in the upcoming u.s. midterm elections . as members of america 's largest generation , the millennials , young voters certainly made their mark on u.s. politics when they turned out in force and paved the way for barack obama to win the iowa caucuses in 2008 . in fact , if that vote had taken place only among caucus-goers over 30 , hillary clinton would have won iowa ( and likely would be president today ) . six years later , however , a different picture emerges . rather than being empowered to remain active in politics after making history in 2008 , young voters are sadly becoming more disillusioned and distrustful of all things washington . in our most recent harvard institute of politics survey , only 23 % of 18- to 29-year-olds indicated they would definitely ' be voting in november -- a number that has grown smaller as the election nears and that trails the benchmark from 2010 . meanwhile , trust in almost every institution tested annually in our survey has also fallen since the last midterm campaign : trust in the presidency is down 12 percentage points to less than one-third , trust in both congress and the federal government is also down -- to 14 % and 20 % , respectively . meanwhile , the number of young voters who believe that elected officials seemed to be motivated by selfish reasons has increased from 54 % in 2010 to 62 % today . the factors leading up to obama 's runaway victory against john mccain in 2008 were clear . the older millennials were raised in the shadows of the patriotism americans felt after 9/11 ; they felt let down by president george w. bush 's handling of hurricane katrina and the march to baghdad , had witnessed two razor-thin presidential wins in 2000 and 2004 and quickly connected with the first-term senator 's powerful combination of message and media . young voters came out in force then , turning red states to blue because in their mind , in this one instant , politics mattered . for millions , the election of 2008 was their chance to become an active participant in an unfolding chapter in america 's proud history . the same went for scotland on thursday , with the vast majority of teenagers over 16 voting because it mattered to them as well . like their cousins in america , they imagined a time telling their grandchildren what it was like the day everyone voted . the problem today is that through word and deed , it seems like every elected member of our government is going out of his or her way to illustrate to young people that government does not matter , that the fundamental challenges of our time are better left for others . this is why youth turnout has fallen in every election since obama 's first . in a poll we released a few days ago for politico , for example , we found that millennials are less likely than every other age group to vote in november , they are less enthusiastic about the election , and more than 60 % disapprove of the way that each party is doing its job in congress . it is impossible to have an election without choices , even bad ones . this week scotland chose to remain part of the union rather than forge its independence , a choice with real consequences . unfortunately , young u.s. voters by and large just do not see the midterm elections offering legitimate choices because , in their eyes , congress has proven to be largely ineffectual , and worse uncaring . by eschewing regular participation in electoral politics , young people are making the choice to serve their community and country in other ways , namely through volunteerism . it is now up to the president and members of the house and senate to take heed of this disillusionment and make a choice to inspire our largest generation to be civic-minded , to participate in the debate and process of politics working together to make our country a better place . in fact , when you step back and think about it , it really should n't be a choice at all . | young voters paved the way for obama to win iowa caucuses in 2008 , john della volpe says |
amnesty <tsp> north korea is showing no signs of scaling back its fearsome labor camp system , with torture , starvation , rape and death a fact of life for tens of thousand of inmates , according to human rights group amnesty international . the rights group released satellite images , purportedly showing evidence of expansion , including the construction of new housing blocks and production facilities , at two of the isolated regime 's largest camps or kwanliso ' -- 15 and 16 -- used to hold political prisoners . the gruesome reality of north korea 's continued investment in this vast network of repression has been exposed , ' said rajiv narayan , amnesty international 's east asia researcher . we urge the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those prisoners of conscience held in political prison camps and close the camps immediately . ' orphaned and homeless : surviving the streets of north korea horrific conditions amnesty commissioned the images from digitalglobe , a commercial satellite imagery vendor . in their release , amnesty claims that up to 200,000 prisoners , including children , are being held in horrific conditions in six sprawling political prison camps . ' survivor recounts escape from camp pyongyang denies their existence , despite satellite images and testimony from witnesses . amnesty claims many prisoners are allegedly being held for nothing more than watching foreign soap operas or holding a particular religious belief , while others are incarcerated simply for having a family member deemed politically undesirable . camp 16 , which is located near hwaseong in north hamgyong province , housed an estimated 20,000 people , according to previous analysis by amnesty in 2011 . but the group claims the latest images , taken in may this year , indicate a slight increase in population with the new housing blocks clearly visible . they also appear to show significant economic activity -- including mining , logging and agriculture . amnesty said the camp covered an area of around 216 square miles ( 560 square km ) , or three times the size of america 's capital , washington dc . camp 15 , also known as yodok , is located in the river valleys of central north korea just 75 miles ( 120km ) from the capital pyongyang . in 2011 , amnesty reported that around 50,000 people were imprisoned there , though it said 39 housing blocks have since been demolished with only six new blocks built . while amnesty conceded this might indicate a reduction in prisoner numbers , it said significant industrial activity was visible in the area , including logging . amnesty said its analysis of the images pointed to tight security at both sites with perimeter fences and security points clearly marked . movement appears to be restricted and controlled through secured entrance gates , guard towers and internal check-points , ' its report read . veteran pows recall misery of north korean captivity new witnesses amnesty also published previously unheard testimony from witnesses in its new report . a former security official , identified only as mr. lee , who was at camp 16 in the 1980s until the mid 1990s described the methods used to execute prisoners in an interview with amnesty last month . he said detainees were forced to dig their own graves and were then killed with hammer blows to their necks . he also witnessed prison officers strangling detainees and then beating them to death with wooden sticks . how voice from gulag affected human rights discourse according to mr. lee , women were disappeared ' after being raped : after a night of'servicing'the officials , the women had to die because the secret could not get out . this happens at most of the political prison camps . ' kim young-soon , a former detainee in camp 15 in the 1980s , described a public execution she witnessed of two detainees caught attempting to escape : they were brought to a stage after they were badly beaten . the prisoners were tied to wooden stakes and shot three times in their head , chest and feet , ' she recalled . in september this year , a united nations inquiry into human rights abuses in north korea highlighted the unspeakable ' and widespread ' atrocities being carried out in camps that required an international response , including a mother forced to drown her own baby and a prison camp inmate compelled to eat rodents and lizards just to survive . the rights group says it has shared the latest evidence with the u.n. commission of inquiry investigating human rights abuses in north korea . | new images show one camp to be three times the size of washington dc -- amnesty |
amnesty <tsp> north korea is showing no signs of scaling back its fearsome labor camp system , with torture , starvation , rape and death a fact of life for tens of thousand of inmates , according to human rights group amnesty international . the rights group released satellite images , purportedly showing evidence of expansion , including the construction of new housing blocks and production facilities , at two of the isolated regime 's largest camps or kwanliso ' -- 15 and 16 -- used to hold political prisoners . the gruesome reality of north korea 's continued investment in this vast network of repression has been exposed , ' said rajiv narayan , amnesty international 's east asia researcher . we urge the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those prisoners of conscience held in political prison camps and close the camps immediately . ' orphaned and homeless : surviving the streets of north korea horrific conditions amnesty commissioned the images from digitalglobe , a commercial satellite imagery vendor . in their release , amnesty claims that up to 200,000 prisoners , including children , are being held in horrific conditions in six sprawling political prison camps . ' survivor recounts escape from camp pyongyang denies their existence , despite satellite images and testimony from witnesses . amnesty claims many prisoners are allegedly being held for nothing more than watching foreign soap operas or holding a particular religious belief , while others are incarcerated simply for having a family member deemed politically undesirable . camp 16 , which is located near hwaseong in north hamgyong province , housed an estimated 20,000 people , according to previous analysis by amnesty in 2011 . but the group claims the latest images , taken in may this year , indicate a slight increase in population with the new housing blocks clearly visible . they also appear to show significant economic activity -- including mining , logging and agriculture . amnesty said the camp covered an area of around 216 square miles ( 560 square km ) , or three times the size of america 's capital , washington dc . camp 15 , also known as yodok , is located in the river valleys of central north korea just 75 miles ( 120km ) from the capital pyongyang . in 2011 , amnesty reported that around 50,000 people were imprisoned there , though it said 39 housing blocks have since been demolished with only six new blocks built . while amnesty conceded this might indicate a reduction in prisoner numbers , it said significant industrial activity was visible in the area , including logging . amnesty said its analysis of the images pointed to tight security at both sites with perimeter fences and security points clearly marked . movement appears to be restricted and controlled through secured entrance gates , guard towers and internal check-points , ' its report read . veteran pows recall misery of north korean captivity new witnesses amnesty also published previously unheard testimony from witnesses in its new report . a former security official , identified only as mr. lee , who was at camp 16 in the 1980s until the mid 1990s described the methods used to execute prisoners in an interview with amnesty last month . he said detainees were forced to dig their own graves and were then killed with hammer blows to their necks . he also witnessed prison officers strangling detainees and then beating them to death with wooden sticks . how voice from gulag affected human rights discourse according to mr. lee , women were disappeared ' after being raped : after a night of'servicing'the officials , the women had to die because the secret could not get out . this happens at most of the political prison camps . ' kim young-soon , a former detainee in camp 15 in the 1980s , described a public execution she witnessed of two detainees caught attempting to escape : they were brought to a stage after they were badly beaten . the prisoners were tied to wooden stakes and shot three times in their head , chest and feet , ' she recalled . in september this year , a united nations inquiry into human rights abuses in north korea highlighted the unspeakable ' and widespread ' atrocities being carried out in camps that required an international response , including a mother forced to drown her own baby and a prison camp inmate compelled to eat rodents and lizards just to survive . the rights group says it has shared the latest evidence with the u.n. commission of inquiry investigating human rights abuses in north korea . | amnesty : new images show new activity , including the construction of new housing blocks |
jason <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- actor derek mears has a big hockey mask to fill . derek mears arrives on the red carpet at the hollywood premiere of the new friday the 13th ' movie . mears was cast as the iconic boogeyman jason voorhees in the new friday the 13th ' movie . a remake of the original 1980 film , the new movie aims to breathe life into the former franchise about a psychopathic killer who preys on a group of young people at the fictitious camp crystal lake . mears is no stranger to the horror genre , having co-starred in the hills have eyes ii . ' his career is extensive and includes stints as a stuntman in two of the popular pirates of the caribbean ' films . he recently spoke to cnn about taking a turn as the ultimate evil , the thrill of continuing a slasher legacy and why he 's really not that bloody nice . cnn : you are n't that scary in person , so what made you think you could be that scary on camera ? derek mears : i 've got a lot of issues . i 've got a whole lot of daddy issues . no , i sound like a basket case . it 's funny with acting -- we all wear masks in our normal life . not to sound like a weirdo in the hockey mask , but like right now i 'm really excited about the film and excited about playing the character , and i will start to speak faster . that 's kind of what 's coming over me : oh you 're , you 're really nice , ' but ... on the other side of me there are other dereks that are angry , and like i said before , have a little bit of issues . cnn : tell me a little bit about how you were approached . did you know they were making it before they came to you ? was it kind of a shock ? mears : it 's so weird . there 's two different versions . there 's my version of how it went about , and there 's the producer 's version . i 'll tell the producer 's version because my version is really , really long . the short version of my version was i heard they were doing a new friday the 13th , ' and i 've never tried to pursue a role before and i went , i really want to do this . so when i heard they were doing it , before i even had an audition , i started training for it . i found out a little about what they wanted for the character -- that he was n't going to be super , you know bulky or big , that he 's more functional . he 's still big , but he 's lean . so i started training that way and trying to do what i could just to get an audition . on the other end , on the producer 's end , they asked a bunch of different industry professionals . they said , hey , were doing a new'friday the 13th .'who do you think would be a great new jason ? ' and my name kept popping up , which i 'm blown away by . they brought me in for an audition , and i met with them . and they called me the next day and went , ok , you 're the guy . ' and i still do n't believe it till this day . i 'm blown away . cnn : how did you keep it light on the set ? mears : believe it or not , all the actors ... got along so well . i have never been so close to a cast before on set . we were just goofing around and playing , but then when it 's time to work and get serious with certain scenes , we 'd all switch over and do our job and get to the point where we needed to . cnn : had you seen any of the original friday the 13th ' movies ? mears : oh yeah . i mean , i 'm a fan . i consider myself a fan of the series . i already knew all of the originals . i had them all on dvd , and when i first met with platinum dunes [ the production company behind the new movie ] , i told them , hey look , i 'm a fan of the series first and foremost . if i 'm right for the part , fantastic . if i 'm not right for the part , that 's ok , too . i , just as a fan , want to see a good'friday the 13th'film . i want to see the series continue so if i can help it , awesome , but i just want to see something good . ' cnn : did you try to model your character after previous jasons , or did you try to kind of take it and make it your own ? mears : definitely make it my own . i used the script that mark swift and damian shannon wrote as a blueprint -- like you would for any acting role where i knew the other guys who 've played jason ' before , and what they 've done , but you kind of shove that away somewhere deep in your brain and build your character from the new script . and there are times in the film here and there where i would do little tips of the hats or little homage for the guys who have played him before . cnn : it 's kind of a dream come true . mears : yeah , that 's why i keep saying the words this whole interview like unbelievable , ' unbelievable because i do n't believe it . cnn : which is funny . you do n't usually think of such happiness and glee [ on a horror movie set ] . mears : and trust me , you wo n't see that in the final product . cnn 's brittany kaplan contributed to this article . | actor derek mears takes on role of jason in new friday the 13th ' |
psg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- paris saint-germain completed the signing of brazilian international defender alex from chelsea friday on a two-and-a-half-year deal . the 29-year-old is re-united with psg coach carlo ancelotti , who was in charge at chelsea when they won the english premier league and fa cup double in 2010 . he had fallen out of favor under andre villas-boas and was also a target for fellow epl side queens park rangers , but chose the parisian giants . i knew about psg 's immense stature and that made me want to come , ' alex told the club 's official website . for the past two months i 've wanted to leave chelsea and we finally opened talks with psg . everything went very well . ' alex has won 18 brazil caps and was in their squad which claimed the 2007 copa america , but he will be battling five other players , including club captain mamadou sakho , for places in central defense . i know him very well . he 's a fantastic man and a fantastic player . he 's a good investment for the team , ' said ancelotti . ancelotti , who took charge in december , also revealed that the qatari-backed club had ruled out an immediate move for manchester city striker carlos tevez . the italian said they had been in discussions with tevez and his connections but talks had broken down . we discussed a move with the player but there is ultimately no agreement , ' ancelotti told the club website , but left the door open for a future deal . meanwhile , tevez 's advisor kia joorabchian told british radio station talksport that it was likely the striker would stay at city until the summer . we 've been in negotiations with three big clubs but i do n't think they have reached the figures manchester city want , ' joorabchian claimed . joorabchian also said he believed his player could end up at psg next season . psg want to build a long-term project and i think carlos is six months too early for them . but there is a big chance he will go there in the summer , ' he added . | tevez 's agent kia joorabchian claims his player will eventually join psg |
tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- paris saint-germain completed the signing of brazilian international defender alex from chelsea friday on a two-and-a-half-year deal . the 29-year-old is re-united with psg coach carlo ancelotti , who was in charge at chelsea when they won the english premier league and fa cup double in 2010 . he had fallen out of favor under andre villas-boas and was also a target for fellow epl side queens park rangers , but chose the parisian giants . i knew about psg 's immense stature and that made me want to come , ' alex told the club 's official website . for the past two months i 've wanted to leave chelsea and we finally opened talks with psg . everything went very well . ' alex has won 18 brazil caps and was in their squad which claimed the 2007 copa america , but he will be battling five other players , including club captain mamadou sakho , for places in central defense . i know him very well . he 's a fantastic man and a fantastic player . he 's a good investment for the team , ' said ancelotti . ancelotti , who took charge in december , also revealed that the qatari-backed club had ruled out an immediate move for manchester city striker carlos tevez . the italian said they had been in discussions with tevez and his connections but talks had broken down . we discussed a move with the player but there is ultimately no agreement , ' ancelotti told the club website , but left the door open for a future deal . meanwhile , tevez 's advisor kia joorabchian told british radio station talksport that it was likely the striker would stay at city until the summer . we 've been in negotiations with three big clubs but i do n't think they have reached the figures manchester city want , ' joorabchian claimed . joorabchian also said he believed his player could end up at psg next season . psg want to build a long-term project and i think carlos is six months too early for them . but there is a big chance he will go there in the summer , ' he added . | ancelotti rules out january move for manchester city 's carlos tevez |
tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- paris saint-germain completed the signing of brazilian international defender alex from chelsea friday on a two-and-a-half-year deal . the 29-year-old is re-united with psg coach carlo ancelotti , who was in charge at chelsea when they won the english premier league and fa cup double in 2010 . he had fallen out of favor under andre villas-boas and was also a target for fellow epl side queens park rangers , but chose the parisian giants . i knew about psg 's immense stature and that made me want to come , ' alex told the club 's official website . for the past two months i 've wanted to leave chelsea and we finally opened talks with psg . everything went very well . ' alex has won 18 brazil caps and was in their squad which claimed the 2007 copa america , but he will be battling five other players , including club captain mamadou sakho , for places in central defense . i know him very well . he 's a fantastic man and a fantastic player . he 's a good investment for the team , ' said ancelotti . ancelotti , who took charge in december , also revealed that the qatari-backed club had ruled out an immediate move for manchester city striker carlos tevez . the italian said they had been in discussions with tevez and his connections but talks had broken down . we discussed a move with the player but there is ultimately no agreement , ' ancelotti told the club website , but left the door open for a future deal . meanwhile , tevez 's advisor kia joorabchian told british radio station talksport that it was likely the striker would stay at city until the summer . we 've been in negotiations with three big clubs but i do n't think they have reached the figures manchester city want , ' joorabchian claimed . joorabchian also said he believed his player could end up at psg next season . psg want to build a long-term project and i think carlos is six months too early for them . but there is a big chance he will go there in the summer , ' he added . | tevez 's agent kia joorabchian claims his player will eventually join psg |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama is in texas today . texas is the center of the current crisis at the border . from guatemala , el salvador and honduras , thousands upon thousands of children are pouring into the united states . this flood of foreign children is not a problem of border security . they are not sneaking across the border illegally . under the feinstein amendment of 2008 , unaccompanied minors from these countries can present themselves at a legal border crossing , claim to be political refugees and seek asylum . the argument on the left is that these three countries have violent gangs and therefore we have a moral obligation to take in their children . one democratic senator told me that the real key was to end violence in those three countries . given last weekend 's 82 shot and 16 killed in chicago , i wanted to ask that senator how he thought his policies would be more successful in central america than they have been in our third-largest city . it is in this context of the liberal fantasy -- that we owe the world everything , we can do nothing to protect ourselves and everyone else is innocent while we americans somehow have an extra burden to take care of their problems -- that you have to view the president 's current actions . the president 's trip highlights vividly the failure of obama-ism . it is clear he wants our money . he is doing two big democratic fundraisers in texas this week to get political money . he has just sent up a request to congress for an additional $ 3.7 billion to address the immigration crisis on the southern border -- the majority of which would go toward caring for the unaccompanied minors crossing the border . still , this request is larger than the entire u.s. border patrol budget in 2013 . sen. tom coburn of oklahoma , on cnn 's crossfire ' tuesday night , demolished the president 's proposal . that 's $ 60,000 per child that we 're going to spend , in emergency money , ' he pointed out . ( parents and students trying to get through college should contemplate that number . ) that shows just how incompetent we [ are ] -- we ca n't do that for three or four thousand per child ? ... if we ca n't do that , the border patrol is as bad as the va. ' ' for $ 8 million , ' he pointed out later in the show , we can put them all on a first-class seat back to their homes . ' actually , he exaggerated a little bit . a business class flight from san antonio to guatemala city is about $ 450 . lowest economy ticket is $ 318 . for the 60,000 young people entering the united states this year under the feinstein amendment , flying home commercially would be in the range of $ 18 to $ 26 million plus the cost of staffing etc . so the coburn plan might cost ( once staff , etc . is included ) in the $ 40 million to $ 80 million range . that means , of course , that the coburn plan would save at least $ 3.62 billion over the obama plan . why is the obama plan so expensive ? simple . left-wing democrats wake up every morning knowing the answer is bigger government and more money . they just do n't know what the question is . the border crisis is a new opportunity for obama to create even bigger government , spending even more of our children 's money . in a rational world it would be an absurdity , but this is the world of obama and sen. harry reid , and nothing involving more spending and bigger government is absurd to them . coburn also noted that the current scale of the border crisis would disappear if congress would simply repeal the feinstein amendment . chairman bob goodlatte of the house judiciary committee also notes that there are a number of executive actions the president could take which would end the open borders for foreign children policy . the obama administration policy of deferred action for childhood arrivals ' was an executive decision to begin with ( and one of questionable legality ) . the president certainly has the authority to enforce immigration law . the obama policy instead assumes the border will remain open and he wants to use taxpayer money to fund the lengthy process of getting children from central america involved in the american legal system . it is a great excuse to have the government hire even more lawyers . house republicans should immediately repeal the feinstein amendment and call on the president to do everything within his power to stop this rush on our borders . let 's see how long democratic senators up for reelection can allow reid to bottle up a solution to the flood of foreign children coming into our country . three cheers for senator coburn and a loud no ' to president obama is the right response to this mess . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . | obama proposed an additional $ 3.7 billion for the immigration crisis on the southern border |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama is in texas today . texas is the center of the current crisis at the border . from guatemala , el salvador and honduras , thousands upon thousands of children are pouring into the united states . this flood of foreign children is not a problem of border security . they are not sneaking across the border illegally . under the feinstein amendment of 2008 , unaccompanied minors from these countries can present themselves at a legal border crossing , claim to be political refugees and seek asylum . the argument on the left is that these three countries have violent gangs and therefore we have a moral obligation to take in their children . one democratic senator told me that the real key was to end violence in those three countries . given last weekend 's 82 shot and 16 killed in chicago , i wanted to ask that senator how he thought his policies would be more successful in central america than they have been in our third-largest city . it is in this context of the liberal fantasy -- that we owe the world everything , we can do nothing to protect ourselves and everyone else is innocent while we americans somehow have an extra burden to take care of their problems -- that you have to view the president 's current actions . the president 's trip highlights vividly the failure of obama-ism . it is clear he wants our money . he is doing two big democratic fundraisers in texas this week to get political money . he has just sent up a request to congress for an additional $ 3.7 billion to address the immigration crisis on the southern border -- the majority of which would go toward caring for the unaccompanied minors crossing the border . still , this request is larger than the entire u.s. border patrol budget in 2013 . sen. tom coburn of oklahoma , on cnn 's crossfire ' tuesday night , demolished the president 's proposal . that 's $ 60,000 per child that we 're going to spend , in emergency money , ' he pointed out . ( parents and students trying to get through college should contemplate that number . ) that shows just how incompetent we [ are ] -- we ca n't do that for three or four thousand per child ? ... if we ca n't do that , the border patrol is as bad as the va. ' ' for $ 8 million , ' he pointed out later in the show , we can put them all on a first-class seat back to their homes . ' actually , he exaggerated a little bit . a business class flight from san antonio to guatemala city is about $ 450 . lowest economy ticket is $ 318 . for the 60,000 young people entering the united states this year under the feinstein amendment , flying home commercially would be in the range of $ 18 to $ 26 million plus the cost of staffing etc . so the coburn plan might cost ( once staff , etc . is included ) in the $ 40 million to $ 80 million range . that means , of course , that the coburn plan would save at least $ 3.62 billion over the obama plan . why is the obama plan so expensive ? simple . left-wing democrats wake up every morning knowing the answer is bigger government and more money . they just do n't know what the question is . the border crisis is a new opportunity for obama to create even bigger government , spending even more of our children 's money . in a rational world it would be an absurdity , but this is the world of obama and sen. harry reid , and nothing involving more spending and bigger government is absurd to them . coburn also noted that the current scale of the border crisis would disappear if congress would simply repeal the feinstein amendment . chairman bob goodlatte of the house judiciary committee also notes that there are a number of executive actions the president could take which would end the open borders for foreign children policy . the obama administration policy of deferred action for childhood arrivals ' was an executive decision to begin with ( and one of questionable legality ) . the president certainly has the authority to enforce immigration law . the obama policy instead assumes the border will remain open and he wants to use taxpayer money to fund the lengthy process of getting children from central america involved in the american legal system . it is a great excuse to have the government hire even more lawyers . house republicans should immediately repeal the feinstein amendment and call on the president to do everything within his power to stop this rush on our borders . let 's see how long democratic senators up for reelection can allow reid to bottle up a solution to the flood of foreign children coming into our country . three cheers for senator coburn and a loud no ' to president obama is the right response to this mess . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . | newt gingrich warns that president obama 's border plan spends too much and does little |
darth vader <tsp> ( cnn ) -- boy with stutter stops talking for ten years before going on to become one of the most revered voices in cinema history . it is a script hollywood would have been proud to pen . but there was no need as this is the story of james earl jones , arguably the most well-known voice in modern cinema . the voice behind darth vader 's mask in the star wars ' trilogy told cnn 's becky anderson that from the ages of five to 14 he barely spoke a word . i stuttered so badly i gave up talking , ' earl jones said . he remembers the misery his condition caused him and says he is indebted to an english teacher who helped give him the confidence to start speaking again . we were reading great literature , and the idea of being able to say those words really inspired me . i never expected to be able to write things like that , but i did want to enjoy saying them . ' although his father was an actor the idea of acting had not occurred to the teenage earl jones he says . but the english teacher encouraged me saying :'if you like the words you 've got to be able to say them'. that 's what started it . ' despite voicing one of the most famous villains in film history , earl jones kept quiet about his contribution until darth vader was killed in return of the jedi ' -- the final installment of the original star wars ' trilogy . he says it was fun to keep everyone guessing . it became a big mystery --'who was that inside the mask ?'' he said . they used to say it sounds like geoffrey holder [ the trinidadian actor who famously starred in the 1973 james bond film live and let die ' ] . and i would say yes it does . geoffrey has a slight trinidadian accent . it was more fun denying it than it was admitting it until the episode where darth dies . then i accepted credit for it . ' earl jones has starred or voiced in more than 100 films as well as being the voice of the cnn network but he is currently enjoying a highly successful return to the stage . the toni award-winning actor has been playing the role of big daddy in tennessee williams classic drama cat on a hot tin roof ' since 2008 . the show ran on new york 's broadway for nealy two years before transferring to the novello theatre in london 's west end in november last year . | voice of darth vader was a mute for nearly 10 years as a child |
americans <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- it 's a problem that has been around for awhile , and the longer it stays , the tougher it is to reverse . that 's because it 's a riddle that 's almost impossible to resolve : americans want the government to fix our problems , but they do n't trust the government to do it . we want health care to be fixed , medicare and social security to stay intact , emergencies to be handled . we also want lower taxes along with a smaller—yet more responsive—government . all in all , we would like to spend less and get more . small wonder we do n't believe government can do it , because it can not . according to the latest cnn/orc poll , the public 's trust in the federal government has dropped to an all-time low : only 15 % of americans today say they trust the government to do what 's right just about always or most of the time—down 10 points from about a year ago . the last time that number was perilously close to rock bottom was in 1994 , after bill clinton lost health care reform . and it prompted the president to famously declare the era of big government is over . ' only it is n't . and that 's the essential conundrum for barack obama . he 's been a big-agenda president . he sees himself as transformational , so anything less would not do . but the more he did—economic stimulus , health care reform— the more the public recoiled . they did n't see the results , and hated the partisanship . all of which makes sense . even the president himself , back in 2009 , admitted he had n't laid the groundwork for his big agenda . after all , how can you convince the public to expand the government while most people believe it 's bloated and out of control ? i understand that people are feeling uncertain about this . they feel anxious , partly because we 've just become so cynical about what government can accomplish that people 's attitudes are , you know , even though i do n't like this devil , at least i know it , and i like that more than the devil i do n't know , ' the president said at a press conference in the middle of the health care debate . so folks are skeptical . and that is entirely legitimate , because they have n't seen a lot of laws coming out of washington lately that helped them . ' all of which is true . but here 's where leadership comes in—and has been lacking . the public distrusts government because its leaders have n't been able to work together to produce much of anything . sure , we want it all—and that 's our fault . but if we had some honest politicians out there , on both sides of the aisle , saying we ca n't have it all , we just might listen to them . instead , we hear each side yammering about how the other guys solutions will kill the country or jobs or your bank account , so we figure we ca n't trust any of them . it 's perfectly reasonable to feel that way . in fact , i would make the argument that—after watching the debt ceiling debacle—it would be strange to feel anything other than disrespect for washington . and the more congress fools with people 's lives—like playing games over emergency funding—the more the public turns off . and it 's not going to get any better the closer we get to an election . it is true that distrust of government is nothing new . it 's also not news that we want the government to solve our problems even though we think it 's full of scoundrels . there is nothing new about this ambivalence , ' scholars , and former clinton administration officials , bill galston and elaine kamarck point out in an essay called change you can believe in requires a government you can trust . ' they also make this important point : it 's up to the president to lead .'how ... the president deals with it may make the difference between success and failure . ' the problem for obama now is that he has dealt with the problems in all ways : as the partisan and as the conciliator . yes , the often-recalcitrant freshmen republicans have backed him into a corner , because they refuse to deal on much of anything . even so , the president 's initial identity—as a change-agent who can fix washington—is gone . ronald reagan understood the public 's skepticism about government . he often joked that the scariest sentence in america is i 'm from the government and i 'm here to help . ' this president 's problem is that he wants the government to help—only he has n't been able to convince the public that government has changed . that 's because it has n't . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger . | she says americans do n't believe government can solve problems |
americans <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- it 's a problem that has been around for awhile , and the longer it stays , the tougher it is to reverse . that 's because it 's a riddle that 's almost impossible to resolve : americans want the government to fix our problems , but they do n't trust the government to do it . we want health care to be fixed , medicare and social security to stay intact , emergencies to be handled . we also want lower taxes along with a smaller—yet more responsive—government . all in all , we would like to spend less and get more . small wonder we do n't believe government can do it , because it can not . according to the latest cnn/orc poll , the public 's trust in the federal government has dropped to an all-time low : only 15 % of americans today say they trust the government to do what 's right just about always or most of the time—down 10 points from about a year ago . the last time that number was perilously close to rock bottom was in 1994 , after bill clinton lost health care reform . and it prompted the president to famously declare the era of big government is over . ' only it is n't . and that 's the essential conundrum for barack obama . he 's been a big-agenda president . he sees himself as transformational , so anything less would not do . but the more he did—economic stimulus , health care reform— the more the public recoiled . they did n't see the results , and hated the partisanship . all of which makes sense . even the president himself , back in 2009 , admitted he had n't laid the groundwork for his big agenda . after all , how can you convince the public to expand the government while most people believe it 's bloated and out of control ? i understand that people are feeling uncertain about this . they feel anxious , partly because we 've just become so cynical about what government can accomplish that people 's attitudes are , you know , even though i do n't like this devil , at least i know it , and i like that more than the devil i do n't know , ' the president said at a press conference in the middle of the health care debate . so folks are skeptical . and that is entirely legitimate , because they have n't seen a lot of laws coming out of washington lately that helped them . ' all of which is true . but here 's where leadership comes in—and has been lacking . the public distrusts government because its leaders have n't been able to work together to produce much of anything . sure , we want it all—and that 's our fault . but if we had some honest politicians out there , on both sides of the aisle , saying we ca n't have it all , we just might listen to them . instead , we hear each side yammering about how the other guys solutions will kill the country or jobs or your bank account , so we figure we ca n't trust any of them . it 's perfectly reasonable to feel that way . in fact , i would make the argument that—after watching the debt ceiling debacle—it would be strange to feel anything other than disrespect for washington . and the more congress fools with people 's lives—like playing games over emergency funding—the more the public turns off . and it 's not going to get any better the closer we get to an election . it is true that distrust of government is nothing new . it 's also not news that we want the government to solve our problems even though we think it 's full of scoundrels . there is nothing new about this ambivalence , ' scholars , and former clinton administration officials , bill galston and elaine kamarck point out in an essay called change you can believe in requires a government you can trust . ' they also make this important point : it 's up to the president to lead .'how ... the president deals with it may make the difference between success and failure . ' the problem for obama now is that he has dealt with the problems in all ways : as the partisan and as the conciliator . yes , the often-recalcitrant freshmen republicans have backed him into a corner , because they refuse to deal on much of anything . even so , the president 's initial identity—as a change-agent who can fix washington—is gone . ronald reagan understood the public 's skepticism about government . he often joked that the scariest sentence in america is i 'm from the government and i 'm here to help . ' this president 's problem is that he wants the government to help—only he has n't been able to convince the public that government has changed . that 's because it has n't . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gloria borger . | borger : americans want government programs such as social security , medicare |
tahmooressi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a u.s. marine corps reservist held in a mexican prison for more than three months on a weapons charge could have been released within days of his detention if not for missed opportunities ' by his original legal counsel , his attorney told cnn . in an exclusive phone interview , fernando benitez -- the latest attorney for jailed sgt . andrew tahmooressi -- said his client 's case was allowed to simmer ' by his original attorneys . they have since been fired . for anybody being involved in a criminal case in mexico , the first 96 hours ... those first 96 hours are crucial , ' benitez said . a lot can be done , and releases can and are obtained regularly , but you have to aggressively address a defensive strategy . ' now , benitez says , his client is at the mercy of the mexican judicial system , and there is no timetable for his release . tahmooressi has maintained that he took a wrong turn on the california side of the border into tijuana , mexico , the night of march 31 . his mother told cnn in may that tahmooressi , who served in afghanistan , had moved to the san ysidro , california , area to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder . he was detained by mexican border officials for possessing a .45-caliber pistol , a 12-gauge pump shotgun and an ar-15 rifle . for weeks , tahmooressi sat in a tijuana prison while his defense attorneys failed to submit evidence to the court in the initial stages of his defense . tahmooressi and his attorneys alleged that he was beaten and tortured by guards and prisoners at the prison . mexican officials have denied that claim . he has since been transferred to el hongo penitentiary in tecate , where he told cnn earlier this month that he is being treated well . benitez has submitted evidence and will continue to do so between now and august 4 , tahmooressi 's next court date . his combined legal bills have already surpassed more than $ 20,000 , according to the family . in andrew 's case , several windows of opportunity were missed , ' benitez said . it 's frustrating to us . i would have loved to have taken advantage of those opportunities . but now we need to work with what we have and that 's exactly what we 're going to do . ' germane to tahmooressi 's defense is that tahmooressi 's rights were violated under the mexican constitution , benitez said . i believe he was denied several basic human rights , which , it 's my contention , should result in reparation from the court ' in the form of declaring a mistrial or tossing out the testimony of those officers who are singling him out as the responsible party in this case . ' a 20-year criminal defense veteran , benitez said he has a strong track record of acquittals or cases being thrown out in federal court . in 2011 , he defended former tijuana mayor hank rhon , whose house was raided by mexican soldiers who discovered an arsenal of illegal guns and ammunition . benitez successfully argued that the raid was performed without a warrant . all charges were dropped . the same should be expected for tahmooressi 's case , benitez told cnn . andrew 's case , believe it or not , is technically not that complex , ' benitez said . it 's a mistake many people have made . i 've driven my car up to san diego and back to tijuana and i can tell you i 've made the same mistake he made . and i 'm a resident . the evidence we 've been uncovering all supports his story . ' opinion : a mother 's worst nightmare : my son is detained in mexico u.s. marine'optimistic'he 'll soon be released from mexican prison u.s. marine says he 'd walked into mexico before his arrest | attorney says sgt . andrew tahmooressi 's first defenders allowed his case to simmer ' |
tahmooressi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a u.s. marine corps reservist held in a mexican prison for more than three months on a weapons charge could have been released within days of his detention if not for missed opportunities ' by his original legal counsel , his attorney told cnn . in an exclusive phone interview , fernando benitez -- the latest attorney for jailed sgt . andrew tahmooressi -- said his client 's case was allowed to simmer ' by his original attorneys . they have since been fired . for anybody being involved in a criminal case in mexico , the first 96 hours ... those first 96 hours are crucial , ' benitez said . a lot can be done , and releases can and are obtained regularly , but you have to aggressively address a defensive strategy . ' now , benitez says , his client is at the mercy of the mexican judicial system , and there is no timetable for his release . tahmooressi has maintained that he took a wrong turn on the california side of the border into tijuana , mexico , the night of march 31 . his mother told cnn in may that tahmooressi , who served in afghanistan , had moved to the san ysidro , california , area to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder . he was detained by mexican border officials for possessing a .45-caliber pistol , a 12-gauge pump shotgun and an ar-15 rifle . for weeks , tahmooressi sat in a tijuana prison while his defense attorneys failed to submit evidence to the court in the initial stages of his defense . tahmooressi and his attorneys alleged that he was beaten and tortured by guards and prisoners at the prison . mexican officials have denied that claim . he has since been transferred to el hongo penitentiary in tecate , where he told cnn earlier this month that he is being treated well . benitez has submitted evidence and will continue to do so between now and august 4 , tahmooressi 's next court date . his combined legal bills have already surpassed more than $ 20,000 , according to the family . in andrew 's case , several windows of opportunity were missed , ' benitez said . it 's frustrating to us . i would have loved to have taken advantage of those opportunities . but now we need to work with what we have and that 's exactly what we 're going to do . ' germane to tahmooressi 's defense is that tahmooressi 's rights were violated under the mexican constitution , benitez said . i believe he was denied several basic human rights , which , it 's my contention , should result in reparation from the court ' in the form of declaring a mistrial or tossing out the testimony of those officers who are singling him out as the responsible party in this case . ' a 20-year criminal defense veteran , benitez said he has a strong track record of acquittals or cases being thrown out in federal court . in 2011 , he defended former tijuana mayor hank rhon , whose house was raided by mexican soldiers who discovered an arsenal of illegal guns and ammunition . benitez successfully argued that the raid was performed without a warrant . all charges were dropped . the same should be expected for tahmooressi 's case , benitez told cnn . andrew 's case , believe it or not , is technically not that complex , ' benitez said . it 's a mistake many people have made . i 've driven my car up to san diego and back to tijuana and i can tell you i 've made the same mistake he made . and i 'm a resident . the evidence we 've been uncovering all supports his story . ' opinion : a mother 's worst nightmare : my son is detained in mexico u.s. marine'optimistic'he 'll soon be released from mexican prison u.s. marine says he 'd walked into mexico before his arrest | tahmooressi was detained in march by border officials for firearms in his possession |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama called on tuesday for a short-term agreement to put off deep cuts to government spending , including the military , set to take effect next month . obama made his pitch in a statement to reporters at the white house , urging congress to pass a measure that would offset some of the imminent automatic spending cuts -- known as sequestration -- that were part of a 2011 debt ceiling deal . the president made clear that he still wanted a broader deficit reduction agreement with republicans that included spending cuts , entitlement reforms and increased revenue from eliminating some tax breaks . however , obama said , with time running out before the sequestration cuts slash government spending and result in job losses and economic slowdown , congress should pass a temporary fix that will allow time for further negotiations on a broader plan . our economy right now is headed in the right direction and it will stay that way as long as there are n't any more self-inflicted wounds coming out of washington , ' he said . so let 's keep on chipping away at this problem together , as democrats and republicans , to give our workers and our businesses the support that they need to thrive in the weeks and months ahead , ' he added . before obama spoke , house republican leaders slammed him for failing to produce a budget proposal the day before , which they said is a long-standing deadline to do so under federal law . we care : cantor wants to give gop a'makeover ,'change the message in the 2011 debt ceiling deal that ended a showdown over whether to increase the federal government 's borrowing limit to meet its obligations , congress and the white house agreed to include the automatic spending cuts of sequestration as motivation to pass a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan . deep partisan divisions prevented such an agreement from happening in 2012 , an election year , leading to the impending sequestration cuts this year . the government has already delayed the impact of sequestration for the first two months of 2013 . on tuesday , obama said he still supported a broader deal and made clear that revenue from tax reform measures previously agreed to by republicans -- such as eliminating some loopholes to increase revenue for the government -- should be part of it . however , he noted that it was unlikely congress would reach a deficit-reduction deal by march 1 to render the sequestration cuts moot . if they ca n't get a bigger package done by the time the sequester is scheduled to go into effect , then i believe that they should at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months until congress finds a way to replace these cuts with a smarter solution , ' obama said .'without questions': reid says more revenue needed to fix budget problems earlier , house speaker john boehner , r-ohio , reacted to news of obama 's plan by saying it was the president who first proposed the sequester and insisted it become law . ' reiterating the longstanding position of republicans in budget negotiations , boehner called for replacing the sequester plan with spending cuts and what he called reforms -- a reference to changes in popular entitlement programs such as medicare and medicaid . a last-second agreement in the previous congress that passed in the first days of 2013 raised tax rates on top income earners as part of a limited deficit-reduction package . that measure followed weeks of tough negotiations involving obama and congress in which other steps to increase government revenue , such as eliminating some tax breaks for corporations , were considered but not included in the final deal . obama and democrats now want such revenue-raising steps to be part of a package that would replace the mandated deficit reduction of the sequester cuts . senate republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky expressed his opposition to such a move tuesday , saying the american people will not support more tax hikes in place of the meaningful spending reductions both parties already agreed to and the president signed into law . ' federal spending cuts under sequestration total more than $ 1 trillion over 10 years , half of which would come from the pentagon . it 's your fault : how our'tribes'help create gridlock in congress military officials have warned that those cuts , on top of steep budget reductions already in the pipeline over the next decade , would be devastating to its operations as well as the civilian economy that depends on defense-related jobs and spending . obama 's push to avoid the sequester cuts comes a week before he outlines his second-term agenda in the state of the union address . congress , which authorizes federal spending , has failed to pass detailed annual budgets in recent years due to partisan gridlock over spending and debt , as well as electoral politics . instead , it has approved a series of extensions of past spending authorizations -- called continuing resolutions -- to keep the government funded . during his first term , obama 's annual budget proposals prompted immediate opposition from republicans -- and democrats at times -- that rendered ineffective the early year exercise of outlining his spending priorities . the plan for temporarily extending the sequester deadline follows a similar move by congressional republicans last month on raising the nation 's debt ceiling . that deal put off further wrangling on the federal borrowing limit until mid-may . some analysts warn that washington 's fiscal paralysis harms the nation 's fragile economy and could bring another recession . short-term approaches like the recent debt-ceiling measure and now obama 's push on the sequester cuts allows more time for negotiations on a possible broader deal that would address all issues at once . | new : avoid self-inflicted wounds ' out of washington , president obama says |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama called on tuesday for a short-term agreement to put off deep cuts to government spending , including the military , set to take effect next month . obama made his pitch in a statement to reporters at the white house , urging congress to pass a measure that would offset some of the imminent automatic spending cuts -- known as sequestration -- that were part of a 2011 debt ceiling deal . the president made clear that he still wanted a broader deficit reduction agreement with republicans that included spending cuts , entitlement reforms and increased revenue from eliminating some tax breaks . however , obama said , with time running out before the sequestration cuts slash government spending and result in job losses and economic slowdown , congress should pass a temporary fix that will allow time for further negotiations on a broader plan . our economy right now is headed in the right direction and it will stay that way as long as there are n't any more self-inflicted wounds coming out of washington , ' he said . so let 's keep on chipping away at this problem together , as democrats and republicans , to give our workers and our businesses the support that they need to thrive in the weeks and months ahead , ' he added . before obama spoke , house republican leaders slammed him for failing to produce a budget proposal the day before , which they said is a long-standing deadline to do so under federal law . we care : cantor wants to give gop a'makeover ,'change the message in the 2011 debt ceiling deal that ended a showdown over whether to increase the federal government 's borrowing limit to meet its obligations , congress and the white house agreed to include the automatic spending cuts of sequestration as motivation to pass a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan . deep partisan divisions prevented such an agreement from happening in 2012 , an election year , leading to the impending sequestration cuts this year . the government has already delayed the impact of sequestration for the first two months of 2013 . on tuesday , obama said he still supported a broader deal and made clear that revenue from tax reform measures previously agreed to by republicans -- such as eliminating some loopholes to increase revenue for the government -- should be part of it . however , he noted that it was unlikely congress would reach a deficit-reduction deal by march 1 to render the sequestration cuts moot . if they ca n't get a bigger package done by the time the sequester is scheduled to go into effect , then i believe that they should at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the economically damaging effects of the sequester for a few more months until congress finds a way to replace these cuts with a smarter solution , ' obama said .'without questions': reid says more revenue needed to fix budget problems earlier , house speaker john boehner , r-ohio , reacted to news of obama 's plan by saying it was the president who first proposed the sequester and insisted it become law . ' reiterating the longstanding position of republicans in budget negotiations , boehner called for replacing the sequester plan with spending cuts and what he called reforms -- a reference to changes in popular entitlement programs such as medicare and medicaid . a last-second agreement in the previous congress that passed in the first days of 2013 raised tax rates on top income earners as part of a limited deficit-reduction package . that measure followed weeks of tough negotiations involving obama and congress in which other steps to increase government revenue , such as eliminating some tax breaks for corporations , were considered but not included in the final deal . obama and democrats now want such revenue-raising steps to be part of a package that would replace the mandated deficit reduction of the sequester cuts . senate republican leader mitch mcconnell of kentucky expressed his opposition to such a move tuesday , saying the american people will not support more tax hikes in place of the meaningful spending reductions both parties already agreed to and the president signed into law . ' federal spending cuts under sequestration total more than $ 1 trillion over 10 years , half of which would come from the pentagon . it 's your fault : how our'tribes'help create gridlock in congress military officials have warned that those cuts , on top of steep budget reductions already in the pipeline over the next decade , would be devastating to its operations as well as the civilian economy that depends on defense-related jobs and spending . obama 's push to avoid the sequester cuts comes a week before he outlines his second-term agenda in the state of the union address . congress , which authorizes federal spending , has failed to pass detailed annual budgets in recent years due to partisan gridlock over spending and debt , as well as electoral politics . instead , it has approved a series of extensions of past spending authorizations -- called continuing resolutions -- to keep the government funded . during his first term , obama 's annual budget proposals prompted immediate opposition from republicans -- and democrats at times -- that rendered ineffective the early year exercise of outlining his spending priorities . the plan for temporarily extending the sequester deadline follows a similar move by congressional republicans last month on raising the nation 's debt ceiling . that deal put off further wrangling on the federal borrowing limit until mid-may . some analysts warn that washington 's fiscal paralysis harms the nation 's fragile economy and could bring another recession . short-term approaches like the recent debt-ceiling measure and now obama 's push on the sequester cuts allows more time for negotiations on a possible broader deal that would address all issues at once . | obama says sequester cuts will hurt the economy |
supreme court <tsp> ( cnn ) -- texas election officials can go ahead and enforce a controversial voter identification law opposed by the obama administration and civil rights groups , the u.s. supreme court said early saturday . the decision comes just two days before early voting begins in the state . u.s. attorney general eric holder said it was a major step backward to let stand a law ... ( that was ) designed to discriminate . ' holder : my work on voting rights most important ' it is true we are close to an election , ' holder said saturday , but the outcome here that would be least confusing to voters is the one that allowed the most people to vote lawfully . a civil rights leader reacted harshly to the ruling , calling it an affront to our democracy . ' today 's decision means hundreds of thousands of eligible voters in texas will be unable to participate in november 's election because texas has erected an obstacle course designed to discourage voting , ' said sherrilyn ifill , president of the naacp legal defense fund . a spokeswoman for the texas attorney general 's office , however , lauded the decision . we are pleased that the u.s. supreme court has agreed that texas'voter id law should remain in effect for the upcoming election , ' spokeswoman lauren bean said . the state will continue to defend the voter id law and remains confident that the district court 's misguided ruling will be overturned on the merits . the u.s. supreme court has already ruled that voter id laws are a legal and sensible way to protect the integrity of elections . ' while the court offered no reasoning for its decision , it backs up a federal appeals court ruling tuesday saying that voting procedures should n't be upended so close to the election . that decision came in response to a federal judge 's ruling after a nine-day trial that a texas law requiring voters to show photo id at the polls is unconstitutional . the supreme court has repeatedly instructed courts to consider the importance of preserving the status quo on the eve of an election , ' the u.s. court of appeals for the fifth circuit said . proponents say the law will help prevent voter fraud . critics say such practices make it harder for poor , minority and disabled people to vote . minority and civil rights groups who banded together to oppose the law said it was among the most restrictive in the nation . some 600,000 people in texas lack state-issued ids , according to the u.s. justice department -- which rejected the law as a violation of the voting rights act . nationwide , the naacp says 25 % of african-americans and 16 % of latinos of voting age lack a current government-issued photo id . saturday 's decision does n't speak to the constitutionality of the law -- only whether it can be enforced in this fall 's election . continued legal challenges are a certainty , ifill said . while the court 's majority did n't offer any explanation for the ruling , justice ruth bader ginsburg wrote a nearly seven-page dissent , joined by justices sonia sotomayor and elena kagan . ginsburg said the costs associated with the law -- obtaining identity cards and the documents needed to get them -- are n't as insignificant as backers claim , and argued they harken back to the use of the poll tax in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a method of preventing blacks from voting . the greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law , one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters , ' ginsburg wrote . the first day of early voting in texas is monday . voters will choose a new governor to replace outgoing gov . rick perry , new lieutenant governor , and new attorney general , in addition to voting on one of the state 's u.s. senate seats and several house districts . cnn 's bill mears contributed to this report . | supreme court decision clears the way for enforcement of voter id law in november election |
vang pao <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the family of a man who fought alongside u.s. troops in vietnam have been told their relative will not be allowed to be buried at arlington national cemetery . major general vang pao led thousands of hmong soldiers as they fought alongside the united states against the north vietnamese army during the war in southeast asia , according to a news release from congressman jim costa of california . costa , on behalf of pao 's family , asked the army to grant an exception to arlington 's rules to allow pao to be buried in the nation 's most hallowed burial ground . pao died recently of complications from pneumonia , according to costa . the vang pao family 's request for an exception to the burial policy was thoroughly reviewed by a board comprised of senior military and civilian officials . ... after a comprehensive analysis , the board unanimously recommended denial of the request for exception to policy . upon receipt of the board 's input , the secretary carefully reviewed and deliberated on this matter and accepted the board 's recommendation , ' according to a statement from the army released friday evening . according to the cemetery 's policy , pao would have had to have served in the u.s. armed forces to be eligible for the honor . the family can still ask defense secretary robert gates and president obama to make an exception . a pentagon spokesman said he did not know if any request regarding pao 's burial had reached gates as of friday afternoon . | vang pao fought alongside u.s. troops in the vietnam war |
oregon <tsp> after tuesday 's shooting at an oregon high school , many media outlets , including cnn , reported that there have been 74 school shootings in the past 18 months . that 's the time period since the december 2012 massacre at sandy hook elementary school in newtown , connecticut , where 20 children and six adults were shot to death . the statistic came from a group called everytown for gun safety , an umbrella group started by former new york mayor michael bloomberg , a passionate and public advocate of gun control . without a doubt , that number is startling . so on wednesday , cnn took a closer look at the list , delving into the circumstances of each incident everytown included . everytown says on its web site that it gleans its information from media reports and that its list includes school shootings involving a firearm discharged inside or on school grounds , including assaults , homicides , suicides and accidental shootings . cnn determined that 15 of the incidents everytown included were situations similar to the violence in newtown or oregon -- a minor or adult actively shooting inside or near a school . that works out to about one such shooting every five weeks , a startling figure in its own right . some of the other incidents on everytown 's list included personal arguments , accidents and alleged gang activities and drug deals . here are the 15 newtown-like incidents that have occurred between the sandy hook massacre and the latest shooting in oregon : 1 . january 10 , 2013 -- taft union high school in taft , california : a 16-year-old student opened fire in class . he was targeting two classmates who he felt had bullied him , law enforcement said . one student was injured . the shooter was placed into custody after a teacher and campus supervisor persuaded the student to put down his firearm . 2 . january 15 , 2013 -- stevens institute of business and arts in st. louis , missouri : a part-time student shot and injured a school employee then apparently shot himself , according to st. louis police . 3 . january 31 , 2013 -- price middle school in atlanta , georgia : a 14-year-old was shot in the head outside his school , police said . his mother told cnn affiliate wsb-tv that he was taken to the hospital . atlanta public schools announced that another student had been taken into custody after the 1:50 p.m. shooting . 4 . april 12 , 2013 -- new river community college in christianburg , virginia : an 18-year-old student drove to the school 's campus inside a mall and began shooting at 1:55 p.m. on a friday , police said . he wounded two women . 5 . june 7 , 2013 -- santa monica college in santa monica , california : a gunman killed four people during a rampage that began at a home near the college campus , police said . he opened fire in the residence where police discovered two bodies , then the gunman shot at a passing car and carjacked another . the gunman forced the driver to drive onto the campus and shot two people in a passing vehicle , police said . another victim was shot outside the campus library , authorities said . the gunman was killed by authorities . 6 . august 20 , 2013 -- ronald e. mcnair discovery learning academy , in decatur , georgia : a gunman fired shots and barricaded himself inside the elementary school . antoinette tuff , who worked in the front office , was hailed as a hero for engaging suspect michael brandon hill . she managed to talk him into into giving up , and no one was injured , police said . 7 . august 30 , 2013 -- carver high school in winston-salem , north carolina : a student injured another during a shooting that occurred at 2:45 p.m. during a planned fire drill , cnn affiliate wxii reported . 8 . october 21 , 2013 -- sparks middle school in sparks , nevada : a 12-year-old opened fire with a handgun he took from his parents , police say . jose reyes injured two students and killed mike landsberry , a teacher and afghanistan war veteran , authorities said . reyes killed himself . 9 . december 13 , 2013 -- arapahoe high school in centennial , colorado : karl halverson pierson opened fire on a friday inside his suburban denver high school , police said . the 18-year-old allegedly shot claire davis , a 17-year-old senior , who later died at a hospital . law enforcement said that pierson apparently wanted revenge against a faculty member because of a confrontation or disagreement . ' 10 . january 9 , 2014 -- liberty technology magnet high school in jackson , tennessee : a 16-year-old student shot a classmate in the leg as classes were being dismissed for the day , police said , according to cnn affiliate wbbj . the student was treated for his gunshot wound , wbbj said . 11 . january 14 , 2014 -- berrendo middle school in roswell , new mexico : a 12-year-old boy walked into the school gym , pulled a shotgun out of a bag and fired at students waiting for the school day to begin , authorities said . the boy wounded two . 12 . january 21 , 2014 -- purdue university in west lafayette , indiana : student cody m. cousins , 23 , opened fire in the basement of the electrical engineering building , according to the university . cousins allegedly killed andrew f. boldt , the school said , and both were listed as seniors . the school 's police chief said that cousins left the building right after the shooting , and a city police officer arrested him . cousins was booked on a preliminary charge of murder , ' purdue police chief john cox said . 13 . january 24 , 2014 -- south carolina state university in orangeburg , south carolina : a manhunt kicked off after a student brandon robinson , 20 , was shot to death at the school , authorities said . he was a very nice young man , ' south carolina state university president thomas elzey said . and it hurts . it hurts us all . ' police arrested justin bernard singleton , 19 , and charged him with robinson 's killing , according to a statement from the south carolina law enforcement division . 14 . may 23 , 2014 -- university of california , santa barbara in isla vista , california : elliot rodger , 22 , stabbed to death three people in his apartment , police said . then rodger fired into a deli and killed a young man inside the shop and shot to death two sorority sisters . cheng yuan hong , 20 ; george chen , 19 ; weihan wang , 20 ; katherine cooper , 22 ; veronika weiss , 19 ; and christopher michaels-martinez , 20 , lost their lives . others were injured . rodger committed suicide , leaving behind a long , hateful essay . 15 . june 5 , 2014 -- seattle pacific university in seattle , washington : a 26-year-old man who was not a student at the school was tackled by a student security guard after he killed one person and wounded two others , police said . once the suspect was on the ground , other students jumped on top of him , according to authorities . police told cnn affiliate kiro that aaron ybarra was fascinated with school shootings and told investigators he had visited colorado 's columbine high school where two students killed 12 students and a teacher in 1999 . | a 14-year-old was shot at an oregon high school tuesday , authorities said |
oregon <tsp> after tuesday 's shooting at an oregon high school , many media outlets , including cnn , reported that there have been 74 school shootings in the past 18 months . that 's the time period since the december 2012 massacre at sandy hook elementary school in newtown , connecticut , where 20 children and six adults were shot to death . the statistic came from a group called everytown for gun safety , an umbrella group started by former new york mayor michael bloomberg , a passionate and public advocate of gun control . without a doubt , that number is startling . so on wednesday , cnn took a closer look at the list , delving into the circumstances of each incident everytown included . everytown says on its web site that it gleans its information from media reports and that its list includes school shootings involving a firearm discharged inside or on school grounds , including assaults , homicides , suicides and accidental shootings . cnn determined that 15 of the incidents everytown included were situations similar to the violence in newtown or oregon -- a minor or adult actively shooting inside or near a school . that works out to about one such shooting every five weeks , a startling figure in its own right . some of the other incidents on everytown 's list included personal arguments , accidents and alleged gang activities and drug deals . here are the 15 newtown-like incidents that have occurred between the sandy hook massacre and the latest shooting in oregon : 1 . january 10 , 2013 -- taft union high school in taft , california : a 16-year-old student opened fire in class . he was targeting two classmates who he felt had bullied him , law enforcement said . one student was injured . the shooter was placed into custody after a teacher and campus supervisor persuaded the student to put down his firearm . 2 . january 15 , 2013 -- stevens institute of business and arts in st. louis , missouri : a part-time student shot and injured a school employee then apparently shot himself , according to st. louis police . 3 . january 31 , 2013 -- price middle school in atlanta , georgia : a 14-year-old was shot in the head outside his school , police said . his mother told cnn affiliate wsb-tv that he was taken to the hospital . atlanta public schools announced that another student had been taken into custody after the 1:50 p.m. shooting . 4 . april 12 , 2013 -- new river community college in christianburg , virginia : an 18-year-old student drove to the school 's campus inside a mall and began shooting at 1:55 p.m. on a friday , police said . he wounded two women . 5 . june 7 , 2013 -- santa monica college in santa monica , california : a gunman killed four people during a rampage that began at a home near the college campus , police said . he opened fire in the residence where police discovered two bodies , then the gunman shot at a passing car and carjacked another . the gunman forced the driver to drive onto the campus and shot two people in a passing vehicle , police said . another victim was shot outside the campus library , authorities said . the gunman was killed by authorities . 6 . august 20 , 2013 -- ronald e. mcnair discovery learning academy , in decatur , georgia : a gunman fired shots and barricaded himself inside the elementary school . antoinette tuff , who worked in the front office , was hailed as a hero for engaging suspect michael brandon hill . she managed to talk him into into giving up , and no one was injured , police said . 7 . august 30 , 2013 -- carver high school in winston-salem , north carolina : a student injured another during a shooting that occurred at 2:45 p.m. during a planned fire drill , cnn affiliate wxii reported . 8 . october 21 , 2013 -- sparks middle school in sparks , nevada : a 12-year-old opened fire with a handgun he took from his parents , police say . jose reyes injured two students and killed mike landsberry , a teacher and afghanistan war veteran , authorities said . reyes killed himself . 9 . december 13 , 2013 -- arapahoe high school in centennial , colorado : karl halverson pierson opened fire on a friday inside his suburban denver high school , police said . the 18-year-old allegedly shot claire davis , a 17-year-old senior , who later died at a hospital . law enforcement said that pierson apparently wanted revenge against a faculty member because of a confrontation or disagreement . ' 10 . january 9 , 2014 -- liberty technology magnet high school in jackson , tennessee : a 16-year-old student shot a classmate in the leg as classes were being dismissed for the day , police said , according to cnn affiliate wbbj . the student was treated for his gunshot wound , wbbj said . 11 . january 14 , 2014 -- berrendo middle school in roswell , new mexico : a 12-year-old boy walked into the school gym , pulled a shotgun out of a bag and fired at students waiting for the school day to begin , authorities said . the boy wounded two . 12 . january 21 , 2014 -- purdue university in west lafayette , indiana : student cody m. cousins , 23 , opened fire in the basement of the electrical engineering building , according to the university . cousins allegedly killed andrew f. boldt , the school said , and both were listed as seniors . the school 's police chief said that cousins left the building right after the shooting , and a city police officer arrested him . cousins was booked on a preliminary charge of murder , ' purdue police chief john cox said . 13 . january 24 , 2014 -- south carolina state university in orangeburg , south carolina : a manhunt kicked off after a student brandon robinson , 20 , was shot to death at the school , authorities said . he was a very nice young man , ' south carolina state university president thomas elzey said . and it hurts . it hurts us all . ' police arrested justin bernard singleton , 19 , and charged him with robinson 's killing , according to a statement from the south carolina law enforcement division . 14 . may 23 , 2014 -- university of california , santa barbara in isla vista , california : elliot rodger , 22 , stabbed to death three people in his apartment , police said . then rodger fired into a deli and killed a young man inside the shop and shot to death two sorority sisters . cheng yuan hong , 20 ; george chen , 19 ; weihan wang , 20 ; katherine cooper , 22 ; veronika weiss , 19 ; and christopher michaels-martinez , 20 , lost their lives . others were injured . rodger committed suicide , leaving behind a long , hateful essay . 15 . june 5 , 2014 -- seattle pacific university in seattle , washington : a 26-year-old man who was not a student at the school was tackled by a student security guard after he killed one person and wounded two others , police said . once the suspect was on the ground , other students jumped on top of him , according to authorities . police told cnn affiliate kiro that aaron ybarra was fascinated with school shootings and told investigators he had visited colorado 's columbine high school where two students killed 12 students and a teacher in 1999 . | everytown says 74 school shootings have occurred ; cnn found 15 similar to oregon shooting |
honshu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a tsunami advisory was cancelled in japan wednesday , hours after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the main island of honshu , the country 's meteorological agency said . the quake was centered 169 kilometers ( 105 miles ) off the east coast of honshu , directly east of the city of sendai , the u.s. geological survey said . the quake occurred about 8.8 miles below the earth 's surface , the geological survey said . cnn correspondent kyung lah said she could feel the earthquake in tokyo , 267 miles ( 429 kilometers ) southwest of the quake 's epicenter . it lasted as long as three minutes , but there was no significant damage , she said . tv asahi showed video of boats rocking back and forth , as well as images taken from shaken city cams as the earthquake hit . | quake was centered 105 miles of the coast of honshu , japan 's main island |
japan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a tsunami advisory was cancelled in japan wednesday , hours after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the main island of honshu , the country 's meteorological agency said . the quake was centered 169 kilometers ( 105 miles ) off the east coast of honshu , directly east of the city of sendai , the u.s. geological survey said . the quake occurred about 8.8 miles below the earth 's surface , the geological survey said . cnn correspondent kyung lah said she could feel the earthquake in tokyo , 267 miles ( 429 kilometers ) southwest of the quake 's epicenter . it lasted as long as three minutes , but there was no significant damage , she said . tv asahi showed video of boats rocking back and forth , as well as images taken from shaken city cams as the earthquake hit . | quake was centered 105 miles of the coast of honshu , japan 's main island |
u.s . <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this week the u.s. justice department accused an iranian-american , who allegedly has ties to iran 's elite quds force , of attempting to hire a man he thought was a mexican cartel hitman to assassinate the saudi ambassador to the united states . some question the plausibility of the circumstances that prosecutors have described involving manssor arbabsiar , a 56-year-old used-car salesman from texas . the alleged plot , if proven , would be but one of several terror schemes hatched by american citizens that were intended to occur on u.s. soil but were not carried out . here are a few of those : iyman faris in 2002 , pakistani-american iyman faris worked as a truck driver in columbus , ohio . he was convicted of providing material support to al qaeda for his role in a plot to attack the brooklyn bridge . wikileaks documents released this spring reveal more details about faris'role in the war on terror . faris pleaded guilty to providing material support to al qaeda and was sentenced in october 2003 to 20 years in prison . he 's now behind bars in florence , ohio . ryan anderson in september 2004 , then-26-year-old ryan anderson , a u.s. citizen and member of the washington national guard , was convicted of passing military information to american agents posing as al qaeda operatives . anderson , a convert to islam , was arrested earlier that year at fort lewis , washington . according to the news tribune in tacoma , washington , which covered anderson 's story extensively , military prosecutors contended that anderson had grown disgusted ' with what he viewed as the moral decay ' of america , and that anderson disagreed with the war in iraq . he was also upset that his guard unit was being deployed . kevin james in 2005 , authorities announced that they had foiled a plot , concocted in a california prison , to use proceeds from gas station robberies to carry out terror attacks . planned targets included military recruitment centers , synagogues and the israeli consulate . kevin james pleaded guilty in 2007 to conspiracy to levy war against the government of the united states through terrorism , and to oppose by force the authority of the u.s. government . the danger of islamic radicalization inside american prisons is real and present , ' rep. peter king , r-new york , said in june during a controversial hearing on the subject . king is the chairman of the house homeland security committee . king weighed in on the alleged plot revealed this week , telling cnn that evidence in the case against arbabsia is strong . jose padilla perhaps the most well-known american citizen convicted of plotting against the u.s. in the war on terror is jose padilla . in june 2002 , then-attorney general john ashcroft said that the former chicago gang member , who had converted to islam , had been detained at chicago o'hare international airport . at that time , padilla was accused of plotting with al qaeda to explode a radioactive dirty bomb ' in the united states . three years later , a new indictment against padilla was filed but made no mention of a dirty bomb . on august 16 , 2007 , padilla and two co-defendants , adham hassoun and kifan jayyousi , were found guilty of conspiracy to murder , kidnap , and maim people in a foreign country , conspiracy to provide material support for terrorists , and providing material support for terrorists . in 2008 , padilla was sentenced to 17 years and four months in prison . hassoun was also sentenced to 15 years and eight months and jayyousi to 12 years and eight months . in september 2011 , the 11th circuit u.s. court of appeals ruled that padilla 's 17-year sentence is too lenient . paul hall in april 2009 , an american citizen born paul hall -- aka hassan abu-jihaad -- was sentenced to 10 years in prison . in march of 2007 , the former navy sailor aboard the uss benfold was arrested and charged with providing information to a london-based group called azzam publications in 2001 regarding the classified movements of his u.s. navy battle group as it traveled from california to the persian gulf region . azzam operated english-language jihadi web sites . in march 2008 , jurors in new haven , connecticut , convicted hall of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information . faisal shahzad in october 2010 , after a new york judge sentenced a pakistan-born u.s. citizen to life in prison for trying to detonate a car bomb in times square , faisal shahzad warned the court , brace yourself . the war with muslims has just begun . ' shahzad had an mba and was at one point a financial analyst . he was living in connecticut . on may 1 , 2010 , shazad parked a vehicle in times square rigged with an explosive device that did not go off . street vendors tipped off police to the abandoned car . he was caught aboard a flight about to depart from new york en route to dubai . he allegedly confessed to the plot . | an iranian-american has been accused of plotting a terror attack to occur in the u.s . |
twitter <tsp> ( cnn ) -- barack obama is a busy man , what with budget negotiations , gun control issues , international crises and the ever-present back-and-forth political foolery of washington . so why should he send out tweets on twitter ? according to an article on the atlantic wire , he does n't anymore . all of the president 's named social media accounts have been handed over to a non-partisan , not-for-profit group that is n't overly concerned if you did n't notice the transition , ' philip bump wrote in the article , published monday . some of this is , of course , washington hairsplitting . though @ barackobama has existed since his candidate days in 2007 , most of the posts have been handled by his staff . ( occasionally , the president has posted something himself , tweets denoted by his -bo ' signature in the tweet . ) the account , which has 29 million followers , has now been handed over to organizing for action , an offshoot of the president 's 2012 campaign operation . it 's as if , bump wrote , the president , mid-conversation , handed his phone to a telemarketer who does a great obama impression . or , to be more accurate , one telemarketer -- the campaign -- handed the phone to another one . ' there are legal issues involved -- the presidential campaign was set up according to one set of guidelines , and organizing for action functions under another -- but there 's a larger ethical point as well : should we believe that tweets are actually coming from the person who owns the twitter account ? after all , even though twitter takes pains to classify some accounts as verified ' -- a service they do proactively , according to the twitter website -- who knows who 's really on the other end ? it 's an old internet conundrum , best described by the classic new yorker cartoon caption : on the internet , nobody knows you 're a dog . ' transparency is best jerry lanson , a journalism professor at emerson college in boston , puts it simply : honesty -- or , at least , transparency -- is the best policy . if you 're transparent you 're off the hook , ' he says . if the obama administration is up front that the account has been farmed out , then it 's up to the public to decide if they want to follow @ barackobama . however , michael zimmer , director of the center for information policy research at the university of wisconsin-milwaukee , adds that it 's reasonable to assume ' that the views of @ barackobama are those of the president , and not some affiliated activist group . we 'd presume that the message is'from him'in the sense that someone discussed/cleared with him the kind of content that would be communicated through that channel , ' he says . it 's much like the white house press secretary : that person speaks on behalf of the white house . ' it can be difficult to tell whether the real person or some pr rep is behind the twitter account of some public figures . all twitter offers is their verified ' symbol . but judging by their tone , some of the most popular feeds appear to come straight from the mouths of the famous , including shaquille o'neal ( @ shaq ) , lena dunham ( @ lenadunham ) and steve martin ( @ stevemartintogo ) . of course , twitter transparency comes at many levels . many public figures'accounts have millions of followers , and followers can be purchased inexpensively if someone wants to run up the numbers . other accounts are bots ' -- computer-generated -- inactive , or downright fake . celebrities have been slammed for these practices , and some accusations of twittery fakery flew during last year 's presidential campaign . pranksters have also spoofed many well-known twitter accounts . over the weekend , megachurch pastor joel osteen was the victim of an elaborate hoax that included a fake website , phony headlines and sham twitter account , all maintaining he had renounced his faith . osteen 's staff actually responded to the hoax on his real twitter account . twitter allows parody accounts , as long as the joke is clear . but twitter 's impersonation policy states that accounts portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended . ''you never really know who you 're dealing with' it 's yet another sign that the internet remains the wild west , despite moves to civilize it . in 1992 , the computer ethics institute , a washington-based public policy organization , actually released a ten commandments of computer ethics , ' many of which lend themselves to twitter users . among them : thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people , ' thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness ' and thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration and respect for your fellow humans . ' however , like the 1.0 version handed down to moses on mount sinai , they 've been frequently abused . which is why , cautions lanson , it always pays to be skeptical . we live in ( an internet ) world that 's both instantaneous and a mirage , ' he says . you never really know who you 're dealing with . ' perhaps another president should take heed . in an interview that aired monday night , stephen colbert convinced bill clinton to take up twittering . the 42nd president 's handle ? prezbillyjeff . ' ( president clinton ' and william jefferson clinton ' were taken , colbert maintained . ) colbert helped clinton dictate his first tweet to the account , which already has more than 60,000 followers . but since then , three other tweets , humorous posts on ayn rand and air force seven , ' have been published -- and deleted . watch your back , mr. president . | twitter verifies accounts of public figures , but it 's hard to know for sure who 's tweeting |
twitter <tsp> ( cnn ) -- barack obama is a busy man , what with budget negotiations , gun control issues , international crises and the ever-present back-and-forth political foolery of washington . so why should he send out tweets on twitter ? according to an article on the atlantic wire , he does n't anymore . all of the president 's named social media accounts have been handed over to a non-partisan , not-for-profit group that is n't overly concerned if you did n't notice the transition , ' philip bump wrote in the article , published monday . some of this is , of course , washington hairsplitting . though @ barackobama has existed since his candidate days in 2007 , most of the posts have been handled by his staff . ( occasionally , the president has posted something himself , tweets denoted by his -bo ' signature in the tweet . ) the account , which has 29 million followers , has now been handed over to organizing for action , an offshoot of the president 's 2012 campaign operation . it 's as if , bump wrote , the president , mid-conversation , handed his phone to a telemarketer who does a great obama impression . or , to be more accurate , one telemarketer -- the campaign -- handed the phone to another one . ' there are legal issues involved -- the presidential campaign was set up according to one set of guidelines , and organizing for action functions under another -- but there 's a larger ethical point as well : should we believe that tweets are actually coming from the person who owns the twitter account ? after all , even though twitter takes pains to classify some accounts as verified ' -- a service they do proactively , according to the twitter website -- who knows who 's really on the other end ? it 's an old internet conundrum , best described by the classic new yorker cartoon caption : on the internet , nobody knows you 're a dog . ' transparency is best jerry lanson , a journalism professor at emerson college in boston , puts it simply : honesty -- or , at least , transparency -- is the best policy . if you 're transparent you 're off the hook , ' he says . if the obama administration is up front that the account has been farmed out , then it 's up to the public to decide if they want to follow @ barackobama . however , michael zimmer , director of the center for information policy research at the university of wisconsin-milwaukee , adds that it 's reasonable to assume ' that the views of @ barackobama are those of the president , and not some affiliated activist group . we 'd presume that the message is'from him'in the sense that someone discussed/cleared with him the kind of content that would be communicated through that channel , ' he says . it 's much like the white house press secretary : that person speaks on behalf of the white house . ' it can be difficult to tell whether the real person or some pr rep is behind the twitter account of some public figures . all twitter offers is their verified ' symbol . but judging by their tone , some of the most popular feeds appear to come straight from the mouths of the famous , including shaquille o'neal ( @ shaq ) , lena dunham ( @ lenadunham ) and steve martin ( @ stevemartintogo ) . of course , twitter transparency comes at many levels . many public figures'accounts have millions of followers , and followers can be purchased inexpensively if someone wants to run up the numbers . other accounts are bots ' -- computer-generated -- inactive , or downright fake . celebrities have been slammed for these practices , and some accusations of twittery fakery flew during last year 's presidential campaign . pranksters have also spoofed many well-known twitter accounts . over the weekend , megachurch pastor joel osteen was the victim of an elaborate hoax that included a fake website , phony headlines and sham twitter account , all maintaining he had renounced his faith . osteen 's staff actually responded to the hoax on his real twitter account . twitter allows parody accounts , as long as the joke is clear . but twitter 's impersonation policy states that accounts portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended . ''you never really know who you 're dealing with' it 's yet another sign that the internet remains the wild west , despite moves to civilize it . in 1992 , the computer ethics institute , a washington-based public policy organization , actually released a ten commandments of computer ethics , ' many of which lend themselves to twitter users . among them : thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people , ' thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness ' and thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration and respect for your fellow humans . ' however , like the 1.0 version handed down to moses on mount sinai , they 've been frequently abused . which is why , cautions lanson , it always pays to be skeptical . we live in ( an internet ) world that 's both instantaneous and a mirage , ' he says . you never really know who you 're dealing with . ' perhaps another president should take heed . in an interview that aired monday night , stephen colbert convinced bill clinton to take up twittering . the 42nd president 's handle ? prezbillyjeff . ' ( president clinton ' and william jefferson clinton ' were taken , colbert maintained . ) colbert helped clinton dictate his first tweet to the account , which already has more than 60,000 followers . but since then , three other tweets , humorous posts on ayn rand and air force seven , ' have been published -- and deleted . watch your back , mr. president . | barack obama 's twitter account is now overseen by organizing for america |
rihanna <tsp> two men in thailand are in trouble with the law thanks to an instagram photo posted by pop star rihanna during her recent visit to the holiday island of phuket . the singer was visiting phuket for a few days between stops on her diamonds world tour , departing on sunday for singapore . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems during rihanna 's visit she shared many of her experiences on twitter and instagram , including a photo of her holding a loris -- an endangered primate native to southeast asia . the instagram picture , believed to have been taken at phuket nightlife hotspot bangla road , was captioned look who was talkin dirty to me ! ' and liked ' by more than 230,000 viewers . the problem is , it 's illegal for anyone to charge tourists money to take photos with the endangered primates -- an issue wildlife groups have long been trying to stamp out on the island . more : 12 international laws you may not realize you 're breaking thai authorities react swiftly officials in thailand quickly went on the defensive when outrage over rihanna 's loris image spread . the government ordered the ministry of natural resources and local phuket officials to urgently investigate the matter , reported local website phuketnews.com . sunday night , a raid on suspected touts led to the arrest of two men , aged 16 and 20 , who were taken to a local police station and presented to the media . it is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies , ' awat nithikul , leader of the patrol officers , told the phuket news . if someone hears that the police are coming their way , there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move . but this is a big deal because it might affect thailand 's reputation . ' the newspaper says the two arrested touts are waiting to be bailed , and the two lorises in their possession will be returned to a national park in the nearby province of phang nga . more : 6 most cliched bangkok tourist photo ops rihanna 's x-rated experiences it was n't just the loris issue that stirred up controversy during rihanna 's visit . rihanna 's tweets about her x-rated experiences relating to some of the country 's more infamous tourist attractions also led to red-faced explanations by embarrassed officials . according to the bangkok post , an english-language daily newspaper , rihanna 's tweets led to one official saying , sex shows were completely against the law . ' the authorities and law officials have surveyed the area to arrest and fine those involved [ in staging sex shows ] , ' he said . but the shows still happen . ' on the flip side , some of the photos posted during rihanna 's holiday will likely be appreciated by the local tourism industry -- including multiple shots of her in bathing suits that show off the area 's gorgeous scenery -- given she does have more than 9.7 million instagram followers . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems | two thais arrested after rihanna posts instagram photo of endangered loris in phuket |
rihanna <tsp> two men in thailand are in trouble with the law thanks to an instagram photo posted by pop star rihanna during her recent visit to the holiday island of phuket . the singer was visiting phuket for a few days between stops on her diamonds world tour , departing on sunday for singapore . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems during rihanna 's visit she shared many of her experiences on twitter and instagram , including a photo of her holding a loris -- an endangered primate native to southeast asia . the instagram picture , believed to have been taken at phuket nightlife hotspot bangla road , was captioned look who was talkin dirty to me ! ' and liked ' by more than 230,000 viewers . the problem is , it 's illegal for anyone to charge tourists money to take photos with the endangered primates -- an issue wildlife groups have long been trying to stamp out on the island . more : 12 international laws you may not realize you 're breaking thai authorities react swiftly officials in thailand quickly went on the defensive when outrage over rihanna 's loris image spread . the government ordered the ministry of natural resources and local phuket officials to urgently investigate the matter , reported local website phuketnews.com . sunday night , a raid on suspected touts led to the arrest of two men , aged 16 and 20 , who were taken to a local police station and presented to the media . it is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies , ' awat nithikul , leader of the patrol officers , told the phuket news . if someone hears that the police are coming their way , there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move . but this is a big deal because it might affect thailand 's reputation . ' the newspaper says the two arrested touts are waiting to be bailed , and the two lorises in their possession will be returned to a national park in the nearby province of phang nga . more : 6 most cliched bangkok tourist photo ops rihanna 's x-rated experiences it was n't just the loris issue that stirred up controversy during rihanna 's visit . rihanna 's tweets about her x-rated experiences relating to some of the country 's more infamous tourist attractions also led to red-faced explanations by embarrassed officials . according to the bangkok post , an english-language daily newspaper , rihanna 's tweets led to one official saying , sex shows were completely against the law . ' the authorities and law officials have surveyed the area to arrest and fine those involved [ in staging sex shows ] , ' he said . but the shows still happen . ' on the flip side , some of the photos posted during rihanna 's holiday will likely be appreciated by the local tourism industry -- including multiple shots of her in bathing suits that show off the area 's gorgeous scenery -- given she does have more than 9.7 million instagram followers . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems | rihanna also tweets about visit to bizarre thailand sex shows |
phuket <tsp> two men in thailand are in trouble with the law thanks to an instagram photo posted by pop star rihanna during her recent visit to the holiday island of phuket . the singer was visiting phuket for a few days between stops on her diamonds world tour , departing on sunday for singapore . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems during rihanna 's visit she shared many of her experiences on twitter and instagram , including a photo of her holding a loris -- an endangered primate native to southeast asia . the instagram picture , believed to have been taken at phuket nightlife hotspot bangla road , was captioned look who was talkin dirty to me ! ' and liked ' by more than 230,000 viewers . the problem is , it 's illegal for anyone to charge tourists money to take photos with the endangered primates -- an issue wildlife groups have long been trying to stamp out on the island . more : 12 international laws you may not realize you 're breaking thai authorities react swiftly officials in thailand quickly went on the defensive when outrage over rihanna 's loris image spread . the government ordered the ministry of natural resources and local phuket officials to urgently investigate the matter , reported local website phuketnews.com . sunday night , a raid on suspected touts led to the arrest of two men , aged 16 and 20 , who were taken to a local police station and presented to the media . it is very difficult to do the raids because the touts have spies , ' awat nithikul , leader of the patrol officers , told the phuket news . if someone hears that the police are coming their way , there will be a person who calls the touts and tells them to move . but this is a big deal because it might affect thailand 's reputation . ' the newspaper says the two arrested touts are waiting to be bailed , and the two lorises in their possession will be returned to a national park in the nearby province of phang nga . more : 6 most cliched bangkok tourist photo ops rihanna 's x-rated experiences it was n't just the loris issue that stirred up controversy during rihanna 's visit . rihanna 's tweets about her x-rated experiences relating to some of the country 's more infamous tourist attractions also led to red-faced explanations by embarrassed officials . according to the bangkok post , an english-language daily newspaper , rihanna 's tweets led to one official saying , sex shows were completely against the law . ' the authorities and law officials have surveyed the area to arrest and fine those involved [ in staging sex shows ] , ' he said . but the shows still happen . ' on the flip side , some of the photos posted during rihanna 's holiday will likely be appreciated by the local tourism industry -- including multiple shots of her in bathing suits that show off the area 's gorgeous scenery -- given she does have more than 9.7 million instagram followers . opinion : rihanna is spot on about phuket problems | two thais arrested after rihanna posts instagram photo of endangered loris in phuket |
democratic <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | democratic sen. tom harkin attacked gop hopeful joni ernst last week |
democratic <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | a poll released monday showed ernst and democratic challenger bruce braley tied |
ernst <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | ernst is locked in one of the most competitive senate races this year in iowa |
ernst <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | democratic sen. tom harkin attacked gop hopeful joni ernst last week |
ernst <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | a poll released monday showed ernst and democratic challenger bruce braley tied |
ernst <tsp> after sen. tom harkin likened her to taylor swift , republican senate candidate joni ernst is taking the pop star 's advice . just shake it off . ' that 's how ernst responded monday to harkin 's remarks last week that ernst was n't fit to be iowa 's senator just because she 's really attractive and she sounds nice . ' i do n't care if she 's as good looking as taylor swift or as nice as mr. rogers , but if she votes like michele bachmann , she 's wrong for the state of iowa , ' harkin said at the story county democrats'annual fall barbecue , according to footage obtained by buzzfeed news published sunday night . he backtracked on monday , calling his comments a mistake and praising ernst 's campaign . i should n't have said those things , i know that . i regret anytime someone feels offended by what i have said , ' harkin said . but i am only human and i can make mistakes sometimes in how i say something . in fact , i have complimented her on running a very good campaign . ' his apology came after ernst fired back monday on fox news and in an interview with cnn affiliate kcci and said harkin would have never made those comments if she were a man . i was very offended that sen. harkin would say that . i think it 's unfortunate that he and many of their party believe you ca n't be a real woman if you 're conservative and you 're female , ' ernst said on fox news . i believe if my name had been john ernst attached to my resume , sen. harkin would not have said those things . ' ernst also slammed democrats for their phony war on women . ' i am a woman and second i have been to war . i am a combat veteran , this is not a war on women and anytime democrats use the word war , they need to do it to honor our servicemen and women , ' ernst said monday . ernst has gained momentum recently in the race against her democratic opponent rep. bruce braley , leading by two points in the latest cnn/orc poll and up by 7 points in a des moines register poll released this weekend . but a quinnipiac university poll released monday , one day before voters head to the voting booth said the race is all tied up with each candidate pulling 47 % . iowa is arguably one of the most crucial senate races of the cycle that could hand over control of the senate to republicans if ernst prevails . ernst would be the state 's first female senator . harkin 's office did not immediately responded to cnn request for comment monday . | ernst called his comments offensive in an interview with fox news on monday |
world meteorological organization <tsp> ( cnn ) a high temperature of 63.5 degrees fahrenheit might sound like a pleasant day in early spring -- unless you 're in antarctica . the chilly continent recorded the temperature ( 15.5 degrees celsius ) on march 24 , possibly the highest ever recorded on antarctica , according to the weather underground . the temperature was recorded at argentina 's esperanza base on the northern tip of the antarctica peninsula , according to cnn affiliate wtnh . ( note to map lovers : the argentine base is not geographically part of the south american continent . ) the world meteorological organization , a specialized united nations agency , is in the process of setting up an international ad-hoc committee of about 10 blue-ribbon climatologists and meteorologists to begin collecting relevant evidence , said randy cerveny , the agency 's lead rapporteur of weather and climate extremes and arizona state university professor of geographical sciences . the committee will examine the equipment used to measure the temperature , whether it was in good working order , whether the correct monitoring procedures were followed , whether the equipment was placed in the correct location and whether the measurement is matched by corresponding records from surrounding stations , cerveny said . the committee will discuss the issues and make a recommendation to cerveny , who will make an official finding , probably by late summer or early fall . researchers who study climate change carefully watch weather changes in the antarctic region and elsewhere for evidence that the earth is getting warmer . | the world meteorological organization will make the final determination |
antarctica peninsula <tsp> ( cnn ) a high temperature of 63.5 degrees fahrenheit might sound like a pleasant day in early spring -- unless you 're in antarctica . the chilly continent recorded the temperature ( 15.5 degrees celsius ) on march 24 , possibly the highest ever recorded on antarctica , according to the weather underground . the temperature was recorded at argentina 's esperanza base on the northern tip of the antarctica peninsula , according to cnn affiliate wtnh . ( note to map lovers : the argentine base is not geographically part of the south american continent . ) the world meteorological organization , a specialized united nations agency , is in the process of setting up an international ad-hoc committee of about 10 blue-ribbon climatologists and meteorologists to begin collecting relevant evidence , said randy cerveny , the agency 's lead rapporteur of weather and climate extremes and arizona state university professor of geographical sciences . the committee will examine the equipment used to measure the temperature , whether it was in good working order , whether the correct monitoring procedures were followed , whether the equipment was placed in the correct location and whether the measurement is matched by corresponding records from surrounding stations , cerveny said . the committee will discuss the issues and make a recommendation to cerveny , who will make an official finding , probably by late summer or early fall . researchers who study climate change carefully watch weather changes in the antarctic region and elsewhere for evidence that the earth is getting warmer . | high temperatures are recorded on the northern tip of the antarctica peninsula |
la casa azul <tsp> ( cnn ) -- famous for honest self-portraits , mexican artist frida kahlo said that she painted her reality and that her paintings carried a message of pain . her life was full of it , both physical and emotional , and she used it to fuel her art . frida kahlo was born in this house and lived in it with her husband , diego rivera . much can be learned about both her private and public life by visiting the home she shared , first with her parents and later with her painter husband , diego rivera . the bold blue house with red trim stands out in the quiet residential street of the coyoacán section of mexico city . it was painted that way because kahlo and rivera felt that the bright colors represented mexican culture better than the original white paint . this home-turned-museum , known as la casa azul , is where frida kahlo was born , began to paint and died , making the house a witness to one of the most important artistic lives in mexican history . the museum entrance leads to a large patio where pre-columbian sculptures collected by diego rivera throughout his lifetime are scattered among the plants and fountains . the couple 's love for traditional mexican art can be seen throughout the house , from the large fireplace designed by rivera that dominates the first room , resembling a step pyramid like the ones built by the mayas and aztecs , to kahlo 's paintings and the couple 's collection of smaller sculptures . some of kahlo 's most well-known works , such as viva la vida , ' a still life of watermelons , are on display in the museum , but it is the personal objects that tell the most interesting stories . an entire room is dedicated to communist paraphernalia . kahlo was very politically active and did not hide her political leanings . in fact , she and rivera invited exiled russian communist revolutionary leon trotsky and his wife to live with them in the late '30s . as visitors move through the museum , it is the remnants of kahlo and rivera 's private life that begin to tell their story . part of the collection is a bed with a mirror attached to it , used by kahlo in order to create many of her celebrated self-portraits . at the age of 18 , she was left bedridden for a few months when her spine was broken in a serious bus and trolley accident . it was during those months that kahlo began to paint , to help pass the time and keep her spirits up . also on view are several corsets that kahlo had to wear during her lifetime because of lasting injuries from the accident , several surgeries and a childhood bout of polio . it was because she began painting that kahlo met diego rivera , who was at the time a famous mexican muralist . kahlo wanted to know whether she had talent enough to make art a career , so she sought out rivera to get his opinion . that was the start of their famously tempestuous relationship . they were married for the first time in 1929 , but after infidelities on both sides ( including an affair between kahlo and trotsky ) , they divorced in 1939 . they were married again a year later . she once commented on their relationship , saying that there had been two great accidents in her life , the trolley and diego ; diego , she claimed , had been the worst of the two . the house , which was witness to the birth of kahlo on july 6 , 1907 , was also witness to her death july 13 , 1954 . rivera put her ashes in a pre-columbian urn , which remains in the house to this day . he donated the house in 1957 , and it opened to the public as la casa azul , museo frida kahlo in 1958 . so the blue house , which has seen so much of the history of two of mexico 's most famous artists and was witness to so much of kahlo 's personal suffering , is open to the public , ready to tell their story to all who are willing to listen . | frida kahlo was born in la casa azul and lived there with diego rivera |
franciscans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- st. francis of assisi , after whom pope francis has taken his name , captures the spirit of many catholics because church history regards him as the pre-eminent figure passionate about imitating christ 's life . he is known also as a patron saint of italy , the founder of the franciscan order of the friars minor , an admirer of nature and a servant to poor and destitute . the brown robe of the franciscans is iconic . who does n't know francis of assisi , who abandoned everything from wealth and prestige and who became poor himself , ' vatican deputy spokesman the rev . thomas rosica said wednesday , explaining how the saint inspired pope francis'name . francis of assisi is a great , great figure in the church but known especially for connecting with fellow christians and many people outside the christian family , ' rosica said . many popes have written and spoken of st. francis of assisi , according to the vatican 's website . in an encyclical , pope pius xi stated that there has never been anyone in whom the image of jesus christ and the evangelical manner of life shone forth more lifelike and strikingly than in st . francis . ' st. francis was also rightly spoken of as'another jesus christ ,'' pius xi said . he was born in assisi in 1181 or 1182 , the son of a rich cloth merchant , and he enjoyed a carefree adolescence and youth , particularly with troubadours . he went to war at age 20 and was taken prison for almost a year . he was released and became seriously ill , which began a major turn in his life . when he returned to assisi , a spiritual change commenced , and francis abandoned his worldliness . he met with lepers and extended a kiss to one . in rags , he lived among beggars at st. peter 's basilica in rome . and in one renowned episode , he went to the tattered small church of st. damian , where christ on the cross came to life and told him : go , francis , and repair my church in ruins , ' recounted pope benedict xvi in a 2010 address , according to the vatican website . the ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the church herself , ' benedict said . at that time the church had a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life , a scarcely zealous clergy , and a chilling of love . ' francis'father questioned his son 's generosity and servitude to the poor . while standing before the bishop of assisi , francis stripped off his clothes and renounced his paternal inheritance , benedict said . francis lived as a hermit . he went to rome in 1209 to propose to pope innocent iii a plan for a new form of christian life , benedict said . the franciscan order was born . | st. francis of assisi is a patron saint of italy and founder of brown-robed franciscans |
cma awards <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 2014 cma awards could turn into a very big night for miranda lambert . the somethin'bad ' songstress leads this year 's group of nominees with nine nominations , matching the number of nods she got in 2010 . before lambert 's 2010 windfall , no female artist in the history of the cma awards had received that many nominations in one year . ( alan jackson holds the record for most cma awards nominations overall , thanks to the 10 he earned in 2002 . ) coming in behind lambert is dierks bentley , who earned five nominations , and eric church and keith urban , who have four nominations each . urban and lambert are both nominated for 2014 's entertainer of the year award , along with luke bryan , blake shelton ( lambert 's husband ) , and george strait , who won the honor at last year 's ceremony . 2013 cma awards big night for shelton , lambert and swift and that 's not all : lambert 's june release , platinum , ' is nominated for album of the year , and her track automatic ' is nominated for best single and best song of the year . for album of the year , she 'll compete with luke bryan 's crash my party , ' keith urban 's fuse , ' eric church 's the outsiders ' and dierks bentley 's riser . ' in the female vocalist category , lambert 's up against martina mcbride , kacey musgraves , taylor swift , and carrie underwood . underwood is also hosting this year 's show , alongside brad paisley . the 2014 cma awards , which will be the 48th edition of country music 's biggest night , will air live from nashville on abc on november 5 . entertainer of the year luke bryan miranda lambert blake shelton george strait keith urban single of the year ' automatic , ' miranda lambert ' drunk on a plane , ' dierks bentley ' give me back my hometown , ' eric church ' meanwhile back at mama 's , ' tim mcgraw featuring faith hill ' mine would be you , ' blake shelton album of the year ' crash my party , ' luke bryan ' fuse , ' keith urban ' platinum , ' miranda lambert ' riser , ' dierks bentley ' the outsiders , ' eric church song of the year ' automatic , ' written by nicolle galyon , natalie hemby and miranda lambert ' follow your arrow , ' written by kacey musgraves , brandy clark and shane mcanally ' give me back my hometown , ' written by eric church and luke laird ' i do n't dance , ' written by lee brice , rob hatch , and dallas davidson ' i hold on , ' written by brett james and dierks bentley female vocalist of the year miranda lambert martina mcbride kacey musgraves taylor swift carrie underwood male vocalist of the year dierks bentley luke bryan eric church blake shelton keith urban vocal group of the year eli young band lady antebellum little big town the band perry zac brown band vocal duo of the year dan + shay florida georgia line love and theft the swon brothers thompson square music video of the year ' automatic , ' miranda lambert ' bartender , ' lady antebellum ' drunk on a plane , ' dierks bentley ' follow your arrow , ' kacey musgraves ' somethin'bad , ' miranda lambert and carrie underwood new artist of the year brandy clark brett eldredge kip moore thomas rhett cole swindell to see the full list of nominees , visit cmaworld.com . | the cma awards will air on november 5 |
cma awards <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 2014 cma awards could turn into a very big night for miranda lambert . the somethin'bad ' songstress leads this year 's group of nominees with nine nominations , matching the number of nods she got in 2010 . before lambert 's 2010 windfall , no female artist in the history of the cma awards had received that many nominations in one year . ( alan jackson holds the record for most cma awards nominations overall , thanks to the 10 he earned in 2002 . ) coming in behind lambert is dierks bentley , who earned five nominations , and eric church and keith urban , who have four nominations each . urban and lambert are both nominated for 2014 's entertainer of the year award , along with luke bryan , blake shelton ( lambert 's husband ) , and george strait , who won the honor at last year 's ceremony . 2013 cma awards big night for shelton , lambert and swift and that 's not all : lambert 's june release , platinum , ' is nominated for album of the year , and her track automatic ' is nominated for best single and best song of the year . for album of the year , she 'll compete with luke bryan 's crash my party , ' keith urban 's fuse , ' eric church 's the outsiders ' and dierks bentley 's riser . ' in the female vocalist category , lambert 's up against martina mcbride , kacey musgraves , taylor swift , and carrie underwood . underwood is also hosting this year 's show , alongside brad paisley . the 2014 cma awards , which will be the 48th edition of country music 's biggest night , will air live from nashville on abc on november 5 . entertainer of the year luke bryan miranda lambert blake shelton george strait keith urban single of the year ' automatic , ' miranda lambert ' drunk on a plane , ' dierks bentley ' give me back my hometown , ' eric church ' meanwhile back at mama 's , ' tim mcgraw featuring faith hill ' mine would be you , ' blake shelton album of the year ' crash my party , ' luke bryan ' fuse , ' keith urban ' platinum , ' miranda lambert ' riser , ' dierks bentley ' the outsiders , ' eric church song of the year ' automatic , ' written by nicolle galyon , natalie hemby and miranda lambert ' follow your arrow , ' written by kacey musgraves , brandy clark and shane mcanally ' give me back my hometown , ' written by eric church and luke laird ' i do n't dance , ' written by lee brice , rob hatch , and dallas davidson ' i hold on , ' written by brett james and dierks bentley female vocalist of the year miranda lambert martina mcbride kacey musgraves taylor swift carrie underwood male vocalist of the year dierks bentley luke bryan eric church blake shelton keith urban vocal group of the year eli young band lady antebellum little big town the band perry zac brown band vocal duo of the year dan + shay florida georgia line love and theft the swon brothers thompson square music video of the year ' automatic , ' miranda lambert ' bartender , ' lady antebellum ' drunk on a plane , ' dierks bentley ' follow your arrow , ' kacey musgraves ' somethin'bad , ' miranda lambert and carrie underwood new artist of the year brandy clark brett eldredge kip moore thomas rhett cole swindell to see the full list of nominees , visit cmaworld.com . | miranda lambert leads this year 's cma awards nominees |
ray kurzweil <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this month , just imagine focused on the future of nature and the ways in which it can inspire solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing humanity today . a digital representation of the human genome . yet as scientists gain a greater understanding of biological processes , they 're also learning how to manipulate them , including the very essence of what makes us human -- our dna . biotechnology advances are already helping scientists find groundbreaking ways to create personalized medicine , detect illnesses and eradicate disease . and this , according to futurist ray kurzweil , is only the beginning . in the future , humans will be able to reverse the aging process , replace dying organs with younger ones grown from an individual 's own dna and even genetically engineer unborn children , he said . but some , like the uk-based group human genetics alert , worry the ability to reprogram our biochemistry could lead mankind into unknown territory with dangerous ramifications for the future , including genetic discrimination and even a redefinition of what it means to be human . we want to hear your views . to what extent should we be able to alter our genetic makeup ? should there be a limit ? and how should it be determined exactly what that limit is ? post your comments in the sound off box below . we 'll publish the best . | ray kurzweil : reprogramming dna could expand human potential |
hong kong <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with its intense urban center and outlying natural beauty , hong kong 's intriguing , paradoxical nature beckons you to come for a visit . a thriving metropolis ablaze with millions of scintillating lights is only one side of this city 's allure . an extension of hong kong , its islands and green expanses offer respite and serenity if a calm vacation is what you crave . i find it fascinating that hong kong has a huge population living in a small area , yet still has large areas of preserved nature , ' ireporter emilyinhk said . i never expected that in just a few minutes you could be in a quiet , rural area , far from the pollution and crowds of the city . ' challenge yourself to soak up the split personality of hong kong 's spirit . until you do , visitors and natives alike say you have n't experienced the real hong kong . ' hong kong : metropolis on the brink of beauty yvonne chan lives in hong kong , and she is still captivated by all that her city has to offer . her must-do list is just a taste of the experiences you can have : tram up to the peak , light show by tsim sha tsui 's avenue of stars overlooking the victoria harbour at 8 p.m. every evening , shopping in causeway bay , drinks in lan kwai fong , big buddha at ngong ping , and for those with kids , a day at ocean park . ' below , ireporters share their tips for making the most of your time in hong kong . first-timer tips it 's easy to get caught up in the rush of hong kong 's bustling city area . try to see and experience as much as you can , but before you jet off , take note of these tips . hong kong 's summers are notoriously hot and humid , so plan accordingly . ireporter george kreif recommends traveling in the fall , when the temperature is ( almost ) bearable . ' but if you do go during the summer , dress as lightly as possible . hong kong is also worth exploring on foot . if you are a first-time traveler , i recommend getting a map and some good walking shoes , ' ireporter ray kirby said . this especially comes in handy when looking at hong kong 's scenery . do n't forget to explore hong kong 's green side , ' ireporter shari nijman said . the city is amazing , but most of hong kong consists of lush , green nature with fantastic hiking trails ! ' if you feel swept away by all of your options , embrace it . hong kong can be dazzling and overwhelming . let yourself explore . by all means , if it 's your first visit to hong kong , do n't be afraid to be a'tourist ,' kreif said . visit victoria peak , travel to kowloon -- be sure to visit'flower'and'bird streets'via the star ferry . kowloon at night is ablaze with neon commercial lights , a beautiful sight to behold . the enthusiastic crowds you will encounter there will energize your spirit after a long day of sightseeing . not to worry , it 's perfectly safe to be out and about at night . ' if you 've got shopping on your mind , invest in an octopus card , chan suggests . the card is available anywhere and is accepted by all transport providers as well as major convenience stores ... beats carrying small change ! ' she said . but perhaps best of all , keep this advice in mind : my tip for traveling in hong kong is to explore and enjoy all the wonderful things and places this country offers , ' ireporter lia ocampo said . five tastemakers of hong kong 's dining scene getting around perhaps more so than most other cities , hong kong is known for its various modes of transportation . trams are perfect for tourists and locals alike and can take you almost anywhere you want to go . we are budget travelers , ' maureen mcleod said . we would strongly recommend taking the tram for both the low fare and the view of so much of the city which one gets , particularly from the front seats on the second level . one can see most of the city for only two hong kong dollars . ' ferries , such as the star ferry , are also very popular in the city and for navigating around the islands . take a ferry out to one of the islands or a bus into the new territories , ' emilyinhk said . many of these places are less than an hour away from central . the city itself is breathtaking , but unless you get out and see the rural areas , you have n't truly experienced hong kong . from a beach in sai kung or a hiking trail on lantau island , you would never believe you were still in hong kong . ' fast-paced kowloon is rich with the city life that entices many visitors to hong kong . crowded night markets and street food vendors give off the vibe that this is the real hong kong . ' if you want to slow down after a night in kowloon , explore relaxing lantau island . something about having to take a boat there makes it seem like you 've landed on the other side of the world , ' ireporter bo brennan said . the islands also offer more strenuous recreation for those wanting an adventure . if you 're into hiking -- and still have the energy -- take a ferry out to lamma island , where you will find a lengthy , well-maintained hiking trail that offers amazing view of the surrounding islands and ocean , ' kreif said . one day in hong kong ' if you only have one day in hong kong , there is one thing you must do , ' brennan said . it will be a memory you will keep for years to come . take a boat out on the harbor at sunset . watch the sun slowly sink behind islands in the far distance . look at the dying light glint off the buildings of hong kong 's amazing skyline . that experience is worth its weight in hong kong dollars , and it will be one memory you will tell your children and grandchildren , inspiring the next generation to go out and experience everything the world has to offer . ' share your dubai photos ! | take advantage of hong kong 's cooler fall weather and explore its scenic islands |
hong kong <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with its intense urban center and outlying natural beauty , hong kong 's intriguing , paradoxical nature beckons you to come for a visit . a thriving metropolis ablaze with millions of scintillating lights is only one side of this city 's allure . an extension of hong kong , its islands and green expanses offer respite and serenity if a calm vacation is what you crave . i find it fascinating that hong kong has a huge population living in a small area , yet still has large areas of preserved nature , ' ireporter emilyinhk said . i never expected that in just a few minutes you could be in a quiet , rural area , far from the pollution and crowds of the city . ' challenge yourself to soak up the split personality of hong kong 's spirit . until you do , visitors and natives alike say you have n't experienced the real hong kong . ' hong kong : metropolis on the brink of beauty yvonne chan lives in hong kong , and she is still captivated by all that her city has to offer . her must-do list is just a taste of the experiences you can have : tram up to the peak , light show by tsim sha tsui 's avenue of stars overlooking the victoria harbour at 8 p.m. every evening , shopping in causeway bay , drinks in lan kwai fong , big buddha at ngong ping , and for those with kids , a day at ocean park . ' below , ireporters share their tips for making the most of your time in hong kong . first-timer tips it 's easy to get caught up in the rush of hong kong 's bustling city area . try to see and experience as much as you can , but before you jet off , take note of these tips . hong kong 's summers are notoriously hot and humid , so plan accordingly . ireporter george kreif recommends traveling in the fall , when the temperature is ( almost ) bearable . ' but if you do go during the summer , dress as lightly as possible . hong kong is also worth exploring on foot . if you are a first-time traveler , i recommend getting a map and some good walking shoes , ' ireporter ray kirby said . this especially comes in handy when looking at hong kong 's scenery . do n't forget to explore hong kong 's green side , ' ireporter shari nijman said . the city is amazing , but most of hong kong consists of lush , green nature with fantastic hiking trails ! ' if you feel swept away by all of your options , embrace it . hong kong can be dazzling and overwhelming . let yourself explore . by all means , if it 's your first visit to hong kong , do n't be afraid to be a'tourist ,' kreif said . visit victoria peak , travel to kowloon -- be sure to visit'flower'and'bird streets'via the star ferry . kowloon at night is ablaze with neon commercial lights , a beautiful sight to behold . the enthusiastic crowds you will encounter there will energize your spirit after a long day of sightseeing . not to worry , it 's perfectly safe to be out and about at night . ' if you 've got shopping on your mind , invest in an octopus card , chan suggests . the card is available anywhere and is accepted by all transport providers as well as major convenience stores ... beats carrying small change ! ' she said . but perhaps best of all , keep this advice in mind : my tip for traveling in hong kong is to explore and enjoy all the wonderful things and places this country offers , ' ireporter lia ocampo said . five tastemakers of hong kong 's dining scene getting around perhaps more so than most other cities , hong kong is known for its various modes of transportation . trams are perfect for tourists and locals alike and can take you almost anywhere you want to go . we are budget travelers , ' maureen mcleod said . we would strongly recommend taking the tram for both the low fare and the view of so much of the city which one gets , particularly from the front seats on the second level . one can see most of the city for only two hong kong dollars . ' ferries , such as the star ferry , are also very popular in the city and for navigating around the islands . take a ferry out to one of the islands or a bus into the new territories , ' emilyinhk said . many of these places are less than an hour away from central . the city itself is breathtaking , but unless you get out and see the rural areas , you have n't truly experienced hong kong . from a beach in sai kung or a hiking trail on lantau island , you would never believe you were still in hong kong . ' fast-paced kowloon is rich with the city life that entices many visitors to hong kong . crowded night markets and street food vendors give off the vibe that this is the real hong kong . ' if you want to slow down after a night in kowloon , explore relaxing lantau island . something about having to take a boat there makes it seem like you 've landed on the other side of the world , ' ireporter bo brennan said . the islands also offer more strenuous recreation for those wanting an adventure . if you 're into hiking -- and still have the energy -- take a ferry out to lamma island , where you will find a lengthy , well-maintained hiking trail that offers amazing view of the surrounding islands and ocean , ' kreif said . one day in hong kong ' if you only have one day in hong kong , there is one thing you must do , ' brennan said . it will be a memory you will keep for years to come . take a boat out on the harbor at sunset . watch the sun slowly sink behind islands in the far distance . look at the dying light glint off the buildings of hong kong 's amazing skyline . that experience is worth its weight in hong kong dollars , and it will be one memory you will tell your children and grandchildren , inspiring the next generation to go out and experience everything the world has to offer . ' share your dubai photos ! | with an intense urban center and outlying natural beauty , hong kong is a paradox |
hong kong <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with its intense urban center and outlying natural beauty , hong kong 's intriguing , paradoxical nature beckons you to come for a visit . a thriving metropolis ablaze with millions of scintillating lights is only one side of this city 's allure . an extension of hong kong , its islands and green expanses offer respite and serenity if a calm vacation is what you crave . i find it fascinating that hong kong has a huge population living in a small area , yet still has large areas of preserved nature , ' ireporter emilyinhk said . i never expected that in just a few minutes you could be in a quiet , rural area , far from the pollution and crowds of the city . ' challenge yourself to soak up the split personality of hong kong 's spirit . until you do , visitors and natives alike say you have n't experienced the real hong kong . ' hong kong : metropolis on the brink of beauty yvonne chan lives in hong kong , and she is still captivated by all that her city has to offer . her must-do list is just a taste of the experiences you can have : tram up to the peak , light show by tsim sha tsui 's avenue of stars overlooking the victoria harbour at 8 p.m. every evening , shopping in causeway bay , drinks in lan kwai fong , big buddha at ngong ping , and for those with kids , a day at ocean park . ' below , ireporters share their tips for making the most of your time in hong kong . first-timer tips it 's easy to get caught up in the rush of hong kong 's bustling city area . try to see and experience as much as you can , but before you jet off , take note of these tips . hong kong 's summers are notoriously hot and humid , so plan accordingly . ireporter george kreif recommends traveling in the fall , when the temperature is ( almost ) bearable . ' but if you do go during the summer , dress as lightly as possible . hong kong is also worth exploring on foot . if you are a first-time traveler , i recommend getting a map and some good walking shoes , ' ireporter ray kirby said . this especially comes in handy when looking at hong kong 's scenery . do n't forget to explore hong kong 's green side , ' ireporter shari nijman said . the city is amazing , but most of hong kong consists of lush , green nature with fantastic hiking trails ! ' if you feel swept away by all of your options , embrace it . hong kong can be dazzling and overwhelming . let yourself explore . by all means , if it 's your first visit to hong kong , do n't be afraid to be a'tourist ,' kreif said . visit victoria peak , travel to kowloon -- be sure to visit'flower'and'bird streets'via the star ferry . kowloon at night is ablaze with neon commercial lights , a beautiful sight to behold . the enthusiastic crowds you will encounter there will energize your spirit after a long day of sightseeing . not to worry , it 's perfectly safe to be out and about at night . ' if you 've got shopping on your mind , invest in an octopus card , chan suggests . the card is available anywhere and is accepted by all transport providers as well as major convenience stores ... beats carrying small change ! ' she said . but perhaps best of all , keep this advice in mind : my tip for traveling in hong kong is to explore and enjoy all the wonderful things and places this country offers , ' ireporter lia ocampo said . five tastemakers of hong kong 's dining scene getting around perhaps more so than most other cities , hong kong is known for its various modes of transportation . trams are perfect for tourists and locals alike and can take you almost anywhere you want to go . we are budget travelers , ' maureen mcleod said . we would strongly recommend taking the tram for both the low fare and the view of so much of the city which one gets , particularly from the front seats on the second level . one can see most of the city for only two hong kong dollars . ' ferries , such as the star ferry , are also very popular in the city and for navigating around the islands . take a ferry out to one of the islands or a bus into the new territories , ' emilyinhk said . many of these places are less than an hour away from central . the city itself is breathtaking , but unless you get out and see the rural areas , you have n't truly experienced hong kong . from a beach in sai kung or a hiking trail on lantau island , you would never believe you were still in hong kong . ' fast-paced kowloon is rich with the city life that entices many visitors to hong kong . crowded night markets and street food vendors give off the vibe that this is the real hong kong . ' if you want to slow down after a night in kowloon , explore relaxing lantau island . something about having to take a boat there makes it seem like you 've landed on the other side of the world , ' ireporter bo brennan said . the islands also offer more strenuous recreation for those wanting an adventure . if you 're into hiking -- and still have the energy -- take a ferry out to lamma island , where you will find a lengthy , well-maintained hiking trail that offers amazing view of the surrounding islands and ocean , ' kreif said . one day in hong kong ' if you only have one day in hong kong , there is one thing you must do , ' brennan said . it will be a memory you will keep for years to come . take a boat out on the harbor at sunset . watch the sun slowly sink behind islands in the far distance . look at the dying light glint off the buildings of hong kong 's amazing skyline . that experience is worth its weight in hong kong dollars , and it will be one memory you will tell your children and grandchildren , inspiring the next generation to go out and experience everything the world has to offer . ' share your dubai photos ! | explore hong kong via tram or ferry for an inexpensive , fun way to sightsee |
tripit <tsp> ( budgettravel.com ) -- the web should make things easier for travelers , but the sheer volume of services out there is often more overwhelming than useful . unfortunately , you do n't always know which outfits pay off until you 've already invested your time . the budget travel team puts websites -- new and established -- to the test every day . so when it came time to line up our favorites , the task was easy -- we just turned to the sites we keep revisiting because they 're so darn helpful . our top picks can help you avoid overpaying for airfare ( bing travel ) , bag the primo room at a hotel ( hipmunk ) , and never miss a deal on a rental-car reservation again ( autoslash ) . some of our favorites are as useful as a mind-reading tour guide ( plnnr ) ; others are as handy as having a personal secretary track your frequent-flier balances ( award wallet ) . put them all together , and they become budget travel 's picks for the best the web has to offer . budget travel : 4 most common reasons airlines lose luggage for planning 1 . bing travel buy plane tickets at the best possible time . like other booking sites , bing lets you comparison-shop for tickets across more than a hundred sources . yet unlike most other sites , it also analyzes historical data to predict whether the price you see on the screen today is likely to rise ( or drop ) in the coming week , clearly marking the bargains with a big , green buy now icon . what 's more , bing is the only airfare search site to have its predictions independently audited . with an accuracy rate of 75 percent , it 's not perfect -- but those are better odds than blind guessing gets you . bing.com/travel . 2 . autoslash lock in the lowest rate on rental cars . here 's how it works : reserve a vehicle from a favorite agency through the autoslash site , and the site will instantly begin tracking rate changes for your reservation . if a sale pops up later -- snap ! -- it automatically locks in the lower price on your behalf . you can even use autoslash if you 've booked independently . just enter your confirmation number , and the site will notify you when it 's found a lower rate ( which you 'll have to rebook on your own ) . neither autoslash nor the company you first booked with charges a fee for the service . autoslash.com . budget travel : 10 coolest small towns in america 3 . fly or drive calculator determine the cheapest way to reach your destination . coupon site befrugal.com crunches data from sources such as aaa and google maps to power its fly or drive estimator ( found in the site 's tools & calculators tab ) . the more details you supply -- the make and model of your car , the number of travelers in your group , whether you 'd be springing for a taxi to the airport -- the more accurate the estimates . for the eco-minded , it even includes a carbon-footprint estimate for each mode of travel . ( note : the calculator only works for trips within the continental u.s. ) befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/ . 4 . plnnr get instant itineraries tailored to your tastes . whether you have a full week or a few hours , plnnr can craft a ( free ! ) customized point-to-point trip guide for 20 popular urban destinations across north america and europe . you supply the length of your stay , desired activity level , and interests ( such as outdoors , kids'activities , and culture ) , and the site spits out a fully formed itinerary , factoring in each attraction 's opening and closing hours and travel times between spots by taxi or on foot . you can further fine-tune the results by adjusting the priority level for even more specific subcategories -- architecture , breweries , and even cemeteries -- or reject individual suggestions outright . ( plnnr wo n't get its feelings hurt . ) plnnr.com . 5 . hipmunk find a hotel you 'll fall in love with . the folks behind hipmunk 's airfare and hotel searches know that good trips are about more than mere numbers . that 's why they 've incorporated an agony ' scale for flights with multiple legs and long layovers , and an ecstasy ' rating for hotels based on a combination of a property 's amenities , rates , and user reviews on tripadvisor . even better , hipmunk 's hotel search tool has built-in color-coded heat maps to display a given destination 's best spots for dining , shopping , nightlife , landmarks , and -- ahem -- vice . ' so you 'll always end up in a neighborhood that fits your specific needs ( or noise tolerance ) . the site displays real-time prices available on orbitz , getaroom , hotels.com , hotelscombined , or airbnb and links out to the appropriate site to close the deal . hipmunk.com . budget travel : a neat freak 's guide to a clean suitcase on the road 6 . tripit keep every last confirmation number , arrival time , and prepaid reservation fee straight . do n't have an ã¼ber-organized type among your travel crew ? do n't worry . tripit consolidates every important detail of your vacation into a single handy document , which you can access on the go via laptop , tablet , or smartphone . just forward each email receipt from booking a flight , hotel , rental car , or cruise to your tripit account , and the site will cull and compile the flight numbers , gate information , and other relevant items so you never show up in the wrong place at the wrong time -- or with the wrong confirmation code in hand . not satisfied ? the site also supplies seat-selection advice for flights , links to check in online , flight status updates , weather forecasts , and driving directions . tripit.com . 7 . tripping connect with the locals -- through a trustworthy community . while any old travel site can add some social-networking features and call itself the facebook of travel , ' tripping paves the way for true face-to-face interactions in about 130 countries across the globe . primarily a homestay network -- but just as effective for setting up a casual coffee meeting or a video chat with a looped-in local -- tripping manages the risk factor with its stringent membership policies and strong user-reference system . ( to join , users must display a passport via skype and prove a home address . ) when you 're not traveling yourself , you can earn some good travel karma by playing tour guide for visitors to your own hometown . tripping.com . 8 . google maps expertly navigate unfamiliar territory . thanks to constant refining by its mapmakers and graphic designers , google 's gold-standard mapping tool just keeps getting better . live traffic information was recently added for 13 european countries ; the site 's maps for new york city , london , and other major cities now have public transit options ; markings for tunnels and highway signs become easier to read every year ; and you can plot your route by car , bicycle , or foot -- although the latter two options are still in beta . there 's simply no more comprehensive and user-friendly way to explore . maps.google.com . budget travel : 10 gorgeous pools you wo n't believe are public once you 're back 9 . award wallet never let another frequent-flier mile expire . consider it the loyalty-program counterpart to tripit 's travel-info collector . award wallet streamlines your family 's assortment of frequent-flier and loyalty programs , compiling them in a single , simple , point-tracking package . the setup takes minutes . for each account , just enter your log-in information ; award wallet automatically pulls your points balances and expiration dates -- so you know to take action if you 're on the verge of losing them . and because the site saves your log-in information , you only need one password to access all your accounts . awardwallet.com . 10 . blurb preserve your photographs in a format that people ca n't keep their hands off of . custom book publisher blurb lets you design and print a soft-cover or hardcover travel photo album using impressive design tools and high-quality inks , paper , and binding . most important , it also leaves you broad creative control . ( no floral borders or faux photo-corners necessary . ) price is based on size , paper stock , cover material , and shipping fees , but single copies start at $ 11 for a 20-page book . think your book has potential beyond your own coffee table ? blurb can also share your images as a free online slide show or sell copies of the book through its online shop . blurb.com . budget travel : 12 restaurants with spectacular views get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you free - click here ! copyright © 2011 newsweek budget travel , inc. , all rights reserved . | while you 're on the road , check tripit or tripping for travel advice |
autoslash <tsp> ( budgettravel.com ) -- the web should make things easier for travelers , but the sheer volume of services out there is often more overwhelming than useful . unfortunately , you do n't always know which outfits pay off until you 've already invested your time . the budget travel team puts websites -- new and established -- to the test every day . so when it came time to line up our favorites , the task was easy -- we just turned to the sites we keep revisiting because they 're so darn helpful . our top picks can help you avoid overpaying for airfare ( bing travel ) , bag the primo room at a hotel ( hipmunk ) , and never miss a deal on a rental-car reservation again ( autoslash ) . some of our favorites are as useful as a mind-reading tour guide ( plnnr ) ; others are as handy as having a personal secretary track your frequent-flier balances ( award wallet ) . put them all together , and they become budget travel 's picks for the best the web has to offer . budget travel : 4 most common reasons airlines lose luggage for planning 1 . bing travel buy plane tickets at the best possible time . like other booking sites , bing lets you comparison-shop for tickets across more than a hundred sources . yet unlike most other sites , it also analyzes historical data to predict whether the price you see on the screen today is likely to rise ( or drop ) in the coming week , clearly marking the bargains with a big , green buy now icon . what 's more , bing is the only airfare search site to have its predictions independently audited . with an accuracy rate of 75 percent , it 's not perfect -- but those are better odds than blind guessing gets you . bing.com/travel . 2 . autoslash lock in the lowest rate on rental cars . here 's how it works : reserve a vehicle from a favorite agency through the autoslash site , and the site will instantly begin tracking rate changes for your reservation . if a sale pops up later -- snap ! -- it automatically locks in the lower price on your behalf . you can even use autoslash if you 've booked independently . just enter your confirmation number , and the site will notify you when it 's found a lower rate ( which you 'll have to rebook on your own ) . neither autoslash nor the company you first booked with charges a fee for the service . autoslash.com . budget travel : 10 coolest small towns in america 3 . fly or drive calculator determine the cheapest way to reach your destination . coupon site befrugal.com crunches data from sources such as aaa and google maps to power its fly or drive estimator ( found in the site 's tools & calculators tab ) . the more details you supply -- the make and model of your car , the number of travelers in your group , whether you 'd be springing for a taxi to the airport -- the more accurate the estimates . for the eco-minded , it even includes a carbon-footprint estimate for each mode of travel . ( note : the calculator only works for trips within the continental u.s. ) befrugal.com/tools/fly-or-drive-calculator/ . 4 . plnnr get instant itineraries tailored to your tastes . whether you have a full week or a few hours , plnnr can craft a ( free ! ) customized point-to-point trip guide for 20 popular urban destinations across north america and europe . you supply the length of your stay , desired activity level , and interests ( such as outdoors , kids'activities , and culture ) , and the site spits out a fully formed itinerary , factoring in each attraction 's opening and closing hours and travel times between spots by taxi or on foot . you can further fine-tune the results by adjusting the priority level for even more specific subcategories -- architecture , breweries , and even cemeteries -- or reject individual suggestions outright . ( plnnr wo n't get its feelings hurt . ) plnnr.com . 5 . hipmunk find a hotel you 'll fall in love with . the folks behind hipmunk 's airfare and hotel searches know that good trips are about more than mere numbers . that 's why they 've incorporated an agony ' scale for flights with multiple legs and long layovers , and an ecstasy ' rating for hotels based on a combination of a property 's amenities , rates , and user reviews on tripadvisor . even better , hipmunk 's hotel search tool has built-in color-coded heat maps to display a given destination 's best spots for dining , shopping , nightlife , landmarks , and -- ahem -- vice . ' so you 'll always end up in a neighborhood that fits your specific needs ( or noise tolerance ) . the site displays real-time prices available on orbitz , getaroom , hotels.com , hotelscombined , or airbnb and links out to the appropriate site to close the deal . hipmunk.com . budget travel : a neat freak 's guide to a clean suitcase on the road 6 . tripit keep every last confirmation number , arrival time , and prepaid reservation fee straight . do n't have an ã¼ber-organized type among your travel crew ? do n't worry . tripit consolidates every important detail of your vacation into a single handy document , which you can access on the go via laptop , tablet , or smartphone . just forward each email receipt from booking a flight , hotel , rental car , or cruise to your tripit account , and the site will cull and compile the flight numbers , gate information , and other relevant items so you never show up in the wrong place at the wrong time -- or with the wrong confirmation code in hand . not satisfied ? the site also supplies seat-selection advice for flights , links to check in online , flight status updates , weather forecasts , and driving directions . tripit.com . 7 . tripping connect with the locals -- through a trustworthy community . while any old travel site can add some social-networking features and call itself the facebook of travel , ' tripping paves the way for true face-to-face interactions in about 130 countries across the globe . primarily a homestay network -- but just as effective for setting up a casual coffee meeting or a video chat with a looped-in local -- tripping manages the risk factor with its stringent membership policies and strong user-reference system . ( to join , users must display a passport via skype and prove a home address . ) when you 're not traveling yourself , you can earn some good travel karma by playing tour guide for visitors to your own hometown . tripping.com . 8 . google maps expertly navigate unfamiliar territory . thanks to constant refining by its mapmakers and graphic designers , google 's gold-standard mapping tool just keeps getting better . live traffic information was recently added for 13 european countries ; the site 's maps for new york city , london , and other major cities now have public transit options ; markings for tunnels and highway signs become easier to read every year ; and you can plot your route by car , bicycle , or foot -- although the latter two options are still in beta . there 's simply no more comprehensive and user-friendly way to explore . maps.google.com . budget travel : 10 gorgeous pools you wo n't believe are public once you 're back 9 . award wallet never let another frequent-flier mile expire . consider it the loyalty-program counterpart to tripit 's travel-info collector . award wallet streamlines your family 's assortment of frequent-flier and loyalty programs , compiling them in a single , simple , point-tracking package . the setup takes minutes . for each account , just enter your log-in information ; award wallet automatically pulls your points balances and expiration dates -- so you know to take action if you 're on the verge of losing them . and because the site saves your log-in information , you only need one password to access all your accounts . awardwallet.com . 10 . blurb preserve your photographs in a format that people ca n't keep their hands off of . custom book publisher blurb lets you design and print a soft-cover or hardcover travel photo album using impressive design tools and high-quality inks , paper , and binding . most important , it also leaves you broad creative control . ( no floral borders or faux photo-corners necessary . ) price is based on size , paper stock , cover material , and shipping fees , but single copies start at $ 11 for a 20-page book . think your book has potential beyond your own coffee table ? blurb can also share your images as a free online slide show or sell copies of the book through its online shop . blurb.com . budget travel : 12 restaurants with spectacular views get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you free - click here ! copyright © 2011 newsweek budget travel , inc. , all rights reserved . | for planing your trip , bing travel , autoslash and plnnr can be helpful sites |
marvel <tsp> look ! out by the bridge ! it 's ... it 's ... ant-man ? yes , ant-man , also known as scott lang , a superhero who can change his size , thanks to the scientific prowess of dr. hank pym . paul rudd is playing lang , who has a two-bit criminal background , in the movie -- due out next year -- and marvel just released a photograph of the grizzled figure standing by san francisco 's golden gate bridge , an old ford van nearby . ant-man ' is being directed by peyton reed ( bring it on , ' yes man ' ) with a script from edgar wright , joe cornish and adam mckay . michael douglas is playing pym . judy greer , john slattery join'ant-man' the movie will also film in atlanta . what do you think ? are you looking forward to ant-man ' ? | marvel releases pic from ant-man ' |
north carolina <tsp> just stay home . that 's the message from officials in the path of the south 's latest nasty winter weather . in atlanta , where less than 3 inches of snow recently brought the city to a grinding , gridlocked halt , drivers and officials seemed to have learned some lessons . roadways were uncongested and schools closed across the metro area tuesday morning , hours ahead of most of the expected inclement weather . much of the city heeded the advice of local officials who advised drivers to avoid the roads from tuesday through midday thursday . by late tuesday afternoon , flight cancellations for wednesday were stacking up with about 1,700 canceled across the united states . more than 1,100 of those wednesday cancellations were heading to or from the world 's busiest airport in atlanta . at hartsfield-jackson atlanta international , more than 400 tuesday flights were also canceled out of more than 1,200 u.s. flight cancellations on tuesday , according to flight tracking site flightaware.com . 24 hours at the world 's busiest airport on tuesday afternoon , atlanta-based delta air lines said it had canceled more than 1,500 wednesday delta and delta connection flights . the airline moved quickly monday night to cancel more than 500 tuesday flights ahead of the storm , according to spokesman morgan durrant . all wednesday southwest airlines and airtran airways departures -- about 160 flights -- are canceled in atlanta , according to a statement from the joint airlines . the airport in charlotte , north carolina , is another spot where operations are getting snarled by winter weather , with more than 450 wednesday flight cancellations at charlotte-douglas international airport , according to flightaware . that 's after more than 300 tuesday cancellations . atlanta 's guide to snow survival the atlanta airport ramped up winter storm operations monday night , putting essential employees on 12-hour shifts in preparation for the week 's bad weather . the airport said in a statement that it will remain open and fully operational this week . ' the airport has 11 de-icing pads , 100,000 gallons of de-icing fluids and 50,000 pounds of de-icing pellets ready to treat icy aircraft and runways as well as 50,000 pounds of a salt/sand mixture to treat the airport roadways , according to spokesman reese mccranie . during the last winter storm , the airport went through 13,000 gallons of de-icing fluid , 35,000 pounds of de-icing pellets and 35,000 pounds of the salt/sand mixture , mccranie said . those materials will surely be needed if forecasts calling for freezing precipitation through much of wednesday hold true . accordingly , atlanta will not be on a regular schedule until thursday at the earliest , ' wrote daniel baker , chief of executive officer of flightaware.com . airline customers should check their flight status with airlines before departing for the airport . many airlines are offering flexible , no-fee changes to travel dates . for those who must travel , north carolina 's department of transportation cautions drivers to reduce their speed , leave plenty of room between vehicles and approach bridges and overpasses with extreme caution . do not apply your brakes on a bridge or if your car begins to slide . if your car begins to slip , turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide and take your foot off the gas , the department advises . aaa advises motorists to check tire pressure and make sure car batteries , cooling systems and antifreeze levels are in order . keep gas tanks close to full , the automobile association advises , so you 'll be able to run the engine for heat in case you get stranded . aaa suggests keeping the following items in your car : a shovel and a bag of sand ; a snowbrush and ice scraper ; jumper cables ; a spare tire ; windshield wiper fluid ; a cell phone and car charger ; and blankets , gloves , hats and food , water and essential medication . conserve the battery life on your cell phone by turning it off when not expecting or making a call . | charlotte , north carolina , and dallas also posting winter weather cancellations |
south africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india racked up a massive first-innings lead of 347 runs over south africa on the third day of the second cricket test in kolkata as v.v.s . laxman and captain mahendra singh dhoni contributed centuries . the pair put on an unbroken 259 for the seventh wicket , with laxman unbeaten on 143 and dhoni on 132 when the declaration came at 643-6 in the final hour of tuesday 's play . their efforts meant that four indians had passed three figures , following virender sehwag 's 165 on monday and sachin tendulkar 's 106 , while four south african bowlers conceded more than 100 runs each . south africa , who will return to the no . 1 test ranking above india with a draw , reached 6-0 at stumps as only five balls of a scheduled 10 overs were able to be bowled due to bad light . india , who trail 1-0 in the two-match series , resumed the day on 342-5 with laxman on nine and nightwatchman amit mishra on one . they extended their partnership to 48 before paceman morne morkel picked up his second wicket as mishra was caught at second slip by jacques kallis , who had earlier dropped the batsman as did captain graeme smith . laxman was dropped by j.p. duminy on 48 , and india reached lunch at 431-6 before piling on 117 runs in the two hours after the interval . laxman completed his 15th test century and dhoni his fourth in only the second time that four indian batsmen had reached three figures in the same innings . meanwhile , new zealand piled up 553-7 before declaring on the second day of the one-off test against tourists bangladesh in hamilton . martin guptill ( 189 ) and brendon mccullum ( 185 ) extended their sixth-wicket partnership to a national record of 339 . guptill scored his maiden test ton while wicketkeeper mccullum celebrated his 50th appearance in the five-day game with his highest score . seamer rubel hossain took both of their scalps in the middle session and ended with his first five-wicket bag , conceding 166 runs . bangladesh reached 87-1 at stumps in their first innings , with opener tamim iqbal unbeaten on 56 after facing just 48 balls . he put on 79 for the first wicket with imrul kayes , who made 28 before edging spinner daniel vettori to ross taylor at slip . | india rack up a massive first-innings lead of 347 runs over south africa in kolkata |
south africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india racked up a massive first-innings lead of 347 runs over south africa on the third day of the second cricket test in kolkata as v.v.s . laxman and captain mahendra singh dhoni contributed centuries . the pair put on an unbroken 259 for the seventh wicket , with laxman unbeaten on 143 and dhoni on 132 when the declaration came at 643-6 in the final hour of tuesday 's play . their efforts meant that four indians had passed three figures , following virender sehwag 's 165 on monday and sachin tendulkar 's 106 , while four south african bowlers conceded more than 100 runs each . south africa , who will return to the no . 1 test ranking above india with a draw , reached 6-0 at stumps as only five balls of a scheduled 10 overs were able to be bowled due to bad light . india , who trail 1-0 in the two-match series , resumed the day on 342-5 with laxman on nine and nightwatchman amit mishra on one . they extended their partnership to 48 before paceman morne morkel picked up his second wicket as mishra was caught at second slip by jacques kallis , who had earlier dropped the batsman as did captain graeme smith . laxman was dropped by j.p. duminy on 48 , and india reached lunch at 431-6 before piling on 117 runs in the two hours after the interval . laxman completed his 15th test century and dhoni his fourth in only the second time that four indian batsmen had reached three figures in the same innings . meanwhile , new zealand piled up 553-7 before declaring on the second day of the one-off test against tourists bangladesh in hamilton . martin guptill ( 189 ) and brendon mccullum ( 185 ) extended their sixth-wicket partnership to a national record of 339 . guptill scored his maiden test ton while wicketkeeper mccullum celebrated his 50th appearance in the five-day game with his highest score . seamer rubel hossain took both of their scalps in the middle session and ended with his first five-wicket bag , conceding 166 runs . bangladesh reached 87-1 at stumps in their first innings , with opener tamim iqbal unbeaten on 56 after facing just 48 balls . he put on 79 for the first wicket with imrul kayes , who made 28 before edging spinner daniel vettori to ross taylor at slip . | india declare at 643-6 on day three of second test and south africa reach 6-0 |
mahendra dhoni <tsp> ( cnn ) -- india racked up a massive first-innings lead of 347 runs over south africa on the third day of the second cricket test in kolkata as v.v.s . laxman and captain mahendra singh dhoni contributed centuries . the pair put on an unbroken 259 for the seventh wicket , with laxman unbeaten on 143 and dhoni on 132 when the declaration came at 643-6 in the final hour of tuesday 's play . their efforts meant that four indians had passed three figures , following virender sehwag 's 165 on monday and sachin tendulkar 's 106 , while four south african bowlers conceded more than 100 runs each . south africa , who will return to the no . 1 test ranking above india with a draw , reached 6-0 at stumps as only five balls of a scheduled 10 overs were able to be bowled due to bad light . india , who trail 1-0 in the two-match series , resumed the day on 342-5 with laxman on nine and nightwatchman amit mishra on one . they extended their partnership to 48 before paceman morne morkel picked up his second wicket as mishra was caught at second slip by jacques kallis , who had earlier dropped the batsman as did captain graeme smith . laxman was dropped by j.p. duminy on 48 , and india reached lunch at 431-6 before piling on 117 runs in the two hours after the interval . laxman completed his 15th test century and dhoni his fourth in only the second time that four indian batsmen had reached three figures in the same innings . meanwhile , new zealand piled up 553-7 before declaring on the second day of the one-off test against tourists bangladesh in hamilton . martin guptill ( 189 ) and brendon mccullum ( 185 ) extended their sixth-wicket partnership to a national record of 339 . guptill scored his maiden test ton while wicketkeeper mccullum celebrated his 50th appearance in the five-day game with his highest score . seamer rubel hossain took both of their scalps in the middle session and ended with his first five-wicket bag , conceding 166 runs . bangladesh reached 87-1 at stumps in their first innings , with opener tamim iqbal unbeaten on 56 after facing just 48 balls . he put on 79 for the first wicket with imrul kayes , who made 28 before edging spinner daniel vettori to ross taylor at slip . | v.v.s . laxman ( 143 ) and mahendra dhoni ( 132 ) add unbroken 259 for the seventh wicket |
isis <tsp> isis has americans worried . two-thirds of those surveyed in a recent pew research poll said they consider the islamic state in iraq and syria to be a major threat ' to this country . but are such fears really justified ? despite the impression you may have had from listening to u.s. officials in recent weeks , the answer is probably not really . for a start , u.s. officials have been inflating the numbers of americans fighting for isis , which has muddied the issue for the public . u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel , for example , told cnn 's jim sciutto earlier this month , we are aware of over 100 u.s. citizens who have u.s. passports who are fighting in the middle east with isil forces . ' ( isis is sometimes referred to as isil and now calls itself the islamic state ) . but the pentagon soon corrected hagel 's comment , saying the 100 count is the total number of americans fighting for any of the various groups fighting in syria , some of which are more militant than others -- and some of which are even allied with the u.s . indeed , matthew olsen , the director of the national counterterrorism center -- the government office tasked with assessing terrorist threats -- also confirmed that 100 is the total count of the various americans fighting in syria and not a count of those fighting for isis . hagel 's comment is only the latest inflated claim regarding the number of americans fighting with isis . last week , the washington times cited anonymous official sources who said there are 300 americans fighting with isis , despite the pentagon estimating the figure to be more like a dozen . who is the isis ? true , a dozen is still too many . but it is important to remember that just because these americans are fighting with isis , it does n't necessarily translate into a significant threat to the american homeland . one need only look at the example of somalia to see why . bergen : when americans leave for jihad the last sizeable group of americans who went overseas to fight with an al qaeda-aligned group are the 29 americans known to have traveled to fight with the somali terrorist group al-shabaab after the 2006 invasion of somalia by the ethiopian army . however , none of those 29 subsequently planned or conducted a terrorist attack inside the united states , according to a survey of more than 240 jihadist terrorism cases since september 11 conducted by the new america foundation . what can the u.s. do against isis and could it work ? indeed , for more than a third of the american militants who fought with al-shabaab , going to somalia was a one-way ticket . in 2008 , a missile strike in somalia killed ruben shumpert , a resident of seattle . a year later , burhan hassan , a 17-year-old from minneapolis , was killed in the somali capital , mogadishu . abdirizak bihi , hassan 's uncle , reportedly said at the time , we believe he was killed because he would have been a key person in the investigation into the recruitment ( of young somali men ) here in minneapolis . ' al-shabaab militants also are said to have killed alabama native omar hammami , who joined the group in 2006 and took a high-profile position in its media operations before his death last year . at least two americans fighting for al-shabaab died while conducting suicide attacks in somalia . shirwa ahmed , a 26-year-old from minnesota , became the first known american to conduct a suicide bombing for an al qaeda-associated group when he drove a car packed with bombs into a government compound on october 28 , 2008 . in 2011 , meanwhile , the fbi confirmed that farah mohamed beledi , a 27-year-old minnesota man who was born in somalia and moved to the united states at age 12 , was killed while attempting to detonate a suicide bomb in somalia . bergen : an american 's gateway to jihad in addition to the american militants who died in somalia , six were arrested , four when they returned to the west and two in east africa . kamal said hassan , a 28-year-old minneapolis man who traveled to somalia and attended an al-shabaab training camp before returning to the united states , was arrested and in 2009 pleaded guilty to supporting al-shabaab . in another case , mahamud said omar , an american resident who helped organize al-shabaab 's recruitment pipeline and visited a training camp , was arrested in the netherlands in 2009 . omar was extradited to the united states and in 2012 was convicted on terrorism charges . of course , the fact that 13 of the 29 american militants who fought in somalia remain at large is a reminder that the cia and fbi also need to pay attention to the potential threat posed by american foreign fighters in syria . but this is no reason for u.s. officials to overhype the threat posed by isis to the united states . yes , americans should always be mindful of the threats posed by extremists . but as the case of u.s. citizens in somalia suggests , syria could very well end up being a graveyard for americans fighting there rather than a launch pad for attacks on the united states . | u.s. officials have inflated numbers of americans fighting for isis , says peter bergen |
isis <tsp> isis has americans worried . two-thirds of those surveyed in a recent pew research poll said they consider the islamic state in iraq and syria to be a major threat ' to this country . but are such fears really justified ? despite the impression you may have had from listening to u.s. officials in recent weeks , the answer is probably not really . for a start , u.s. officials have been inflating the numbers of americans fighting for isis , which has muddied the issue for the public . u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel , for example , told cnn 's jim sciutto earlier this month , we are aware of over 100 u.s. citizens who have u.s. passports who are fighting in the middle east with isil forces . ' ( isis is sometimes referred to as isil and now calls itself the islamic state ) . but the pentagon soon corrected hagel 's comment , saying the 100 count is the total number of americans fighting for any of the various groups fighting in syria , some of which are more militant than others -- and some of which are even allied with the u.s . indeed , matthew olsen , the director of the national counterterrorism center -- the government office tasked with assessing terrorist threats -- also confirmed that 100 is the total count of the various americans fighting in syria and not a count of those fighting for isis . hagel 's comment is only the latest inflated claim regarding the number of americans fighting with isis . last week , the washington times cited anonymous official sources who said there are 300 americans fighting with isis , despite the pentagon estimating the figure to be more like a dozen . who is the isis ? true , a dozen is still too many . but it is important to remember that just because these americans are fighting with isis , it does n't necessarily translate into a significant threat to the american homeland . one need only look at the example of somalia to see why . bergen : when americans leave for jihad the last sizeable group of americans who went overseas to fight with an al qaeda-aligned group are the 29 americans known to have traveled to fight with the somali terrorist group al-shabaab after the 2006 invasion of somalia by the ethiopian army . however , none of those 29 subsequently planned or conducted a terrorist attack inside the united states , according to a survey of more than 240 jihadist terrorism cases since september 11 conducted by the new america foundation . what can the u.s. do against isis and could it work ? indeed , for more than a third of the american militants who fought with al-shabaab , going to somalia was a one-way ticket . in 2008 , a missile strike in somalia killed ruben shumpert , a resident of seattle . a year later , burhan hassan , a 17-year-old from minneapolis , was killed in the somali capital , mogadishu . abdirizak bihi , hassan 's uncle , reportedly said at the time , we believe he was killed because he would have been a key person in the investigation into the recruitment ( of young somali men ) here in minneapolis . ' al-shabaab militants also are said to have killed alabama native omar hammami , who joined the group in 2006 and took a high-profile position in its media operations before his death last year . at least two americans fighting for al-shabaab died while conducting suicide attacks in somalia . shirwa ahmed , a 26-year-old from minnesota , became the first known american to conduct a suicide bombing for an al qaeda-associated group when he drove a car packed with bombs into a government compound on october 28 , 2008 . in 2011 , meanwhile , the fbi confirmed that farah mohamed beledi , a 27-year-old minnesota man who was born in somalia and moved to the united states at age 12 , was killed while attempting to detonate a suicide bomb in somalia . bergen : an american 's gateway to jihad in addition to the american militants who died in somalia , six were arrested , four when they returned to the west and two in east africa . kamal said hassan , a 28-year-old minneapolis man who traveled to somalia and attended an al-shabaab training camp before returning to the united states , was arrested and in 2009 pleaded guilty to supporting al-shabaab . in another case , mahamud said omar , an american resident who helped organize al-shabaab 's recruitment pipeline and visited a training camp , was arrested in the netherlands in 2009 . omar was extradited to the united states and in 2012 was convicted on terrorism charges . of course , the fact that 13 of the 29 american militants who fought in somalia remain at large is a reminder that the cia and fbi also need to pay attention to the potential threat posed by american foreign fighters in syria . but this is no reason for u.s. officials to overhype the threat posed by isis to the united states . yes , americans should always be mindful of the threats posed by extremists . but as the case of u.s. citizens in somalia suggests , syria could very well end up being a graveyard for americans fighting there rather than a launch pad for attacks on the united states . | claims that over 100 u.s. citizens fighting with isis are probably overestimate |
isis <tsp> isis has americans worried . two-thirds of those surveyed in a recent pew research poll said they consider the islamic state in iraq and syria to be a major threat ' to this country . but are such fears really justified ? despite the impression you may have had from listening to u.s. officials in recent weeks , the answer is probably not really . for a start , u.s. officials have been inflating the numbers of americans fighting for isis , which has muddied the issue for the public . u.s. secretary of defense chuck hagel , for example , told cnn 's jim sciutto earlier this month , we are aware of over 100 u.s. citizens who have u.s. passports who are fighting in the middle east with isil forces . ' ( isis is sometimes referred to as isil and now calls itself the islamic state ) . but the pentagon soon corrected hagel 's comment , saying the 100 count is the total number of americans fighting for any of the various groups fighting in syria , some of which are more militant than others -- and some of which are even allied with the u.s . indeed , matthew olsen , the director of the national counterterrorism center -- the government office tasked with assessing terrorist threats -- also confirmed that 100 is the total count of the various americans fighting in syria and not a count of those fighting for isis . hagel 's comment is only the latest inflated claim regarding the number of americans fighting with isis . last week , the washington times cited anonymous official sources who said there are 300 americans fighting with isis , despite the pentagon estimating the figure to be more like a dozen . who is the isis ? true , a dozen is still too many . but it is important to remember that just because these americans are fighting with isis , it does n't necessarily translate into a significant threat to the american homeland . one need only look at the example of somalia to see why . bergen : when americans leave for jihad the last sizeable group of americans who went overseas to fight with an al qaeda-aligned group are the 29 americans known to have traveled to fight with the somali terrorist group al-shabaab after the 2006 invasion of somalia by the ethiopian army . however , none of those 29 subsequently planned or conducted a terrorist attack inside the united states , according to a survey of more than 240 jihadist terrorism cases since september 11 conducted by the new america foundation . what can the u.s. do against isis and could it work ? indeed , for more than a third of the american militants who fought with al-shabaab , going to somalia was a one-way ticket . in 2008 , a missile strike in somalia killed ruben shumpert , a resident of seattle . a year later , burhan hassan , a 17-year-old from minneapolis , was killed in the somali capital , mogadishu . abdirizak bihi , hassan 's uncle , reportedly said at the time , we believe he was killed because he would have been a key person in the investigation into the recruitment ( of young somali men ) here in minneapolis . ' al-shabaab militants also are said to have killed alabama native omar hammami , who joined the group in 2006 and took a high-profile position in its media operations before his death last year . at least two americans fighting for al-shabaab died while conducting suicide attacks in somalia . shirwa ahmed , a 26-year-old from minnesota , became the first known american to conduct a suicide bombing for an al qaeda-associated group when he drove a car packed with bombs into a government compound on october 28 , 2008 . in 2011 , meanwhile , the fbi confirmed that farah mohamed beledi , a 27-year-old minnesota man who was born in somalia and moved to the united states at age 12 , was killed while attempting to detonate a suicide bomb in somalia . bergen : an american 's gateway to jihad in addition to the american militants who died in somalia , six were arrested , four when they returned to the west and two in east africa . kamal said hassan , a 28-year-old minneapolis man who traveled to somalia and attended an al-shabaab training camp before returning to the united states , was arrested and in 2009 pleaded guilty to supporting al-shabaab . in another case , mahamud said omar , an american resident who helped organize al-shabaab 's recruitment pipeline and visited a training camp , was arrested in the netherlands in 2009 . omar was extradited to the united states and in 2012 was convicted on terrorism charges . of course , the fact that 13 of the 29 american militants who fought in somalia remain at large is a reminder that the cia and fbi also need to pay attention to the potential threat posed by american foreign fighters in syria . but this is no reason for u.s. officials to overhype the threat posed by isis to the united states . yes , americans should always be mindful of the threats posed by extremists . but as the case of u.s. citizens in somalia suggests , syria could very well end up being a graveyard for americans fighting there rather than a launch pad for attacks on the united states . | two-thirds of americans say isis major threat ' to u.s . |
franklin d. roosevelt <tsp> ( cnn ) i was a copygirl in my fourth month at the chicago daily news , my second assigned to the city desk . it had become my custom at 4 o'clock , when the city desk secretary left for the day , to move over to her spot to help answer the phones as the beat reporters called in to check out for the day . it was so quiet that afternoon -- 70 years ago , on thursday , april 12 , 1945 -- the city editor and assistant city editor had felt comfortable leaving their desks . the second city editor , guy housley , was to my left . to my right , perhaps 6 feet away , the telegraph editor , george dodge . at 4:50 , the old-fashioned upright candlestick ' telephone on his desk rang -- the direct line the associated press used to alert editors to major news events . he answered , replaced the bell-like receiver on its hook and said to everyone in general and no one in particular , roosevelt is dead . ' the silence of shock . until dodge jumped up so quickly , his swivel chair crashed into the glass-fronted bookcase behind him -- a symphonic orchestra cymbals sound -- and ran to what was called the tube room , with its row of associated press teletype machines . housley said , clear the decks for action . ' the words had barely cleared his lips when city editor clem lane half-ran back into the city room . hal o'flaherty , director of the daily news foreign service , was only a step or two behind . the door of the managing editor 's office that opened into the city room flew open , and managing editor everett norlander joined them around the copy desk , where dodge was editing the bulletin . lane wheeled toward the rewrite desk . cleveland ! get downstairs . get the reaction . ' the main entrance to the chicago daily news building also served as the main entrance to the northwestern railroad terminal , with its commuter trains to the north shore communities . a veritable sea of lemmings would be coming up that marble incline for the next hour . not that charlie cleveland could linger . the daily news , an afternoon newspaper , was strictly limited in the hours it could publish . only an hour or so remained for extras . i knew clips would be needed and ran to the library , the old morgue . ' they 'd heard and had a splay of white envelopes on president franklin d. roosevelt -- big and bulging -- spread out . they had one , as i recall -- a small one -- on harry s. truman . i grabbed it and ran back down the corridor . bob lewin , who usually handled labor stories , had been told to do something on the new president . ' he opened the truman envelope , spread out the newspaper clippings and reached for one of the books ' in a wire basket within easy reach of reporters and rewritemen : five sheets of copy paper stapled together , with four sheets of carbon paper between . to be rolled into typewriters and have the necessary copies : the top one for the editor , a carbon copy for the reporter 's reference and three others for distribution to various editors or news desks lewin 's eyes moved over the clippings , evaluating , rejecting , selecting , deciding what to use . at last , he started typing . because of the time pressure , the story would be done in short takes ' : two , maybe three paragraphs at a time . he wrote : ' the new president -- the 33d in the history of the united states -- is harry s. truman . he was automatically elevated to the presidency on the death of president roosevelt . truman will be 61 on may 8 . ' lewin ripped the book out of the typewriter roller . i left him the bottom page for reference and rushed the top page to lane . back by lewin , i read over his shoulder : ' born in lamar , mo. , truman 's political rise was spectacular . he was relatively little known outside of his home state when he was elected to the u.s. senate in 1934 . he had the backing of the late tom boss ' prendergast , of the kansas city machine . this time , lewin gave me a nod . i pulled out the book , the typewriter roller ratcheting protest . after two more takes , lane said , okay , that 's it . ' cleveland was back . the cricket-like click click click of typewriter keys at the rewrite desk drew me , and i stood by to take his story to lane : ' word of president roosevelt 's death struck chicago late this afternoon with numbing suddenness . within a few minutes after the bulletins came to the daily news , the office switchboards were swamped with calls for verification . so great were the number of calls , that the lines became clogged and many queries could not be handled . many of the callers spoke as if disbelieving the report -- as if it were some wildly spread rumor . the same kind of uncertainty was noticed in the faces of the crowds thronging homeward . word passed from one to another : ''did you hear that ? roosevelt is dead ? is it true'? ' cleveland 's story delivered , i returned to the city desk to help with the calls . many , as he had mentioned , from people wanting to know whether it was true but some from reporters and beat men who 'd been heading home , reporting the reaction where they were . a copyboy rushed around the room , dropping off copies of the first extra -- the simple news in a 76-point-type headline : roosevelt dead statements began coming in from local officials and civic leaders , a few phoned in but most from the city news bureau , which served the chicago newspapers with local news as the wire services did with national news . i sorted through the multiple copies , separating them into ever-growing stacks . the second extra was dropped off . roosevelt dead with the subhead : dies at 63 of hemorrhage in georgia the last extra had a three-column photo of roosevelt , edged in black , a two-column of truman and a story on the president 's death and funeral plans . as the editors talked , i heard one ask , what kind of president do you think he 'll make ? ' and o'flaherty , director of the daily news foreign service , said , if there 's anything to the american system , the man will rise to the office . ' i 've thought of that through the years as truman has risen in the opinion of presidential historians . the atom bomb . the marshall plan . the berlin airlift . the truman doctrine . recognition of the state of israel . desegregation of the armed services . ordering u.s. forces to oppose the invading forces when north korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded south korea , then organizing a united nations army . firing douglas macarthur . i continued to sort the statements from officials . lane asked me to take one set down to lloyd lewis . the chief editorial writer had a corner office at the far end of the long office corridor . i found him sitting in the dark , looking out the window at the chicago skyline . sensing my presence , he said , i wonder what the world will be like without him . ' i do n't know , sir . ' in the dusk , the quiet , i suspect he did n't expect an answer , but i thought about franklin delano roosevelt , who served in the white house for an unprecedented 12 years . he 's the only president i can remember . ' he turned , saw me in the doorway , a teenager in penny loafers , a cardigan sweater and a pleated plaid skirt , and said with a nod , of course . ' i gave him the statements and updated him on the latest news . the funeral train will bring his body up from georgia ... to washington , i mean . ' the next morning , i turned to the editorial page to see what he 'd written . lewis took his cue from roosevelt 's address to a joint session of the congress following his trip to yalta . the headline : ' it has been a long journey . i trust you will agree it has been a fruitful one . ' note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly quoted fdr 's age in the chicago daily news subhead . he was 63 . | president franklin d. roosevelt died suddenly 70 years ago april 12 in warm springs , georgia |
georgia <tsp> ( cnn ) i was a copygirl in my fourth month at the chicago daily news , my second assigned to the city desk . it had become my custom at 4 o'clock , when the city desk secretary left for the day , to move over to her spot to help answer the phones as the beat reporters called in to check out for the day . it was so quiet that afternoon -- 70 years ago , on thursday , april 12 , 1945 -- the city editor and assistant city editor had felt comfortable leaving their desks . the second city editor , guy housley , was to my left . to my right , perhaps 6 feet away , the telegraph editor , george dodge . at 4:50 , the old-fashioned upright candlestick ' telephone on his desk rang -- the direct line the associated press used to alert editors to major news events . he answered , replaced the bell-like receiver on its hook and said to everyone in general and no one in particular , roosevelt is dead . ' the silence of shock . until dodge jumped up so quickly , his swivel chair crashed into the glass-fronted bookcase behind him -- a symphonic orchestra cymbals sound -- and ran to what was called the tube room , with its row of associated press teletype machines . housley said , clear the decks for action . ' the words had barely cleared his lips when city editor clem lane half-ran back into the city room . hal o'flaherty , director of the daily news foreign service , was only a step or two behind . the door of the managing editor 's office that opened into the city room flew open , and managing editor everett norlander joined them around the copy desk , where dodge was editing the bulletin . lane wheeled toward the rewrite desk . cleveland ! get downstairs . get the reaction . ' the main entrance to the chicago daily news building also served as the main entrance to the northwestern railroad terminal , with its commuter trains to the north shore communities . a veritable sea of lemmings would be coming up that marble incline for the next hour . not that charlie cleveland could linger . the daily news , an afternoon newspaper , was strictly limited in the hours it could publish . only an hour or so remained for extras . i knew clips would be needed and ran to the library , the old morgue . ' they 'd heard and had a splay of white envelopes on president franklin d. roosevelt -- big and bulging -- spread out . they had one , as i recall -- a small one -- on harry s. truman . i grabbed it and ran back down the corridor . bob lewin , who usually handled labor stories , had been told to do something on the new president . ' he opened the truman envelope , spread out the newspaper clippings and reached for one of the books ' in a wire basket within easy reach of reporters and rewritemen : five sheets of copy paper stapled together , with four sheets of carbon paper between . to be rolled into typewriters and have the necessary copies : the top one for the editor , a carbon copy for the reporter 's reference and three others for distribution to various editors or news desks lewin 's eyes moved over the clippings , evaluating , rejecting , selecting , deciding what to use . at last , he started typing . because of the time pressure , the story would be done in short takes ' : two , maybe three paragraphs at a time . he wrote : ' the new president -- the 33d in the history of the united states -- is harry s. truman . he was automatically elevated to the presidency on the death of president roosevelt . truman will be 61 on may 8 . ' lewin ripped the book out of the typewriter roller . i left him the bottom page for reference and rushed the top page to lane . back by lewin , i read over his shoulder : ' born in lamar , mo. , truman 's political rise was spectacular . he was relatively little known outside of his home state when he was elected to the u.s. senate in 1934 . he had the backing of the late tom boss ' prendergast , of the kansas city machine . this time , lewin gave me a nod . i pulled out the book , the typewriter roller ratcheting protest . after two more takes , lane said , okay , that 's it . ' cleveland was back . the cricket-like click click click of typewriter keys at the rewrite desk drew me , and i stood by to take his story to lane : ' word of president roosevelt 's death struck chicago late this afternoon with numbing suddenness . within a few minutes after the bulletins came to the daily news , the office switchboards were swamped with calls for verification . so great were the number of calls , that the lines became clogged and many queries could not be handled . many of the callers spoke as if disbelieving the report -- as if it were some wildly spread rumor . the same kind of uncertainty was noticed in the faces of the crowds thronging homeward . word passed from one to another : ''did you hear that ? roosevelt is dead ? is it true'? ' cleveland 's story delivered , i returned to the city desk to help with the calls . many , as he had mentioned , from people wanting to know whether it was true but some from reporters and beat men who 'd been heading home , reporting the reaction where they were . a copyboy rushed around the room , dropping off copies of the first extra -- the simple news in a 76-point-type headline : roosevelt dead statements began coming in from local officials and civic leaders , a few phoned in but most from the city news bureau , which served the chicago newspapers with local news as the wire services did with national news . i sorted through the multiple copies , separating them into ever-growing stacks . the second extra was dropped off . roosevelt dead with the subhead : dies at 63 of hemorrhage in georgia the last extra had a three-column photo of roosevelt , edged in black , a two-column of truman and a story on the president 's death and funeral plans . as the editors talked , i heard one ask , what kind of president do you think he 'll make ? ' and o'flaherty , director of the daily news foreign service , said , if there 's anything to the american system , the man will rise to the office . ' i 've thought of that through the years as truman has risen in the opinion of presidential historians . the atom bomb . the marshall plan . the berlin airlift . the truman doctrine . recognition of the state of israel . desegregation of the armed services . ordering u.s. forces to oppose the invading forces when north korea crossed the 38th parallel and invaded south korea , then organizing a united nations army . firing douglas macarthur . i continued to sort the statements from officials . lane asked me to take one set down to lloyd lewis . the chief editorial writer had a corner office at the far end of the long office corridor . i found him sitting in the dark , looking out the window at the chicago skyline . sensing my presence , he said , i wonder what the world will be like without him . ' i do n't know , sir . ' in the dusk , the quiet , i suspect he did n't expect an answer , but i thought about franklin delano roosevelt , who served in the white house for an unprecedented 12 years . he 's the only president i can remember . ' he turned , saw me in the doorway , a teenager in penny loafers , a cardigan sweater and a pleated plaid skirt , and said with a nod , of course . ' i gave him the statements and updated him on the latest news . the funeral train will bring his body up from georgia ... to washington , i mean . ' the next morning , i turned to the editorial page to see what he 'd written . lewis took his cue from roosevelt 's address to a joint session of the congress following his trip to yalta . the headline : ' it has been a long journey . i trust you will agree it has been a fruitful one . ' note : an earlier version of this article incorrectly quoted fdr 's age in the chicago daily news subhead . he was 63 . | president franklin d. roosevelt died suddenly 70 years ago april 12 in warm springs , georgia |
wildcat <tsp> lima , peru ( cnn ) -- wildcat miners in southeast peru called off a week-old protest thursday , a day after three people were killed in clashes with police . leaders called off demonstrations and agreed to meet with peruvian officials monday , peru 's state-run andina news agency reported . we are open to discussions ... and we will search for a solution , ' union leader luis otzuka said , according to andina . miners in the country 's madre de dios region have been demonstrating ahead of the enforcement of several decrees aimed at cracking down on illegal mining . the protesters tried to take over an airport , a bridge and a market wednesday . police pushed them back with tear gas and warning shots from their rifles . protesters rained rocks on the riot police . the government blamed the protesters'actions for igniting the clashes that led to the deaths of carlos lanci yumbato , 46 ; julio ticona medina , 31 ; and francisco areque jipa , 35 . according to the government , another 38 civilians and 17 police officers were injured . at least 60 people were arrested . the government of peru rejects the acts of violence by the illegal miners in madre de dios and asks the regional authorities and the general public to support the work of the police to re-establish order and peace in that jurisdiction , ' the government said in a statement . president ollanta humala 's cabinet chief , oscar valdes , said thursday that the government remains firm on its intention to regulate the informal mining sector . there are thousands of wildcat miners in peru . the new decrees would impose sentences of as much as 10 years for operating illegal mines . other informal mines must meet certain environmental standards or be abandoned . valdes said the issue is important because illegal mining has negative consequences such as child slavery , deforestation , drug trafficking and mistreatment of workers . the new decrees also have the support of union leaders in the formal mining sector . the president of the general confederation of peruvian workers , carmela siguentes , said that formalizing the illegal miners would guarantee their right to a fair wage and provide an escape from exploitation by mafias . ' but the protesters say that the new decrees will deny them their right to work . journalist maria elena belaunde contributed to this report . | wildcat miners say the new decrees will deny them the right to work |
china <tsp> ( cnn ) -- china 's president hu jintao called tuesday for a prosperous and harmonious ' xinjiang province during his first visit to the country 's western uyghur region since last month 's deadly riots , state-run media reported . president hu jintao said xinjiang 's development will be better and faster . ' the key to our work in xinjiang is to properly handle development and stability , ' said hu . hu , calling for reform , development , ethnic unity and stability in the region , expressed gratitude to the armed forces , militia and police for their work in quelling the july 5 ethnic riots in urumqi , the capital of china 's remote northwestern xinjiang autonomous region , xinhua news agency said . the riots were between uyghurs , who are predominantly muslim , and ethnic han chinese , the majority group in china . reports of deaths range from around 200 to many more . hu , who is also general secretary of the communist party of china central committee and chairman of the central military commission , said xinjiang must focus on economic development , maintaining social stability , and promoting ethnic unity and common prosperity . during a tour that began saturday and ended tuesday , hu visited villages , farms , communities , factories and barracks in the largely uyghur area of aksu ; changji , a land port between china and central asian nations ; karamay , an oil base ; shihezi , the headquarters of the xinjiang production and construction corps ; and the regional capital of urumqi . hu met with military personnel , hospital workers , local officials and religious leaders and with the widow of a policeman who was killed july 5 by rioters in urumqi . he promised her family members government help if they should need it . hu told villagers and herders that ethnic minorities would be supported through more efficient measures . ' in the future , xinjiang 's development will be better and faster , ' he said , according to state-run cctv . the improvement of people 's lives will be even more remarkable ; let 's work together to create an even better future . ' he said the central government attaches great importance to the well-being of ethnic groups ' and called the riots a serious criminal act masterminded by separatist forces at home and abroad . ' hu added that all separatist forces are doomed to failure , and said the central government would support social and ethnic development , cctv reported . reports on monday from state-run china daily said that more than 200 people charged in connection with the riots could be tried this week . problems in the region began in late june , after two uyghur migrant workers at a toy factory in guangdong province were killed in a brawl between uyghurs and han . uyghurs protested in urumqi , hundreds of miles from the toy factory . uyghurs and han reportedly attacked each other . | china 's state media says over 200 people charged over riots could be tried this week |
bates <tsp> ( cnn ) the tulsa county reserve deputy who fatally shot a man instead of using his taser turned himself in to authorities tuesday at the tulsa county jail . video shows reserve deputy robert bates announcing he is going to deploy his taser after an undercover weapons sting on april 2 but then shooting eric courtney harris in the back with a handgun . bates was charged with second-degree manslaughter monday . he surrendered tuesday morning , accompanied by his attorney , clark brewster , and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . as he exited the jailhouse , bates paused in front of television cameras for a moment but did not speak . his attorney reiterated that he believes the charge against his client is unwarranted . the tulsa county sheriff 's office says a sting operation caught harris illegally selling a gun . harris ran when officers came in for the arrest . authorities say bates thought he pulled out his taser but inadvertently ' fired his gun . harris'brother , andre harris , told cnn that he is pleased district attorney steve kunzweiler pressed charges . in his opinion , however , no type of force should have been used in the arrest of his brother . watching the video of the shooting , andre harris said he can see that three or more officers were already on top of his brother . that manpower should have been enough to arrest him , he said . it was a situation where i did n't necessarily think that a taser should even be used , ' andre harris said . scott wood , another bates'attorney , has said the shooting was an excusable homicide . ' investigators'efforts to defend bates and the other deputies involved in the arrest have sparked a mounting chorus of criticism online . harris'relatives are demanding an independent investigation of what they call unjustified brutality . they 're also questioning why the 73-year-old bates -- the ceo of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserve deputy -- was on the scene in such a sensitive and high-risk sting operation . daniel smolen , an attorney representing the harris family , said bates paid big money to play a cop in his spare time . bates , who was a police officer for a year in the 1960s , had been a reserve deputy since 2008 , with 300 hours of training and 1,100 hours of community policing experience , according to the sheriff 's office . he was also a frequent contributor to the tulsa county sheriff 's office , including $ 2,500 to the re-election of sheriff stanley glanz . the sheriff 's office has said that bates had law enforcement certification , but smolen said he has not seen any field training records . we 're holding up all right at this point , ' andre harris said . we 're putting our faith in god that justice will be served , and we can get some closure in this situation . ' how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? in a statement released tuesday , eric harris'family members said they know there are many good deputies working in tulsa county . however , the treatment of eric of april 2 clearly shows that there is a deep-seated problem within the tcso , ' the statement said . the family said that the sheriff has not apologized and that the department has not shown remorse or indication it will change its policies . cnn 's jason morris and ed lavandera contributed to this report . | reserve deputy robert bates surrenders to authorities , posts bail of $ 25,000 |
bates <tsp> ( cnn ) the tulsa county reserve deputy who fatally shot a man instead of using his taser turned himself in to authorities tuesday at the tulsa county jail . video shows reserve deputy robert bates announcing he is going to deploy his taser after an undercover weapons sting on april 2 but then shooting eric courtney harris in the back with a handgun . bates was charged with second-degree manslaughter monday . he surrendered tuesday morning , accompanied by his attorney , clark brewster , and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . as he exited the jailhouse , bates paused in front of television cameras for a moment but did not speak . his attorney reiterated that he believes the charge against his client is unwarranted . the tulsa county sheriff 's office says a sting operation caught harris illegally selling a gun . harris ran when officers came in for the arrest . authorities say bates thought he pulled out his taser but inadvertently ' fired his gun . harris'brother , andre harris , told cnn that he is pleased district attorney steve kunzweiler pressed charges . in his opinion , however , no type of force should have been used in the arrest of his brother . watching the video of the shooting , andre harris said he can see that three or more officers were already on top of his brother . that manpower should have been enough to arrest him , he said . it was a situation where i did n't necessarily think that a taser should even be used , ' andre harris said . scott wood , another bates'attorney , has said the shooting was an excusable homicide . ' investigators'efforts to defend bates and the other deputies involved in the arrest have sparked a mounting chorus of criticism online . harris'relatives are demanding an independent investigation of what they call unjustified brutality . they 're also questioning why the 73-year-old bates -- the ceo of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserve deputy -- was on the scene in such a sensitive and high-risk sting operation . daniel smolen , an attorney representing the harris family , said bates paid big money to play a cop in his spare time . bates , who was a police officer for a year in the 1960s , had been a reserve deputy since 2008 , with 300 hours of training and 1,100 hours of community policing experience , according to the sheriff 's office . he was also a frequent contributor to the tulsa county sheriff 's office , including $ 2,500 to the re-election of sheriff stanley glanz . the sheriff 's office has said that bates had law enforcement certification , but smolen said he has not seen any field training records . we 're holding up all right at this point , ' andre harris said . we 're putting our faith in god that justice will be served , and we can get some closure in this situation . ' how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? in a statement released tuesday , eric harris'family members said they know there are many good deputies working in tulsa county . however , the treatment of eric of april 2 clearly shows that there is a deep-seated problem within the tcso , ' the statement said . the family said that the sheriff has not apologized and that the department has not shown remorse or indication it will change its policies . cnn 's jason morris and ed lavandera contributed to this report . | bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of eric harris |
eric harris <tsp> ( cnn ) the tulsa county reserve deputy who fatally shot a man instead of using his taser turned himself in to authorities tuesday at the tulsa county jail . video shows reserve deputy robert bates announcing he is going to deploy his taser after an undercover weapons sting on april 2 but then shooting eric courtney harris in the back with a handgun . bates was charged with second-degree manslaughter monday . he surrendered tuesday morning , accompanied by his attorney , clark brewster , and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . as he exited the jailhouse , bates paused in front of television cameras for a moment but did not speak . his attorney reiterated that he believes the charge against his client is unwarranted . the tulsa county sheriff 's office says a sting operation caught harris illegally selling a gun . harris ran when officers came in for the arrest . authorities say bates thought he pulled out his taser but inadvertently ' fired his gun . harris'brother , andre harris , told cnn that he is pleased district attorney steve kunzweiler pressed charges . in his opinion , however , no type of force should have been used in the arrest of his brother . watching the video of the shooting , andre harris said he can see that three or more officers were already on top of his brother . that manpower should have been enough to arrest him , he said . it was a situation where i did n't necessarily think that a taser should even be used , ' andre harris said . scott wood , another bates'attorney , has said the shooting was an excusable homicide . ' investigators'efforts to defend bates and the other deputies involved in the arrest have sparked a mounting chorus of criticism online . harris'relatives are demanding an independent investigation of what they call unjustified brutality . they 're also questioning why the 73-year-old bates -- the ceo of an insurance company who volunteers as a certified reserve deputy -- was on the scene in such a sensitive and high-risk sting operation . daniel smolen , an attorney representing the harris family , said bates paid big money to play a cop in his spare time . bates , who was a police officer for a year in the 1960s , had been a reserve deputy since 2008 , with 300 hours of training and 1,100 hours of community policing experience , according to the sheriff 's office . he was also a frequent contributor to the tulsa county sheriff 's office , including $ 2,500 to the re-election of sheriff stanley glanz . the sheriff 's office has said that bates had law enforcement certification , but smolen said he has not seen any field training records . we 're holding up all right at this point , ' andre harris said . we 're putting our faith in god that justice will be served , and we can get some closure in this situation . ' how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? in a statement released tuesday , eric harris'family members said they know there are many good deputies working in tulsa county . however , the treatment of eric of april 2 clearly shows that there is a deep-seated problem within the tcso , ' the statement said . the family said that the sheriff has not apologized and that the department has not shown remorse or indication it will change its policies . cnn 's jason morris and ed lavandera contributed to this report . | bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter in the killing of eric harris |
rakhine <tsp> next month , u.s. president barack obama will become the first sitting american president to visit myanmar , the strongest endorsement yet of the country 's efforts to tread a path to democracy . much has changed in a year since u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton made a historic visit to the country in december 2011 . cnn was also invited to enter myanmar , also known as burma , for the first time in years . with an official journalist visa stamped in our passport , we and other media invited for clinton 's visit , knew this was a big change for a country that has repelled any kind of scrutiny for half a century . q & a : what 's behind sectarian violence in myanmar ? obama 's visit will come at a time when myanmar is in the news again but not for the right reasons . violence between rohingya muslims and local buddhists continues in rakhine state in the west of the country . the united nations says at least 89 people have been killed in the past two weeks and 110,000 are displaced . some aid organizations are questioning whether now is the right time for obama to add legitimacy to the government of president thein sein . but there 's no denying a lot has changed in the past year and a half . read more : aung san suu kyi has soft spot ' for the military generals so far , a quasi-civilian government has been sworn in , although the military still holds great sway . hundreds of political prisoners have been released , ceasefires have been signed between the government and some but not all ethnic groups . political and economic reform is well underway . another change that did n't make headlines but has been clear to us during numerous trips over that 12-month period is the attitude of the burmese people . last year , very few people would speak to us on camera or in some cases even off-camera for fear of retribution . decades of brutal military rule turned freedom of speech into a luxury most could not afford . aung san suu kyi : peaceful freedom fighter but just four months later , during a bi-election in which the freed opposition leader aung san suu kyi and her party won almost all seats , caution was thrown to the wind and celebrations were passionate and unrestrained . thousands of jubilant suu kyi supporters spilled into the street , holding posters of the woman who had spent much of the past two decades under house arrest -- these were scenes which just a couple of years earlier would have ended in arrest and imprisonment . u myint maung , a man from yangon , had a simple explanation of the election . the people were living in prison . aung san suu kyi held the key to open the door , ' he said . we , as journalists , were welcomed and thanked on the streets as if the fact we were there documenting these changes meant they could never be reversed . read more : myanmar eases restrictions on news organizations but not one person we spoke to over many months said their lives had physically improved . they were more hopeful and believed democracy was now possible but they were still struggling to survive . daily life is hard for many burmese . a country that was one of the richest in asia 50 years ago is now one of the poorest . authorities are struggling to shore up institutions and update laws to protect people and resources from hungry international investors snapping at myanmar 's heels . the ethnic unrest in rahkine state has tested the efforts of president thein sein 's administration to seek reconciliation with myanmar 's different ethnic groups . there 's no doubt that some changes in myanmar have been swift and sein deserves the international praise he is receiving . but the transformation from pariah to ally is not complete and the skeptics among us worry it could yet stumble . | uncertainty remains for myanmar as ethnic violence continues in rakhine state |
jones <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- the actor who gave voice to pinocchio in walt disney 's 1940 animation movie , died at his home monday night , the los angeles county coroner 's office said tuesday . richard percy jones , known in film and television as dick jones , was 87 . the cause of death has not yet been determined , according to fred corral of the coroner 's office . a daughter found jones on a bathroom floor of his northridge , california , home , corral said . disney studios named jones a disney legend ' in 2000 in recognition of his work on the iconic film . at the time ,'pinocchio'was just a job , ' jones said at the time of induction . who knew it would turn out to be the classic that it is today ? i count my lucky stars that i had a part in it . ' in addition to voicing the script , jones also wore a puppet costume and acted out scenes to help disney animators draw the cartoon . born in mckinney , texas , on february 25 , 1927 , his acting career started when he was just 3 years old . cowboy film legend hoot gibson discovered the child while appearing in a rodeo in jones'hometown , according to his disney biography . hoot told my mother i ought to be in pictures and sponsored our trip to hollywood , ' jones said . jones acted in jimmy stewart 's mr. smith goes to washington ' and destry rides again ' during the same 19 months he was working on pinocchio , according to his bio . he was drafted into the u.s. army in 1944 , but returned to hollywood after the second world war . jones acted in errol flynn 's rocky mountain ' and several other movies before the start of his television acting career in 1949 . he used his skills as a horseman to work as a stuntman for gene autry 's flying a productions . jones played the sidekick in the range rider ' television series before getting his own western series , buffalo bill , jr. ' in the 1950s . his 200 tv appearances include guest star roles in gunsmoke , ' annie oakley ' and the lone ranger . ' when he left acting to start a career in real estate in 1959 , he had appeared in nearly 100 movies , according to disney . people we 've lost in 2014 | richard percy jones , known in film and tv as dick jones , was 87 |
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