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nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pulling ukraine closer than ever militarily to nato , the embattled nation 's president affirmed thursday his desire to combat russian aggression ' while expressing cautious optimism that peace , even if it 's temporary , could soon be in reach . ukrainian president petro poroshenko spoke from the nato summit in wales about new steps strengthening his country 's security partnership with the european-north american alliance following months of fighting against what he claims are russian-backed -- despite moscow 's denials -- rebels . this fighting has gone on for months in spite of rhetoric preaching peace from all sides and a host of diplomatic initiatives , the next of which is a meeting friday in belarus'capital that will include representatives from ukraine , the rebels and russia . as president of ukraine , ( i am ) ready to do my best to stop the war , ' poroshenko said . and ... i have , i can say , a careful optimism for tomorrow 's meeting ... in minsk because beforehand ( russian and rebel leaders said ) they are ready for an immediate ceasefire . ' standing alongside poroshenko , nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said that the best way forward would be to find a political solution . ' but he expressed reservations that moscow 's latest public comments on its desire for peace will be an different than its past ones , after which the violence has ratcheted up rather than slowing down . what counts is what is actually happening on the ground , ' said rasmussen , who accused russia of having thousands of troops inside ukraine who have fired on ukrainian military positions . previously , we have seen similar statements and initiatives . and they have actually just been smokescreens for continued russian destabilization . ' rebels : open to ceasefire with'a political settlement' rebel leaders in eastern ukraine 's donetsk and luhansk regions said in a joint statement thursday that they would be prepared to order a ceasefire as of 3 p.m. friday if agreements are achieved and ukrainian officials sign a plan for a political settlement of the conflict . ' these heads of the self-declared donetsk and luhansk people 's republics will take part in talks in belarus on friday , the statement said , when they will present their proposals on ensuring compliance with the plan . russian president vladimir putin recently presented a seven-point road map to end the conflict in eastern ukraine , though that plan was quickly dismissed by ukrainian prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk as a rescue plan for pro-moscow rebels . putin and other kremlin officials have voiced sympathy for separatists , many of whom are ethnic russians , while harshly criticizing the kiev-based government for what they say is a heavy-handed military assault that 's killed innocent civilians and contributed to a humanitarian crisis that 's affected many others . but they say they have n't sent russian troops into the war-torn region in eastern ukraine -- a claim that poroshenko , rasmussen and their allies are n't buying . the united states believes russia now has three to five battalion task groups ' conducting military operations inside ukraine , according to two u.s. military officials . each group can have as many as a thousand troops . many more russian troops control the border with ukraine for thousands of miles -- from rostov to donetsk , the u.s. officials say . nato offers funding , military assistance to ukraine the reported incursion into ukraine , and the threat that russian forces could move even deeper into the country and perhaps into neighboring ones , has caught the attention of many in the west . this is the first time since the end of world war ii that one european country has tried to grab another 's territory by force , ' said rasmussen . europe must not turn away from the rule of law to the rule of the strongest . ' to curb this push , nato is n't sending troops to the front lines in ukraine , but it is bolstering its partnership with the kiev government . that includes a focus on improving the ukrainian military 's cyber-defense , logistics and command and control capabilities , as well nearly $ 20 million in nato funding for ukraine on top of other monetary contributions from its member states , rasmussen said . furthermore , poroshenko said there 's a push to achieve full interoperability between ukraine and nato ' plus systemic reforms that could lead to ukraine some day formally joining the alliance . that would be significant because all nato forces are obliged , per the terms of the alliance , to come to the defense of any other nato member country that 's been invaded . a friend in need is a friend indeed , ' poroshenko said . and ( what nato countries have done so far ) was a very strong demonstration of solidarity with ukraine . ' president :'ukraine ... pays the highest price , every single day' while the sides offer divergent views about who is involved and who is to blame , there 's no doubt the violence -- for now , at least -- is in full swing . ukrainian national security and defense council spokesman andriy lysenko told reporters thursday that russia continues to fly reconnaissance drones over its territory and shell ukrainian military positions . in the town of debaltsevo , for instance , ukrainian troops are being shelled and are nearly surrounded , lysenko said from kiev . a cnn team in mariupol saw a large plume of smoke from artillery fire less than three miles from the main ukrainian checkpoint heading out of the southeastern port city toward the border town of novoazovsk , which kiev said last week was seized by russian troops . another cnn staffer with a ukrainian spotter unit about six miles east of mariupol witnessed sustained artillery bombardment of the area , with firing on a wide front and coming from the russian border area . this indicates that the rebel positions are now are much closer to the city than they were previously . poroshenko said ending the conflict -- which since mid-april has cost the lives of about 840 ukrainian troops , with over 3,000 more injured -- will require russia to pull back its troops from ukraine and from the border . ukraine ( is the ) object of the aggression , and we have have to do our best ( to ) immediately stop the aggression , ' the president said . why ? because it is exactly ukraine that pays the highest price , every single day . ' cnn 's nic robertson , diana magnay , tim lister , jason hanna and barbara starr , as well as journalist victoria butenko , contributed to this report . | ukraine is bolstering its military partnership with nato , poroshenko says |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pulling ukraine closer than ever militarily to nato , the embattled nation 's president affirmed thursday his desire to combat russian aggression ' while expressing cautious optimism that peace , even if it 's temporary , could soon be in reach . ukrainian president petro poroshenko spoke from the nato summit in wales about new steps strengthening his country 's security partnership with the european-north american alliance following months of fighting against what he claims are russian-backed -- despite moscow 's denials -- rebels . this fighting has gone on for months in spite of rhetoric preaching peace from all sides and a host of diplomatic initiatives , the next of which is a meeting friday in belarus'capital that will include representatives from ukraine , the rebels and russia . as president of ukraine , ( i am ) ready to do my best to stop the war , ' poroshenko said . and ... i have , i can say , a careful optimism for tomorrow 's meeting ... in minsk because beforehand ( russian and rebel leaders said ) they are ready for an immediate ceasefire . ' standing alongside poroshenko , nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said that the best way forward would be to find a political solution . ' but he expressed reservations that moscow 's latest public comments on its desire for peace will be an different than its past ones , after which the violence has ratcheted up rather than slowing down . what counts is what is actually happening on the ground , ' said rasmussen , who accused russia of having thousands of troops inside ukraine who have fired on ukrainian military positions . previously , we have seen similar statements and initiatives . and they have actually just been smokescreens for continued russian destabilization . ' rebels : open to ceasefire with'a political settlement' rebel leaders in eastern ukraine 's donetsk and luhansk regions said in a joint statement thursday that they would be prepared to order a ceasefire as of 3 p.m. friday if agreements are achieved and ukrainian officials sign a plan for a political settlement of the conflict . ' these heads of the self-declared donetsk and luhansk people 's republics will take part in talks in belarus on friday , the statement said , when they will present their proposals on ensuring compliance with the plan . russian president vladimir putin recently presented a seven-point road map to end the conflict in eastern ukraine , though that plan was quickly dismissed by ukrainian prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk as a rescue plan for pro-moscow rebels . putin and other kremlin officials have voiced sympathy for separatists , many of whom are ethnic russians , while harshly criticizing the kiev-based government for what they say is a heavy-handed military assault that 's killed innocent civilians and contributed to a humanitarian crisis that 's affected many others . but they say they have n't sent russian troops into the war-torn region in eastern ukraine -- a claim that poroshenko , rasmussen and their allies are n't buying . the united states believes russia now has three to five battalion task groups ' conducting military operations inside ukraine , according to two u.s. military officials . each group can have as many as a thousand troops . many more russian troops control the border with ukraine for thousands of miles -- from rostov to donetsk , the u.s. officials say . nato offers funding , military assistance to ukraine the reported incursion into ukraine , and the threat that russian forces could move even deeper into the country and perhaps into neighboring ones , has caught the attention of many in the west . this is the first time since the end of world war ii that one european country has tried to grab another 's territory by force , ' said rasmussen . europe must not turn away from the rule of law to the rule of the strongest . ' to curb this push , nato is n't sending troops to the front lines in ukraine , but it is bolstering its partnership with the kiev government . that includes a focus on improving the ukrainian military 's cyber-defense , logistics and command and control capabilities , as well nearly $ 20 million in nato funding for ukraine on top of other monetary contributions from its member states , rasmussen said . furthermore , poroshenko said there 's a push to achieve full interoperability between ukraine and nato ' plus systemic reforms that could lead to ukraine some day formally joining the alliance . that would be significant because all nato forces are obliged , per the terms of the alliance , to come to the defense of any other nato member country that 's been invaded . a friend in need is a friend indeed , ' poroshenko said . and ( what nato countries have done so far ) was a very strong demonstration of solidarity with ukraine . ' president :'ukraine ... pays the highest price , every single day' while the sides offer divergent views about who is involved and who is to blame , there 's no doubt the violence -- for now , at least -- is in full swing . ukrainian national security and defense council spokesman andriy lysenko told reporters thursday that russia continues to fly reconnaissance drones over its territory and shell ukrainian military positions . in the town of debaltsevo , for instance , ukrainian troops are being shelled and are nearly surrounded , lysenko said from kiev . a cnn team in mariupol saw a large plume of smoke from artillery fire less than three miles from the main ukrainian checkpoint heading out of the southeastern port city toward the border town of novoazovsk , which kiev said last week was seized by russian troops . another cnn staffer with a ukrainian spotter unit about six miles east of mariupol witnessed sustained artillery bombardment of the area , with firing on a wide front and coming from the russian border area . this indicates that the rebel positions are now are much closer to the city than they were previously . poroshenko said ending the conflict -- which since mid-april has cost the lives of about 840 ukrainian troops , with over 3,000 more injured -- will require russia to pull back its troops from ukraine and from the border . ukraine ( is the ) object of the aggression , and we have have to do our best ( to ) immediately stop the aggression , ' the president said . why ? because it is exactly ukraine that pays the highest price , every single day . ' cnn 's nic robertson , diana magnay , tim lister , jason hanna and barbara starr , as well as journalist victoria butenko , contributed to this report . | ukraine 's president meets with the heads of nato countries in wales |
nato <tsp> ( cnn ) -- pulling ukraine closer than ever militarily to nato , the embattled nation 's president affirmed thursday his desire to combat russian aggression ' while expressing cautious optimism that peace , even if it 's temporary , could soon be in reach . ukrainian president petro poroshenko spoke from the nato summit in wales about new steps strengthening his country 's security partnership with the european-north american alliance following months of fighting against what he claims are russian-backed -- despite moscow 's denials -- rebels . this fighting has gone on for months in spite of rhetoric preaching peace from all sides and a host of diplomatic initiatives , the next of which is a meeting friday in belarus'capital that will include representatives from ukraine , the rebels and russia . as president of ukraine , ( i am ) ready to do my best to stop the war , ' poroshenko said . and ... i have , i can say , a careful optimism for tomorrow 's meeting ... in minsk because beforehand ( russian and rebel leaders said ) they are ready for an immediate ceasefire . ' standing alongside poroshenko , nato secretary general anders fogh rasmussen said that the best way forward would be to find a political solution . ' but he expressed reservations that moscow 's latest public comments on its desire for peace will be an different than its past ones , after which the violence has ratcheted up rather than slowing down . what counts is what is actually happening on the ground , ' said rasmussen , who accused russia of having thousands of troops inside ukraine who have fired on ukrainian military positions . previously , we have seen similar statements and initiatives . and they have actually just been smokescreens for continued russian destabilization . ' rebels : open to ceasefire with'a political settlement' rebel leaders in eastern ukraine 's donetsk and luhansk regions said in a joint statement thursday that they would be prepared to order a ceasefire as of 3 p.m. friday if agreements are achieved and ukrainian officials sign a plan for a political settlement of the conflict . ' these heads of the self-declared donetsk and luhansk people 's republics will take part in talks in belarus on friday , the statement said , when they will present their proposals on ensuring compliance with the plan . russian president vladimir putin recently presented a seven-point road map to end the conflict in eastern ukraine , though that plan was quickly dismissed by ukrainian prime minister arseniy yatsenyuk as a rescue plan for pro-moscow rebels . putin and other kremlin officials have voiced sympathy for separatists , many of whom are ethnic russians , while harshly criticizing the kiev-based government for what they say is a heavy-handed military assault that 's killed innocent civilians and contributed to a humanitarian crisis that 's affected many others . but they say they have n't sent russian troops into the war-torn region in eastern ukraine -- a claim that poroshenko , rasmussen and their allies are n't buying . the united states believes russia now has three to five battalion task groups ' conducting military operations inside ukraine , according to two u.s. military officials . each group can have as many as a thousand troops . many more russian troops control the border with ukraine for thousands of miles -- from rostov to donetsk , the u.s. officials say . nato offers funding , military assistance to ukraine the reported incursion into ukraine , and the threat that russian forces could move even deeper into the country and perhaps into neighboring ones , has caught the attention of many in the west . this is the first time since the end of world war ii that one european country has tried to grab another 's territory by force , ' said rasmussen . europe must not turn away from the rule of law to the rule of the strongest . ' to curb this push , nato is n't sending troops to the front lines in ukraine , but it is bolstering its partnership with the kiev government . that includes a focus on improving the ukrainian military 's cyber-defense , logistics and command and control capabilities , as well nearly $ 20 million in nato funding for ukraine on top of other monetary contributions from its member states , rasmussen said . furthermore , poroshenko said there 's a push to achieve full interoperability between ukraine and nato ' plus systemic reforms that could lead to ukraine some day formally joining the alliance . that would be significant because all nato forces are obliged , per the terms of the alliance , to come to the defense of any other nato member country that 's been invaded . a friend in need is a friend indeed , ' poroshenko said . and ( what nato countries have done so far ) was a very strong demonstration of solidarity with ukraine . ' president :'ukraine ... pays the highest price , every single day' while the sides offer divergent views about who is involved and who is to blame , there 's no doubt the violence -- for now , at least -- is in full swing . ukrainian national security and defense council spokesman andriy lysenko told reporters thursday that russia continues to fly reconnaissance drones over its territory and shell ukrainian military positions . in the town of debaltsevo , for instance , ukrainian troops are being shelled and are nearly surrounded , lysenko said from kiev . a cnn team in mariupol saw a large plume of smoke from artillery fire less than three miles from the main ukrainian checkpoint heading out of the southeastern port city toward the border town of novoazovsk , which kiev said last week was seized by russian troops . another cnn staffer with a ukrainian spotter unit about six miles east of mariupol witnessed sustained artillery bombardment of the area , with firing on a wide front and coming from the russian border area . this indicates that the rebel positions are now are much closer to the city than they were previously . poroshenko said ending the conflict -- which since mid-april has cost the lives of about 840 ukrainian troops , with over 3,000 more injured -- will require russia to pull back its troops from ukraine and from the border . ukraine ( is the ) object of the aggression , and we have have to do our best ( to ) immediately stop the aggression , ' the president said . why ? because it is exactly ukraine that pays the highest price , every single day . ' cnn 's nic robertson , diana magnay , tim lister , jason hanna and barbara starr , as well as journalist victoria butenko , contributed to this report . | nato 's chief cautions that earlier moscow 's remarks on peace went nowhere |
dhs <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- as it nears the 10th anniversary of the terrible events that led to its creation , the department of homeland security is getting a report card of sorts . and the grade , to few people 's surprise : incomplete . in a massive 221-page report , the government accountability office -- the investigative arm of congress -- says dhs has made significant strides in protecting the nation , but has yet to reach its full potential . ' cnn obtained a draft of the report , which is to be the subject of a senate hearing on wednesday . the gao report is largely a compilation of previous gao reports , and gives no new recommendations . but for homeland security buffs , it is a virtual catalogue of the work that has been accomplished since the department was formed in 2003 , and the work that remains to be done . the gao said the department has addressed about half of the 1,500 recommendations it has made over the years , and is working on other recommendations , but has left some untouched . formed from 22 different agencies , the department of homeland security is now the third-largest department in the federal government . it has more than 200,000 employees and an annual budget that has grown from about $ 39 billion in fiscal year 2004 to about $ 55 billion this year . readers of the report will find a wealth of information about the department 's accomplishments , and of woeful lapses , all organized in 10 areas of responsibility , such as aviation security , ' border security , ' and emergency preparedness . ' in a written response to the report , the dhs accentuated the positive . america is a stronger , safer and more resilient country because of the work dhs and its many partners do every day , ' wrote dhs 's jim crumpacker . crumpacker wrote the gao report neglects to mention some dhs accomplishments , such as improvements to terror watch lists and implementation of the western hemisphere travel initiative , which requires documents from border crossers . the following is a summary of key areas in the report : aviation security the report says dhs has enhanced aviation security by improving the pre-screening of passengers , checkpoint screening , baggage checking and airport security . the transportation security administration currently has about 54,800 people , and a $ 7.7 billion annual budget . but the gao said it is unclear whether full-body imagers would have detected the so-called underwear bomb , ' which failed to ignite on christmas day of 2009 when passengers intervened . dhs also has not validated the science behind behavior detection officers . and it does not yet have a way to ensure that air cargo screening is being conducted at reported levels . border security the report says dhs has deployed more than 600 miles of infrastructure , such as fencing , along the border , and implemented a program to verify the identities of foreign visitors to the u.s . but dhs has not implemented a program to track when visitors exit the country , nor has it fully followed up on plans to improve visa security . maritime security the report says dhs improved port security by tightening access to ports , conducting advanced screening of foreign seafarers entering u.s. ports and developing a security credential for truckers and other entering ports . it also developed a strategy for cargo container security . but the gao noted that during covert tests , investigators were able to enter ports using counterfeit credentials or authentic credentials obtained fraudulently . and the u.s. has trouble tracking smaller , noncommercial vessels , it says . further , dhs has not yet developed a plan to fully implement a requirement that 100 percent of u.s.-bound container cargo be scanned by 2012 . immigration enforcement the report says dhs increased resources to investigate people who overstay their visas , and alien smuggling operations , and improved e-verify , a computer tool that allows employers to verify a person 's authorization to work in the united states . it also expanded efforts to remove criminal aliens in jails and prisons from the united states . but key weaknesses remain in dhs 's efforts , the report says . while dhs field offices had closed about 34,700 overstay investigations during the past six years , the cases resulted in about 8,100 arrests , a small portion of the estimated overstay population of 4 million to 5.5 million . | dhs says report fails to mention some accomplishments |
dhs <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- as it nears the 10th anniversary of the terrible events that led to its creation , the department of homeland security is getting a report card of sorts . and the grade , to few people 's surprise : incomplete . in a massive 221-page report , the government accountability office -- the investigative arm of congress -- says dhs has made significant strides in protecting the nation , but has yet to reach its full potential . ' cnn obtained a draft of the report , which is to be the subject of a senate hearing on wednesday . the gao report is largely a compilation of previous gao reports , and gives no new recommendations . but for homeland security buffs , it is a virtual catalogue of the work that has been accomplished since the department was formed in 2003 , and the work that remains to be done . the gao said the department has addressed about half of the 1,500 recommendations it has made over the years , and is working on other recommendations , but has left some untouched . formed from 22 different agencies , the department of homeland security is now the third-largest department in the federal government . it has more than 200,000 employees and an annual budget that has grown from about $ 39 billion in fiscal year 2004 to about $ 55 billion this year . readers of the report will find a wealth of information about the department 's accomplishments , and of woeful lapses , all organized in 10 areas of responsibility , such as aviation security , ' border security , ' and emergency preparedness . ' in a written response to the report , the dhs accentuated the positive . america is a stronger , safer and more resilient country because of the work dhs and its many partners do every day , ' wrote dhs 's jim crumpacker . crumpacker wrote the gao report neglects to mention some dhs accomplishments , such as improvements to terror watch lists and implementation of the western hemisphere travel initiative , which requires documents from border crossers . the following is a summary of key areas in the report : aviation security the report says dhs has enhanced aviation security by improving the pre-screening of passengers , checkpoint screening , baggage checking and airport security . the transportation security administration currently has about 54,800 people , and a $ 7.7 billion annual budget . but the gao said it is unclear whether full-body imagers would have detected the so-called underwear bomb , ' which failed to ignite on christmas day of 2009 when passengers intervened . dhs also has not validated the science behind behavior detection officers . and it does not yet have a way to ensure that air cargo screening is being conducted at reported levels . border security the report says dhs has deployed more than 600 miles of infrastructure , such as fencing , along the border , and implemented a program to verify the identities of foreign visitors to the u.s . but dhs has not implemented a program to track when visitors exit the country , nor has it fully followed up on plans to improve visa security . maritime security the report says dhs improved port security by tightening access to ports , conducting advanced screening of foreign seafarers entering u.s. ports and developing a security credential for truckers and other entering ports . it also developed a strategy for cargo container security . but the gao noted that during covert tests , investigators were able to enter ports using counterfeit credentials or authentic credentials obtained fraudulently . and the u.s. has trouble tracking smaller , noncommercial vessels , it says . further , dhs has not yet developed a plan to fully implement a requirement that 100 percent of u.s.-bound container cargo be scanned by 2012 . immigration enforcement the report says dhs increased resources to investigate people who overstay their visas , and alien smuggling operations , and improved e-verify , a computer tool that allows employers to verify a person 's authorization to work in the united states . it also expanded efforts to remove criminal aliens in jails and prisons from the united states . but key weaknesses remain in dhs 's efforts , the report says . while dhs field offices had closed about 34,700 overstay investigations during the past six years , the cases resulted in about 8,100 arrests , a small portion of the estimated overstay population of 4 million to 5.5 million . | government accountability office report : dhs has yet to reach its full potential ' |
tyler posey <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- first lady michelle obama does n't approve : do n't you hate when trailers give away the whole movie ? ' she says , sitting on the couch with two staffers while chomping on a carrot . ca n't we just watch'frozen'again ? ' instead she watched parts of a horror flick on the degradation of american 's health as junk-food eating and soda-drinking teens turn into sick zombies after gorging themselves with sugary foods and drinks . yes , it 's a joke . it 's a new video on the comedy website funny or die . the first lady 's brief appearance in snackpocalpyse , ' a spoof thriller with actors chloã « grace moretz and tyler posey in a post-apocalyptic modern-day high school where junk food kills the students , falls in line with her focus on healthy eating and her let 's move ! campaign . but do n't worry . as in most hollywood films , things work out in the end . heroine moretz attempts to save the world with her healthy eating . we are n't sure , however , if obama gets to watch frozen . president barack obama was the first obama to appear on the comedy website in an episode of between two ferns ' during the rollout of the health care law . it was credited as introducing a host of young people to the health care law . obesity rates drop for 2- to 5-year-olds | chloã « grace moretz and tyler posey also appear in the video |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. john mccain on monday called for a $ 300 million prize to whoever can develop a battery that will leapfrog ' the abilities of current hybrid and electric cars . sen. john mccain wants someone to develop a battery that can leapfrog ' those available in current electric cars . citing high oil prices , the republican presidential candidate said he wants his offer to deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs . ' [ the prize would amount to ] $ 1 for every man , woman and child in the u.s. -- a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency , ' mccain said during a town hall-style meeting at california 's fresno state university . mccain said the new automobile battery should have the size , capacity , cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars . ' watch more on mccain 's $ 300 million reward » ' in the quest for alternatives to oil , our government has thrown around enough money subsidizing special interests and excusing failure , ' mccain said . from now on , we will encourage heroic efforts in engineering , and we will reward the greatest success . ' mccain also called monday for a clean car challenge ' for u.s. automakers , hoping to spur them to develop and sell vehicles with no carbon emissions . the challenge would allow $ 5,000 tax credits to buyers of such cars , making those vehicles more appealing to consumers and thus easier to sell . we 're going to see technology for electric-powered cars that are going to be [ made cheaper ] with our incentives , ' mccain said . mccain also spoke against policies that he said prevent consumers from benefiting ' from ethanol not made from corn . he cited the u.s. subsidies for corn-based ethanol and tariffs on sugar cane-based ethanol from brazil . instead of playing favorites , our government should level the playing field for all alcohol fuels that break the monopoly of gasoline , both lowering gasoline prices and carbon emissions , ' he said . mccain 's remarks came a day after his democratic rival , sen. barack obama , called for greater oversight for energy traders . obama 's campaign said many economists believe speculation could be adding between $ 20 and $ 50 to the price of a barrel of oil ; the price per barrel closed near $ 135 on friday . on monday , the illinois democrat turned to the subject of working women , criticizing mccain for opposing a bill that would have made it easier for people to sue over pay discrimination . watch obama court working women » the bill , dubbed the fair pay restoration act , would have rolled back a 2007 supreme court ruling that a person who claims pay discrimination must file a complaint within 180 days of that discrimination taking place . senate republicans blocked the bill , which obama co-sponsored , in april . obama , in a speech to women at the flying star cafe in albuquerque , new mexico , said mccain thinks the supreme court got it right . ' he opposed the fair pay restoration act , ' obama said . he suggested that the reason women do n't have equal pay is n't discrimination on the job -- it 's because they need more education and training . that 's just wrong . ' obama said that in the united states , women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men . obama claimed that mccain said the fair pay restoration act would have opened us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems . ' but i ca n't think of any problem more important than making sure that women are getting a square deal on the job . it 's a matter of equality . it 's a matter of fairness , ' obama said . i 'll continue to stand up for equal pay as president . sen. mccain wo n't , and that 's a real difference in this election . ' meanwhile , monthly campaign finance reports filed in june show the candidates are nearly level in the amount of money they have available to spend before their parties'conventions . according to a report filed with the federal election commission , obama had $ 43.1 million in the bank at the start of june . however , $ 9.8 million of that amount is designated for the general election , meaning only the remaining $ 33.3 million may be spent before the conventions . mccain , according to his report filed with the fec , began june with about $ 31.4 million available to spend before the conventions . mccain had only $ 123,000 set aside for the general election . however , since indicating he will accept public financing for the general election , he has returned nearly all of the money he has raised for it . obama said last week he would not accept public financing . republicans and outside analysts have said obama found he could raise more money than public financing would allow him to spend . the democratic convention is scheduled for august 25-28 in denver , colorado . the gop convention is set for september 1-4 in minneapolis and st. paul , minnesota . | new : sen. barack obama criticizes mccain over pay discrimination bill |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. john mccain on monday called for a $ 300 million prize to whoever can develop a battery that will leapfrog ' the abilities of current hybrid and electric cars . sen. john mccain wants someone to develop a battery that can leapfrog ' those available in current electric cars . citing high oil prices , the republican presidential candidate said he wants his offer to deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs . ' [ the prize would amount to ] $ 1 for every man , woman and child in the u.s. -- a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency , ' mccain said during a town hall-style meeting at california 's fresno state university . mccain said the new automobile battery should have the size , capacity , cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars . ' watch more on mccain 's $ 300 million reward » ' in the quest for alternatives to oil , our government has thrown around enough money subsidizing special interests and excusing failure , ' mccain said . from now on , we will encourage heroic efforts in engineering , and we will reward the greatest success . ' mccain also called monday for a clean car challenge ' for u.s. automakers , hoping to spur them to develop and sell vehicles with no carbon emissions . the challenge would allow $ 5,000 tax credits to buyers of such cars , making those vehicles more appealing to consumers and thus easier to sell . we 're going to see technology for electric-powered cars that are going to be [ made cheaper ] with our incentives , ' mccain said . mccain also spoke against policies that he said prevent consumers from benefiting ' from ethanol not made from corn . he cited the u.s. subsidies for corn-based ethanol and tariffs on sugar cane-based ethanol from brazil . instead of playing favorites , our government should level the playing field for all alcohol fuels that break the monopoly of gasoline , both lowering gasoline prices and carbon emissions , ' he said . mccain 's remarks came a day after his democratic rival , sen. barack obama , called for greater oversight for energy traders . obama 's campaign said many economists believe speculation could be adding between $ 20 and $ 50 to the price of a barrel of oil ; the price per barrel closed near $ 135 on friday . on monday , the illinois democrat turned to the subject of working women , criticizing mccain for opposing a bill that would have made it easier for people to sue over pay discrimination . watch obama court working women » the bill , dubbed the fair pay restoration act , would have rolled back a 2007 supreme court ruling that a person who claims pay discrimination must file a complaint within 180 days of that discrimination taking place . senate republicans blocked the bill , which obama co-sponsored , in april . obama , in a speech to women at the flying star cafe in albuquerque , new mexico , said mccain thinks the supreme court got it right . ' he opposed the fair pay restoration act , ' obama said . he suggested that the reason women do n't have equal pay is n't discrimination on the job -- it 's because they need more education and training . that 's just wrong . ' obama said that in the united states , women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men . obama claimed that mccain said the fair pay restoration act would have opened us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems . ' but i ca n't think of any problem more important than making sure that women are getting a square deal on the job . it 's a matter of equality . it 's a matter of fairness , ' obama said . i 'll continue to stand up for equal pay as president . sen. mccain wo n't , and that 's a real difference in this election . ' meanwhile , monthly campaign finance reports filed in june show the candidates are nearly level in the amount of money they have available to spend before their parties'conventions . according to a report filed with the federal election commission , obama had $ 43.1 million in the bank at the start of june . however , $ 9.8 million of that amount is designated for the general election , meaning only the remaining $ 33.3 million may be spent before the conventions . mccain , according to his report filed with the fec , began june with about $ 31.4 million available to spend before the conventions . mccain had only $ 123,000 set aside for the general election . however , since indicating he will accept public financing for the general election , he has returned nearly all of the money he has raised for it . obama said last week he would not accept public financing . republicans and outside analysts have said obama found he could raise more money than public financing would allow him to spend . the democratic convention is scheduled for august 25-28 in denver , colorado . the gop convention is set for september 1-4 in minneapolis and st. paul , minnesota . | new : sen. john mccain : prize small price to pay ' to combat oil dependency |
mccain <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sen. john mccain on monday called for a $ 300 million prize to whoever can develop a battery that will leapfrog ' the abilities of current hybrid and electric cars . sen. john mccain wants someone to develop a battery that can leapfrog ' those available in current electric cars . citing high oil prices , the republican presidential candidate said he wants his offer to deliver a power source at 30 percent of the current costs . ' [ the prize would amount to ] $ 1 for every man , woman and child in the u.s. -- a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency , ' mccain said during a town hall-style meeting at california 's fresno state university . mccain said the new automobile battery should have the size , capacity , cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars . ' watch more on mccain 's $ 300 million reward » ' in the quest for alternatives to oil , our government has thrown around enough money subsidizing special interests and excusing failure , ' mccain said . from now on , we will encourage heroic efforts in engineering , and we will reward the greatest success . ' mccain also called monday for a clean car challenge ' for u.s. automakers , hoping to spur them to develop and sell vehicles with no carbon emissions . the challenge would allow $ 5,000 tax credits to buyers of such cars , making those vehicles more appealing to consumers and thus easier to sell . we 're going to see technology for electric-powered cars that are going to be [ made cheaper ] with our incentives , ' mccain said . mccain also spoke against policies that he said prevent consumers from benefiting ' from ethanol not made from corn . he cited the u.s. subsidies for corn-based ethanol and tariffs on sugar cane-based ethanol from brazil . instead of playing favorites , our government should level the playing field for all alcohol fuels that break the monopoly of gasoline , both lowering gasoline prices and carbon emissions , ' he said . mccain 's remarks came a day after his democratic rival , sen. barack obama , called for greater oversight for energy traders . obama 's campaign said many economists believe speculation could be adding between $ 20 and $ 50 to the price of a barrel of oil ; the price per barrel closed near $ 135 on friday . on monday , the illinois democrat turned to the subject of working women , criticizing mccain for opposing a bill that would have made it easier for people to sue over pay discrimination . watch obama court working women » the bill , dubbed the fair pay restoration act , would have rolled back a 2007 supreme court ruling that a person who claims pay discrimination must file a complaint within 180 days of that discrimination taking place . senate republicans blocked the bill , which obama co-sponsored , in april . obama , in a speech to women at the flying star cafe in albuquerque , new mexico , said mccain thinks the supreme court got it right . ' he opposed the fair pay restoration act , ' obama said . he suggested that the reason women do n't have equal pay is n't discrimination on the job -- it 's because they need more education and training . that 's just wrong . ' obama said that in the united states , women earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men . obama claimed that mccain said the fair pay restoration act would have opened us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems . ' but i ca n't think of any problem more important than making sure that women are getting a square deal on the job . it 's a matter of equality . it 's a matter of fairness , ' obama said . i 'll continue to stand up for equal pay as president . sen. mccain wo n't , and that 's a real difference in this election . ' meanwhile , monthly campaign finance reports filed in june show the candidates are nearly level in the amount of money they have available to spend before their parties'conventions . according to a report filed with the federal election commission , obama had $ 43.1 million in the bank at the start of june . however , $ 9.8 million of that amount is designated for the general election , meaning only the remaining $ 33.3 million may be spent before the conventions . mccain , according to his report filed with the fec , began june with about $ 31.4 million available to spend before the conventions . mccain had only $ 123,000 set aside for the general election . however , since indicating he will accept public financing for the general election , he has returned nearly all of the money he has raised for it . obama said last week he would not accept public financing . republicans and outside analysts have said obama found he could raise more money than public financing would allow him to spend . the democratic convention is scheduled for august 25-28 in denver , colorado . the gop convention is set for september 1-4 in minneapolis and st. paul , minnesota . | mccain wants battery to surpass those of commercially available hybrids |
king abdullah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- saudi king abdullah has pardoned a rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison in a case that sparked international attention , a saudi newspaper has reported . the case cast light on the treatment of women under saudi arabia 's strict islamic law . al-jazirah newspaper quoted a saudi justice ministry official saying king abdullah issued a royal pardon monday -- the same day that the hajj , the annual muslim pilgrimage to mecca , begins in saudi arabia . the victim 's husband told cnn he has not received an official letter regarding her pardon , but considers it to be legitimate since it was announced in an official saudi newspaper . he thanked king abdullah for the pardon , saying : this fatherly care and noble gesture will help ( in ) lifting the emotional and psychological stress and suffering that our family has been enduring . ' this is not something new because we know that the king was always generous in dealing with his people and the entire world , ' the husband said . this week , we have two holidays to celebrate ; the eid and this great news of the pardon . ' saudi sources told cnn that the king 's pardon was not related to the beginning of the hajj nor the eid al-adha festival that follows , which is normally when the saudi monarch issues amnesty for prisoners . watch how arab media is reporting the story . » saudi arabia 's justice minister abdullah bin mohammad al-sheikh told al-jazirah newspaper that the king felt the pardon would be in the best interests of the saudi people , and the decision did not reflect any lack of confidence in the saudi justice system . the white house welcomed king abdullah 's decision , but national security council spokesman gordon johndroe stressed that this is obviously a matter for the saudi arabians and king abdullah . ' a saudi court ruled the 19-year-old had an illegitimate relationship ' with a man who was not her husband , and that she was raped after she and the man were discovered in a compromising situation , her clothes on the ground . ' the rape took place in qatif in march 2006 when the woman was engaged to be married . the case has drawn international attention , provoked outrage in the west and cast light on the treatment of women under strict islamic law in saudi arabia . the woman was meeting with a man -- described by the woman 's attorney as a former friend from whom she was retrieving a photograph -- when they both were abducted last march . seven men , convicted of abducting the pair and raping her , were sentenced from two to nine years in prison . abdul rahman al-lahim , the lawyer who represented the woman , faced a disciplinary hearing for insulting the supreme judicial council and disobeying the rules and regulations ' of the judiciary . the hearing has been postponed . the woman 's husband has been outspoken in his support for his wife . he called a lebanese tv show to defend her , when a former saudi judge claimed on the program that she spoil ( ed ) their marital bed ' by meeting an unrelated male in secret ' and admitted her guilt . al-lahim has said he hopes the case changes the saudi justice system . we want to highlight the rape crimes in saudi arabia and the way they are handled and sentenced in court , ' he added . this is a new era for all of us . ' he said that the rape case had elicited a fierce response , including calls for his beheading . u.s. president george w. bush said last week that king abdullah knows our position loud and clear ' on the case . under saudi law , women are subject to numerous restrictions , including a strict dress code , a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man 's permission to travel or have surgery . e-mail to a friend cnn 's mohammed jamjoom , saad abedine and isha sesay contributed to this report | report : king abdullah pardons rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes |
eid al-adha <tsp> ( cnn ) -- saudi king abdullah has pardoned a rape victim who had been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison in a case that sparked international attention , a saudi newspaper has reported . the case cast light on the treatment of women under saudi arabia 's strict islamic law . al-jazirah newspaper quoted a saudi justice ministry official saying king abdullah issued a royal pardon monday -- the same day that the hajj , the annual muslim pilgrimage to mecca , begins in saudi arabia . the victim 's husband told cnn he has not received an official letter regarding her pardon , but considers it to be legitimate since it was announced in an official saudi newspaper . he thanked king abdullah for the pardon , saying : this fatherly care and noble gesture will help ( in ) lifting the emotional and psychological stress and suffering that our family has been enduring . ' this is not something new because we know that the king was always generous in dealing with his people and the entire world , ' the husband said . this week , we have two holidays to celebrate ; the eid and this great news of the pardon . ' saudi sources told cnn that the king 's pardon was not related to the beginning of the hajj nor the eid al-adha festival that follows , which is normally when the saudi monarch issues amnesty for prisoners . watch how arab media is reporting the story . » saudi arabia 's justice minister abdullah bin mohammad al-sheikh told al-jazirah newspaper that the king felt the pardon would be in the best interests of the saudi people , and the decision did not reflect any lack of confidence in the saudi justice system . the white house welcomed king abdullah 's decision , but national security council spokesman gordon johndroe stressed that this is obviously a matter for the saudi arabians and king abdullah . ' a saudi court ruled the 19-year-old had an illegitimate relationship ' with a man who was not her husband , and that she was raped after she and the man were discovered in a compromising situation , her clothes on the ground . ' the rape took place in qatif in march 2006 when the woman was engaged to be married . the case has drawn international attention , provoked outrage in the west and cast light on the treatment of women under strict islamic law in saudi arabia . the woman was meeting with a man -- described by the woman 's attorney as a former friend from whom she was retrieving a photograph -- when they both were abducted last march . seven men , convicted of abducting the pair and raping her , were sentenced from two to nine years in prison . abdul rahman al-lahim , the lawyer who represented the woman , faced a disciplinary hearing for insulting the supreme judicial council and disobeying the rules and regulations ' of the judiciary . the hearing has been postponed . the woman 's husband has been outspoken in his support for his wife . he called a lebanese tv show to defend her , when a former saudi judge claimed on the program that she spoil ( ed ) their marital bed ' by meeting an unrelated male in secret ' and admitted her guilt . al-lahim has said he hopes the case changes the saudi justice system . we want to highlight the rape crimes in saudi arabia and the way they are handled and sentenced in court , ' he added . this is a new era for all of us . ' he said that the rape case had elicited a fierce response , including calls for his beheading . u.s. president george w. bush said last week that king abdullah knows our position loud and clear ' on the case . under saudi law , women are subject to numerous restrictions , including a strict dress code , a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man 's permission to travel or have surgery . e-mail to a friend cnn 's mohammed jamjoom , saad abedine and isha sesay contributed to this report | new : sources say pardon unrelated to hajj nor subsequent eid al-adha |
instagram <tsp> instagram is easing users into ads with a first look at what the paid posts will look like . the photo-sharing service said the ads will begin appearing in users'feeds in the coming week and showed examples of what ads will look like in a blog post . instagram first warned users of the impending ads three weeks ago . this is the first time ads have appeared in instagram feeds . the ads will look almost exactly like regular instagram posts , but in the top right corner a blue arrow icon and the word sponsored ' will replace the old time-stamp . click on the more button in the bottom right corner and there will be additional options to hide an ad or give feedback on why you did n't like it . the service is taking great pains to make initial ads attractive and in-line with the sepia- and sunset-soaked instagram brand . it 's handpicking the early advertisers , choosing big names that already have instagram accounts including levi 's , ben & jerry 's , general electric and paypal . well-funded brands will likely spring for high quality , original photos that blend in better with a regular feed of photos from friends . if your friends are iffy photographers , the ads might stand out for being a bit prettier than you 're used to . it 's a much more cautious approach than instagram 's parent company facebook took with its early ads . the notoriously low-budget ads on the social network have been known to shill everything from discount clogs and dating services to big brands like verizon and virgin america with dinky stock photography or logos . instagram and facebook already know a great deal about what you like and what ads you 'll be most interested in seeing . the service is going to use data from your instagram and facebook habits -- like your friends , likes and interests -- to help it choose what ads to show . it will also use your feedback on ads over time to flesh out your ad-dossier . all instagram users will eventually see ads , even if they do n't have a facebook account . if you 're on instagram , there is no way to avoid them for now , though the rollout will be limited to users in the united states at first . instagram will also only show ads to people 18 and older ( anyone over 13 can open an instagram account ) . | instagram showed mock-ups of what its first ads will look like |
instagram <tsp> instagram is easing users into ads with a first look at what the paid posts will look like . the photo-sharing service said the ads will begin appearing in users'feeds in the coming week and showed examples of what ads will look like in a blog post . instagram first warned users of the impending ads three weeks ago . this is the first time ads have appeared in instagram feeds . the ads will look almost exactly like regular instagram posts , but in the top right corner a blue arrow icon and the word sponsored ' will replace the old time-stamp . click on the more button in the bottom right corner and there will be additional options to hide an ad or give feedback on why you did n't like it . the service is taking great pains to make initial ads attractive and in-line with the sepia- and sunset-soaked instagram brand . it 's handpicking the early advertisers , choosing big names that already have instagram accounts including levi 's , ben & jerry 's , general electric and paypal . well-funded brands will likely spring for high quality , original photos that blend in better with a regular feed of photos from friends . if your friends are iffy photographers , the ads might stand out for being a bit prettier than you 're used to . it 's a much more cautious approach than instagram 's parent company facebook took with its early ads . the notoriously low-budget ads on the social network have been known to shill everything from discount clogs and dating services to big brands like verizon and virgin america with dinky stock photography or logos . instagram and facebook already know a great deal about what you like and what ads you 'll be most interested in seeing . the service is going to use data from your instagram and facebook habits -- like your friends , likes and interests -- to help it choose what ads to show . it will also use your feedback on ads over time to flesh out your ad-dossier . all instagram users will eventually see ads , even if they do n't have a facebook account . if you 're on instagram , there is no way to avoid them for now , though the rollout will be limited to users in the united states at first . instagram will also only show ads to people 18 and older ( anyone over 13 can open an instagram account ) . | the paid posts will be formatted just like regular instagram posts but labeled as sponsored |
pan-american games <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 63-year-old bearded fireplug of a man erupted in tears , pulled a white handkerchief from his back pocket , carefully unfolded it and pressed it into his eyes , pulled it away , pressed it again to his eyes , this time with more force , pulled it away again just long enough to take a sip of water , then rubbed them again . lula da silva gets a kiss from bid committee president carlos arthur nuzman after the announcement friday . i 've never won a gift before , ' brazilian president luiz inacio lula da silva told reporters . the first gift i ever had in my life i had to buy . it was an old bike with a broken belt and i had to fix it . today , people who do n't even know me gave me the greatest gift that a president could have : to host the olympic games in rio de janeiro . rio deserves this because rio is a city that has suffered . ' for lula da silva , friday 's announcement in copenhagen , denmark , that rio de janeiro will host the 31st olympiad in 2016 signified a major achievement not only for his hemisphere ( no city in south america has ever before hosted the games ) but for him -- a former autoworker and union organizer who defied dizzying odds to become president . lula da silva was born to a peasant family in one of northeastern brazil 's most impoverished areas and migrated as a young man to a city near são paulo , where he worked as a metalworker , losing his left pinky finger in the process . in the 1970s , he became a union leader , said luiz valente , chairman of the department of portuguese and brazilian studies at brown university in providence , rhode island . during the years of military rule from 1964 until 1985 , the government cracked down on unions . but lula da silva acquired a reputation as a public figure by leading a successful strike in são paulo , valente told cnn in a telephone interview . he was able to negotiate a favorable contract for his union but , from a political standpoint , he demonstrated that worker strikes were possible again in brazil , ' valente said . during the early 1980s , as the military rulers'grip on control loosened , lula da silva helped found the leftist workers'party . in the late 1980s , he ran for congress and won , but he chose not to run for re-election . instead , he set his sights on the top job , waging a losing presidential campaign in 1989 , the country 's first presidential election since 1960 . successive tries in 1993 and 1997 were unsuccessful , but in 2001 , he won and quickly surprised many observers . when he began , he was perceived as someone very much on the left , ' said valente . he was perceived as being a socialist . however , he has not governed as a socialist . instead , his economic policies were a continuation of the previous administration 's . ' in fact , brazil 's economic policy has been pretty much middle of the road , some people would say pretty conservative , ' said valente , who added that he has never voted for lula da silva . but lula da silva has worked to help the country 's poor , introducing populist measures intended to lower the incidence of poverty and making other moves , valente said . as a union leader during the military dictatorship , he learned how to negotiate with the so-called enemy , ' valente said . so lula is going to try to reach some kind of consensus , and he did . what he did was not a product of ideology but of a pragmatist attitude of the government of brazil . ' lula da silva 's moderate modus operandi has gained him popularity at home , where he has made no moves toward abolishing the term limits that preclude his running for a third term next year , valente said . that pragmatism has served him well on the international front , where he is on good terms with the leftist governments of venezuela , bolivia and ecuador as well as with the united states and the european union . lula knows how to play the game , ' valente said . like brazil 's president , rio did not succeed on its first try , having been rejected in an earlier bid -- which inspired planners to be meticulous , valente said . they were very well-prepared , ' he said . indeed , the city two years ago hosted the pan-american games , which officials looked on as a trial run for the olympics , he said . everything ran without a hitch , ' said valente . it was just a beautiful event . ' lula 's waterworks were no surprise to his countrymen , the professor said . he 's a very emotional guy and brazilians tend to be emotional . they 're certainly not ashamed of showing their emotions ... it 's not unusual for brazilian men to cry in situations like that . brazilians actually like to see men cry . they think it 's good to show your emotions . ' watch the reaction as rio de janeiro , brazil , is named host city for the 2016 olympics » ' he always cries when he talks of his mother , who never saw him become president , ' said fabiana frayssinet , cnn 's correspondent in rio de janeiro . he 's a man who cries , who gets mad . he 's an emotional man who says what he thinks whenever he wants . ' emotions were on display friday on copacabana beach in rio , where thousands of people flocked on the first sunny day after two weeks of rain and atypically cold weather . it was a mix of the end of a football championship with a ... carnival and all the brazilian festivals , ' frayssinet said . | rio 's hosting the pan-american games was seen as a trial run for the olympics |
sudanese <tsp> khartoum , sudan ( cnn ) -- a sudanese government delegation plans to leave peace talks with rebels from the country 's western darfur region friday , the country 's official news agency reported . the presidential advisor in charge of the talks for the government , however , said the departure does not mean the government is withdrawing from the talks , which have been taking place in doha , qatar . this does not mean that we are not willing to look over the final draft of the peace deal produced by these negotiators over the coming hours or days , ' the sudan news agency quoted the advisor , ghazi salaheldin , as saying . that can happen without the presence of the government delegation in doha . ' if a draft document emerges from the talks , it will be the foundation for a conference in darfur . we do not want peace to be blocked , ' salaheldin said , according to the sudan news agency . the sudanese president , omar al-bashir , said this week that his negotiators would leave if an agreement was not reached by thursday . al-bashir , who is wanted by the international criminal court for war crimes in the western darfur region , said he would not deal with rebels bearing arms after the talks ended in doha . these ( rebel ) movements are enjoying the negotiation process and their residency in foreign hotels while the people of darfur are suffering the flames of war , ' al-bashir said . we will not negotiate with anyone who carries a gun and claims to lead an armed group that represents the will of the people . ' the anti-government justice and equality movement , a rebel movement in darfur , called al-bashir 's statement a declaration of war . what the president said yesterday has blocked the way ahead on the road to a political solution , ' said a statement from ahmed hussein adam , a spokesman for the group . it is a declaration of war and a limiting of any future chance for peace . ' fighting erupted in darfur in 2003 between rebel groups and al-bashir 's arab-dominated government in khartoum . more than 300,000 people have been killed in this desolate region , where hopes for peace have gone up and down over the last few months . negotiators had previously set a december 31 deadline for agreement in the peace talks , which have so far not made much progress . the deadline was ahead of a key referendum on independence for southern sudan that begins january 9 . north and south , dominated by non-arab christians and animists , have fought one of africa 's longest-running civil wars . the darfur conflict is separate from the north-south divide , but independence for the south could help embolden rebels in darfur . | the sudanese government is leaving peace talks with rebels from darfur |
mexico <tsp> on his recent visit to mexico , president barack obama called on both our nations to let go of attitudes trapped in old stereotypes . ' sadly , a column written for cnn by ruben navarrette -- should the u.s. be more like mexico ? ' -- makes just the sort of sweeping generalizations about a diverse country of 110 million people that the u.s. president urged us to avoid . it might come as news to navarrette that the mexico of his grandparents , which still seems to inform his view of the country , is no longer an accurate description of a nation that , in 2013 , has a growing , sophisticated middle class and is a relevant and responsible actor in global affairs . because navarrette says americans should be fully informed on the matter , his misinformed and outdated characterization of mexican society deserves some correcting . with regard to immigration , mexico respects the sovereign right of the united states to determine its own immigration policy , and the american people and their political representatives will ultimately determine what course that policy takes in the united states . navarrette 's depiction of mexico 's immigration policy , however , is inaccurate and outdated . to my knowledge , no mexican official has ever expressed a desire for a porous northern border . moreover , in 2011 , mexico passed its own immigration reform focused on the decriminalization of immigration and providing protection for migrants , regardless of their migratory status . the legislation earned praise from the united nations and established a solid framework to assist in the protection of migrant rights while better aligning mexico 's domestic policy with international treaties on migration . those significant steps do not merit an easy dismissal with a rhetorical wave of the hand . they are meaningful changes that will affect lives . navarrette 's column goes on to paint mexicans as desperate to escape their home country , but the numbers tell a very different story . according to a 2012 report by the pew hispanic center , migration between the united states and mexico is at net zero . and a recent gallup survey found that only 11 % of mexicans would like to change their country of residence ; that number is identical to the 11 % of americans who say the same thing . by 2010 , around 40 % of mexico 's population had joined the ranks of the middle class , according to data from inegi , mexico 's national bureau of statistics . the characterization of mexico as a bifurcated country of rich and poor is less accurate than ever , and according to in-depth research from economist luis de la calle and writer luis rubio , authors of mexico : a middle class society , ' that trend is expected to continue . it is not something that has happened by accident . to say , as navarrette does , that mexico has no real economic policy beyond tourism ' is not to be paying attention . mexico 's fiscal discipline , which will include another balanced budget this year , has led to the steady macroeconomic growth that is directly responsible for lifting many mexicans into the middle class . our tourism industry , which also somehow appears to be worthy of navarrette 's disdain , does so well because mexico is heir to two of history 's greatest civilizations , and is a country of astounding natural beauty . the mexican government embraces those realities and so do the millions of visitors we welcome , who generated $ 11 billion in revenue last year . but the idea that mexico is content to rest on its tourism industry requires willful blindness to the transformations taking place in our nation . as a result of unprecedented agreements between the country 's main political parties , mexico has recently pushed through large-scale reforms to education , anti-trust laws and legal procedures , with energy reform still on the agenda . does that sound like a country with no real plan beyond tourism ? the administration does have a national development plan , although navarrette claims it does not exist . the tone of the column pits mexico and the united states in a sort of competition , deeming one of our countries superior ' to the other . for our part , we stand by the u.n. charter that affirms the sovereign equality of all its members . careless comments about superiority easily lend themselves to racism and xenophobia . thankfully , bilateral cooperation between our nations has long since moved beyond such thinking . twenty years after the implementation of nafta , mexico and the united states have become global partners . our relationship is not one of competition and rivalry but of synergy and complementarity . for example , the national bureau of economic research has estimated that nearly 40 % of mexican exports to the united states contain components manufactured in the u.s. mexico is also the second largest export market for u.s. goods . in fact , according to the woodrow wilson center 's mexico institute , some 6 million u.s. jobs depend on trade with mexico . our nations build things together to sell here and abroad , and business is booming . in 2011 , trade between our two countries reached $ 500 billion . but we share more than business and value-added chains -- we share geography and people . our people live together , work together and break bread together . given that 30 % of immigrants in the united states are of mexican origin and mexico is home to the largest community of american expatriates in the world , both our countries have a responsibility to ensure that we continue to grow together . mexico and its people are evolving , and both our countries are stronger for it . if i may invoke the words of president obama once more , it 's time to put old mindsets aside . ' | moutstatsos : u.s. , mexico trade booming ; nations share geography and people |
mexico <tsp> on his recent visit to mexico , president barack obama called on both our nations to let go of attitudes trapped in old stereotypes . ' sadly , a column written for cnn by ruben navarrette -- should the u.s. be more like mexico ? ' -- makes just the sort of sweeping generalizations about a diverse country of 110 million people that the u.s. president urged us to avoid . it might come as news to navarrette that the mexico of his grandparents , which still seems to inform his view of the country , is no longer an accurate description of a nation that , in 2013 , has a growing , sophisticated middle class and is a relevant and responsible actor in global affairs . because navarrette says americans should be fully informed on the matter , his misinformed and outdated characterization of mexican society deserves some correcting . with regard to immigration , mexico respects the sovereign right of the united states to determine its own immigration policy , and the american people and their political representatives will ultimately determine what course that policy takes in the united states . navarrette 's depiction of mexico 's immigration policy , however , is inaccurate and outdated . to my knowledge , no mexican official has ever expressed a desire for a porous northern border . moreover , in 2011 , mexico passed its own immigration reform focused on the decriminalization of immigration and providing protection for migrants , regardless of their migratory status . the legislation earned praise from the united nations and established a solid framework to assist in the protection of migrant rights while better aligning mexico 's domestic policy with international treaties on migration . those significant steps do not merit an easy dismissal with a rhetorical wave of the hand . they are meaningful changes that will affect lives . navarrette 's column goes on to paint mexicans as desperate to escape their home country , but the numbers tell a very different story . according to a 2012 report by the pew hispanic center , migration between the united states and mexico is at net zero . and a recent gallup survey found that only 11 % of mexicans would like to change their country of residence ; that number is identical to the 11 % of americans who say the same thing . by 2010 , around 40 % of mexico 's population had joined the ranks of the middle class , according to data from inegi , mexico 's national bureau of statistics . the characterization of mexico as a bifurcated country of rich and poor is less accurate than ever , and according to in-depth research from economist luis de la calle and writer luis rubio , authors of mexico : a middle class society , ' that trend is expected to continue . it is not something that has happened by accident . to say , as navarrette does , that mexico has no real economic policy beyond tourism ' is not to be paying attention . mexico 's fiscal discipline , which will include another balanced budget this year , has led to the steady macroeconomic growth that is directly responsible for lifting many mexicans into the middle class . our tourism industry , which also somehow appears to be worthy of navarrette 's disdain , does so well because mexico is heir to two of history 's greatest civilizations , and is a country of astounding natural beauty . the mexican government embraces those realities and so do the millions of visitors we welcome , who generated $ 11 billion in revenue last year . but the idea that mexico is content to rest on its tourism industry requires willful blindness to the transformations taking place in our nation . as a result of unprecedented agreements between the country 's main political parties , mexico has recently pushed through large-scale reforms to education , anti-trust laws and legal procedures , with energy reform still on the agenda . does that sound like a country with no real plan beyond tourism ? the administration does have a national development plan , although navarrette claims it does not exist . the tone of the column pits mexico and the united states in a sort of competition , deeming one of our countries superior ' to the other . for our part , we stand by the u.n. charter that affirms the sovereign equality of all its members . careless comments about superiority easily lend themselves to racism and xenophobia . thankfully , bilateral cooperation between our nations has long since moved beyond such thinking . twenty years after the implementation of nafta , mexico and the united states have become global partners . our relationship is not one of competition and rivalry but of synergy and complementarity . for example , the national bureau of economic research has estimated that nearly 40 % of mexican exports to the united states contain components manufactured in the u.s. mexico is also the second largest export market for u.s. goods . in fact , according to the woodrow wilson center 's mexico institute , some 6 million u.s. jobs depend on trade with mexico . our nations build things together to sell here and abroad , and business is booming . in 2011 , trade between our two countries reached $ 500 billion . but we share more than business and value-added chains -- we share geography and people . our people live together , work together and break bread together . given that 30 % of immigrants in the united states are of mexican origin and mexico is home to the largest community of american expatriates in the world , both our countries have a responsibility to ensure that we continue to grow together . mexico and its people are evolving , and both our countries are stronger for it . if i may invoke the words of president obama once more , it 's time to put old mindsets aside . ' | ariel moustatsos : ruben navarrette 's column full of misinformation about mexico |
mexico <tsp> on his recent visit to mexico , president barack obama called on both our nations to let go of attitudes trapped in old stereotypes . ' sadly , a column written for cnn by ruben navarrette -- should the u.s. be more like mexico ? ' -- makes just the sort of sweeping generalizations about a diverse country of 110 million people that the u.s. president urged us to avoid . it might come as news to navarrette that the mexico of his grandparents , which still seems to inform his view of the country , is no longer an accurate description of a nation that , in 2013 , has a growing , sophisticated middle class and is a relevant and responsible actor in global affairs . because navarrette says americans should be fully informed on the matter , his misinformed and outdated characterization of mexican society deserves some correcting . with regard to immigration , mexico respects the sovereign right of the united states to determine its own immigration policy , and the american people and their political representatives will ultimately determine what course that policy takes in the united states . navarrette 's depiction of mexico 's immigration policy , however , is inaccurate and outdated . to my knowledge , no mexican official has ever expressed a desire for a porous northern border . moreover , in 2011 , mexico passed its own immigration reform focused on the decriminalization of immigration and providing protection for migrants , regardless of their migratory status . the legislation earned praise from the united nations and established a solid framework to assist in the protection of migrant rights while better aligning mexico 's domestic policy with international treaties on migration . those significant steps do not merit an easy dismissal with a rhetorical wave of the hand . they are meaningful changes that will affect lives . navarrette 's column goes on to paint mexicans as desperate to escape their home country , but the numbers tell a very different story . according to a 2012 report by the pew hispanic center , migration between the united states and mexico is at net zero . and a recent gallup survey found that only 11 % of mexicans would like to change their country of residence ; that number is identical to the 11 % of americans who say the same thing . by 2010 , around 40 % of mexico 's population had joined the ranks of the middle class , according to data from inegi , mexico 's national bureau of statistics . the characterization of mexico as a bifurcated country of rich and poor is less accurate than ever , and according to in-depth research from economist luis de la calle and writer luis rubio , authors of mexico : a middle class society , ' that trend is expected to continue . it is not something that has happened by accident . to say , as navarrette does , that mexico has no real economic policy beyond tourism ' is not to be paying attention . mexico 's fiscal discipline , which will include another balanced budget this year , has led to the steady macroeconomic growth that is directly responsible for lifting many mexicans into the middle class . our tourism industry , which also somehow appears to be worthy of navarrette 's disdain , does so well because mexico is heir to two of history 's greatest civilizations , and is a country of astounding natural beauty . the mexican government embraces those realities and so do the millions of visitors we welcome , who generated $ 11 billion in revenue last year . but the idea that mexico is content to rest on its tourism industry requires willful blindness to the transformations taking place in our nation . as a result of unprecedented agreements between the country 's main political parties , mexico has recently pushed through large-scale reforms to education , anti-trust laws and legal procedures , with energy reform still on the agenda . does that sound like a country with no real plan beyond tourism ? the administration does have a national development plan , although navarrette claims it does not exist . the tone of the column pits mexico and the united states in a sort of competition , deeming one of our countries superior ' to the other . for our part , we stand by the u.n. charter that affirms the sovereign equality of all its members . careless comments about superiority easily lend themselves to racism and xenophobia . thankfully , bilateral cooperation between our nations has long since moved beyond such thinking . twenty years after the implementation of nafta , mexico and the united states have become global partners . our relationship is not one of competition and rivalry but of synergy and complementarity . for example , the national bureau of economic research has estimated that nearly 40 % of mexican exports to the united states contain components manufactured in the u.s. mexico is also the second largest export market for u.s. goods . in fact , according to the woodrow wilson center 's mexico institute , some 6 million u.s. jobs depend on trade with mexico . our nations build things together to sell here and abroad , and business is booming . in 2011 , trade between our two countries reached $ 500 billion . but we share more than business and value-added chains -- we share geography and people . our people live together , work together and break bread together . given that 30 % of immigrants in the united states are of mexican origin and mexico is home to the largest community of american expatriates in the world , both our countries have a responsibility to ensure that we continue to grow together . mexico and its people are evolving , and both our countries are stronger for it . if i may invoke the words of president obama once more , it 's time to put old mindsets aside . ' | mexico 's balanced budget and economic growth lifting many into middle class , he says |
mexico <tsp> on his recent visit to mexico , president barack obama called on both our nations to let go of attitudes trapped in old stereotypes . ' sadly , a column written for cnn by ruben navarrette -- should the u.s. be more like mexico ? ' -- makes just the sort of sweeping generalizations about a diverse country of 110 million people that the u.s. president urged us to avoid . it might come as news to navarrette that the mexico of his grandparents , which still seems to inform his view of the country , is no longer an accurate description of a nation that , in 2013 , has a growing , sophisticated middle class and is a relevant and responsible actor in global affairs . because navarrette says americans should be fully informed on the matter , his misinformed and outdated characterization of mexican society deserves some correcting . with regard to immigration , mexico respects the sovereign right of the united states to determine its own immigration policy , and the american people and their political representatives will ultimately determine what course that policy takes in the united states . navarrette 's depiction of mexico 's immigration policy , however , is inaccurate and outdated . to my knowledge , no mexican official has ever expressed a desire for a porous northern border . moreover , in 2011 , mexico passed its own immigration reform focused on the decriminalization of immigration and providing protection for migrants , regardless of their migratory status . the legislation earned praise from the united nations and established a solid framework to assist in the protection of migrant rights while better aligning mexico 's domestic policy with international treaties on migration . those significant steps do not merit an easy dismissal with a rhetorical wave of the hand . they are meaningful changes that will affect lives . navarrette 's column goes on to paint mexicans as desperate to escape their home country , but the numbers tell a very different story . according to a 2012 report by the pew hispanic center , migration between the united states and mexico is at net zero . and a recent gallup survey found that only 11 % of mexicans would like to change their country of residence ; that number is identical to the 11 % of americans who say the same thing . by 2010 , around 40 % of mexico 's population had joined the ranks of the middle class , according to data from inegi , mexico 's national bureau of statistics . the characterization of mexico as a bifurcated country of rich and poor is less accurate than ever , and according to in-depth research from economist luis de la calle and writer luis rubio , authors of mexico : a middle class society , ' that trend is expected to continue . it is not something that has happened by accident . to say , as navarrette does , that mexico has no real economic policy beyond tourism ' is not to be paying attention . mexico 's fiscal discipline , which will include another balanced budget this year , has led to the steady macroeconomic growth that is directly responsible for lifting many mexicans into the middle class . our tourism industry , which also somehow appears to be worthy of navarrette 's disdain , does so well because mexico is heir to two of history 's greatest civilizations , and is a country of astounding natural beauty . the mexican government embraces those realities and so do the millions of visitors we welcome , who generated $ 11 billion in revenue last year . but the idea that mexico is content to rest on its tourism industry requires willful blindness to the transformations taking place in our nation . as a result of unprecedented agreements between the country 's main political parties , mexico has recently pushed through large-scale reforms to education , anti-trust laws and legal procedures , with energy reform still on the agenda . does that sound like a country with no real plan beyond tourism ? the administration does have a national development plan , although navarrette claims it does not exist . the tone of the column pits mexico and the united states in a sort of competition , deeming one of our countries superior ' to the other . for our part , we stand by the u.n. charter that affirms the sovereign equality of all its members . careless comments about superiority easily lend themselves to racism and xenophobia . thankfully , bilateral cooperation between our nations has long since moved beyond such thinking . twenty years after the implementation of nafta , mexico and the united states have become global partners . our relationship is not one of competition and rivalry but of synergy and complementarity . for example , the national bureau of economic research has estimated that nearly 40 % of mexican exports to the united states contain components manufactured in the u.s. mexico is also the second largest export market for u.s. goods . in fact , according to the woodrow wilson center 's mexico institute , some 6 million u.s. jobs depend on trade with mexico . our nations build things together to sell here and abroad , and business is booming . in 2011 , trade between our two countries reached $ 500 billion . but we share more than business and value-added chains -- we share geography and people . our people live together , work together and break bread together . given that 30 % of immigrants in the united states are of mexican origin and mexico is home to the largest community of american expatriates in the world , both our countries have a responsibility to ensure that we continue to grow together . mexico and its people are evolving , and both our countries are stronger for it . if i may invoke the words of president obama once more , it 's time to put old mindsets aside . ' | fewer mexicans moving to u.s. , he says , and u.n. lauds mexico 's immigration reform |
sydney <tsp> ( cnn traveller ) -- natural beauty , outdoor living and fine dining -- wendy saunt crams one week 's activities into one memorable day . sydney 's opera house is recognized instantly the world over , but there are plenty of hidden gems to be found . 08.00 : chinese food for breakfast might seem like something you would only do with a hangover , but yum cha -- think chinese tapas on trolleys -- is a sydney tradition . head down to china town in haymarket and take your pick -- east ocean ( 421-429 sussex street ) is a favorite with sydneysiders . 09.00 : walk off your breakfast with some shopping . you will see many international designers and a plethora of great home-grown ones too , from sass & bide to collette dinnigan . sieve through the grand queen victoria building ( known as the qvb ) and david jones department store in town , then head east across hyde park -- stopping off at the art deco anzac war memorial -- towards oxford street , where there are some great boutiques . sydney is also a good place to buy opals and pearls . 11.30 : continue east to the chi-chi'old sydney'suburbs of paddington and woollahra , where you will find some of the city 's most beautiful architecture . here the wrought iron balconies and the palm trees of the victorian terrace houses lend the city a seductive , new orleans feel . stop for a coffee in one of the many fine coffee houses , then make your way up back up to oxford street and jump on the number 380 bus to bondi . 12.30 : for the best view of bondi -- the quintessentialsydney beach -- get off the bus as it comes down the hill . from here , it is a short walk to icebergs restaurant . from its vantage point on the coastal cliffs at the southern end -- overlooking the sweep of bondi beach , the raging surf , and the gleaming white of the outdoor pool -- icebergs is sydney at its best . tables at this renowned restaurant are hard to come by , so book ahead ( www.idrb.com ) . after lunch , do the bondi-to-coogee coastal walk , which traces three bays -- clovelly , tamarama and gordon 's ( a great snorkeling spot ) -- and affords cliff-top views before finishing up , an hour or so later , at coogee , a beach to the south . once there , take your weary self down to wylie 's baths , an outdoor sea water pool that has not changed since its inception in 1907 , and get an al fresco massage ( www.massagebythesea.com.au . from $ 25 ) . 16.00 : the best way to see the city -- which is laid out along the contours of a vast and beautiful natural harbor -- is from the air . depending on your budget , you can take in the views from sydney tower ( 100 market street , $ 24.50 ) , climb the harbor bridge ( www.bridgeclimb.com , from $ 179 ) , or charter a helicopter ( www.sydneyhelicopters.com.au , from $ 180 ) . if you want to see it from the'ground', charter a yacht and join the harbor 's fray ( www.eastsail.com.au , from $ 625 ) . 18.00 : after a quick change , head down to circular quay for sun downers at the opera bar . with the harbor bridge to your left and the grand old opera house to your right , it is easy to see why it is the place for evening drinks . house brut is a steal at aus $ 34 ( $ 32 ) ; the bucket-sized portions of fries a snip at aus $ 7 ( $ 6.50 ) . do not be late , though -- the view here at dusk is enough to make you want to stay in sydney forever . 19.00 : while in the vicinity , see what is on at the opera house -- there is a huge program , from world music to musicals too. ( www.sydneyoperahouse.com ) . if that is not your scene , it is still worth taking a tour of the iconic building -- the last one is at 5pm , though ( $ 32 ) . 21.00 : with sydney famed for its cuisine , dining options are not in short supply . billy kwong 's is one of the city 's foremost places , dishing up vast portions of fresh , light and ever-so-tasty chinese food in a tiny shanghai tearoom-style restaurant ( 355 crown street , surry hills ) . for a taste of modern australian , take a taxi to the bathers'pavilion , a seafood restaurant in the western suburb of balmoral ( 4 the esplanade , balmoral beach ) . finally , tetsuya 's -- with its famed $ 195 10-course degustation menu -- is ranked by restaurant magazine as the fourth best restaurant in the world ( 529 kent street , sydney ) . to sit at its hallowed tables , you need to book several months -- possibly even a year -- in advance . 11.00 : still standing ? then hit the late-night bars . the loft by the water ( 3 lime street , kings street wharf , sydney ) , arthouse hotel in the cbd ( 275 pitt street , sydney ) , ruby rabbit in city 's clubbing district ( 231 oxford street , darlinghurst ) and the tilbury in one of sydney 's smartest suburbs ( 12 nicholson street , woolloomooloo ) are all good choices . and if you are at the latter , finish off your night with a pie at harry 's cafe de wheels ( cowper wharf road ) -- another sydney institution . click here to subscribe to cnn traveller copyright © 2008 ink publishing and cable news network , lp , lllp , a time warner company . all rights reserved | chinese food for breakfast -- yum cha -- is a sydney tradition |
chinese <tsp> ( cnn traveller ) -- natural beauty , outdoor living and fine dining -- wendy saunt crams one week 's activities into one memorable day . sydney 's opera house is recognized instantly the world over , but there are plenty of hidden gems to be found . 08.00 : chinese food for breakfast might seem like something you would only do with a hangover , but yum cha -- think chinese tapas on trolleys -- is a sydney tradition . head down to china town in haymarket and take your pick -- east ocean ( 421-429 sussex street ) is a favorite with sydneysiders . 09.00 : walk off your breakfast with some shopping . you will see many international designers and a plethora of great home-grown ones too , from sass & bide to collette dinnigan . sieve through the grand queen victoria building ( known as the qvb ) and david jones department store in town , then head east across hyde park -- stopping off at the art deco anzac war memorial -- towards oxford street , where there are some great boutiques . sydney is also a good place to buy opals and pearls . 11.30 : continue east to the chi-chi'old sydney'suburbs of paddington and woollahra , where you will find some of the city 's most beautiful architecture . here the wrought iron balconies and the palm trees of the victorian terrace houses lend the city a seductive , new orleans feel . stop for a coffee in one of the many fine coffee houses , then make your way up back up to oxford street and jump on the number 380 bus to bondi . 12.30 : for the best view of bondi -- the quintessentialsydney beach -- get off the bus as it comes down the hill . from here , it is a short walk to icebergs restaurant . from its vantage point on the coastal cliffs at the southern end -- overlooking the sweep of bondi beach , the raging surf , and the gleaming white of the outdoor pool -- icebergs is sydney at its best . tables at this renowned restaurant are hard to come by , so book ahead ( www.idrb.com ) . after lunch , do the bondi-to-coogee coastal walk , which traces three bays -- clovelly , tamarama and gordon 's ( a great snorkeling spot ) -- and affords cliff-top views before finishing up , an hour or so later , at coogee , a beach to the south . once there , take your weary self down to wylie 's baths , an outdoor sea water pool that has not changed since its inception in 1907 , and get an al fresco massage ( www.massagebythesea.com.au . from $ 25 ) . 16.00 : the best way to see the city -- which is laid out along the contours of a vast and beautiful natural harbor -- is from the air . depending on your budget , you can take in the views from sydney tower ( 100 market street , $ 24.50 ) , climb the harbor bridge ( www.bridgeclimb.com , from $ 179 ) , or charter a helicopter ( www.sydneyhelicopters.com.au , from $ 180 ) . if you want to see it from the'ground', charter a yacht and join the harbor 's fray ( www.eastsail.com.au , from $ 625 ) . 18.00 : after a quick change , head down to circular quay for sun downers at the opera bar . with the harbor bridge to your left and the grand old opera house to your right , it is easy to see why it is the place for evening drinks . house brut is a steal at aus $ 34 ( $ 32 ) ; the bucket-sized portions of fries a snip at aus $ 7 ( $ 6.50 ) . do not be late , though -- the view here at dusk is enough to make you want to stay in sydney forever . 19.00 : while in the vicinity , see what is on at the opera house -- there is a huge program , from world music to musicals too. ( www.sydneyoperahouse.com ) . if that is not your scene , it is still worth taking a tour of the iconic building -- the last one is at 5pm , though ( $ 32 ) . 21.00 : with sydney famed for its cuisine , dining options are not in short supply . billy kwong 's is one of the city 's foremost places , dishing up vast portions of fresh , light and ever-so-tasty chinese food in a tiny shanghai tearoom-style restaurant ( 355 crown street , surry hills ) . for a taste of modern australian , take a taxi to the bathers'pavilion , a seafood restaurant in the western suburb of balmoral ( 4 the esplanade , balmoral beach ) . finally , tetsuya 's -- with its famed $ 195 10-course degustation menu -- is ranked by restaurant magazine as the fourth best restaurant in the world ( 529 kent street , sydney ) . to sit at its hallowed tables , you need to book several months -- possibly even a year -- in advance . 11.00 : still standing ? then hit the late-night bars . the loft by the water ( 3 lime street , kings street wharf , sydney ) , arthouse hotel in the cbd ( 275 pitt street , sydney ) , ruby rabbit in city 's clubbing district ( 231 oxford street , darlinghurst ) and the tilbury in one of sydney 's smartest suburbs ( 12 nicholson street , woolloomooloo ) are all good choices . and if you are at the latter , finish off your night with a pie at harry 's cafe de wheels ( cowper wharf road ) -- another sydney institution . click here to subscribe to cnn traveller copyright © 2008 ink publishing and cable news network , lp , lllp , a time warner company . all rights reserved | chinese food for breakfast -- yum cha -- is a sydney tradition |
iraq <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- herndon , virginia-based triple canopy has been awarded the security services contract in baghdad , a state department source told cnn tuesday . triple canopy is taking over the expiring iraq security contract of blackwater/xe , a source tells cnn . the order is effective tuesday , the source said , but triple canopy 's in-country performance ' wo n't begin until may 7 . triple canopy will take over the expiring contract of blackwater , which changed its name to xe last month . the state department decided in january not to renew blackwater/xe 's contract when it expires in may . that followed a refusal by the iraqi government to renew the firm 's operating license because of a september 2007 shooting incident in which the iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 iraqi civilians . as part of a contract to protect american diplomats and other employees around the world , the state department hired blackwater for a multiple-year assignment in iraq , renewable once a year . blackwater/xe , one of three security firms working for the united states in the country , had one of the biggest security contracts in iraq . triple canopy already has a state department contract in iraq . the new contract will increase its share of the security work there . dyncorp international also has a state department contract for work in iraq . losing the contract is considered a huge blow to blackwater/xe . while the company is privately held , the iraq contract has been estimated to make up one-third to one-half of its business . blackwater/xe has about two dozen aircraft in iraq , as well as 1,000 personnel . earlier this month , the company 's founder , eric prince , resigned as head of the company . five former blackwater security guards pleaded not guilty in january to charges of voluntary manslaughter and other serious crimes stemming from their involvement in the september 16 , 2007 , incident in a baghdad square . a sixth former security guard has pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter . blackwater says its employees were returning fire after they were attacked by armed insurgents , but an iraqi investigation concluded that the guards randomly fired at civilians without provocation . the iraqi government maintains 17 civilians were killed , although the indictment alleges 14 died . the company does not face any charges . but the baghdad incident exacerbated the feelings of many iraqis that private american security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for iraqi law or life . the indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-defense department contractors under the military extraterritorial jurisdiction act . the act was amended in 2004 to allow the justice department to prosecute such personnel providing services in support of the mission of the department of defense overseas . ' last year , the state department renewed blackwater 's contract over strong objections from the iraqi government . starting january 1 , the iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain iraqi licenses to operate . | blackwater recently changed name to xe ; its iraq security contract expiring |
iraq <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- herndon , virginia-based triple canopy has been awarded the security services contract in baghdad , a state department source told cnn tuesday . triple canopy is taking over the expiring iraq security contract of blackwater/xe , a source tells cnn . the order is effective tuesday , the source said , but triple canopy 's in-country performance ' wo n't begin until may 7 . triple canopy will take over the expiring contract of blackwater , which changed its name to xe last month . the state department decided in january not to renew blackwater/xe 's contract when it expires in may . that followed a refusal by the iraqi government to renew the firm 's operating license because of a september 2007 shooting incident in which the iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 iraqi civilians . as part of a contract to protect american diplomats and other employees around the world , the state department hired blackwater for a multiple-year assignment in iraq , renewable once a year . blackwater/xe , one of three security firms working for the united states in the country , had one of the biggest security contracts in iraq . triple canopy already has a state department contract in iraq . the new contract will increase its share of the security work there . dyncorp international also has a state department contract for work in iraq . losing the contract is considered a huge blow to blackwater/xe . while the company is privately held , the iraq contract has been estimated to make up one-third to one-half of its business . blackwater/xe has about two dozen aircraft in iraq , as well as 1,000 personnel . earlier this month , the company 's founder , eric prince , resigned as head of the company . five former blackwater security guards pleaded not guilty in january to charges of voluntary manslaughter and other serious crimes stemming from their involvement in the september 16 , 2007 , incident in a baghdad square . a sixth former security guard has pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter . blackwater says its employees were returning fire after they were attacked by armed insurgents , but an iraqi investigation concluded that the guards randomly fired at civilians without provocation . the iraqi government maintains 17 civilians were killed , although the indictment alleges 14 died . the company does not face any charges . but the baghdad incident exacerbated the feelings of many iraqis that private american security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for iraqi law or life . the indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-defense department contractors under the military extraterritorial jurisdiction act . the act was amended in 2004 to allow the justice department to prosecute such personnel providing services in support of the mission of the department of defense overseas . ' last year , the state department renewed blackwater 's contract over strong objections from the iraqi government . starting january 1 , the iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain iraqi licenses to operate . | virginia-based triple canopy wo n't be operating in iraq until may 7 , source says |
triple canopy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- herndon , virginia-based triple canopy has been awarded the security services contract in baghdad , a state department source told cnn tuesday . triple canopy is taking over the expiring iraq security contract of blackwater/xe , a source tells cnn . the order is effective tuesday , the source said , but triple canopy 's in-country performance ' wo n't begin until may 7 . triple canopy will take over the expiring contract of blackwater , which changed its name to xe last month . the state department decided in january not to renew blackwater/xe 's contract when it expires in may . that followed a refusal by the iraqi government to renew the firm 's operating license because of a september 2007 shooting incident in which the iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 iraqi civilians . as part of a contract to protect american diplomats and other employees around the world , the state department hired blackwater for a multiple-year assignment in iraq , renewable once a year . blackwater/xe , one of three security firms working for the united states in the country , had one of the biggest security contracts in iraq . triple canopy already has a state department contract in iraq . the new contract will increase its share of the security work there . dyncorp international also has a state department contract for work in iraq . losing the contract is considered a huge blow to blackwater/xe . while the company is privately held , the iraq contract has been estimated to make up one-third to one-half of its business . blackwater/xe has about two dozen aircraft in iraq , as well as 1,000 personnel . earlier this month , the company 's founder , eric prince , resigned as head of the company . five former blackwater security guards pleaded not guilty in january to charges of voluntary manslaughter and other serious crimes stemming from their involvement in the september 16 , 2007 , incident in a baghdad square . a sixth former security guard has pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter . blackwater says its employees were returning fire after they were attacked by armed insurgents , but an iraqi investigation concluded that the guards randomly fired at civilians without provocation . the iraqi government maintains 17 civilians were killed , although the indictment alleges 14 died . the company does not face any charges . but the baghdad incident exacerbated the feelings of many iraqis that private american security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for iraqi law or life . the indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-defense department contractors under the military extraterritorial jurisdiction act . the act was amended in 2004 to allow the justice department to prosecute such personnel providing services in support of the mission of the department of defense overseas . ' last year , the state department renewed blackwater 's contract over strong objections from the iraqi government . starting january 1 , the iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain iraqi licenses to operate . | virginia-based triple canopy wo n't be operating in iraq until may 7 , source says |
triple canopy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- herndon , virginia-based triple canopy has been awarded the security services contract in baghdad , a state department source told cnn tuesday . triple canopy is taking over the expiring iraq security contract of blackwater/xe , a source tells cnn . the order is effective tuesday , the source said , but triple canopy 's in-country performance ' wo n't begin until may 7 . triple canopy will take over the expiring contract of blackwater , which changed its name to xe last month . the state department decided in january not to renew blackwater/xe 's contract when it expires in may . that followed a refusal by the iraqi government to renew the firm 's operating license because of a september 2007 shooting incident in which the iraqi government says security guards -- then employed by blackwater -- fired upon and killed 17 iraqi civilians . as part of a contract to protect american diplomats and other employees around the world , the state department hired blackwater for a multiple-year assignment in iraq , renewable once a year . blackwater/xe , one of three security firms working for the united states in the country , had one of the biggest security contracts in iraq . triple canopy already has a state department contract in iraq . the new contract will increase its share of the security work there . dyncorp international also has a state department contract for work in iraq . losing the contract is considered a huge blow to blackwater/xe . while the company is privately held , the iraq contract has been estimated to make up one-third to one-half of its business . blackwater/xe has about two dozen aircraft in iraq , as well as 1,000 personnel . earlier this month , the company 's founder , eric prince , resigned as head of the company . five former blackwater security guards pleaded not guilty in january to charges of voluntary manslaughter and other serious crimes stemming from their involvement in the september 16 , 2007 , incident in a baghdad square . a sixth former security guard has pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter . blackwater says its employees were returning fire after they were attacked by armed insurgents , but an iraqi investigation concluded that the guards randomly fired at civilians without provocation . the iraqi government maintains 17 civilians were killed , although the indictment alleges 14 died . the company does not face any charges . but the baghdad incident exacerbated the feelings of many iraqis that private american security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for iraqi law or life . the indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-defense department contractors under the military extraterritorial jurisdiction act . the act was amended in 2004 to allow the justice department to prosecute such personnel providing services in support of the mission of the department of defense overseas . ' last year , the state department renewed blackwater 's contract over strong objections from the iraqi government . starting january 1 , the iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain iraqi licenses to operate . | triple canopy awarded contract , state department source tells cnn |
mandela <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in february 1990 , the same month that nelson mandela , also known as madiba , walked free after 27 years behind bars , south africa 's then-president , frederik willem de klerk , issued written instructions to dismantle the nation 's atomic arsenal . like madiba 's achingly long incarceration , the apartheid regime 's development of these most abominable weapons , though never officially acknowledged , had become an intolerable blight on south africa 's image abroad . divesting ourselves of the bomb was -- as de klerk later remarked -- an essential part of our transition from a pariah state to an accepted member of the family of nations . in his time as president , from 1994 to 1999 , madiba frequently implored the remaining nuclear powers to follow south africa 's lead in relinquishing nuclear weapons . all of humanity would be better off , he reasoned , if we lived free from the threat of a nuclear conflagration , the effects of which would be catastrophic . addressing the u.n. general assembly in 1998 , he said : we must ask the question , which might sound naive to those who have elaborated sophisticated arguments to justify their refusal to eliminate these terrible and terrifying weapons of mass destruction -- why do they need them anyway ? ' despite madiba 's undisputed moral authority and unmatched powers of persuasion , his cri de coeur for disarmament went unheeded in his lifetime . south africa , to this day , remains the only nation to have built nuclear weapons and then done away with them altogether . nine nations still cling firmly to these ghastly instruments of terror , believing , paradoxically , that by threatening to obliterate others they are maintaining the peace . quite unaccountably , all are squandering precious resources , human and material , on programs to modernize and upgrade their arsenals -- an egregious theft from the world 's poor . madiba attributed the lack of progress in achieving total nuclear disarmament to cold war inertia and an attachment to the use of the threat of brute force to assert the primacy of some states over others . ' to his mind , the struggle against the bomb was intertwined , inextricably , with the struggles to end racism and colonialism . he abhorred the double standard , deeply entrenched in today 's international order , whereby certain nations claim a right ' to possess nuclear arms -- in the hundreds , even the thousands -- while simultaneously condemning , and feigning moral outrage towards , those who dare pursue the same . we must vociferously challenge the perceived entitlement of a select few nations to possess the bomb . as ban ki-moon , the u.n. secretary-general , put it succinctly in january of last year : there are no right hands for wrong weapons . ' but how do we uproot the discriminatory order ? how do we end the minority rule ? in our decades-long fight against apartheid in south africa , we depended upon the combination of an irrepressible domestic groundswell of popular opposition to the regime and intense and sustained pressure from the international community . the same combination is needed now in the movement to abolish nuclear weapons . this week , in the mexican state of nayarit , ministers and diplomats from three-quarters of all nations -- those not coming include the permanent five members of the u.n. security council , the u.s. , uk , france , russia and china -- are gathered to discuss the devastating humanitarian impact of nuclear detonations . this will cover the inability of emergency workers to provide relief to the wounded ; the widespread dispersal of radiation ; the lofting of millions of tonnes of soot from firestorms high into the upper troposphere ; the collapse of global agriculture from lack of sunlight and rainfall ; the onset of famine and disease on a scale never before witnessed . this conference is not only a much-needed reminder of what nuclear weapons do to humans beings -- something seldom mentioned in arms control discussions -- but also a vital chance for the international community to chart a new course . it is high time for the nuclear-free nations of the world , constituting the overwhelming majority , to work together to exert their extraordinary collective influence . without delay , they should embark on a process to negotiate a global treaty banning the use , manufacture and possession of nuclear weapons -- whether or not the nuclear-armed nations are prepared to join them . why should these weapons , whose effects are the most grievous of all , remain the only weapons of mass destruction not expressly prohibited under international law ? by stigmatizing the bomb -- as well as those who possess it -- we can build tremendous pressure for disarmament . as madiba understood well , a world freed of nuclear arms will be a freer world for all . the views expressed in this commentary are solely those of desmond tutu . | as president , mandela implored the remaining nuclear powers to also give up their weapons |
mandela <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in february 1990 , the same month that nelson mandela , also known as madiba , walked free after 27 years behind bars , south africa 's then-president , frederik willem de klerk , issued written instructions to dismantle the nation 's atomic arsenal . like madiba 's achingly long incarceration , the apartheid regime 's development of these most abominable weapons , though never officially acknowledged , had become an intolerable blight on south africa 's image abroad . divesting ourselves of the bomb was -- as de klerk later remarked -- an essential part of our transition from a pariah state to an accepted member of the family of nations . in his time as president , from 1994 to 1999 , madiba frequently implored the remaining nuclear powers to follow south africa 's lead in relinquishing nuclear weapons . all of humanity would be better off , he reasoned , if we lived free from the threat of a nuclear conflagration , the effects of which would be catastrophic . addressing the u.n. general assembly in 1998 , he said : we must ask the question , which might sound naive to those who have elaborated sophisticated arguments to justify their refusal to eliminate these terrible and terrifying weapons of mass destruction -- why do they need them anyway ? ' despite madiba 's undisputed moral authority and unmatched powers of persuasion , his cri de coeur for disarmament went unheeded in his lifetime . south africa , to this day , remains the only nation to have built nuclear weapons and then done away with them altogether . nine nations still cling firmly to these ghastly instruments of terror , believing , paradoxically , that by threatening to obliterate others they are maintaining the peace . quite unaccountably , all are squandering precious resources , human and material , on programs to modernize and upgrade their arsenals -- an egregious theft from the world 's poor . madiba attributed the lack of progress in achieving total nuclear disarmament to cold war inertia and an attachment to the use of the threat of brute force to assert the primacy of some states over others . ' to his mind , the struggle against the bomb was intertwined , inextricably , with the struggles to end racism and colonialism . he abhorred the double standard , deeply entrenched in today 's international order , whereby certain nations claim a right ' to possess nuclear arms -- in the hundreds , even the thousands -- while simultaneously condemning , and feigning moral outrage towards , those who dare pursue the same . we must vociferously challenge the perceived entitlement of a select few nations to possess the bomb . as ban ki-moon , the u.n. secretary-general , put it succinctly in january of last year : there are no right hands for wrong weapons . ' but how do we uproot the discriminatory order ? how do we end the minority rule ? in our decades-long fight against apartheid in south africa , we depended upon the combination of an irrepressible domestic groundswell of popular opposition to the regime and intense and sustained pressure from the international community . the same combination is needed now in the movement to abolish nuclear weapons . this week , in the mexican state of nayarit , ministers and diplomats from three-quarters of all nations -- those not coming include the permanent five members of the u.n. security council , the u.s. , uk , france , russia and china -- are gathered to discuss the devastating humanitarian impact of nuclear detonations . this will cover the inability of emergency workers to provide relief to the wounded ; the widespread dispersal of radiation ; the lofting of millions of tonnes of soot from firestorms high into the upper troposphere ; the collapse of global agriculture from lack of sunlight and rainfall ; the onset of famine and disease on a scale never before witnessed . this conference is not only a much-needed reminder of what nuclear weapons do to humans beings -- something seldom mentioned in arms control discussions -- but also a vital chance for the international community to chart a new course . it is high time for the nuclear-free nations of the world , constituting the overwhelming majority , to work together to exert their extraordinary collective influence . without delay , they should embark on a process to negotiate a global treaty banning the use , manufacture and possession of nuclear weapons -- whether or not the nuclear-armed nations are prepared to join them . why should these weapons , whose effects are the most grievous of all , remain the only weapons of mass destruction not expressly prohibited under international law ? by stigmatizing the bomb -- as well as those who possess it -- we can build tremendous pressure for disarmament . as madiba understood well , a world freed of nuclear arms will be a freer world for all . the views expressed in this commentary are solely those of desmond tutu . | the month mandela left prison , south africa 's president ordered its atomic arsenal dismantled |
maricopa county sheriff 's office <tsp> tulsa , oklahoma ( cnn ) amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets , a new report raises a troubling allegation . some supervisors at the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge reserve deputy robert bates'training records , and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties , the tulsa world newspaper reported . claims that the volunteer deputy 's records had been falsified emerged almost immediately ' from multiple sources after bates killed eric harris on april 2 , reporter dylan goforth said . bates claims he meant to use his taser but accidentally fired his handgun at harris instead . the newspaper 's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why . but the orders apparently started years ago , before harris'death , back when ( bates ) was trying to get on as a deputy , ' reporter ziva branstetter told cnn 's new day . ' the sheriff 's office denied the allegations in the tulsa world 's report . it also declined a cnn interview to respond to the claims . in an email to cnn , the department 's maj. shannon clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper 's report leaves him dubious . just keep in mind that the tulsa world reporter can not validate her sources and claims anonymity , which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive , ' clark wrote . clark brewster , an attorney who represents bates , said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former sheriff 's office employee who 's now facing a first-degree murder charge . i do n't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report , ' brewster said . shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs sheriff stanley glanz and other sheriff 's officials have repeatedly insisted bates was properly trained . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has released a summary of bates'training courses only over the past seven years . the office rejected cnn 's request for the full training records because bates'case is under investigation . branstetter said she 's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who 'd signed off on bates'training records . you would think the sheriff 's office , if in fact there has been no pressure applied , no falsification of records , that they would be forthcoming with these documents , ' she told cnn 's new day . ' we 've asked for them . they 've said they do n't believe they 're public records . ' bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the sheriff 's office . that means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification , the paper said . bates would also have needed firearms certification training . but the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with bates'gun certification records -- his office ca n't find them . bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor , ' glanz told kfaq radio this week . he said bates qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor . ' but she is no longer there . she has left the sheriff 's office and is now a secret service agent , ' glanz told kfaq . and we 're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we ca n't find the records that she supposedly turned in . so we 're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those . ' opinion : who gave this reserve cop a gun ? even before the tulsa world story , inconsistencies were apparent in bates'history with the sheriff 's office . in his statement to investigators , bates said he became an advanced tcso reserve deputy in 2007 . ' but the tulsa county sheriff 's office has said bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008 . it also said bates had undergone 300 hours of training . that would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the tulsa world said is required to be an advanced ' reserve deputy , which bates claimed to be . in a statement he made to investigators after the shooting , bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon , adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn . he also said he 'd attended numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking , ' a five-day homicide investigation school in dallas and training from arizona 's maricopa county sheriff 's office on responding to active shooters . but an arizona official told cnn bates never trained with the agency . he did n't come to arizona , ' the official from the maricopa county sheriff 's office said , and he certainly did n't train with us . ' brewster said that line in bates'statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in washington by maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio . the seminar was part of extensive training bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field , he said . he met every training regimen , ' brewster said . he met every requirement , and all he did was give of himself . ' bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for harris'death . he turned himself in to authorities tuesday and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . his attorney has said he 's not guilty , calling the death an excusable homicide . ' the lawyer for harris'family claims bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny , saying they stand by his training record . tulsa police sgt . jim clark , who has been brought in to review the case , has said bates fell victim ' to something called slip and capture , ' a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else . it 's a controversial claim that has n't convinced critics of the department , and calls for an independent investigation into the sheriff 's office and the case are growing . earlier this week , the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting . we 're not scared to prosecute our own . ... there 's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own , ' clark said . you know that analogy that you 'll eat your young ? you know , that 's the same thing in law enforcement . if we have a dirty cop in our ranks , we will disclose them much quicker than the media . ' a spokesman for oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures , if any , are warranted . ' glanz has stated publicly that he 's reached out to the regional office of the fbi to look into the shooting . special agent terry b. weber told cnn there 's no open fbi investigation into the case . how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? cnn 's ed lavandera reported from tulsa . cnn 's holly yan and catherine e. shoichet reported from atlanta . cnn 's dave alsup and jason morris contributed to this report . | maricopa county sheriff 's office in arizona says robert bates never trained with them |
arizona <tsp> tulsa , oklahoma ( cnn ) amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets , a new report raises a troubling allegation . some supervisors at the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge reserve deputy robert bates'training records , and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties , the tulsa world newspaper reported . claims that the volunteer deputy 's records had been falsified emerged almost immediately ' from multiple sources after bates killed eric harris on april 2 , reporter dylan goforth said . bates claims he meant to use his taser but accidentally fired his handgun at harris instead . the newspaper 's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why . but the orders apparently started years ago , before harris'death , back when ( bates ) was trying to get on as a deputy , ' reporter ziva branstetter told cnn 's new day . ' the sheriff 's office denied the allegations in the tulsa world 's report . it also declined a cnn interview to respond to the claims . in an email to cnn , the department 's maj. shannon clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper 's report leaves him dubious . just keep in mind that the tulsa world reporter can not validate her sources and claims anonymity , which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive , ' clark wrote . clark brewster , an attorney who represents bates , said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former sheriff 's office employee who 's now facing a first-degree murder charge . i do n't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report , ' brewster said . shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs sheriff stanley glanz and other sheriff 's officials have repeatedly insisted bates was properly trained . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has released a summary of bates'training courses only over the past seven years . the office rejected cnn 's request for the full training records because bates'case is under investigation . branstetter said she 's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who 'd signed off on bates'training records . you would think the sheriff 's office , if in fact there has been no pressure applied , no falsification of records , that they would be forthcoming with these documents , ' she told cnn 's new day . ' we 've asked for them . they 've said they do n't believe they 're public records . ' bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the sheriff 's office . that means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification , the paper said . bates would also have needed firearms certification training . but the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with bates'gun certification records -- his office ca n't find them . bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor , ' glanz told kfaq radio this week . he said bates qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor . ' but she is no longer there . she has left the sheriff 's office and is now a secret service agent , ' glanz told kfaq . and we 're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we ca n't find the records that she supposedly turned in . so we 're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those . ' opinion : who gave this reserve cop a gun ? even before the tulsa world story , inconsistencies were apparent in bates'history with the sheriff 's office . in his statement to investigators , bates said he became an advanced tcso reserve deputy in 2007 . ' but the tulsa county sheriff 's office has said bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008 . it also said bates had undergone 300 hours of training . that would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the tulsa world said is required to be an advanced ' reserve deputy , which bates claimed to be . in a statement he made to investigators after the shooting , bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon , adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn . he also said he 'd attended numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking , ' a five-day homicide investigation school in dallas and training from arizona 's maricopa county sheriff 's office on responding to active shooters . but an arizona official told cnn bates never trained with the agency . he did n't come to arizona , ' the official from the maricopa county sheriff 's office said , and he certainly did n't train with us . ' brewster said that line in bates'statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in washington by maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio . the seminar was part of extensive training bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field , he said . he met every training regimen , ' brewster said . he met every requirement , and all he did was give of himself . ' bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for harris'death . he turned himself in to authorities tuesday and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . his attorney has said he 's not guilty , calling the death an excusable homicide . ' the lawyer for harris'family claims bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny , saying they stand by his training record . tulsa police sgt . jim clark , who has been brought in to review the case , has said bates fell victim ' to something called slip and capture , ' a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else . it 's a controversial claim that has n't convinced critics of the department , and calls for an independent investigation into the sheriff 's office and the case are growing . earlier this week , the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting . we 're not scared to prosecute our own . ... there 's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own , ' clark said . you know that analogy that you 'll eat your young ? you know , that 's the same thing in law enforcement . if we have a dirty cop in our ranks , we will disclose them much quicker than the media . ' a spokesman for oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures , if any , are warranted . ' glanz has stated publicly that he 's reached out to the regional office of the fbi to look into the shooting . special agent terry b. weber told cnn there 's no open fbi investigation into the case . how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? cnn 's ed lavandera reported from tulsa . cnn 's holly yan and catherine e. shoichet reported from atlanta . cnn 's dave alsup and jason morris contributed to this report . | maricopa county sheriff 's office in arizona says robert bates never trained with them |
robert bates <tsp> tulsa , oklahoma ( cnn ) amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets , a new report raises a troubling allegation . some supervisors at the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge reserve deputy robert bates'training records , and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties , the tulsa world newspaper reported . claims that the volunteer deputy 's records had been falsified emerged almost immediately ' from multiple sources after bates killed eric harris on april 2 , reporter dylan goforth said . bates claims he meant to use his taser but accidentally fired his handgun at harris instead . the newspaper 's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why . but the orders apparently started years ago , before harris'death , back when ( bates ) was trying to get on as a deputy , ' reporter ziva branstetter told cnn 's new day . ' the sheriff 's office denied the allegations in the tulsa world 's report . it also declined a cnn interview to respond to the claims . in an email to cnn , the department 's maj. shannon clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper 's report leaves him dubious . just keep in mind that the tulsa world reporter can not validate her sources and claims anonymity , which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive , ' clark wrote . clark brewster , an attorney who represents bates , said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former sheriff 's office employee who 's now facing a first-degree murder charge . i do n't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report , ' brewster said . shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs sheriff stanley glanz and other sheriff 's officials have repeatedly insisted bates was properly trained . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has released a summary of bates'training courses only over the past seven years . the office rejected cnn 's request for the full training records because bates'case is under investigation . branstetter said she 's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who 'd signed off on bates'training records . you would think the sheriff 's office , if in fact there has been no pressure applied , no falsification of records , that they would be forthcoming with these documents , ' she told cnn 's new day . ' we 've asked for them . they 've said they do n't believe they 're public records . ' bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the sheriff 's office . that means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification , the paper said . bates would also have needed firearms certification training . but the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with bates'gun certification records -- his office ca n't find them . bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor , ' glanz told kfaq radio this week . he said bates qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor . ' but she is no longer there . she has left the sheriff 's office and is now a secret service agent , ' glanz told kfaq . and we 're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we ca n't find the records that she supposedly turned in . so we 're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those . ' opinion : who gave this reserve cop a gun ? even before the tulsa world story , inconsistencies were apparent in bates'history with the sheriff 's office . in his statement to investigators , bates said he became an advanced tcso reserve deputy in 2007 . ' but the tulsa county sheriff 's office has said bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008 . it also said bates had undergone 300 hours of training . that would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the tulsa world said is required to be an advanced ' reserve deputy , which bates claimed to be . in a statement he made to investigators after the shooting , bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon , adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn . he also said he 'd attended numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking , ' a five-day homicide investigation school in dallas and training from arizona 's maricopa county sheriff 's office on responding to active shooters . but an arizona official told cnn bates never trained with the agency . he did n't come to arizona , ' the official from the maricopa county sheriff 's office said , and he certainly did n't train with us . ' brewster said that line in bates'statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in washington by maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio . the seminar was part of extensive training bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field , he said . he met every training regimen , ' brewster said . he met every requirement , and all he did was give of himself . ' bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for harris'death . he turned himself in to authorities tuesday and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . his attorney has said he 's not guilty , calling the death an excusable homicide . ' the lawyer for harris'family claims bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny , saying they stand by his training record . tulsa police sgt . jim clark , who has been brought in to review the case , has said bates fell victim ' to something called slip and capture , ' a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else . it 's a controversial claim that has n't convinced critics of the department , and calls for an independent investigation into the sheriff 's office and the case are growing . earlier this week , the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting . we 're not scared to prosecute our own . ... there 's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own , ' clark said . you know that analogy that you 'll eat your young ? you know , that 's the same thing in law enforcement . if we have a dirty cop in our ranks , we will disclose them much quicker than the media . ' a spokesman for oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures , if any , are warranted . ' glanz has stated publicly that he 's reached out to the regional office of the fbi to look into the shooting . special agent terry b. weber told cnn there 's no open fbi investigation into the case . how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? cnn 's ed lavandera reported from tulsa . cnn 's holly yan and catherine e. shoichet reported from atlanta . cnn 's dave alsup and jason morris contributed to this report . | tulsa world newspaper : three supervisors who refused to sign forged records on robert bates were reassigned |
robert bates <tsp> tulsa , oklahoma ( cnn ) amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets , a new report raises a troubling allegation . some supervisors at the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge reserve deputy robert bates'training records , and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties , the tulsa world newspaper reported . claims that the volunteer deputy 's records had been falsified emerged almost immediately ' from multiple sources after bates killed eric harris on april 2 , reporter dylan goforth said . bates claims he meant to use his taser but accidentally fired his handgun at harris instead . the newspaper 's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why . but the orders apparently started years ago , before harris'death , back when ( bates ) was trying to get on as a deputy , ' reporter ziva branstetter told cnn 's new day . ' the sheriff 's office denied the allegations in the tulsa world 's report . it also declined a cnn interview to respond to the claims . in an email to cnn , the department 's maj. shannon clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper 's report leaves him dubious . just keep in mind that the tulsa world reporter can not validate her sources and claims anonymity , which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive , ' clark wrote . clark brewster , an attorney who represents bates , said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former sheriff 's office employee who 's now facing a first-degree murder charge . i do n't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report , ' brewster said . shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs sheriff stanley glanz and other sheriff 's officials have repeatedly insisted bates was properly trained . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has released a summary of bates'training courses only over the past seven years . the office rejected cnn 's request for the full training records because bates'case is under investigation . branstetter said she 's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who 'd signed off on bates'training records . you would think the sheriff 's office , if in fact there has been no pressure applied , no falsification of records , that they would be forthcoming with these documents , ' she told cnn 's new day . ' we 've asked for them . they 've said they do n't believe they 're public records . ' bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the sheriff 's office . that means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification , the paper said . bates would also have needed firearms certification training . but the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with bates'gun certification records -- his office ca n't find them . bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor , ' glanz told kfaq radio this week . he said bates qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor . ' but she is no longer there . she has left the sheriff 's office and is now a secret service agent , ' glanz told kfaq . and we 're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we ca n't find the records that she supposedly turned in . so we 're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those . ' opinion : who gave this reserve cop a gun ? even before the tulsa world story , inconsistencies were apparent in bates'history with the sheriff 's office . in his statement to investigators , bates said he became an advanced tcso reserve deputy in 2007 . ' but the tulsa county sheriff 's office has said bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008 . it also said bates had undergone 300 hours of training . that would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the tulsa world said is required to be an advanced ' reserve deputy , which bates claimed to be . in a statement he made to investigators after the shooting , bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon , adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn . he also said he 'd attended numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking , ' a five-day homicide investigation school in dallas and training from arizona 's maricopa county sheriff 's office on responding to active shooters . but an arizona official told cnn bates never trained with the agency . he did n't come to arizona , ' the official from the maricopa county sheriff 's office said , and he certainly did n't train with us . ' brewster said that line in bates'statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in washington by maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio . the seminar was part of extensive training bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field , he said . he met every training regimen , ' brewster said . he met every requirement , and all he did was give of himself . ' bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for harris'death . he turned himself in to authorities tuesday and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . his attorney has said he 's not guilty , calling the death an excusable homicide . ' the lawyer for harris'family claims bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny , saying they stand by his training record . tulsa police sgt . jim clark , who has been brought in to review the case , has said bates fell victim ' to something called slip and capture , ' a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else . it 's a controversial claim that has n't convinced critics of the department , and calls for an independent investigation into the sheriff 's office and the case are growing . earlier this week , the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting . we 're not scared to prosecute our own . ... there 's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own , ' clark said . you know that analogy that you 'll eat your young ? you know , that 's the same thing in law enforcement . if we have a dirty cop in our ranks , we will disclose them much quicker than the media . ' a spokesman for oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures , if any , are warranted . ' glanz has stated publicly that he 's reached out to the regional office of the fbi to look into the shooting . special agent terry b. weber told cnn there 's no open fbi investigation into the case . how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? cnn 's ed lavandera reported from tulsa . cnn 's holly yan and catherine e. shoichet reported from atlanta . cnn 's dave alsup and jason morris contributed to this report . | maricopa county sheriff 's office in arizona says robert bates never trained with them |
tulsa world <tsp> tulsa , oklahoma ( cnn ) amid growing scrutiny over whether a 73-year-old volunteer deputy who killed a suspect during a sting operation was qualified to be policing the streets , a new report raises a troubling allegation . some supervisors at the tulsa county sheriff 's office were told to forge reserve deputy robert bates'training records , and three who refused were reassigned to less desirable duties , the tulsa world newspaper reported . claims that the volunteer deputy 's records had been falsified emerged almost immediately ' from multiple sources after bates killed eric harris on april 2 , reporter dylan goforth said . bates claims he meant to use his taser but accidentally fired his handgun at harris instead . the newspaper 's story does not say who allegedly asked the supervisors to falsify the training records or why . but the orders apparently started years ago , before harris'death , back when ( bates ) was trying to get on as a deputy , ' reporter ziva branstetter told cnn 's new day . ' the sheriff 's office denied the allegations in the tulsa world 's report . it also declined a cnn interview to respond to the claims . in an email to cnn , the department 's maj. shannon clark said the lack of named sources in the newspaper 's report leaves him dubious . just keep in mind that the tulsa world reporter can not validate her sources and claims anonymity , which leaves us skeptical that her claims are unsubstantiated and deceptive , ' clark wrote . clark brewster , an attorney who represents bates , said the accusations are based on an affidavit from a former sheriff 's office employee who 's now facing a first-degree murder charge . i do n't put a lot of stock in that report or the credibility of who would further that report , ' brewster said . shooting casts spotlight on volunteer police programs sheriff stanley glanz and other sheriff 's officials have repeatedly insisted bates was properly trained . the tulsa county sheriff 's office has released a summary of bates'training courses only over the past seven years . the office rejected cnn 's request for the full training records because bates'case is under investigation . branstetter said she 's run into similar obstacles when asking for the names of supervisors who 'd signed off on bates'training records . you would think the sheriff 's office , if in fact there has been no pressure applied , no falsification of records , that they would be forthcoming with these documents , ' she told cnn 's new day . ' we 've asked for them . they 've said they do n't believe they 're public records . ' bates was classified as an advanced reserve deputy for the sheriff 's office . that means he would have had to complete 480 hours of the field training officer program to maintain that classification , the paper said . bates would also have needed firearms certification training . but the sheriff himself has acknowledged there is a problem with bates'gun certification records -- his office ca n't find them . bob went out and qualified with three different weapons with an instructor , ' glanz told kfaq radio this week . he said bates qualified with a young lady that was a firearms instructor . ' but she is no longer there . she has left the sheriff 's office and is now a secret service agent , ' glanz told kfaq . and we 're trying to get a hold of her and talk to her about ... we ca n't find the records that she supposedly turned in . so we 're going to talk to her and find out if for sure he did qualify with those . ' opinion : who gave this reserve cop a gun ? even before the tulsa world story , inconsistencies were apparent in bates'history with the sheriff 's office . in his statement to investigators , bates said he became an advanced tcso reserve deputy in 2007 . ' but the tulsa county sheriff 's office has said bates had been a reserve deputy since 2008 . it also said bates had undergone 300 hours of training . that would be less than the 480 hours of field training that the tulsa world said is required to be an advanced ' reserve deputy , which bates claimed to be . in a statement he made to investigators after the shooting , bates said the gun he used was his personal weapon , adding that he last qualified at the range in autumn . he also said he 'd attended numerous schools and seminars related to drug investigations and the tactical operations associated with the apprehension of suspects involved in drug trafficking , ' a five-day homicide investigation school in dallas and training from arizona 's maricopa county sheriff 's office on responding to active shooters . but an arizona official told cnn bates never trained with the agency . he did n't come to arizona , ' the official from the maricopa county sheriff 's office said , and he certainly did n't train with us . ' brewster said that line in bates'statement was referring to a lecture given at a seminar in washington by maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio . the seminar was part of extensive training bates received at classes across the country and through work in the field , he said . he met every training regimen , ' brewster said . he met every requirement , and all he did was give of himself . ' bates is now charged with second-degree manslaughter for harris'death . he turned himself in to authorities tuesday and immediately posted bail of $ 25,000 . his attorney has said he 's not guilty , calling the death an excusable homicide . ' the lawyer for harris'family claims bates was n't qualified to be on the force , but received preferential treatment because he 'd made donations to the agency and was a friend of the sheriff -- an accusation officials deny , saying they stand by his training record . tulsa police sgt . jim clark , who has been brought in to review the case , has said bates fell victim ' to something called slip and capture , ' a term to describe a high-stress situation in which a person intends to do one thing and instead does something else . it 's a controversial claim that has n't convinced critics of the department , and calls for an independent investigation into the sheriff 's office and the case are growing . earlier this week , the office spokesman rejected any idea of outside investigators into the shooting . we 're not scared to prosecute our own . ... there 's nobody in this culture that can be tougher on cops than their own , ' clark said . you know that analogy that you 'll eat your young ? you know , that 's the same thing in law enforcement . if we have a dirty cop in our ranks , we will disclose them much quicker than the media . ' a spokesman for oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt said his office is concerned about allegations reported in the media about the case and will continue to monitor and assess what appropriate measures , if any , are warranted . ' glanz has stated publicly that he 's reached out to the regional office of the fbi to look into the shooting . special agent terry b. weber told cnn there 's no open fbi investigation into the case . how easy is it to confuse a gun for a taser ? cnn 's ed lavandera reported from tulsa . cnn 's holly yan and catherine e. shoichet reported from atlanta . cnn 's dave alsup and jason morris contributed to this report . | tulsa world newspaper : three supervisors who refused to sign forged records on robert bates were reassigned |
gerevich <tsp> ( cnn ) -- just as brazil is synonymous with football , so hungary and the ancient sport of fencing are inextricably linked . take the analogy one step further and aladar gerevich must be described as the sport 's pele -- the greatest olympic swordsmen ever . between 1928 and 1960 hungary was unbeaten in the olympic team saber competition , winning seven straight gold medals . gerevich joined the team as an 18-year-old in los angeles in 1932 and was still there 28 years later in rome . as well as six team titles , gerevich also won individual gold in london in 1948 , improving on his bronze in 1936 , and he completed the full set of medals by claiming silver in helsinki in 1952 . gerevich remains the only competitor to win the same olympic event six times , and he is the only person to win gold medals at six editions of the games . he would surely have won yet more titles too , had his career not been disrupted by world war two . the highlight of gerevich 's career was his individual title in 1948 , an event he dominated so completely that he was beaten just once in 20 bouts . the 1956 games in melbourne took place against the backdrop of the hungarian uprising against communist rule and its subsequent brutal suppression by the soviet union . despite the distraction -- there was confusion over whether the hungarian team should compete under the communist flag or the flag of imre nagy 's short-lived government -- gerevich once again led his team to victory , although by now he had slipped to fifth in the individual event . while many of his olympic teammates chose exile , gerevich returned to budapest . in 1960 , aged 50 , he was told that he was too old to compete at another olympics . undeterred , gerevich challenged the entire hungarian team and beat them all -- going on to collect the seventh gold medal of his illustrious career . | gerevich joined the team as an 18-year-old in los angeles in 1932 |
rakower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york city resident joel rakower bit off more than he could chew when he smuggled nearly 40,000 piranhas into the united states . rakower pleaded guilty wednesday in federal court in brooklyn to smuggling the deadly piranhas from 2011 to 2012 , according to a u.s. department of justice statement . the federal lacey act combats trafficking in illegal ' wildlife , fish and plants . in a plea agreement , rakower admitted that his company purchased piranhas from a hong kong tropical fish supplier and imported them to the city , according to the statement . rakower instructed the foreign supplier to falsely label the exotic fish on packing lists as silver tetras , a common and unaggressive aquarium fish , because new york city prohibited the possession of piranhas , the statement said . rakower smuggled 39,548 piranhas over the course of 2011 and 2012 , swimming up costs of approximately $ 37,376 , according to the statement . piranhas , freshwater fish originating in south american rivers , are described as extremely aggressive and territorial . as a result , 25 states have either banned or regulated piranhas , making them illegal to own or sell . rakower was driven by greed and without regard for the health and safety of people or the environment , ' said queens district attorney richard brown , who helped investigate the case . rakower agreed to pay more than $ 70,000 in fines and restitution , and his company will serve a two-year period of probation . rakower will be sentenced on april 24 . warning over testicle-biting fish in denmark ? it 's all wet 70 people injured in argentine fish attack | rakower agrees to pay $ 70,000 in fines and restitution |
rakower <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york city resident joel rakower bit off more than he could chew when he smuggled nearly 40,000 piranhas into the united states . rakower pleaded guilty wednesday in federal court in brooklyn to smuggling the deadly piranhas from 2011 to 2012 , according to a u.s. department of justice statement . the federal lacey act combats trafficking in illegal ' wildlife , fish and plants . in a plea agreement , rakower admitted that his company purchased piranhas from a hong kong tropical fish supplier and imported them to the city , according to the statement . rakower instructed the foreign supplier to falsely label the exotic fish on packing lists as silver tetras , a common and unaggressive aquarium fish , because new york city prohibited the possession of piranhas , the statement said . rakower smuggled 39,548 piranhas over the course of 2011 and 2012 , swimming up costs of approximately $ 37,376 , according to the statement . piranhas , freshwater fish originating in south american rivers , are described as extremely aggressive and territorial . as a result , 25 states have either banned or regulated piranhas , making them illegal to own or sell . rakower was driven by greed and without regard for the health and safety of people or the environment , ' said queens district attorney richard brown , who helped investigate the case . rakower agreed to pay more than $ 70,000 in fines and restitution , and his company will serve a two-year period of probation . rakower will be sentenced on april 24 . warning over testicle-biting fish in denmark ? it 's all wet 70 people injured in argentine fish attack | joel rakower pleads guilty to smuggling piranhas into the united states |
kurtz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as same-sex marriage has become accepted in a way that would have been unthinkable a decade ago , the media have -- perhaps unwittingly -- played a crucial role . it 's not that most journalists lean left on such social issues as gay rights , though that 's hard to dispute . it 's that the power of pictures can neutralize political propaganda . once same-sex marriage was legalized in such early states as iowa and massachusetts , the photos and footage of happy couples celebrating made clear that no one was really threatened by such unions . the visuals put a human face on the debate . even as stories quoted people who remained staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage , the pictures conveyed that the sky was not falling -- and by the time new york , maryland and washington legalized same-sex unions , it was , well , less newsworthy . but that 's hardly true everywhere , as a stunning backlash in mississippi makes clear . the first known gay wedding in the town of laurel , mississippi , was , naturally , a story for the local paper . and it was a story with a heart-rending twist . an article in the the laurel leader-call recounted jessica powell 's wedding to crystal craven , who was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer and has had three operations in the past year . it was a moving piece that described how craven , at the wedding , wore a white cowboy hat to hide the scars from her latest surgery . if chemo does n't work , ' she said , we do n't know what happens after that . ' watch : is the murdered model 's beauty driving the oscar pistorius coverage ? the result : a torrent of angry calls , canceled subscriptions and outraged comments on the paper 's website and facebook page . as recounted by deep south progressive , one person wrote : this is what we have to put up with on the world news every night . never thought i would open my local paper and see such . insulting ! ! ! ' said another : it 's a sad day for traditional family values when this is printed on the front of a newspaper . ' the paper 's owner , jim cegieklski , responded in an op-ed : ' you do n't have to like something for it to be historic . the holocaust , bombing of pearl harbor , and the black sox scandal are all still historic . i 'm in no way comparing the downtown wedding of two females to any of these events ( even though some of you made it quite clear that you think gay marriage is much worse ) , i 'm just saying that whether you liked the story or not , the first known gay wedding to take place in jones county is still historic . ' he added : i ca n't help but be saddened by the hate-filled viciousness of many of the comments directed toward our staff . ' watch : was the press ready to smear pete domenici over his out-of-wedlock baby ? the leader-call deserves credit for standing by a legitimate story that infuriated part of its readership . there was no attempt to glorify gays ; the piece simply recounted the wedding , which was purely symbolic , since mississippi does n't allow same-sex marriage . what was stunning was the way some critics simply ignored the fact that one of the women is fighting for her life . maybe this resonates more deeply for taking place in the south , where many leading newspapers once staunchly defended racial segregation in a way that is now embarrassing -- and which prompted some of them to apologize decades later . at the same time , a column in sunday 's washington post makes clear that those who believe the press tilts too far toward same-sex marriage have a valid point . watch : new york anchor who attacked wife gets the tabloid treatment ombudsman patrick pexton reports on an e-mail dialogue he facilitated between a reader and a post reporter he declines to name . the reader complained that the post minimizes the millions of americans who believe in traditional marriage and oppose redefining marriage into nothingness . ' the reporter said : the reason that legitimate media outlets routinely cover gays is because it is the civil rights issue of our time . ... the true conservative would want the government out of people 's bedrooms , and religion out of government . ' that is bias , pure and simple . yes , it is a civil rights issue , but the reporter simply ca n't understand why anyone would have a different viewpoint other than that the government should not interfere on such issues as same-sex marriage and perhaps , by extension , abortion . if this seems outrageous to you , keep in mind that president barack obama did not come out for same-sex marriage until the final months of his first term . many people are opposed to it for reasons ranging from tradition to religion , and we in the press have to respect that . watch : mark sanford launches forgiveness tour in s.c . there was a time when most gay journalists remained closeted for fear of being penalized . a decade or two from now , as today 's younger people move into positions of power , opponents of same-sex marriage may seem as wrong-headed and their views as antiquated as those of people who defended keeping blacks at the back of the bus . the media must be even-handed on this divisive issue , but they might also take a page from a small mississippi paper that bigotry should n't deter them from treating gay couples fairly . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of howard kurtz . | kurtz : paper right to defend story ; d.c. reporter shows media 's need to remain neutral |
kurtz <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as same-sex marriage has become accepted in a way that would have been unthinkable a decade ago , the media have -- perhaps unwittingly -- played a crucial role . it 's not that most journalists lean left on such social issues as gay rights , though that 's hard to dispute . it 's that the power of pictures can neutralize political propaganda . once same-sex marriage was legalized in such early states as iowa and massachusetts , the photos and footage of happy couples celebrating made clear that no one was really threatened by such unions . the visuals put a human face on the debate . even as stories quoted people who remained staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage , the pictures conveyed that the sky was not falling -- and by the time new york , maryland and washington legalized same-sex unions , it was , well , less newsworthy . but that 's hardly true everywhere , as a stunning backlash in mississippi makes clear . the first known gay wedding in the town of laurel , mississippi , was , naturally , a story for the local paper . and it was a story with a heart-rending twist . an article in the the laurel leader-call recounted jessica powell 's wedding to crystal craven , who was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer and has had three operations in the past year . it was a moving piece that described how craven , at the wedding , wore a white cowboy hat to hide the scars from her latest surgery . if chemo does n't work , ' she said , we do n't know what happens after that . ' watch : is the murdered model 's beauty driving the oscar pistorius coverage ? the result : a torrent of angry calls , canceled subscriptions and outraged comments on the paper 's website and facebook page . as recounted by deep south progressive , one person wrote : this is what we have to put up with on the world news every night . never thought i would open my local paper and see such . insulting ! ! ! ' said another : it 's a sad day for traditional family values when this is printed on the front of a newspaper . ' the paper 's owner , jim cegieklski , responded in an op-ed : ' you do n't have to like something for it to be historic . the holocaust , bombing of pearl harbor , and the black sox scandal are all still historic . i 'm in no way comparing the downtown wedding of two females to any of these events ( even though some of you made it quite clear that you think gay marriage is much worse ) , i 'm just saying that whether you liked the story or not , the first known gay wedding to take place in jones county is still historic . ' he added : i ca n't help but be saddened by the hate-filled viciousness of many of the comments directed toward our staff . ' watch : was the press ready to smear pete domenici over his out-of-wedlock baby ? the leader-call deserves credit for standing by a legitimate story that infuriated part of its readership . there was no attempt to glorify gays ; the piece simply recounted the wedding , which was purely symbolic , since mississippi does n't allow same-sex marriage . what was stunning was the way some critics simply ignored the fact that one of the women is fighting for her life . maybe this resonates more deeply for taking place in the south , where many leading newspapers once staunchly defended racial segregation in a way that is now embarrassing -- and which prompted some of them to apologize decades later . at the same time , a column in sunday 's washington post makes clear that those who believe the press tilts too far toward same-sex marriage have a valid point . watch : new york anchor who attacked wife gets the tabloid treatment ombudsman patrick pexton reports on an e-mail dialogue he facilitated between a reader and a post reporter he declines to name . the reader complained that the post minimizes the millions of americans who believe in traditional marriage and oppose redefining marriage into nothingness . ' the reporter said : the reason that legitimate media outlets routinely cover gays is because it is the civil rights issue of our time . ... the true conservative would want the government out of people 's bedrooms , and religion out of government . ' that is bias , pure and simple . yes , it is a civil rights issue , but the reporter simply ca n't understand why anyone would have a different viewpoint other than that the government should not interfere on such issues as same-sex marriage and perhaps , by extension , abortion . if this seems outrageous to you , keep in mind that president barack obama did not come out for same-sex marriage until the final months of his first term . many people are opposed to it for reasons ranging from tradition to religion , and we in the press have to respect that . watch : mark sanford launches forgiveness tour in s.c . there was a time when most gay journalists remained closeted for fear of being penalized . a decade or two from now , as today 's younger people move into positions of power , opponents of same-sex marriage may seem as wrong-headed and their views as antiquated as those of people who defended keeping blacks at the back of the bus . the media must be even-handed on this divisive issue , but they might also take a page from a small mississippi paper that bigotry should n't deter them from treating gay couples fairly . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of howard kurtz . | howard kurtz : media has played role in growing acceptance of gay marriage |
chinn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the drought of 2012 will be one that farmers and ranchers remember for years to come . my husband , kevin , and i are fifth-generation farmers . this is the first drought we have experienced since we were married and started farming together in 1995 . our farm , like most other u.s. farms , is really suffering right now and in desperate need of rain . the media have pegged it right : it definitely is the worst drought of our generation . kevin and i own and raise hogs , cattle , corn , soybeans and alfalfa hay on our farm . typically , we do n't have a lot of crops to farm , but this year we decided to rent an extra 200 acres for that purpose , doubling our row-crop acreage . we were able to purchase crop insurance for most of our crops , but unfortunately that alone will not help make our farm or equipment payments to the bank since most of our crops are ruined . our crop failure is n't what keeps me awake at night these days ; it 's worrying about our animals . no crops means no feed for livestock . we ca n't stop feeding cattle and hogs . we own 60 head of cattle , and our family has 1,500 sows on our farm . bountiful crops are needed for an adequate feed supply , but so too are healthy pastures for cattle grazing . both need rain . hogs eat mostly corn and soybeans because they are not ruminant animals , which means they do not have four stomach chambers like cattle , which can digest hay and grass . the price to purchase corn and soybeans is skyrocketing because of crop losses across most of the united states . unlike crop farmers , livestock farmers and ranchers do not have insurance programs to ease the losses during disaster years . when our feed costs get out of control , or when a disease devastates our herd , there is no relief from insurance . this is a total loss for farmers and ranchers . to pay the bills , we have to go to the bank and borrow more money to help us survive the storm . this means yet another loan payment . when my expenses increase on our farm , it would be nice to tell the packer who buys my hogs that i need to be paid more so i can make ends meet . but it does n't work that way . hogs feel drought 's pinch we are price takers ; supply and demand drive the price we are paid for hogs . even though my feed bills are increasing at alarming rates , right now it does n't mean that pork demand has increased in line with my expenses . farmers have to wait for an increase in demand , or decrease in supply , to see their prices increase . i have been asked before why i just do n't hold on to our hogs and wait for someone to pay me what i need to pay my feed bills . this is because packers only accept a certain weight so they can meet consumer demand . consumers want a consistent size piece of pork -- not too big or too small -- and they want their chops to look the same each time they go to the store . to meet this demand , farmers ca n't sell hogs that are overweight or underweight . the pain of this drought does n't stop with farmers and ranchers . everyone has a vested interest in how mother nature is behaving . food availability will be affected because farmers will be producing less food . in the end , this will lead to increased food prices . a number of livestock farmers and ranchers will be faced with difficult decisions . some will be forced to leave the farm or ranch and find new jobs in neighboring towns , while others may have to sell their family farm or ranch . the bottom line is : if you eat , this drought will affect you . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of chris chinn . | chinn : the drought means taking on more debt and possibly selling off livestock |
chinn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the drought of 2012 will be one that farmers and ranchers remember for years to come . my husband , kevin , and i are fifth-generation farmers . this is the first drought we have experienced since we were married and started farming together in 1995 . our farm , like most other u.s. farms , is really suffering right now and in desperate need of rain . the media have pegged it right : it definitely is the worst drought of our generation . kevin and i own and raise hogs , cattle , corn , soybeans and alfalfa hay on our farm . typically , we do n't have a lot of crops to farm , but this year we decided to rent an extra 200 acres for that purpose , doubling our row-crop acreage . we were able to purchase crop insurance for most of our crops , but unfortunately that alone will not help make our farm or equipment payments to the bank since most of our crops are ruined . our crop failure is n't what keeps me awake at night these days ; it 's worrying about our animals . no crops means no feed for livestock . we ca n't stop feeding cattle and hogs . we own 60 head of cattle , and our family has 1,500 sows on our farm . bountiful crops are needed for an adequate feed supply , but so too are healthy pastures for cattle grazing . both need rain . hogs eat mostly corn and soybeans because they are not ruminant animals , which means they do not have four stomach chambers like cattle , which can digest hay and grass . the price to purchase corn and soybeans is skyrocketing because of crop losses across most of the united states . unlike crop farmers , livestock farmers and ranchers do not have insurance programs to ease the losses during disaster years . when our feed costs get out of control , or when a disease devastates our herd , there is no relief from insurance . this is a total loss for farmers and ranchers . to pay the bills , we have to go to the bank and borrow more money to help us survive the storm . this means yet another loan payment . when my expenses increase on our farm , it would be nice to tell the packer who buys my hogs that i need to be paid more so i can make ends meet . but it does n't work that way . hogs feel drought 's pinch we are price takers ; supply and demand drive the price we are paid for hogs . even though my feed bills are increasing at alarming rates , right now it does n't mean that pork demand has increased in line with my expenses . farmers have to wait for an increase in demand , or decrease in supply , to see their prices increase . i have been asked before why i just do n't hold on to our hogs and wait for someone to pay me what i need to pay my feed bills . this is because packers only accept a certain weight so they can meet consumer demand . consumers want a consistent size piece of pork -- not too big or too small -- and they want their chops to look the same each time they go to the store . to meet this demand , farmers ca n't sell hogs that are overweight or underweight . the pain of this drought does n't stop with farmers and ranchers . everyone has a vested interest in how mother nature is behaving . food availability will be affected because farmers will be producing less food . in the end , this will lead to increased food prices . a number of livestock farmers and ranchers will be faced with difficult decisions . some will be forced to leave the farm or ranch and find new jobs in neighboring towns , while others may have to sell their family farm or ranch . the bottom line is : if you eat , this drought will affect you . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of chris chinn . | chris chinn 's farm has been badly affected by the drought |
july fourth <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the death certificate for boston bombings suspect tamerlan tsarnaev , who died april 19 after a shootout with police , says he died of gunshot wounds of torso and extremities ' and blunt trauma to head and torso , ' according to the owner of the funeral parlor that currently holds tsarnaev 's body . peter stefan , owner of graham putnam & mahoney funeral parlors in worcester , massachusetts , read the death certificate to cnn over the phone friday evening . he said it has yet to be filed with the city of boston . there is no gravesite chosen yet for the 26-year-old tsarnaev , stefan said . he said that if he ca n't find a cemetery plot , he plans to ask the government to find a grave . everyone deserves to be buried , ' stefan said . tsarnaev 's uncle , ruslan tsarni , claimed his nephew 's body , according to family spokeswoman heda saratova . the family plans an independent autopsy before burying the body somewhere in massachusetts , she said . stefan acknowledged plans for a second autopsy . authorities say tsarnaev and his younger brother , dzhokhar , carried out the april 15 bombings at the boston marathon . the attacks killed three people and wounded more than 260 others . the brothers later killed a massachusetts institute of technology police officer , authorities say . dzhokhar tsarnaev , 19 , is being held at a federal bureau of prisons medical facility in devens , massachusetts , charged with using a weapon of mass destruction , a charge that carries the death penalty . he is being treated for gunshot wounds to the head , neck , legs and hands that he received in the april 19 shootout with police that led to his brother 's death . tamerlan tsarnaev was shot in the gunbattle , and dzhokhar apparently ran over his brother as he tried to flee in a car , authorities have said . it is not known whether the blunt trauma ' listed on tamerlan tsarnaev 's death certificate relates to injuries from the car . as part of their continuing investigation , investigators have found explosives residue in the apartment that the elder tsarnaev shared with his wife and young daughter , a source briefed on the investigation said friday . the residue turned up in at least three places at the apartment in cambridge , massachusetts , the source said : the kitchen table , the kitchen sink and the bathtub . u.s. law enforcement officials briefed on the progress of the investigation have provided cnn with other critical details : -- dzhokhar tsarnaev told investigators that he and his brother built the devices in tamerlan 's home ; -- he said the brothers originally planned a suicide attack on the city 's massive independence day celebration , which draws about 500,000 people and is televised nationally on cbs ; -- dzhokhar tsarnaev told investigators that the brothers chose to target the boston marathon only a day or two before the event . they changed their plans because their bombs were ready sooner than they expected . the officials spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak with the media . katherine russell , tsarnaev 's widow , has remained largely out of view since her husband 's death , staying inside her parents'rhode island home . her attorney , amato deluca , says the 24-year-old knew nothing about plans to bomb the race , and reports of her husband 's involvement came as an absolute shock ' to russell and her family . three of dzhokhar tsarnaev 's friends have been charged in connection with the case . azamat tazhayakov and dias kadyrbayev were charged wednesday with conspiring to discard potentially incriminating items from dzhokhar tsarnaev 's dorm room . robel phillipos was charged with making false statements to investigators . the fbi is examining dzhokhar tsarnaev 's laptop , two federal law enforcement officials told cnn . authorities have said they believe the brothers acted alone but are investigating whether they could have learned from or been aided by terror groups , including groups overseas . cnn 's dave alsup , susan candiotti , carol cratty , marina carver and deborah feyerick contributed to this report . | source : brothers considered a suicide attack on july fourth , the suspect told investigators |
clay aiken <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it used to be called the love that dare not speak its name ' -- particularly in hollywood , where the revelation of homosexuality was believed to be a career-killer . clay aiken recently announced he was gay on the cover of people magazine . now , out gays and lesbians are as casually visible as the cover of people magazine , which has recently run stories on ellen degeneres'wedding to portia de rossi and clay aiken 's decision to discuss his sexuality . so , in a time when self-declared bisexual tila tequila can have a highly rated mtv show on looking for a partner of either sex , lindsay lohan talks about her relationship with dj samantha ronson and star trek 's ' george takei can have a very public wedding with his longtime partner , is coming out still a big deal ? publicist howard bragman , author of the forthcoming where 's my fifteen minutes ' ( portfolio ) , says that it is . every person that comes out is another barrier coming down , ' bragman , who is openly gay , told cnn.com . acceptance by the mainstream public , he observes , is easier but by no means automatic , particularly when issues such as gay marriage are at stake . i look at it as a long-term process . the revolution is over -- now it 's an evolution . ' watch american morning 's ' lola ogunnaike look at changing attitudes » bragman was around when a performer revealing his or her homosexuality could still shock . he helped guide dick sargent when the bewitched ' star came out of the closet in 1989 , and remembers when it was difficult to get support for movies such as philadelphia , ' the 1993 film that won tom hanks an oscar as a lawyer dying of aids . now , he observes , there are gay actors -- how i met my mother 's ' neil patrick harris may be the most notable -- playing straight roles , something that would have been almost unthinkable even a few years ago , since studios have often been nervous casting known gay performers in straight roles. ''we 'll buy hanks as a gay man but not the opposite ,' bragman describes the industry thinking . indeed , there are now more gay characters in prime-time television than ever . shows such as ugly betty , ' the office ' and grey 's anatomy ' feature gay or bisexual characters , and this fall , five more will hit the airwaves , bringing the total to 16 , according to a study by the gay and lesbian alliance against defamation ( glaad ) . it 's certainly positive that there is such a dramatic increase , ' glaad 's president , neil giuliano , told cnn . number one , it reflects society , and the fact that we are more visible , and it also makes good television . portrayals are almost more honest and real . ' peter sprigg , vice president of policy for the conservative family research council , does n't agree . i 'm convinced that for the most part , these characters are placed on television for propaganda purposes , in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct , ' he told cnn . in that sense , the result for society is likely to be negative . ' but bryan batt , the gay actor who plays the closeted salvatore romano on the emmy-winning mad men , ' says that viewers are more accepting of gay characters today , though concerns linger . yes , i did think maybe this going to hurt me career-wise [ to come out ] , but i come from broadway and a lot of theater background . so , you know , no one really cares ... you do n't have to be straight to act straight . you do n't have to be gay to play gay , ' he told cnn . watch batt talk about the challenges of a gay actor » but , he adds , there is , i think , a little bit of homophobia . i do believe that through education and seeing good , honest , positive gay role models , it will just educate . i think we are producing generations now of youth that do not judge people ; they do n't judge people on their race or their religion or their sexuality . ' april woodard , a correspondent for inside edition , ' told cnn headline news' showbiz tonight ' that rejection may have been on aiken 's mind . the singer , a born-again christian , had long declined to talk about his sexuality , and with a strong middle american fan base , may have been afraid of a backlash . there are definitely going to be some people in the south where he lives that are n't going to agree with it , and some of the christians are not going to agree with his lifestyle and even having a child out of wedlock , ' she said . for his part , aiken -- who recently became the father to a newborn son -- told people that coming out was the first decision i made as a father . i can not raise a child to lie or hide things . ... i 've never intended to lie to anybody at all . the fans , if they leave , they leave . but if they leave , i do n't want them hating me . ' bragman believes aiken will be more successful than ever . i 'm sure , anecdotally , you 'll have people not buying the next aiken album because he 's gay , but it will be statistically insignificant . if you 're a fan , you 're a fan , ' he said . aiken and other gay celebrities have generally received support from their colleagues and the public . heroes ' star kristen bell , who is straight , told cnn that [ aiken ] should n't really have to acknowledge it . ' what surprises and saddens me is that it still is big news , ' she said . but bragman observes that the decision to come out remains intensely personal . it 's not a career move -- it 's a personal move , ' he said . [ it 's saying , ]'i need to do this for me .' there are still many performers and industry notables , he says , who threaten to sue if their sexuality is revealed . others live gay social lives but do n't talk about their sexuality -- the so-called glass closet . ' and , as bragman notes , gay stars are generally from the second tier : there are still no a-list movie stars out of the closet , there are still no superstar athletes , ' he said . it 's great to see how far we 've come , ' he said . [ and ] we all long for the day when it 's a nonstory . but we 're not there yet . ' | stars such as clay aiken admitting they 're gay not shocking anymore |
tsarnaev <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a federal grand jury thursday charged two friends of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice , the u.s. attorney 's office in boston said . azamat tazhayakov and dias kadyrbayev -- 19-year-old roommates and kazakh nationals who began attending the university of massachusetts-dartmouth the same semester as tsarnaev -- were charged in may with conspiracy . it is not clear whether thursday 's indictment represents a second conspiracy charge . thursday 's indictment accuses tazhayakov and kadyrbayev of helping tsarnaev after the april 15 bombing by taking items from his dorm room to keep them from investigators . photos of tsarnaev released after rolling stone complaints if convicted , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison on the obstruction count and up to five years on the conspiracy count , the u.s. attorney 's office said . they also could be fined $ 250,000 . arkady bukh , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client is not discouraged . he also said that tazhayakov did not touch any of tsarnaev 's items . he feels very strongly he 'll be able to be able to convince a jury that 's he 's innocent , ' bukh said . there 's no evidence of intent , no incentive to help ( dzhokhar ) , no motive to destroy anything . ' the three students socialized and texted each other , the indictment says . on april 18 , three days before the fbi searched tsarnaev 's dorm room , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev allegedly went into the dorm , took tsarnaev 's laptop and a backpack containing vaseline , a thumb drive , fireworks and a homework assignment sheet ' and took them back to their new bedford apartment , the indictment states . the fireworks container has been opened and manipulated , ' the indictment says . as a result , some of the explosive powder was visible . ' boston marathon terror attack fast facts kadyrbayev told his roommate that he believed tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' the indictment states . that day , kadyrbayev showed tazhayakov a text message from tsarnaev that read , if yu want yu can go to my room and take what 's there ( smiley face emoticon ) but ight bro salam aleikum . ' either that night or early the next day , kadyrbayev tossed the backpack in a dumpster , according to the charges . over the course of two days , ' the indictment continues , more than 30 federal agents searched ( a new bedford ) landfill for the evidence kadyrbayev had placed in the trash . ' the indictment further says the roommates watched april 18 news reports about the bombing that featured photos of tsarnaev . a federal grand jury earlier this year returned a 30-count indictment against tsarnaev , the surviving suspect in the bombings , that alleges he used a weapon of mass destruction . tsarnaev is charged with killing four people -- three spectators who died in the bombings and a massachusetts institute of technology police officer ambushed in his cruiser a few days later -- and maiming , burning and wounding scores of others , ' u.s. attorney carmen ortiz said . read more : woman arrested in alleged scam of boston victim 's fund cnn 's eliott c. mclaughlin and stephanie gallman contributed to this report . | indictment says roommates , both 19 , went to dzhokhar tsarnaev 's dorm , removed items |
tsarnaev <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a federal grand jury thursday charged two friends of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice , the u.s. attorney 's office in boston said . azamat tazhayakov and dias kadyrbayev -- 19-year-old roommates and kazakh nationals who began attending the university of massachusetts-dartmouth the same semester as tsarnaev -- were charged in may with conspiracy . it is not clear whether thursday 's indictment represents a second conspiracy charge . thursday 's indictment accuses tazhayakov and kadyrbayev of helping tsarnaev after the april 15 bombing by taking items from his dorm room to keep them from investigators . photos of tsarnaev released after rolling stone complaints if convicted , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison on the obstruction count and up to five years on the conspiracy count , the u.s. attorney 's office said . they also could be fined $ 250,000 . arkady bukh , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client is not discouraged . he also said that tazhayakov did not touch any of tsarnaev 's items . he feels very strongly he 'll be able to be able to convince a jury that 's he 's innocent , ' bukh said . there 's no evidence of intent , no incentive to help ( dzhokhar ) , no motive to destroy anything . ' the three students socialized and texted each other , the indictment says . on april 18 , three days before the fbi searched tsarnaev 's dorm room , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev allegedly went into the dorm , took tsarnaev 's laptop and a backpack containing vaseline , a thumb drive , fireworks and a homework assignment sheet ' and took them back to their new bedford apartment , the indictment states . the fireworks container has been opened and manipulated , ' the indictment says . as a result , some of the explosive powder was visible . ' boston marathon terror attack fast facts kadyrbayev told his roommate that he believed tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' the indictment states . that day , kadyrbayev showed tazhayakov a text message from tsarnaev that read , if yu want yu can go to my room and take what 's there ( smiley face emoticon ) but ight bro salam aleikum . ' either that night or early the next day , kadyrbayev tossed the backpack in a dumpster , according to the charges . over the course of two days , ' the indictment continues , more than 30 federal agents searched ( a new bedford ) landfill for the evidence kadyrbayev had placed in the trash . ' the indictment further says the roommates watched april 18 news reports about the bombing that featured photos of tsarnaev . a federal grand jury earlier this year returned a 30-count indictment against tsarnaev , the surviving suspect in the bombings , that alleges he used a weapon of mass destruction . tsarnaev is charged with killing four people -- three spectators who died in the bombings and a massachusetts institute of technology police officer ambushed in his cruiser a few days later -- and maiming , burning and wounding scores of others , ' u.s. attorney carmen ortiz said . read more : woman arrested in alleged scam of boston victim 's fund cnn 's eliott c. mclaughlin and stephanie gallman contributed to this report . | tsarnaev allegedly sent texts to teens saying they could go to his room , take what 's there ' |
vaseline <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a federal grand jury thursday charged two friends of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice , the u.s. attorney 's office in boston said . azamat tazhayakov and dias kadyrbayev -- 19-year-old roommates and kazakh nationals who began attending the university of massachusetts-dartmouth the same semester as tsarnaev -- were charged in may with conspiracy . it is not clear whether thursday 's indictment represents a second conspiracy charge . thursday 's indictment accuses tazhayakov and kadyrbayev of helping tsarnaev after the april 15 bombing by taking items from his dorm room to keep them from investigators . photos of tsarnaev released after rolling stone complaints if convicted , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev could be sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison on the obstruction count and up to five years on the conspiracy count , the u.s. attorney 's office said . they also could be fined $ 250,000 . arkady bukh , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client is not discouraged . he also said that tazhayakov did not touch any of tsarnaev 's items . he feels very strongly he 'll be able to be able to convince a jury that 's he 's innocent , ' bukh said . there 's no evidence of intent , no incentive to help ( dzhokhar ) , no motive to destroy anything . ' the three students socialized and texted each other , the indictment says . on april 18 , three days before the fbi searched tsarnaev 's dorm room , tazhayakov and kadyrbayev allegedly went into the dorm , took tsarnaev 's laptop and a backpack containing vaseline , a thumb drive , fireworks and a homework assignment sheet ' and took them back to their new bedford apartment , the indictment states . the fireworks container has been opened and manipulated , ' the indictment says . as a result , some of the explosive powder was visible . ' boston marathon terror attack fast facts kadyrbayev told his roommate that he believed tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' the indictment states . that day , kadyrbayev showed tazhayakov a text message from tsarnaev that read , if yu want yu can go to my room and take what 's there ( smiley face emoticon ) but ight bro salam aleikum . ' either that night or early the next day , kadyrbayev tossed the backpack in a dumpster , according to the charges . over the course of two days , ' the indictment continues , more than 30 federal agents searched ( a new bedford ) landfill for the evidence kadyrbayev had placed in the trash . ' the indictment further says the roommates watched april 18 news reports about the bombing that featured photos of tsarnaev . a federal grand jury earlier this year returned a 30-count indictment against tsarnaev , the surviving suspect in the bombings , that alleges he used a weapon of mass destruction . tsarnaev is charged with killing four people -- three spectators who died in the bombings and a massachusetts institute of technology police officer ambushed in his cruiser a few days later -- and maiming , burning and wounding scores of others , ' u.s. attorney carmen ortiz said . read more : woman arrested in alleged scam of boston victim 's fund cnn 's eliott c. mclaughlin and stephanie gallman contributed to this report . | among the items : a laptop , manipulated ' fireworks , vaseline , school assignment sheet |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods said he had been inspired by nelson mandela as he paid his own tribute to the former south african president . woods met mandela for the first time back in 1998 after winning the u.s. masters , the first of his 14 major titles , and admitted it had been a life changing experience . it 's sad for everyone who got a chance to not only meet him , but i 've been influenced by him , ' woods said . i got a chance to meet him with my father ( earl ) back in'98 . he invited us to his home for lunch , and it was one of the most inspiring times i 've ever had in my life. the world no.1 reacted to news of mandela 's death after completing his first round at the world golf challenge in california on thursday . woods , who went on to meet mandela on several occasions , praised his courage in the face of adversity -- imprisoned by the south african regime for 28 years until released in 1990 . i do n't think any of us probably could have survived that and come out as humble and dignified as he did , and to lead an entire nation and to basically love the world when he came out , ' he told his official website . i think that 's a testament to his will and his spirit and who he was . when he came out ( of prison ) , the country could have fallen apart . it could have gone a lot of different ways , and he led it to where it 's at now , and the world is going to miss him , ' he added . south african legend gary player , who hosted the nelson mandela invitational tournament from 2000 to 2006 , also mourned his loss . condolences to all on the passing of our beloved father of the south african nation , nelson mandela , ' player tweeted . nelson mandela 's courage , forgiveness , love & hope inspired people around the world . he made me want to be a better man . madiba we loved you . rest in peace . ' former world no.1 greg norman also reacted to the sad news on social media . my thoughts & prayers go out to pres nelson mandela 's family on his passing today . one of the greatest humans i ever had privilege to meet . ' england 's ian poulter added : just heard that nelson mandela has passed away . really sad news . madiba may you rest in peace . what an inspirational man . ' poulter , like woods , is in the 18-strong field for the pga sanctioned tournament at sherwood oaks . he struggled to a four-over 76 to trail leader zach johnson by nine shots . woods shot a 71 , with defending champion graeme mcdowell on 72 , one shot better than rory mcilroy , who claimed last week 's australian open title . | tiger woods pays tribute to nelson mandela |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods said he had been inspired by nelson mandela as he paid his own tribute to the former south african president . woods met mandela for the first time back in 1998 after winning the u.s. masters , the first of his 14 major titles , and admitted it had been a life changing experience . it 's sad for everyone who got a chance to not only meet him , but i 've been influenced by him , ' woods said . i got a chance to meet him with my father ( earl ) back in'98 . he invited us to his home for lunch , and it was one of the most inspiring times i 've ever had in my life. the world no.1 reacted to news of mandela 's death after completing his first round at the world golf challenge in california on thursday . woods , who went on to meet mandela on several occasions , praised his courage in the face of adversity -- imprisoned by the south african regime for 28 years until released in 1990 . i do n't think any of us probably could have survived that and come out as humble and dignified as he did , and to lead an entire nation and to basically love the world when he came out , ' he told his official website . i think that 's a testament to his will and his spirit and who he was . when he came out ( of prison ) , the country could have fallen apart . it could have gone a lot of different ways , and he led it to where it 's at now , and the world is going to miss him , ' he added . south african legend gary player , who hosted the nelson mandela invitational tournament from 2000 to 2006 , also mourned his loss . condolences to all on the passing of our beloved father of the south african nation , nelson mandela , ' player tweeted . nelson mandela 's courage , forgiveness , love & hope inspired people around the world . he made me want to be a better man . madiba we loved you . rest in peace . ' former world no.1 greg norman also reacted to the sad news on social media . my thoughts & prayers go out to pres nelson mandela 's family on his passing today . one of the greatest humans i ever had privilege to meet . ' england 's ian poulter added : just heard that nelson mandela has passed away . really sad news . madiba may you rest in peace . what an inspirational man . ' poulter , like woods , is in the 18-strong field for the pga sanctioned tournament at sherwood oaks . he struggled to a four-over 76 to trail leader zach johnson by nine shots . woods shot a 71 , with defending champion graeme mcdowell on 72 , one shot better than rory mcilroy , who claimed last week 's australian open title . | woods playing in a tournament in california when mandela 's death announced |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods said he had been inspired by nelson mandela as he paid his own tribute to the former south african president . woods met mandela for the first time back in 1998 after winning the u.s. masters , the first of his 14 major titles , and admitted it had been a life changing experience . it 's sad for everyone who got a chance to not only meet him , but i 've been influenced by him , ' woods said . i got a chance to meet him with my father ( earl ) back in'98 . he invited us to his home for lunch , and it was one of the most inspiring times i 've ever had in my life. the world no.1 reacted to news of mandela 's death after completing his first round at the world golf challenge in california on thursday . woods , who went on to meet mandela on several occasions , praised his courage in the face of adversity -- imprisoned by the south african regime for 28 years until released in 1990 . i do n't think any of us probably could have survived that and come out as humble and dignified as he did , and to lead an entire nation and to basically love the world when he came out , ' he told his official website . i think that 's a testament to his will and his spirit and who he was . when he came out ( of prison ) , the country could have fallen apart . it could have gone a lot of different ways , and he led it to where it 's at now , and the world is going to miss him , ' he added . south african legend gary player , who hosted the nelson mandela invitational tournament from 2000 to 2006 , also mourned his loss . condolences to all on the passing of our beloved father of the south african nation , nelson mandela , ' player tweeted . nelson mandela 's courage , forgiveness , love & hope inspired people around the world . he made me want to be a better man . madiba we loved you . rest in peace . ' former world no.1 greg norman also reacted to the sad news on social media . my thoughts & prayers go out to pres nelson mandela 's family on his passing today . one of the greatest humans i ever had privilege to meet . ' england 's ian poulter added : just heard that nelson mandela has passed away . really sad news . madiba may you rest in peace . what an inspirational man . ' poulter , like woods , is in the 18-strong field for the pga sanctioned tournament at sherwood oaks . he struggled to a four-over 76 to trail leader zach johnson by nine shots . woods shot a 71 , with defending champion graeme mcdowell on 72 , one shot better than rory mcilroy , who claimed last week 's australian open title . | woods met the former south african president several times |
white house <tsp> americans'pessimism about the nation 's economic conditions , and skepticism that government can help solve that problem , delivered democrats their midterm beating this cycle , a team of bipartisan pollsters found in a midterm postmortem survey . democratic pollster celinda lake and republican pollster ed goeas said those were the main takeaways from their final george washington university battleground poll of the cycle , conducted dec. 7-11 among 1,000 registered voters nationwide . and they said the survey has grave implications for the democratic party if they ca n't craft a cohesive , convincing message on the economy . tell me who is ahead on the economy in 2016 and i 'll tell you who is going to be president , ' lake said at a christian science monitor event on thursday . she noted that voters'economic anxiety is deep-seated , and shows no signs of abating . ' the poll found that a vast majority of americans , 77 percent , said they 're at least somewhat worried about the nation 's current economic conditions . and voters in the middle class are the most pessimistic about the economy , the pollsters found . that points to why , lake and goeas said , democrats had so much trouble this cycle and ultimately lost control of the senate to republicans and gave the gop their biggest majority in the house since the 1920s . democrats aimed their midterm message at middle class voters , highlighting policies like a minimum wage hike and fair pay legislation that they said polled well with the middle class . but that strategy was too piecemeal , ' lake wrote in her analysis of the poll , and struck voters as falling well short of the level of change necessary to set our country and our economy back on track . ' and democrats had trouble selling the public government solutions for their problems because , the poll found , american voters are still split on whether government can solve them to begin with . voters want government to intervene , but they fear what the government will do if it wades into the important task of ensuring the economic stability of voters , ' goeas said . a slight majority , 52 percent , said the government should do more to solve problems and help meet the needs of people , while 48 percent said it should get out of the way and let the free market help people get ahead . many in the party have diagnosed that very issue as one of the main reasons the party fared so poorly in the midterms . | whoever wins on the economy will win the white house in 2016 , democratic pollster celinda lake said |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the absence of any serious democratic opposition , hillary clinton appears to have decided to run against barack obama in the 2016 primaries . an interview with jeffrey goldberg in the atlantic revealed her frustrations with the over-caution of the white house . its maxim do n't do stupid stuff ' might display post-bush wisdom , says clinton , but it also betrays a lack of a plan : great nations need organizing principles , and'do n't do stupid stuff'is not an organizing principle , ' she said . clinton would have gone harder into syria , for example , and armed the democratic opposition early on . the message is that while obama has somewhat withdrawn america from global war games , she would like it to take a lead . annie oakley is back . at the time the interview was conducted , poor clinton could not have known that events were about to blunt her criticism . ( a spokesman for clinton said tuesday that clinton called president obama to make sure he knows that nothing she said was an attempt to attack him , his policies , or his leadership , ' according to politico . ) now that u.s. planes are bombing islamic state of iraq and syria , or isis , forces in northern iraq and aid is finally reaching the persecuted religious minorities stranded in the wilderness , obama 's defenders could argue that he 's displaying exactly the kind of leadership clinton accuses him of lacking . yet , her charge still stands . consider the wider fate of the arab world in the past six years . the arab spring promised a new era of democracy and better relations with the west . few of its revolutions worked , many were betrayed by the foreigners who should 've been friends . the united states rather arbitrarily decided to help topple moammar gadhafi in libya , resulting in an anarchic situation today that is being exploited by a mix of islamists and warlords . the administration was less certain of what it wanted in egypt , vacillating between support for the protesters to support for the army -- and a failed experiment in islamic democracy gave way to a return of the generals . in syria , as clinton suggests , the united states watched as bashar al-assad slaughtered the opposition . in bahrain , it did worse : arms sales from america rose prior to the regime 's brutal crackdown on protesters . and even as saudi arabia continues to export its apocalyptic version of fundamentalist islam , the u.s. government sells it billions of dollars worth of weapons . the greatest failure has surely been in iraq , because it is the country for which america bears the greatest responsibility . obama 's actions over the weekend are necessary and just . the world can not tolerate the slaughter of thousands of religious minorities , the collapse of baghdad or the invasion of the kurdish homeland . so , well done , obama , for sending in the planes . but when he was pressed at a press conference on why u.s. troops were not already in iraq and , by implication , why the united states had stood back as the situation deteriorated , the president economized with the truth . he insisted that it was not my decision ' to withdraw troops . yet he ran for office on quitting iraq in 2008 , then celebrated having done so in 2012 , even as -- as patrick brennan argues in national review -- iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki was prepared to negotiate on maintaining a u.s. presence . maliki was willing to accept a deal with u.s. forces if it was worth it to him †” the problem was that the obama administration wanted a small force so that it could say it had ended the war , ' he writes . having a very small american force was n't worth the domestic political price maliki would have to pay for supporting their presence . ' in short , obama 's claim that withdrawal from iraq was forced upon him is hard to believe . he was elected and re-elected as the anti-iraq war president ( it 's why he deserves some credit for having the courage to return to the country today ) . clinton is right that obama has hung back from action . but the very fact that he was elected and then re-elected on a broadly anti-intervention ticket suggests that this is what the people wanted . and therein lies the problem with clinton 's critique . foreign policy rarely functions separately from the domestic political context : presidents typically only do what they think they can get away with . there was appetite for military adventures after 9/11 ; there is little post-iraq . that 's borne out in the polling and by the lack of political support for action in syria . it 's all very well for clinton to talk of high-mindedness in pre-primary season , but she 'll find that does not go down so well in new hampshire in 2014 and probably wo n't be popular in the general election or inside the white house . and rightly so . had the united states involved itself in the syrian conflict , it would have been picking sides in a brutal civil war with few heroes to choose from . so how does the united states -- undoubtedly a great nation ' -- handle foreign crises in an age of doubt ? the problem is that no politician , democrat or republican , has yet managed to articulate a vision for an america that does believe in things worth fighting for yet which picks its battles with incredible care . obama 's presidency has been too reactive , clinton is now laying out a plan that sounds a little too proactive . what a pity that so few are saying , the u.s. is powerful and , because of that , has a responsibility to support democracy where it can . but we can not always presume success and history teaches that going it alone comes at a heavy price . ' or , what would be so wrong about pursuing a strategy that asserts that if the united states can not do much good then it at least will do as little evil as possible -- starting by refusing to provide arms to arab dictators who torture their own people and export terror ? alas , all too often the only choice american voters are given is between playing the world 's policeman or doing nothing at all . better to be , as john kennedy described himself , an idealist without illusions . ' | timothy stanley : hillary clinton criticized obama on foreign policy in magazine interview |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the absence of any serious democratic opposition , hillary clinton appears to have decided to run against barack obama in the 2016 primaries . an interview with jeffrey goldberg in the atlantic revealed her frustrations with the over-caution of the white house . its maxim do n't do stupid stuff ' might display post-bush wisdom , says clinton , but it also betrays a lack of a plan : great nations need organizing principles , and'do n't do stupid stuff'is not an organizing principle , ' she said . clinton would have gone harder into syria , for example , and armed the democratic opposition early on . the message is that while obama has somewhat withdrawn america from global war games , she would like it to take a lead . annie oakley is back . at the time the interview was conducted , poor clinton could not have known that events were about to blunt her criticism . ( a spokesman for clinton said tuesday that clinton called president obama to make sure he knows that nothing she said was an attempt to attack him , his policies , or his leadership , ' according to politico . ) now that u.s. planes are bombing islamic state of iraq and syria , or isis , forces in northern iraq and aid is finally reaching the persecuted religious minorities stranded in the wilderness , obama 's defenders could argue that he 's displaying exactly the kind of leadership clinton accuses him of lacking . yet , her charge still stands . consider the wider fate of the arab world in the past six years . the arab spring promised a new era of democracy and better relations with the west . few of its revolutions worked , many were betrayed by the foreigners who should 've been friends . the united states rather arbitrarily decided to help topple moammar gadhafi in libya , resulting in an anarchic situation today that is being exploited by a mix of islamists and warlords . the administration was less certain of what it wanted in egypt , vacillating between support for the protesters to support for the army -- and a failed experiment in islamic democracy gave way to a return of the generals . in syria , as clinton suggests , the united states watched as bashar al-assad slaughtered the opposition . in bahrain , it did worse : arms sales from america rose prior to the regime 's brutal crackdown on protesters . and even as saudi arabia continues to export its apocalyptic version of fundamentalist islam , the u.s. government sells it billions of dollars worth of weapons . the greatest failure has surely been in iraq , because it is the country for which america bears the greatest responsibility . obama 's actions over the weekend are necessary and just . the world can not tolerate the slaughter of thousands of religious minorities , the collapse of baghdad or the invasion of the kurdish homeland . so , well done , obama , for sending in the planes . but when he was pressed at a press conference on why u.s. troops were not already in iraq and , by implication , why the united states had stood back as the situation deteriorated , the president economized with the truth . he insisted that it was not my decision ' to withdraw troops . yet he ran for office on quitting iraq in 2008 , then celebrated having done so in 2012 , even as -- as patrick brennan argues in national review -- iraqi prime minister nuri al-maliki was prepared to negotiate on maintaining a u.s. presence . maliki was willing to accept a deal with u.s. forces if it was worth it to him †” the problem was that the obama administration wanted a small force so that it could say it had ended the war , ' he writes . having a very small american force was n't worth the domestic political price maliki would have to pay for supporting their presence . ' in short , obama 's claim that withdrawal from iraq was forced upon him is hard to believe . he was elected and re-elected as the anti-iraq war president ( it 's why he deserves some credit for having the courage to return to the country today ) . clinton is right that obama has hung back from action . but the very fact that he was elected and then re-elected on a broadly anti-intervention ticket suggests that this is what the people wanted . and therein lies the problem with clinton 's critique . foreign policy rarely functions separately from the domestic political context : presidents typically only do what they think they can get away with . there was appetite for military adventures after 9/11 ; there is little post-iraq . that 's borne out in the polling and by the lack of political support for action in syria . it 's all very well for clinton to talk of high-mindedness in pre-primary season , but she 'll find that does not go down so well in new hampshire in 2014 and probably wo n't be popular in the general election or inside the white house . and rightly so . had the united states involved itself in the syrian conflict , it would have been picking sides in a brutal civil war with few heroes to choose from . so how does the united states -- undoubtedly a great nation ' -- handle foreign crises in an age of doubt ? the problem is that no politician , democrat or republican , has yet managed to articulate a vision for an america that does believe in things worth fighting for yet which picks its battles with incredible care . obama 's presidency has been too reactive , clinton is now laying out a plan that sounds a little too proactive . what a pity that so few are saying , the u.s. is powerful and , because of that , has a responsibility to support democracy where it can . but we can not always presume success and history teaches that going it alone comes at a heavy price . ' or , what would be so wrong about pursuing a strategy that asserts that if the united states can not do much good then it at least will do as little evil as possible -- starting by refusing to provide arms to arab dictators who torture their own people and export terror ? alas , all too often the only choice american voters are given is between playing the world 's policeman or doing nothing at all . better to be , as john kennedy described himself , an idealist without illusions . ' | he says obama appears to have hung back , but america did n't want military adventuring |
chicago <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a 75-year-old illinois woman flying her kit plane violated restricted airspace during a presidential visit to chicago and was intercepted by two f-16 fighter jets , authorities said . the fighter jets intercepted a kitfox model 2 aircraft when it violated a temporary restricted airspace wednesday evening in chicago , said lt. col. mike humphreys of the north american aerospace defense command . humphreys said the military planes escorted the small aircraft back to its home airport at mill rose farm in barrington , illinois . by the time local police showed up on scene , the plane was already in its hangar , said sgt . sam parma of the south barrington police department . parma said myrtle rose of south barrington , illinois , flies almost every day and was not aware president barack obama was in chicago on wednesday . south barrington is a suburb about 30 miles northwest of chicago . obama was in chicago to attend fundraisers for the democratic national committee and his re-election effort . a federal aviation administration spokeswoman said the agency is investigating what may have been a violation of a temporary flight restriction from a small single-engine plane . but the spokeswoman , elizabeth isham cory , said she could not release the name of the individual or where the individual was flying to or from because the investigation is underway . rose will not face any local charges , but the faa has yet to decide what action it might take with regards to her piloting license , authorities said . south barrington police said rose either did n't have her radio on , or the radio was not functioning , parma said the plane had a male name , but could not recall what rose called it . rose did not return a phone message from cnn . cnn 's simon hernandez-arthur and janet digiacomo contributed to this report | two f-16 fighter jets escort her small plane to suburban chicago |
tom delay <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ronald reagan once joked , politics is not a bad profession . if you succeed , there are many rewards . if you disgrace yourself , you can always write a book . ' today , that joke would have to be updated to add that not only can you write a book , but you can also be on reality tv show , host cable news programs , run for office again and possibly even win . disgraced politicians never die . they 're like jason from the friday the 13th ' movies -- you just ca n't kill them . they keep coming at you like the political version of zombies . sure , some fallen politicians still write books about their adventures . ' former ohio congressman bob ney recently made the rounds on the talk show circuit to promote his new memoir . ney , who resigned in 2006 , served more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges in connection with the jack abramoff lobbying scandal . but books are nothing compared to the other ways sullied politicians can profit off of their newly found infamy . former new york gov . eliot spitzer -- who resigned because he was caught frequenting prostitutes -- went on to host not one , but two different shows on cable tv . the first one was on cnn , and the second one was on current tv . then there 's exploiting your scandal in the time between when you 're indicted and convicted of the crime . former texas congressman tom delay -- while under indictment and awaiting a trial date -- appeared as a contestant on the hit tv show dancing with the stars . ' delay was later convicted of campaign finance violations and money laundering . but the guy who set the bar high for all disgraced politicians is former illinois gov . rod blagojevich . after being removed from office by the state legislature and while under indictment , blagojevich wrote a book about his scandal , went on the daily show ' and letterman ' and was a contestant on season 9 of donald trump 's the celebrity apprentice . ' blagojevich even appeared at the wizard world chicago comic con ( a comic book convention ) , where he charged $ 50 for autographs and $ 80 for a photo with him . he was subsequently convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison . among politicians who do n't end up in jail , some try hard to become elected officials again . they want to go back to the very place that caused their problems . it 's like a recovering drug addict asking to work at a meth lab -- not a good combo . just look at former south carolina gov . mark sanford , who is running to fill a recently vacated congressional seat . as a refresher , sanford disappeared for six days in 2009 while governor . at first , sanford 's office publicly stated that he was hiking the appalachian trail . however , we soon found out that he was actually in argentina visiting the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair . sanford seeks'redemption'in wild congressional race sanford later paid $ 74,000 to settle charges that he had misused state resources and campaign funds in conducting his affair . however , sanford refused to resign and completed his term . flash forward to march 19 : sanford came in first in a crowded field of republicans in the gop congressional primary . recent polls show him with a 10-point lead over his opponent in the republican primary runoff scheduled for april 2 . sanford 's quest for forgiveness in return to political life and do n't forget anthony weiner , the former democratic congressman from new york city . as most people , and all comedians , vividly recall , weiner had accidentally ' tweeted photos of himself in his underwear to a young woman on twitter . weiner later admitted to having non-sexual but inappropriate ' relationships with various women on social media . weiner resigned from congress a few weeks after the scandal broke in june 2011 . what 's weiner up to now ? apparently he has figured out how to use twitter and is at least considering a return to politics . weiner revealed he had spent more than $ 100,000 on polls recently to explore possibly running for office in new york city . what does it say about us that these disgraced politicians have success -- however fleetingly -- after their scandals ? is it because we are a forgiving lot who believe in second chances if the person has sincerely apologized and seeks redemption ? or is it because we are all infected with the reality-show mindset where we reward fame regardless of how it 's attained ? plenty of people do n't distinguish between whether a person is famous for good or bad reasons . all that matters is if a person has made it to that semi-exclusive club of celebritydom . after that , enough people will support the person to merit securing a book deal , being cast on a reality show and maybe run for office . look , i 'm all for redemption and second chances . but i 'm also aware that just like we saw with jason in friday the 13th ' movies , the longer he 's alive , the more damage he will do . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah . | just think of bob ney , eliot spitzer , tom delay , rod blagojevich , mark sanford , he says |
rod blagojevich <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ronald reagan once joked , politics is not a bad profession . if you succeed , there are many rewards . if you disgrace yourself , you can always write a book . ' today , that joke would have to be updated to add that not only can you write a book , but you can also be on reality tv show , host cable news programs , run for office again and possibly even win . disgraced politicians never die . they 're like jason from the friday the 13th ' movies -- you just ca n't kill them . they keep coming at you like the political version of zombies . sure , some fallen politicians still write books about their adventures . ' former ohio congressman bob ney recently made the rounds on the talk show circuit to promote his new memoir . ney , who resigned in 2006 , served more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to corruption charges in connection with the jack abramoff lobbying scandal . but books are nothing compared to the other ways sullied politicians can profit off of their newly found infamy . former new york gov . eliot spitzer -- who resigned because he was caught frequenting prostitutes -- went on to host not one , but two different shows on cable tv . the first one was on cnn , and the second one was on current tv . then there 's exploiting your scandal in the time between when you 're indicted and convicted of the crime . former texas congressman tom delay -- while under indictment and awaiting a trial date -- appeared as a contestant on the hit tv show dancing with the stars . ' delay was later convicted of campaign finance violations and money laundering . but the guy who set the bar high for all disgraced politicians is former illinois gov . rod blagojevich . after being removed from office by the state legislature and while under indictment , blagojevich wrote a book about his scandal , went on the daily show ' and letterman ' and was a contestant on season 9 of donald trump 's the celebrity apprentice . ' blagojevich even appeared at the wizard world chicago comic con ( a comic book convention ) , where he charged $ 50 for autographs and $ 80 for a photo with him . he was subsequently convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison . among politicians who do n't end up in jail , some try hard to become elected officials again . they want to go back to the very place that caused their problems . it 's like a recovering drug addict asking to work at a meth lab -- not a good combo . just look at former south carolina gov . mark sanford , who is running to fill a recently vacated congressional seat . as a refresher , sanford disappeared for six days in 2009 while governor . at first , sanford 's office publicly stated that he was hiking the appalachian trail . however , we soon found out that he was actually in argentina visiting the woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair . sanford seeks'redemption'in wild congressional race sanford later paid $ 74,000 to settle charges that he had misused state resources and campaign funds in conducting his affair . however , sanford refused to resign and completed his term . flash forward to march 19 : sanford came in first in a crowded field of republicans in the gop congressional primary . recent polls show him with a 10-point lead over his opponent in the republican primary runoff scheduled for april 2 . sanford 's quest for forgiveness in return to political life and do n't forget anthony weiner , the former democratic congressman from new york city . as most people , and all comedians , vividly recall , weiner had accidentally ' tweeted photos of himself in his underwear to a young woman on twitter . weiner later admitted to having non-sexual but inappropriate ' relationships with various women on social media . weiner resigned from congress a few weeks after the scandal broke in june 2011 . what 's weiner up to now ? apparently he has figured out how to use twitter and is at least considering a return to politics . weiner revealed he had spent more than $ 100,000 on polls recently to explore possibly running for office in new york city . what does it say about us that these disgraced politicians have success -- however fleetingly -- after their scandals ? is it because we are a forgiving lot who believe in second chances if the person has sincerely apologized and seeks redemption ? or is it because we are all infected with the reality-show mindset where we reward fame regardless of how it 's attained ? plenty of people do n't distinguish between whether a person is famous for good or bad reasons . all that matters is if a person has made it to that semi-exclusive club of celebritydom . after that , enough people will support the person to merit securing a book deal , being cast on a reality show and maybe run for office . look , i 'm all for redemption and second chances . but i 'm also aware that just like we saw with jason in friday the 13th ' movies , the longer he 's alive , the more damage he will do . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah . | just think of bob ney , eliot spitzer , tom delay , rod blagojevich , mark sanford , he says |
kenya <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ethiopia 's deriba merga forgot his olympic disappointment when he won monday 's 113th boston marathon ahead of kenyan daniel rono and ryan hall of america . deriba merga celebrates after winning the men 's division of the 113th running of the boston marathon . merga , who faded in the heat of beijing to finish fourth in the 2008 summer games , went clear before'heartbreak hill'and finished almost a minute clear in two hours eight minutes 42 seconds . rono clocked 2:09.32 with hall another eight seconds adrift and the only non-african competitor in a top 10 that included five kenyans headed by rono and with robert cheruiyot finishing fifth . kenya 's salina kosgei took the women 's title by just one second in a relatively slow time of two hours 32 minutes 16 seconds -- with all the drama reserved for the last few strides . kosgei outsprinted ethiopia 's dire tune , who collapsed after finishing and required medical attention . tune won last year in a similar sprint finish and was treated for several minutes before being taken to a local hospital as a precaution . american kara goucher , who led with a mile to go , faded and finished third in 2:32.25 with bezunesh bekele of ethiopia fourth . the boston marathon is the oldest established race over the classic 26.2 miles ( 42km ) distance and has been won over the years by many of the leading names in the sport . the famous'heartbreak hill'comes 20 miles ( 32km ) into the race and often decides the final outcome . | salina kosgei of kenya took the women 's title from dire tune who collapsed |
irs <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's estate never gave an expert it hired permission to help aeg live defend against the wrongful death lawsuit filed by jackson 's mother and children , the estate 's top lawyer said thursday . the revelation raised questioned about the testimony of entertainment industry consultant eric briggs , who was hired by aeg live to challenge the jacksons'expert opinions concerning damages the concert promoter might owe if found liable in the singer 's death . briggs told the court this week that his company -- fti consultants -- had gotten a waiver from a jackson estate lawyer before agreeing to work on the concert promoter 's defense . briggs had signed a confidentiality agreement with the jackson estate in 2010 when he was hired to determine the value of its biggest asset -- the sony-atv music catalog that includes the beatles songs -- for the estate 's tax filings in 2010 . he was hired by aeg live lawyers in february to prepare a challenge of the opinion of an expert hired by the jackson lawyers to calculate how much money the singer would have earned had he not died while working on his comeback concerts in 2009 . briggs said he -- or someone else in his company -- gained permission from the jackson estate lawyer jeryll cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest . no one from the estate or any lawyers authorized or waived any potential conflict for fti or mr. briggs , ' jackson estate attorney howard weitzman wrote in an e-mail read in court thursday . such a waiver would be counter to the interests of the estate 's beneficiaries -- jackson 's mother and three children , a jackson lawyer said . despite the conflict , the judge ordered briggs to answer questions posed by katherine jackson 's lawyers about the music catalog . he said although his valuation placed jackson 's interest in the catalog at about the same level as jackson 's debt at the time of his death -- which he said was $ 400 million -- the irs challenged it as low . an independent analyst hired by the irs concluded he had undervalued jackson 's interest in the catalog by up to $ 300 million , briggs testified . jackson lawyers argue it is evidence the singer was not broke when he died , contrary to what briggs said in his testimony . briggs testified this week that it was his opinion that it was speculative that jackson would have earned a dime more in his life if he had not died of a propofol overdose on june 25 , 2009 . he based his opinion the testimony of a doctor who said earlier that he did not think jackson would have lived even another week past that date . panish , however , pointed out that the doctor 's opinion was based on the assumption that dr. conrad murray would still be giving jackson nightly infusions of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic the coroner said killed him -- as a treatment for insomnia . the jackson 's suit contends aeg live is liable because it negligently hired , retained or supervised murray . | the irs is challenging briggs'valuation of jackson 's share of huge music catalog |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's estate never gave an expert it hired permission to help aeg live defend against the wrongful death lawsuit filed by jackson 's mother and children , the estate 's top lawyer said thursday . the revelation raised questioned about the testimony of entertainment industry consultant eric briggs , who was hired by aeg live to challenge the jacksons'expert opinions concerning damages the concert promoter might owe if found liable in the singer 's death . briggs told the court this week that his company -- fti consultants -- had gotten a waiver from a jackson estate lawyer before agreeing to work on the concert promoter 's defense . briggs had signed a confidentiality agreement with the jackson estate in 2010 when he was hired to determine the value of its biggest asset -- the sony-atv music catalog that includes the beatles songs -- for the estate 's tax filings in 2010 . he was hired by aeg live lawyers in february to prepare a challenge of the opinion of an expert hired by the jackson lawyers to calculate how much money the singer would have earned had he not died while working on his comeback concerts in 2009 . briggs said he -- or someone else in his company -- gained permission from the jackson estate lawyer jeryll cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest . no one from the estate or any lawyers authorized or waived any potential conflict for fti or mr. briggs , ' jackson estate attorney howard weitzman wrote in an e-mail read in court thursday . such a waiver would be counter to the interests of the estate 's beneficiaries -- jackson 's mother and three children , a jackson lawyer said . despite the conflict , the judge ordered briggs to answer questions posed by katherine jackson 's lawyers about the music catalog . he said although his valuation placed jackson 's interest in the catalog at about the same level as jackson 's debt at the time of his death -- which he said was $ 400 million -- the irs challenged it as low . an independent analyst hired by the irs concluded he had undervalued jackson 's interest in the catalog by up to $ 300 million , briggs testified . jackson lawyers argue it is evidence the singer was not broke when he died , contrary to what briggs said in his testimony . briggs testified this week that it was his opinion that it was speculative that jackson would have earned a dime more in his life if he had not died of a propofol overdose on june 25 , 2009 . he based his opinion the testimony of a doctor who said earlier that he did not think jackson would have lived even another week past that date . panish , however , pointed out that the doctor 's opinion was based on the assumption that dr. conrad murray would still be giving jackson nightly infusions of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic the coroner said killed him -- as a treatment for insomnia . the jackson 's suit contends aeg live is liable because it negligently hired , retained or supervised murray . | the irs is challenging briggs'valuation of jackson 's share of huge music catalog |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's estate never gave an expert it hired permission to help aeg live defend against the wrongful death lawsuit filed by jackson 's mother and children , the estate 's top lawyer said thursday . the revelation raised questioned about the testimony of entertainment industry consultant eric briggs , who was hired by aeg live to challenge the jacksons'expert opinions concerning damages the concert promoter might owe if found liable in the singer 's death . briggs told the court this week that his company -- fti consultants -- had gotten a waiver from a jackson estate lawyer before agreeing to work on the concert promoter 's defense . briggs had signed a confidentiality agreement with the jackson estate in 2010 when he was hired to determine the value of its biggest asset -- the sony-atv music catalog that includes the beatles songs -- for the estate 's tax filings in 2010 . he was hired by aeg live lawyers in february to prepare a challenge of the opinion of an expert hired by the jackson lawyers to calculate how much money the singer would have earned had he not died while working on his comeback concerts in 2009 . briggs said he -- or someone else in his company -- gained permission from the jackson estate lawyer jeryll cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest . no one from the estate or any lawyers authorized or waived any potential conflict for fti or mr. briggs , ' jackson estate attorney howard weitzman wrote in an e-mail read in court thursday . such a waiver would be counter to the interests of the estate 's beneficiaries -- jackson 's mother and three children , a jackson lawyer said . despite the conflict , the judge ordered briggs to answer questions posed by katherine jackson 's lawyers about the music catalog . he said although his valuation placed jackson 's interest in the catalog at about the same level as jackson 's debt at the time of his death -- which he said was $ 400 million -- the irs challenged it as low . an independent analyst hired by the irs concluded he had undervalued jackson 's interest in the catalog by up to $ 300 million , briggs testified . jackson lawyers argue it is evidence the singer was not broke when he died , contrary to what briggs said in his testimony . briggs testified this week that it was his opinion that it was speculative that jackson would have earned a dime more in his life if he had not died of a propofol overdose on june 25 , 2009 . he based his opinion the testimony of a doctor who said earlier that he did not think jackson would have lived even another week past that date . panish , however , pointed out that the doctor 's opinion was based on the assumption that dr. conrad murray would still be giving jackson nightly infusions of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic the coroner said killed him -- as a treatment for insomnia . the jackson 's suit contends aeg live is liable because it negligently hired , retained or supervised murray . | a jackson estate lawyer contradicts testimony of consultant eric briggs |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's estate never gave an expert it hired permission to help aeg live defend against the wrongful death lawsuit filed by jackson 's mother and children , the estate 's top lawyer said thursday . the revelation raised questioned about the testimony of entertainment industry consultant eric briggs , who was hired by aeg live to challenge the jacksons'expert opinions concerning damages the concert promoter might owe if found liable in the singer 's death . briggs told the court this week that his company -- fti consultants -- had gotten a waiver from a jackson estate lawyer before agreeing to work on the concert promoter 's defense . briggs had signed a confidentiality agreement with the jackson estate in 2010 when he was hired to determine the value of its biggest asset -- the sony-atv music catalog that includes the beatles songs -- for the estate 's tax filings in 2010 . he was hired by aeg live lawyers in february to prepare a challenge of the opinion of an expert hired by the jackson lawyers to calculate how much money the singer would have earned had he not died while working on his comeback concerts in 2009 . briggs said he -- or someone else in his company -- gained permission from the jackson estate lawyer jeryll cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest . no one from the estate or any lawyers authorized or waived any potential conflict for fti or mr. briggs , ' jackson estate attorney howard weitzman wrote in an e-mail read in court thursday . such a waiver would be counter to the interests of the estate 's beneficiaries -- jackson 's mother and three children , a jackson lawyer said . despite the conflict , the judge ordered briggs to answer questions posed by katherine jackson 's lawyers about the music catalog . he said although his valuation placed jackson 's interest in the catalog at about the same level as jackson 's debt at the time of his death -- which he said was $ 400 million -- the irs challenged it as low . an independent analyst hired by the irs concluded he had undervalued jackson 's interest in the catalog by up to $ 300 million , briggs testified . jackson lawyers argue it is evidence the singer was not broke when he died , contrary to what briggs said in his testimony . briggs testified this week that it was his opinion that it was speculative that jackson would have earned a dime more in his life if he had not died of a propofol overdose on june 25 , 2009 . he based his opinion the testimony of a doctor who said earlier that he did not think jackson would have lived even another week past that date . panish , however , pointed out that the doctor 's opinion was based on the assumption that dr. conrad murray would still be giving jackson nightly infusions of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic the coroner said killed him -- as a treatment for insomnia . the jackson 's suit contends aeg live is liable because it negligently hired , retained or supervised murray . | briggs calls assertions of jackson 's potential earnings speculative ' |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- michael jackson 's estate never gave an expert it hired permission to help aeg live defend against the wrongful death lawsuit filed by jackson 's mother and children , the estate 's top lawyer said thursday . the revelation raised questioned about the testimony of entertainment industry consultant eric briggs , who was hired by aeg live to challenge the jacksons'expert opinions concerning damages the concert promoter might owe if found liable in the singer 's death . briggs told the court this week that his company -- fti consultants -- had gotten a waiver from a jackson estate lawyer before agreeing to work on the concert promoter 's defense . briggs had signed a confidentiality agreement with the jackson estate in 2010 when he was hired to determine the value of its biggest asset -- the sony-atv music catalog that includes the beatles songs -- for the estate 's tax filings in 2010 . he was hired by aeg live lawyers in february to prepare a challenge of the opinion of an expert hired by the jackson lawyers to calculate how much money the singer would have earned had he not died while working on his comeback concerts in 2009 . briggs said he -- or someone else in his company -- gained permission from the jackson estate lawyer jeryll cohen to waive any potential conflict of interest . no one from the estate or any lawyers authorized or waived any potential conflict for fti or mr. briggs , ' jackson estate attorney howard weitzman wrote in an e-mail read in court thursday . such a waiver would be counter to the interests of the estate 's beneficiaries -- jackson 's mother and three children , a jackson lawyer said . despite the conflict , the judge ordered briggs to answer questions posed by katherine jackson 's lawyers about the music catalog . he said although his valuation placed jackson 's interest in the catalog at about the same level as jackson 's debt at the time of his death -- which he said was $ 400 million -- the irs challenged it as low . an independent analyst hired by the irs concluded he had undervalued jackson 's interest in the catalog by up to $ 300 million , briggs testified . jackson lawyers argue it is evidence the singer was not broke when he died , contrary to what briggs said in his testimony . briggs testified this week that it was his opinion that it was speculative that jackson would have earned a dime more in his life if he had not died of a propofol overdose on june 25 , 2009 . he based his opinion the testimony of a doctor who said earlier that he did not think jackson would have lived even another week past that date . panish , however , pointed out that the doctor 's opinion was based on the assumption that dr. conrad murray would still be giving jackson nightly infusions of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic the coroner said killed him -- as a treatment for insomnia . the jackson 's suit contends aeg live is liable because it negligently hired , retained or supervised murray . | aeg live 's consultant testifies michael jackson 's estate waived its conflict of interest |
americans <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the world received word yesterday that the publishers of encyclopedia britannica would stop producing hardbound , paper copies of their venerable reference . actually , they stopped in 2010 but did n't tell anyone . now they 've disclosed they 've been able to sell just 8,000 copies of the collection . the rest are in a warehouse in chicago , looking for someone who needs historically accurate , out-of-date information . according to the company , they 'll continue publishing online and will sell their services to individuals , schools and libraries . in some respects , that 's good . the web is much more easily updated , more interactive , and can deliver motion , sound , and color simultaneously . in other respects , that 's not good , particularly for young readers , older folks , immigrants , and technophobes who 'd rather read a book . britannica 's decision is , in so many ways , simply a mile marker along the way to the new world of the 21st century . in mid-20th century america , a set of britannicas on the shelf was a status symbol : a sign that the family had money , taste , some pretense to intellect , or at least a very strong desire to be seen that way . other families had the world book , colliers , or the encyclopedia americana ( my own family 's choice ) . annual yearbooks updated entries in science , technology , industrial manufacturing , botany , and more . and , for so many of us who grew up in the 20th century , it was fun just to look through those volumes , read , and wonder about the world . wikipedia has largely replaced those printed volumes , principally because it 's free . everything on the web is free ( or should be , according to its most passionate users ) . the fact that it 's not written , edited , or monitored by content matter experts seems to be of little concern . crowd-sourcing has replaced experts and , though not good , the accuracy quotient of wikipedia articles seems to be improving . this is , however , part of a trend that assumes expertise is overvalued . today , most technology users value connectivity and experience . newspapers and magazines are in decline , bloggers and content aggregators are on the ascendant . the problem with crowd-sourcing the answer to any particular question is , of course , that you 're as likely to find ideologically driven opinion as hard fact . you also have little in the way of support for judgments about credibility , reliability , and accuracy . ours is a society that can not afford to do without a postal service , daily newspapers , and expertly edited sources of public knowledge . the notion that all knowledge is available online within six clicks is both exciting and a bit frightening ( have you googled yourself , your friends , or your children to see what 's online , including images ? ) . the disappearance of our printed sources of information poses two serious concerns . first , our antiquated , overtaxed , patchwork power grid is perennially on the verge of collapse . chinese hackers , aging components , or an f4 tornado could take down large segments of our power supply . no power , no internet . second , just two-thirds of all americans have access to the internet at work or home . those of us who live with an iphone , blackberry , tablet device ( or a desktop computer ) seem to think just about everyone is connected . not so . online access is far from a given for lower-income people . wireless handheld devices and municipal wifi systems look promising , but more than 100 million americans are not connected to the internet , according to the pew research center 's internet and american life project . clearly this is a hinge point in history , much like gutenberg 's use of moveable type to operate a printing press , or marconi 's use of wireless communication to transmit the human voice over vast distances . the arrival of video scanning -- which made digital optics possible -- and high-speed data processing have accelerated the rate of change and we 're simply going to have to live with it and make the best of it . in the interim , we could think about buying a book or subscribing to a newspaper ( just for old time 's sake ) , or we could do something important for that one-third of our neighbors that will serve as an information safety net : support your local public library . they , too , offer access to the internet , but they also offer a clean , safe , nicely organized source for each of us to find information that 's useful , valuable , interesting , and helpful . looking forward to the world our children and their children will live in does n't mean simply abandoning technology that seems anachronistic . it means preserving the best of what we know and making it accessible to everyone . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of james s. o'rourke , iv . | o'rourke : a third of americans are n't connected to the web |
tsa <tsp> as questions continue to swirl about how to deal with the ever-growing fears of ebola , relatives of the first person to be diagnosed with the deadly virus in the united states gathered to grieve saturday . wiping tears from their eyes , family and friends of thomas eric duncan told cnn affiliate time warner cable news charlotte he was a compassionate and respectful young man . ' as relatives said their final farewells to duncan , a liberian national and father of four , at rowan international church in salisbury , north carolina , they wanted him to be remembered for his acts of kindness , as opposed to the person who brought this disease to america because he did n't know he was sick , ' said nephew josephus weeks . duncan , 42 , died earlier this month at a hospital in dallas . his mother and other relatives live in north carolina . this week , a central american country closed its borders to anyone who has been anywhere near the disease . and an airline scrambled to inform hundreds passengers that they had been on a plane that carried someone who has since come down with ebola . when u.s. secretary of state john kerry asked the government of belize to help evacuate a dallas hospital worker from a cruise ship off its coast on friday , officials declined to let her on shore . the employee of texas health presbyterian hospital was a lab supervisor and did not have direct contact with thomas eric duncan , who died there while being treated for ebola . but she may have had contact with one of his specimens , the u.s. state department said . a doctor on the carnival cruise ship has declared her symptom-free and in good health . still , the lab supervisor and a travel partner have undergone voluntary isolation as a precaution . belize slaps travel , visa bans it 's been 20 days since she perhaps handled duncan 's fluid samples -- the maximum incubation period for ebola is 21 days . meanwhile , on saturday , a u.s. coast guard confirms to cnn a u.s. coast guard helicopter flew to the carnival cruise , lowered a hoist basket , and picked up the lab technician 's blood samples . the samples which are in a container , so the uscg members are not exposed , were then taken by carnival 's on board doctor , ' said petty officer andy kendrick , u.s. coast guard spokesman . the test results are expected back , before the carnival magic arrives in galveston tomorrow morning , ' said kendrick . if results are n't ready , health officials will be at the port to make sure the woman is not showing any symptoms , before allowing her to get off the ship . ' but as sure as it may seem that lab professional is ebola-free , the state department wanted to fly her back to the united states -- purely out of caution -- from belize city 's airport . instead , the cruise ship is hauling her back to galveston . on top of the no-go , belize 's government has slapped visa and travel bans this week on citizens of affected west african countries and announced more strict measures . also , any person of whatever nationality wishing to travel to belize who has visited any affected area of west africa within the last 30 days will be prohibited from entering belize , ' the government said in a statement on friday . cruise ship passengers will be vetted before being allowed to go on land . who to review ebola response amid criticism airline worries leave no stone unturned is the approach frontier airlines is taking , after a passenger came down with ebola . it is telling up to 800 passengers to contact the cdc . most of them were n't on flights with amber vinson , the second dallas nurse who contracted ebola after helping treat duncan . vinson flew to cleveland on october 10 and back to dallas on october 13 . in an effort to further quarantine the deadly virus , the ohio department of health , upped the ante on specific ebola monitoring requirements on saturday for those potentially affected by the deadly virus . ohio health officials saturday increased the number of people being monitored from 16 to 29 . these people were in the vicinity of vinson or had contact with her . they include people who were in a bridal shop she visited . one of them was a close contact ' and is under quarantine , according to diorio . all are healthy . the new measures include daily health monitoring by a local health department official and those being monitored can not leave the united states due to the inability to track them down in the event they fail to meet their daily reporting requirements , ' the statement read . we 're taking an aggressive approach , no doubt about it , but it 's just common sense . some might criticize us for being too aggressive , but we 're comfortable taking that criticism , ' said dr. mary diorio , state epidemiologist and interim chief of the odh bureau of prevention and health promotion in statement . the centers for disease control and prevention said she could have had symptoms during that time . the tsa says an officer who patted down vinson on october 13 in cleveland has been placed on paid administrative leave out of an abundance of caution . ' a cleveland hopkins international airport transportation security administration officer who conducted a routine pat-down of a traveler later reported to be infected with ebola consulted with the centers for disease control and prevention , ' the tsa said in a statement . no cleveland tsa officer came in direct contact with the infected traveler , as all pat downs are completed while employees are wearing disposable medical gloves , ' the statement continued . the tsa holds firm that the employee is not reporting any symptoms and was instructed by cdc to self-monitor over the next few days , as a precautionary measure . diorio told reporters that 87 state residents in the flights were self-monitoring for symptoms of ebola . the cdc would like people who were on either flight to get in touch with them to answer some questions and potentially undergo monitoring , although it says the risk to anyone was extremely low . but frontier , as an extra precaution , included anyone who had been on subsequent flights that used the same plane as the one on her return flight . frontier has also taken that plane out of service . ohio gov . john kasich went so far on saturday as calling for a travel ban for countries affected by the deadly ebola outbreak . no ohio airport currently has direct flights to or from the affected nations in west africa . i would say i think it makes sense to have ( a ) ban in place , ' he told reporters . the president of the united states has to make that call . he has to listen to many different people . and i have no doubt in my mind they 're considering this now . ' can you catch ebola on a plane ? | tsa officer who patted down ebola patient amber vinson in cleveland is now watching for symptoms |
ohio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in dueling speeches that sought to frame the economic debate for their election showdown in november , president barack obama and mitt romney on thursday offered differing visions for how to restore strong growth while telling separate ohio crowds that the other 's policies have failed . the president and the former massachusetts governor both emphasized particular themes of community in their campaign speeches in a battleground state hit hard by the 2008 recession and its aftermath . romney , speaking at a factory in the cincinnati area minutes before obama 's speech in cleveland , focused on what he called the president 's failure to deliver promised economic growth so far in his first term . talk is cheap , ' romney , the certain republican nominee , said of the incumbent democratic president . action speaks very loud , and if you want to see the results of his economic policies , look around ohio and the country . ' he encouraged voters to ask their friends and neighbors if they are better off since obama became president , predicting that small business owners , bankers , unemployed college graduates and others will answer no . obama , meanwhile , emphasized the election is about a choice for the direction of the country , saying romney and his allies in congress ' advocate the same economic policies of tax cuts and deregulation that brought the recent recession . he cited in particular the refusal by congressional republicans to accept any kind of tax increase on the wealthy , saying that stance prevented a comprehensive deficit reduction agreement last year . the only thing that can break the stalemate is you , ' obama said to cheers . this november is your chance to render a verdict on the debate over how to grow the economy , how to create good jobs , how to pay down our deficit . ' the nearly simultaneous addresses reflected what polls have consistently shown -- the economy is the top issue in the november presidential election -- and both campaigns continued their high-stakes efforts to seize the advantage on it . obama has been rocked by bad economic news in recent weeks , including a tepid may jobs report and thursday 's news that first-time unemployment claims rose slightly last week . last friday , the president provided fuel to romney 's repeated claims that he is out of touch and his policies have been ineffective by telling reporters that compared to the public sector , the private sector is doing fine . ' obama clarifies : economy'not doing fine' a new romney campaign ad thursday replays the president uttering the phrase several times while highlighting the nation 's economic woes by flashing on-screen text : 23.2 million americans are unemployed , ' 40 straight months over 8 % unemployment ' and middle-class struggles deepen under obama . ' the spot is the first negative ad against obama by the romney camp so far in the general election campaign , although super-pacs backing romney have run attack ads against the president . obama tried to play down the rough patch , telling the raucous cuyahoga community college crowd that the campaign will be long and tough . over the next five months , this election will take many twists and many turns , polls will go up and polls will go down , there will be no shortage of gaffes and controversies that keep both campaigns busy and give the press something to write about , ' he said , adding with a smile that you may have heard i recently made my own unique contribution to that process . ' as the audience laughed , obama added : it was n't the first time . it wo n't be the last . ' he summed up the republican campaign as an attack against his presidency , saying the scary voice ' in television and romney himself will tell you the economy is bad , that it is all my fault , that i ca n't fix it because i think government is always the answer or because i did n't make a lot of money in the private sector and do n't understand it , or because i am in over my head , or because i think everybody is doing just fine . ' that may be their plan to win the election but it is not a plan to create jobs , ' obama said . it is not a plan to grow the economy . ' he cited the ravages of the recession on the economy and highlighted progress made by his administration , being careful to note that people are still hurting and more needs to happen . at the same time , obama offered his oft-repeated call for a balanced approach to economic growth and deficit reduction that raises taxes on the wealthy and holds down spending while ensuring that critical areas for future growth such as education , clean energy and infrastructure development get needed money . in his speech , romney also stuck with his stump themes , saying obama blew his chance to fix the economy and now it is time for change . my experience in thinking about people who i want to have work for me , whether it 's my doctor or the person that 's going to be painting the house , i want to make sure they did a good job the first time and if they did n't , i want someone who can do a better job , ' romney said . a survey released thursday showed that more americans blame former president george w. bush than obama for the continuing economic problems that began in the previous administration . according to the gallup poll , 68 % of respondents said bush deserves either a great deal or a moderate amount of blame , compared with 31 % who said the former president deserves not much or no blame at all . in the survey , 52 % said obama deserves blame , with 48 % saying he is n't to blame for current economic conditions . another poll shows independent voters are dissatisfied with the economic plans of both candidates . according to the washington post/abc news survey released wednesday , 54 % of independents have an unfavorable view of obama 's plan for the economy , and 47 % view romney 's economic plan unfavorably . it says 38 % view obama 's plan favorably , compared with 35 % who feel the same about romney 's plan . the survey showing negative marks for each candidate 's economic plan reflected strong racial divides among americans . white voters were split on romney 's plan , with 42 % viewing it favorably and 42 % viewing it unfavorably . minority voters were far less positive , with 68 % of black voters and 48 % of latino voters viewing the republican candidate 's plan unfavorably . both groups gave much higher marks to obama -- 81 % of black voters and 59 % of latino voters had a favorable view of the democrat incumbent 's plan . romney 's policies reflect the gop goal of shrinking government and cutting taxes to reduce the mounting federal deficit and national debt . led by conservatives , republicans argue such steps will boost economic growth to bring in more revenue -- despite the tax cuts -- and shrink the deficit . obama calls for ending bush-era tax cuts for families making more than $ 250,000 a year as well as tax breaks for the oil industry and others to increase revenue , while also holding down spending and seeking long-term entitlement reforms . both parties and presidential campaigns have been guilty of making dubious claims about the other as the campaign rhetoric has heated up . bill adair , the editor of the pulitzer prize winning web site politifact.org , said his recent fact-checks of the candidates have rated nearly all of their claims to be half-truths . the campaigns are cherry-picking statistics that do n't tell a full story , ' adair said . kathleen hall jamieson with the annenberg center for public policy said ad distortions from both candidates in both parties are typical of a campaign that has specialized in taking words out of context . ' jamieson 's office launched its own fact-checking site , flackcheck.org , to police campaign ads for their distortions . the web site features a montage of television spots that are guilty of using a wide array of deceptive techniques . the danger is people hear the sound bite repeated in ads , see it repeated in the news , and lose track of the original context , ' jamieson said . it becomes the reality and in the process , there 's a serious deception . ' cnn 's shawna shepherd , kevin liptak , kevin bohn , paul steinhauser , shannon travis and jim acosta contributed to this report . | the contenders for president in november both speak in the battleground state of ohio |
young <tsp> ( cnn ) -- detroit tigers outfielder delmon young was arrested in manhattan on friday and charged with aggravated harassment after a dispute with another man , new york police said . young appeared intoxicated when police arrived at the scene outside the hilton new york hotel , and he was treated and released from a hospital friday morning , police detective martin speechley said . the other man , who was not identified , sustained minor injuries but refused treatment , speechley said . the aggravated harassment charge is a misdemeanor , but speechley said the case is being investigated as a possible hate crime because of religious statements made ' during the dispute . if there is evidence to support a hate crime , the seriousness of the charge would be elevated , ' he said . a criminal complaint states young made an anti-semitic remark , according to cnn affiliate wabc . young did not speak to reporters on camera , but issued a statement . i sincerely regret what happened last night , ' young said , according to wabc . i take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that i will do everything i can to improve myself as a person and player . ' the team issued a brief statement friday afternoon . we are aware of the situation , however it is our club policy not to comment on pending legal matters , ' the statement said . as we understand it , this is an allegation and we need to allow the legal process to take its course . ' the tigers are in new york for a three-game series against the yankees . detroit lost the first game friday to the yankees . | i sincerely regret what happened ... i take this matter very seriously , ' young says in a statement |
young <tsp> ( cnn ) -- detroit tigers outfielder delmon young was arrested in manhattan on friday and charged with aggravated harassment after a dispute with another man , new york police said . young appeared intoxicated when police arrived at the scene outside the hilton new york hotel , and he was treated and released from a hospital friday morning , police detective martin speechley said . the other man , who was not identified , sustained minor injuries but refused treatment , speechley said . the aggravated harassment charge is a misdemeanor , but speechley said the case is being investigated as a possible hate crime because of religious statements made ' during the dispute . if there is evidence to support a hate crime , the seriousness of the charge would be elevated , ' he said . a criminal complaint states young made an anti-semitic remark , according to cnn affiliate wabc . young did not speak to reporters on camera , but issued a statement . i sincerely regret what happened last night , ' young said , according to wabc . i take this matter very seriously and assure everyone that i will do everything i can to improve myself as a person and player . ' the team issued a brief statement friday afternoon . we are aware of the situation , however it is our club policy not to comment on pending legal matters , ' the statement said . as we understand it , this is an allegation and we need to allow the legal process to take its course . ' the tigers are in new york for a three-game series against the yankees . detroit lost the first game friday to the yankees . | report : a criminal complaint says delmon young made an anti-semitic remark |
specialized bicycle components <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a popular bicycle maker is recalling about 12,000 bicycles after receiving reports of the bike 's front fork breaking and causing riders to suffer nasty falls . a bicycle fork is used to hold the front wheel and allows the rider to steer the bicycle . specialized bicycle components , which sold the forks on at least 18 different bike models through retailers from 2007 until july , said riders should immediately stop riding the bikes . four reports of riders suffering facial fractures and head and shoulder injuries and cuts led to the nationwide recall , according to the consumer product safety commission . the forks were manufactured in china by kinesis and are primarily found on specialized 's globe bike model , but riders should double-check their forks just to make sure . the cpsc reports 2008 and 2009 women 's and men 's globe model bicycles may also be affected . recalled models include the globe elite , globe sport , globe sport disc , globe centrum comp , globe centrum elite , globe city 6 , globe vienna 3 , globe vienna 3 disc , globe vienna 4 , globe vienna deluxe 3 , globe vienna deluxe 4 , globe vienna deluxe 5 and globe vienna deluxe 6 bicycles . the bicycles were sold in various colors , including gun , silver , black , khaki , navy , bone , blue , charcoal , burgundy and gold . the brand name specialized ' is on the lower frame tube and the model name is on various locations on the bicycle frame . the company said riders can take the defective bicycles to any authorized specialized retailer for no-cost installation of a free replacement fork . | specialized bicycle components is recalling several of its globe bike models |
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena williams is looking forward to the ultimate challenge ' of trying to win the french open after again proving her dominance over biggest rival maria sharapova and defending her madrid title on sunday . the american triumphed 6-1 6-4 to retain her no . 1 ranking and claim the 50th wta tour crown of her career , becoming only the 10th player to do so . the 31-year-old is the only player to have won on three different colors of clay -- and she is confident that the madrid surface 's reversion to red after the blue of 2012 will help her bid to end an 11-year wait for her second grand slam success at roland garros . this court is definitely different from last year , ' williams said . it definitely plays more like roland garros , so i think that 's a plus . it 's a little slower than it was last year and plays more like a true clay court . so i think it 's great preparation . it 's a good start in the right direction . ' last year williams fell at the first hurdle in paris -- a tournament she won back in 2002 -- before going on to triumph at wimbledon , the olympics , the u.s. open and the season-ending wta championships . it is the ultimate challenge , ' williams said . whether i reach it , i do n't know . i 'm not going to put that pressure on myself . i wanted to do it last year and i did n't get it . so this year i 'm just looking forward to rome , and then after that roland garros . ' williams has now beaten second-ranked sharapova in their past 12 meetings , and was in control for most of the match despite trailing 3-1 in the second set . i do n't know if her start was shaky , but i felt i played well in the first few games -- playing such a great athlete and great tennis player like maria , you have to come out and play well . i had no choice , ' she said . she definitely started playing better in that second set -- i think she came out with a different game plan . i missed a very crucial point in that first game , but after that i just had to refocus . ' williams is now three wins behind monica seles on the wta list , but a long way behind martina navratilova 's record 167 . i do n't know how many more i can win . like i say every day ,'who knows if i 'll ever win another title ?'i just want to live in the moment , ' said williams , who returned to action in 2011 after a long injury break that caused life-threatening blood clots on her lungs . i feel like every moment i play -- i do n't know if it 's because of what i went through -- i feel like i 'm so fortunate to be out there and healthy and to have an opportunity to play a sport and be really good at it . hopefully i can just keep it going . ' sharapova arrived in rome having retained her stuttgart title , but the russian was once again unable to stand up to williams'power . obviously it 's tough losing in the final today , but i think my preparation so far has been decent , winning a title in stuttgart and getting to the final in this tournament for the first time , ' the 26-year-old said . one more tune-up to go before roland garros , and everything seems to be going well . ' rafael nadal is in fine shape to defend his french open title after winning a record-extending 23rd masters level tournament in madrid on sunday . the spaniard crushed swiss 15th seed stanislas wawrinka 6-2 6-4 in the final to claim his fifth crown since returning from longterm knee problems in february . the 26-year-old joined thomas muster in equal second on the open era clay titles list with his 40th success on the surface . they are six behind guillermo vilas . wawrinka can take some consolation in that he will return to the top-10 rankings for the first time since 2008 . it was nadal 's third title in madrid , where he has been runner-up twice . | williams is hoping to win the french open for the first time since 2002 |
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena williams is looking forward to the ultimate challenge ' of trying to win the french open after again proving her dominance over biggest rival maria sharapova and defending her madrid title on sunday . the american triumphed 6-1 6-4 to retain her no . 1 ranking and claim the 50th wta tour crown of her career , becoming only the 10th player to do so . the 31-year-old is the only player to have won on three different colors of clay -- and she is confident that the madrid surface 's reversion to red after the blue of 2012 will help her bid to end an 11-year wait for her second grand slam success at roland garros . this court is definitely different from last year , ' williams said . it definitely plays more like roland garros , so i think that 's a plus . it 's a little slower than it was last year and plays more like a true clay court . so i think it 's great preparation . it 's a good start in the right direction . ' last year williams fell at the first hurdle in paris -- a tournament she won back in 2002 -- before going on to triumph at wimbledon , the olympics , the u.s. open and the season-ending wta championships . it is the ultimate challenge , ' williams said . whether i reach it , i do n't know . i 'm not going to put that pressure on myself . i wanted to do it last year and i did n't get it . so this year i 'm just looking forward to rome , and then after that roland garros . ' williams has now beaten second-ranked sharapova in their past 12 meetings , and was in control for most of the match despite trailing 3-1 in the second set . i do n't know if her start was shaky , but i felt i played well in the first few games -- playing such a great athlete and great tennis player like maria , you have to come out and play well . i had no choice , ' she said . she definitely started playing better in that second set -- i think she came out with a different game plan . i missed a very crucial point in that first game , but after that i just had to refocus . ' williams is now three wins behind monica seles on the wta list , but a long way behind martina navratilova 's record 167 . i do n't know how many more i can win . like i say every day ,'who knows if i 'll ever win another title ?'i just want to live in the moment , ' said williams , who returned to action in 2011 after a long injury break that caused life-threatening blood clots on her lungs . i feel like every moment i play -- i do n't know if it 's because of what i went through -- i feel like i 'm so fortunate to be out there and healthy and to have an opportunity to play a sport and be really good at it . hopefully i can just keep it going . ' sharapova arrived in rome having retained her stuttgart title , but the russian was once again unable to stand up to williams'power . obviously it 's tough losing in the final today , but i think my preparation so far has been decent , winning a title in stuttgart and getting to the final in this tournament for the first time , ' the 26-year-old said . one more tune-up to go before roland garros , and everything seems to be going well . ' rafael nadal is in fine shape to defend his french open title after winning a record-extending 23rd masters level tournament in madrid on sunday . the spaniard crushed swiss 15th seed stanislas wawrinka 6-2 6-4 in the final to claim his fifth crown since returning from longterm knee problems in february . the 26-year-old joined thomas muster in equal second on the open era clay titles list with his 40th success on the surface . they are six behind guillermo vilas . wawrinka can take some consolation in that he will return to the top-10 rankings for the first time since 2008 . it was nadal 's third title in madrid , where he has been runner-up twice . | world no . 1 serena williams beats maria sharapova in final to retain madrid title |
microsoft <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the past decade , microsoft researcher gordon bell has been moving the data from his brain onto computers -- where he knows it will be safe . gordon bell wearing a sensecam , which automatically records photos throughout the day . sure , you could say all of us do this to some extent . we save digital pictures from family events and keep tons of e-mail . but bell , who is 75 years old , takes the idea of digital memory to a sci-fi-esque extreme . he carries around video equipment , cameras and audio recorders to capture his conversations , commutes , trips and experiences . microsoft is working on a sensecam that would hang around a person 's neck and automatically capture every detail of life in photo form . bell has given that a whirl . he also saves everything -- from restaurant receipts ( he takes pictures of them ) to correspondence , bills and medical records . he makes pdf files out of every web page he views . in sum , this mountain of data -- more than 350 gigabytes worth , not including the streaming audio and video -- is a replica of bell 's biological memory . it 's actually better , he says , because , if you back up your data in enough places , this digitized e-memory ' never forgets . it 's like having a multimedia transcript of your life . by about 2020 , he says , our entire life histories will be online and searchable . location-aware smartphones and inexpensive digital memory storage in the cloud ' of the internet make the transition possible and inevitable . no one will have to fret about storing the details of their lives in their heads anymore . we 'll have computers for that . and this revolution will change what it means to be human , ' he writes . bell , who , along with fellow researcher jim gemmell , is the author of a new book called total recall , ' talked with cnn about the advantages and drawbacks of recording one 's life in painstaking digital detail . the following is an edited transcript . cnn : what have you learned about yourself through this process ? that 's been a really hard question to answer . ... the main driver of the recall turns out to be a [ computer ] screensaver or something where i go looking for [ a digital memory ] and i find something else . i guess it 's the rich set of connections and people that i 've been involved with . cnn : what do you use to record your memories ? in a way , most of what happens during the day is sort of routine -- what you 've done before . so i carry the sensecam only when i think there 's an episode or a sequence or a certain set of events that i want to capture and have automatically photographed . but i tend to always carry a camera with me . i live next to a fire station and i 've got lots of photos of the hook and ladder coming out of the house . and i like food so i tend to photograph wonderfully presented food all the time . to me those are very pleasant memories . cnn : if we rely on computers instead of our brains , will humans become mentally sluggish ? that 's certainly one of the concerns . i tend to counter that theory . to me , i feel a lot freer . in a way i feel like i still remember all that stuff , but i generally remember that [ the computer is ] remembering something for me so i can find it . people have no memory of phone numbers now because of the cell phone -- their address book is in a cell phone . so i do n't think they 're getting any worse or any less facile about that . what an e-memory does , to me , is gives me a really wonderful free feeling . cnn : if we all record audio of our lives , do you think conversations will become stilted and fake ? i think there will be a lot of court cases and lawyering around all of that . i 'm personally less hung up about that . certainly , people my age and baby boomers are . but the current x-generation , [ they think ] this is pretty natural . cnn : are you on facebook and twitter ? yeah , i 'm on facebook and twitter and occasionally i will tweet something . somehow my problem is that i do n't think i have anything interesting to tweet about . cnn : should all of our memories and observations be public ? absolutely not . our own memories are our own private thing , and how much you choose to have on facebook or blogs , that 's your thing . cnn : what does your family think about your effort to record everything ? gradually , everybody is getting this idea . ... think of it : you are a librarian for your life . somebody has to be the family librarian . cnn : are you worried about losing your memory ? ... forgetting is not a feature , it 's a flaw . i do n't think forgetting is an important feature of human memory . i think it 's important to be able to remember things accurately . cnn : are there any memories you deleted ? no . when we were scanning stuff i had written a memo about a company , an unpleasant company -- probably the only company i was ever ashamed to be a part of . ... i put a note on that file that said , do n't ever scan or copy this ! ' my assistant who was doing the scanning ran across this and said , what do you want me to do with this ? ' and i said , well , gee . this is my life . ' i said , it 's ok , just go ahead . ' so it 's all there . cnn : do you think it 's possible for people to turn away from new technologies ? or are advances like total recall ' inevitable ? i think it 's inevitable because so much content is being created . virtually everything is coming in digitally -- everything from your photos to your videos to your music . ... i will love that day when the world is just bits . it 's the ultimate in green , by the way . | microsoft researcher gordon bell argues we will soon have searchable memories |
clattenburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- referee mark clattenburg has no case to answer in relation to a complaint from chelsea that he used racist language towards one of their players during a premier league game . the english football association ( fa ) announced thursday that their probe into the incident found clattenburg did not say shut up you monkey ' to midfielder jon obi mikel , as had been claimed by another of their players , ramires . and while the official has been completely exonerated , the fa insisted that chelsea and ramires , who is the only player to have heard the alleged comment , were right to report the matter . the fa also confirmed mikel has been charged for his conduct after the game against manchester united on october 28 when he went into the officials'changing room to confront clattenburg . the referee , who has not taken charge of a game since the incident , said in a statement he hoped no referee has to go through this in the future . ' a statement on the fa 's website read : having considered all of the available evidence it was the opinion of david waters qc , independent counsel , that the evidence of ramires was not supported by any other evidence . moreover it was contradicted by other witnesses and does not cross the evidential threshold required to bring a charge against mark clattenburg . having considered counsel 's opinion , and in view of all the circumstances of the case , the fa does not believe that there is a case for mr clattenburg to answer . equally the fa is satisfied that the allegation against mark clattenburg by ramires was made in good faith . it is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief . ' the head of the professional game match officials , who organize england 's referees , said they would be recording all communication between the referee and players in future . clattenburg added in a statement : to know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening . racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse . however , there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved . i know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation . ' chelsea defended their position in a statement released on their official website . with regards to the mark clattenburg decision , the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the fa states the allegation was made in good faith , ' it read . chelsea fc has a duty of care , as do all employers , to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees . we did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the fa lightly and followed the correct procedures and protocols throughout . ' chelsea confirmed that mikel would accept the charge against him , but would request a personal hearing . the clattenburg decision came as interim manager rafael benitez took charge of chelsea training for the first time after the sacking wednesday of roberto di matteo . the 3-2 defeat to manchester united , which saw fernando torres controversially sent off by clattenburg , was the start of a poor run which ultimately cost di matteo his job with the european champions . | english club reported clattenburg after exchange with jon obi mikel during man utd match |
clattenburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- referee mark clattenburg has no case to answer in relation to a complaint from chelsea that he used racist language towards one of their players during a premier league game . the english football association ( fa ) announced thursday that their probe into the incident found clattenburg did not say shut up you monkey ' to midfielder jon obi mikel , as had been claimed by another of their players , ramires . and while the official has been completely exonerated , the fa insisted that chelsea and ramires , who is the only player to have heard the alleged comment , were right to report the matter . the fa also confirmed mikel has been charged for his conduct after the game against manchester united on october 28 when he went into the officials'changing room to confront clattenburg . the referee , who has not taken charge of a game since the incident , said in a statement he hoped no referee has to go through this in the future . ' a statement on the fa 's website read : having considered all of the available evidence it was the opinion of david waters qc , independent counsel , that the evidence of ramires was not supported by any other evidence . moreover it was contradicted by other witnesses and does not cross the evidential threshold required to bring a charge against mark clattenburg . having considered counsel 's opinion , and in view of all the circumstances of the case , the fa does not believe that there is a case for mr clattenburg to answer . equally the fa is satisfied that the allegation against mark clattenburg by ramires was made in good faith . it is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief . ' the head of the professional game match officials , who organize england 's referees , said they would be recording all communication between the referee and players in future . clattenburg added in a statement : to know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening . racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse . however , there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved . i know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation . ' chelsea defended their position in a statement released on their official website . with regards to the mark clattenburg decision , the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the fa states the allegation was made in good faith , ' it read . chelsea fc has a duty of care , as do all employers , to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees . we did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the fa lightly and followed the correct procedures and protocols throughout . ' chelsea confirmed that mikel would accept the charge against him , but would request a personal hearing . the clattenburg decision came as interim manager rafael benitez took charge of chelsea training for the first time after the sacking wednesday of roberto di matteo . the 3-2 defeat to manchester united , which saw fernando torres controversially sent off by clattenburg , was the start of a poor run which ultimately cost di matteo his job with the european champions . | referee mark clattenburg to face no action from fa after complaint of racism by chelsea |
clattenburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- referee mark clattenburg has no case to answer in relation to a complaint from chelsea that he used racist language towards one of their players during a premier league game . the english football association ( fa ) announced thursday that their probe into the incident found clattenburg did not say shut up you monkey ' to midfielder jon obi mikel , as had been claimed by another of their players , ramires . and while the official has been completely exonerated , the fa insisted that chelsea and ramires , who is the only player to have heard the alleged comment , were right to report the matter . the fa also confirmed mikel has been charged for his conduct after the game against manchester united on october 28 when he went into the officials'changing room to confront clattenburg . the referee , who has not taken charge of a game since the incident , said in a statement he hoped no referee has to go through this in the future . ' a statement on the fa 's website read : having considered all of the available evidence it was the opinion of david waters qc , independent counsel , that the evidence of ramires was not supported by any other evidence . moreover it was contradicted by other witnesses and does not cross the evidential threshold required to bring a charge against mark clattenburg . having considered counsel 's opinion , and in view of all the circumstances of the case , the fa does not believe that there is a case for mr clattenburg to answer . equally the fa is satisfied that the allegation against mark clattenburg by ramires was made in good faith . it is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief . ' the head of the professional game match officials , who organize england 's referees , said they would be recording all communication between the referee and players in future . clattenburg added in a statement : to know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening . racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse . however , there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved . i know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation . ' chelsea defended their position in a statement released on their official website . with regards to the mark clattenburg decision , the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the fa states the allegation was made in good faith , ' it read . chelsea fc has a duty of care , as do all employers , to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees . we did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the fa lightly and followed the correct procedures and protocols throughout . ' chelsea confirmed that mikel would accept the charge against him , but would request a personal hearing . the clattenburg decision came as interim manager rafael benitez took charge of chelsea training for the first time after the sacking wednesday of roberto di matteo . the 3-2 defeat to manchester united , which saw fernando torres controversially sent off by clattenburg , was the start of a poor run which ultimately cost di matteo his job with the european champions . | fa say ramires reported he had heard clattenburg say shut up you monkey ' to mikel |
mikel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- referee mark clattenburg has no case to answer in relation to a complaint from chelsea that he used racist language towards one of their players during a premier league game . the english football association ( fa ) announced thursday that their probe into the incident found clattenburg did not say shut up you monkey ' to midfielder jon obi mikel , as had been claimed by another of their players , ramires . and while the official has been completely exonerated , the fa insisted that chelsea and ramires , who is the only player to have heard the alleged comment , were right to report the matter . the fa also confirmed mikel has been charged for his conduct after the game against manchester united on october 28 when he went into the officials'changing room to confront clattenburg . the referee , who has not taken charge of a game since the incident , said in a statement he hoped no referee has to go through this in the future . ' a statement on the fa 's website read : having considered all of the available evidence it was the opinion of david waters qc , independent counsel , that the evidence of ramires was not supported by any other evidence . moreover it was contradicted by other witnesses and does not cross the evidential threshold required to bring a charge against mark clattenburg . having considered counsel 's opinion , and in view of all the circumstances of the case , the fa does not believe that there is a case for mr clattenburg to answer . equally the fa is satisfied that the allegation against mark clattenburg by ramires was made in good faith . it is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief . ' the head of the professional game match officials , who organize england 's referees , said they would be recording all communication between the referee and players in future . clattenburg added in a statement : to know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening . racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse . however , there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved . i know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation . ' chelsea defended their position in a statement released on their official website . with regards to the mark clattenburg decision , the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the fa states the allegation was made in good faith , ' it read . chelsea fc has a duty of care , as do all employers , to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees . we did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the fa lightly and followed the correct procedures and protocols throughout . ' chelsea confirmed that mikel would accept the charge against him , but would request a personal hearing . the clattenburg decision came as interim manager rafael benitez took charge of chelsea training for the first time after the sacking wednesday of roberto di matteo . the 3-2 defeat to manchester united , which saw fernando torres controversially sent off by clattenburg , was the start of a poor run which ultimately cost di matteo his job with the european champions . | english club reported clattenburg after exchange with jon obi mikel during man utd match |
mikel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- referee mark clattenburg has no case to answer in relation to a complaint from chelsea that he used racist language towards one of their players during a premier league game . the english football association ( fa ) announced thursday that their probe into the incident found clattenburg did not say shut up you monkey ' to midfielder jon obi mikel , as had been claimed by another of their players , ramires . and while the official has been completely exonerated , the fa insisted that chelsea and ramires , who is the only player to have heard the alleged comment , were right to report the matter . the fa also confirmed mikel has been charged for his conduct after the game against manchester united on october 28 when he went into the officials'changing room to confront clattenburg . the referee , who has not taken charge of a game since the incident , said in a statement he hoped no referee has to go through this in the future . ' a statement on the fa 's website read : having considered all of the available evidence it was the opinion of david waters qc , independent counsel , that the evidence of ramires was not supported by any other evidence . moreover it was contradicted by other witnesses and does not cross the evidential threshold required to bring a charge against mark clattenburg . having considered counsel 's opinion , and in view of all the circumstances of the case , the fa does not believe that there is a case for mr clattenburg to answer . equally the fa is satisfied that the allegation against mark clattenburg by ramires was made in good faith . it is entirely possible for a witness to be genuinely mistaken and convincing in his belief . ' the head of the professional game match officials , who organize england 's referees , said they would be recording all communication between the referee and players in future . clattenburg added in a statement : to know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening . racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse . however , there are processes that should be adhered in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved . i know first-hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation . ' chelsea defended their position in a statement released on their official website . with regards to the mark clattenburg decision , the club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the fa states the allegation was made in good faith , ' it read . chelsea fc has a duty of care , as do all employers , to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees . we did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the fa lightly and followed the correct procedures and protocols throughout . ' chelsea confirmed that mikel would accept the charge against him , but would request a personal hearing . the clattenburg decision came as interim manager rafael benitez took charge of chelsea training for the first time after the sacking wednesday of roberto di matteo . the 3-2 defeat to manchester united , which saw fernando torres controversially sent off by clattenburg , was the start of a poor run which ultimately cost di matteo his job with the european champions . | fa say ramires reported he had heard clattenburg say shut up you monkey ' to mikel |
star wars <tsp> ( cnn ) -- electronic arts will be the exclusive provider of games based on the star wars series , disney and the game developer announced jointly on monday . following disney 's acquisition of lucasfilm last year , it shut down the lucasarts game development division , indicating its preference to license console games rather than develop them in-house . now , electronic arts will be the only publisher creating star wars games for a core gaming audience , ' according to today 's press release . electronic arts said that its in-house game teams dice ( battlefield ) and visceral ( dead space ) will work on star wars titles , in addition to bioware , the team behind ea 's existing star wars mmo the old republic . meanwhile , disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile , social , tablet and online game categories . ' my initial take : while this might seem like a great arrangement for electronic arts and disney , i can not see how taking away the element of competition will be good for the quality of star wars games . individually licensing out star wars games to different publishers and developers might have ushered in a variety of creative ideas and directions for the franchise , but locking out anyone that is n't affiliated with electronic arts seems like a commitment to the same old , same old . every developer dreams of creating games for the star wars universe , ' said ea labels president frank gibeau . and now , unless they go work at ea , they ca n't . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | electronic arts will have exclusive rights to star wars ' video games |
star wars <tsp> ( cnn ) -- electronic arts will be the exclusive provider of games based on the star wars series , disney and the game developer announced jointly on monday . following disney 's acquisition of lucasfilm last year , it shut down the lucasarts game development division , indicating its preference to license console games rather than develop them in-house . now , electronic arts will be the only publisher creating star wars games for a core gaming audience , ' according to today 's press release . electronic arts said that its in-house game teams dice ( battlefield ) and visceral ( dead space ) will work on star wars titles , in addition to bioware , the team behind ea 's existing star wars mmo the old republic . meanwhile , disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile , social , tablet and online game categories . ' my initial take : while this might seem like a great arrangement for electronic arts and disney , i can not see how taking away the element of competition will be good for the quality of star wars games . individually licensing out star wars games to different publishers and developers might have ushered in a variety of creative ideas and directions for the franchise , but locking out anyone that is n't affiliated with electronic arts seems like a commitment to the same old , same old . every developer dreams of creating games for the star wars universe , ' said ea labels president frank gibeau . and now , unless they go work at ea , they ca n't . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | ea already makes the multiplayer star wars : the old republic ' |
cotton <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- want to boost your spending power ? try giving your wallet a break by shopping at a dollar store . americans have embraced the four leading chains -- dollar general , family dollar , dollar tree and the 99¢ only store -- in droves during the recession . this year , dollar general 's sales were up almost 10 percent quarter-over-quarter , and they 're opening 450 new stores , according to the new york times . dollar tree , meanwhile , planned to open 235 new stores this year . and family dollar 's early 2009 numbers pointed to sales being up 6.5 percent year-over-year . but despite the booming sales , consumer reports'money adviser has taken a close look at this hot retail segment and found that not everything is a deal . before i tell you what they say to stock up on and what to pass on , i want to clarify something . there are important distinctions to note among the chains . dollar general and family dollar both price the majority of their items at $ 1 , but they also offer some merchandise at higher price points . dollar tree and the 99¢ only chain are the only true dollar stores where everything is $ 1 , with no exceptions . so what did consumer reports find ? cotton rounds , gift wrap , birthday candles , paper bags , composition notebooks , plastic cups , security envelopes , napkins , foam plates and tissue paper are among the best deals . yet they advised against buying jewelry ( too much lead content ) , electrical products ( possibly fake ul labels ) , medication ( expired products ) and vitamins ( probably not to be from reputable sellers ) at any dollar stores . now , i 've routinely bought medication like ibuprofen at dollar stores and have not found it to be past expiration date . of course , some would argue that i can get a better deal on ibuprofen at a warehouse club . but unless you 're in constant pain , who can use all those 12 million pills in the bulk container before they expire ? ! the research that consumer reports did reminded me of a similar report in good housekeeping several years ago . at that time , the women 's magazine compared four knockoff products from the dollar stores versus four brand name products purchased elsewhere . the products included generic glass cleaner , body lotion , dishwashing liquid and detergent . the brand name products were windex , lubriderm , dawn and tide , and they proved to better than their generic counterparts . for example , a teaspoon of dawn washed 19 dishes , while a teaspoon of the dollar brand washed only six ! as for the detergent , the dollar brand failed to wash out a mustard stain that tide did . so the message is , let the buyer beware at the dollar stores . certainly , there are some deals to be had , but you 've got to be picky . | cotton rounds , gift wrap , birthday candles among the best deals |
charlie hebdo <tsp> ( cnn ) more than a week after the paris terror attacks and with an investigation in full swing , the evidence points to an international conspiracy by militants to bring terror to the streets of france 's capital . there are reports of a new accomplice , in addition to the three gunmen killed by french authorities and the widow of one , who escaped . there 's a money trail that points to yemen and a cache of weapons reportedly found in an apartment . this all comes as a nation continues to mourn and parisians flock to newsstands in support of the satirical magazine targeted by the terrorists . everyone seems to want a piece of history . three million copies of charlie hebdo 's first edition since the terrorist attacks flew off newsstand racks wednesday . another million or so went on sale thursday . the cover features a cartoon of the prophet mohammed crying as he holds a sign saying je suis charlie , ' or i am charlie , ' beneath the headline all is forgiven . ' this run of the magazine could reach 5 million copies . some have criticized the magazine 's decision to depict mohammed , however , since this is deeply offensive to many muslims . the government of jordan condemned the move thursday , saying that continuing to publish offensive drawings ' of mohammed would hurt the feelings of the muslim communities everywhere . ' this irresponsible act does not represent the freedom of expression , which is based on the foundation of the responsibility and the respect of religions , ' its statement added . freedom of expression is a right , but there are limits when it comes to insulting faiths , pope francis told reporters thursday , referring to events surrounding the charlie hebdo attacks . one can not provoke , one can not insult other people 's faith , one can not make fun of faith , ' francis said on a flight from colombo , sri lanka , to the philippines . likewise , he said , people have religious liberty , but one ca n't kill in the name of god . ' he said this after a reporter asked him about religious liberty and freedom of expression . francis noted that the reporter was french , and he framed his answer with the paris attacks : you are french ? let 's ( reference ) paris , let 's speak clearly . ' pakistan 's national assembly on thursday unanimously passed a resolution condemning the publication of a caricature of the prophet mohammed by charlie hebdo , pakistan 's dawn news reported . the resolution also calls on the european union , the united nations community and the organization of islamic cooperation take steps to prevent the publishing of such material , according to the report . pakistan joins other predominantly muslim countries whose leaders have spoken out against charlie hebdo for its latest publication . prime minister muhammad nawaz sharif said that freedom of speech should not be used to hurt the religious sentiments of any community ' and that the world should discourage the publication of provocative material . ' more funerals for victims of the violence were held thursday . they included ceremonies for policeman franck brinsolaro , charlie hebdo cartoonists bernard tignous ' verlhac and georges wolinski , and columnist and psychoanalyst elsa cayat . all were killed in last week 's attack on charlie hebdo 's offices . magazine staffers and contributors were gathered for an editorial meeting when , authorities said , brothers said and cherif kouachi burst into the newsroom and gunned down staffers , killing 12 and wounding 11 . one positive story emerged from friday 's deadly siege at a kosher grocery store in paris , just two days after the charlie hebdo rampage . it was that of lassana bathily , a malian muslim immigrant and supermarket employee who said he helped some hostages into a walk-in freezer at the store while it was under attack . on thursday , french interior minister bernard cazeneuve said france would grant him french citizenship , according to a statement . the french government expedited bathily 's application , which he filed in july 2014 . cazeneuve himself will conduct the citizenship ceremony on january 20 . nearly 300,000 signatures have been added to a change.org petition calling for bathily to receive french citizenship and france 's prestigious legion of honor award . in a speech at the arab world institute , french president francois hollande said that muslims ' are the first victims of fanaticism , fundamentalism and intolerance ' and that islam was compatible with democracy . al qaeda in the arabian peninsula claimed responsibility wednesday for tcharlie hebdo shooting . the attack was years in the making , aqap commander nasr ibn ali al-ansi said in a video , claiming u.s.-born cleric anwar al-awlaki was the mastermind behind it . al-awlaki was the terror group 's spokesman before a u.s. drone strike killed him in yemen in 2011 . for days , intelligence analysts have been trying to piece together whether the kouachi brothers , the gunmen who attacked the magazine , met him on trips to yemen -- a theory that could be bolstered by the new video 's claim . what is al qaeda in the arabian peninsula ? al-ansi praised the magazine attack , saying it was revenge for charlie hebdo 's depictions of mohammed . u.s. authorities said they think the video is authentic . but they were n't ready to say that aqap helped carry out the assault . aqap did not claim responsibility for the kosher grocery store siege but praised it . it was a blessing from allah ' that the store siege , in which four hostages were killed , took place about the same time , al-ansi said . french security services have identified a suspected accomplice in that attack , according to the french newspaper le parisien . police sources cited by the newspaper said one line of investigation is that the accomplice , a man from a paris suburb , may have driven gunman amedy coulibaly to the kosher supermarket , where coulibaly later shot dead four people . coulibaly was killed in a police raid to end the siege . the kouachi brothers also are dead . but investigators'efforts to track down possible suspects tied to last week 's attacks are continuing . le parisien 's report said investigators identified coulibaly 's suspected accomplice using keys for a motorbike discovered in an apartment they raided over the weekend . neighbors told cnn the apartment , in the paris suburb of gentilly , was raided saturday by police . also found inside the apartment , according to le parisien : a stash of weapons , explosives and two isis flags . coulibaly purportedly told authorities before he was killed that he belonged to isis . police also think the suspected accomplice may have been responsible for shooting and wounding a jogger last week -- an attack that the paris prosecutor has said could be tied to coulibaly because the ammunition used was the same as ammunition found at the scene of the kosher market attack , le parisien said . paris police would not comment to cnn on the contents of the report . le parisien says coulibaly 's suspected accomplice , whom the newspaper did not name , may have fled france , possibly for syria . officials have also said they believe hayat boumeddiene , coulibaly 's widow , may have played a role in the attacks and has fled to syria . coulibaly and boumeddiene drove from france to madrid on december 31 , a spanish source close to the nation 's security sources told cnn . coulibaly remained until january 2 , when he returned to france , while boumeddiene flew that same day from madrid to istanbul , the source said . spanish security authorities are investigating what coulibaly and boumeddiene did while in madrid , and are trying to determine where they stayed , whom they had contact with , and whether they had any support in spain . eyup serbest , a reporter for hurriyet , a turkish newspaper , said that on january 5 , two days before the charlie hebdo attack , police searched the hotel where boumeddiene stayed in kadikoy , istanbul . police took all the digital registration records on the hotel 's computer , including video recordings within the hotel . belgian federal prosecutors told cnn on thursday that a man is under arrest in charleroi in connection with arms trafficking . they said he recently bought a car from boumeddiene . prosecutors said the man was known to police ' but could n't be directly linked to coulibaly . according to belgian media , the man went to police after learning about last week 's shootings . they then searched his house and found documents that matched the type of gun coulibaly used in paris . cnn has not been able to independently confirm the details of the raid on the man 's home or the documents found , after contacting police . u.s. officials have told cnn it 's believed that when cherif kouachi traveled to yemen in 2011 , he returned carrying money from aqap earmarked to carry out the attack . investigators said the terrorist group could have given as much as $ 20,000 , but the exact amount has not been verified . french newspaper la voix du nord reports that coulibaly also secured funds that may have been used in the attack on the kosher supermarket . he got the loan for $ 7,000 ( 6,000 euros ) from the cofidis bank in villeneuve d'ascq , in northern france . the paper reported the amount that coulibaly borrowed was not high enough to require an explanation of how the money would be spent . he took out the loan in december . u.s. president barack obama and uk prime minister david cameron are expected to discuss the paris attacks when they meet thursday and friday in washington . the two leaders pledged to safeguard our way of life ' in a jointly written opinion piece for the times of london . we will continue to stand together against those who threaten our values and our way of life , ' they said in thursday 's edition . along with our french allies , we have made clear to those who think they can muzzle freedom of speech and expression with violence that our voices will only grow louder . ' with france on its highest level of alert , 10,000 troops have deployed across the country . thousands of police officers are on patrol , including hundreds assigned to protect jewish schools . since the attacks , dozens of cases have been opened in france against people accused of expressing support for terrorism , the justice ministry said . it 's unclear how many people are blamed for the 54 infractions . the cases include investigations involving phone threats , cyberattacks and facebook posts , the ministry said . investigation : the key people , places and questions cnn 's al goodman , dheepthika laurent , holly yan , salma abdelaziz , pierre meilhan , pamela brown , tim lister , vasco cotovio , daniel burke , barbara starr , greg botelho , hande atay , dominique debucquoy-dodley and margot haddad contributed to this report . | report : pakistani legislators condemn charlie hebdo over latest cover |
i-10 <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a tractor-trailer crossed the median of an arizona highway sunday and slammed into a van driving in the other direction , killing all seven of the van 's passengers , a state public safety spokesman said . the two people in the truck -- the driver and his spouse -- were both injured in the crash and helicoptered to banner good samaritan hospital in phoenix , said officer carrick r. cook with the arizona department of public safety . the woman has a broken back , and she and her husband are both in serious condition , according to the spokesman . the truck had been heading west on interstate 10 , about 40 miles west of phoenix , about 11 a.m. when it went across the highway and struck the van , which was going east . both vehicles went off the right side of the highway after the collision and caught fire , cook said . medical examiners are trying to determine the identities of the seven van passengers killed , she added . they are believed to be from western arizona . the crash caused massive traffic issues , as authorities shut down interstate 10 eastbound before noon and funneled drivers off the highway . one lane was reopened about 4:30 p.m. , according to the state department of transportation 's official twitter feed . are you there ? send us your stories and images . more cnn u.s. news : gas prices turn upward after long skid church refuses to marry black couple in mississippi 2 arrested after more anaheim protests against police shootings hyundai recalls more than 220,000 vehicles for potential air bags flaws | a tractor-trailer was heading west on i-10 when it crossed the divide |
antarctica <tsp> ( cnn ) -- secretary of state hillary clinton called for tighter controls over tourism and other forms of pollution in antarctica monday , arguing for greater global cooperation to help preserve the continent 's environmental and scientific research value . the dry valley region of antarctica has seen an increase in visits by tourists . addressing a joint session of the arctic council and the antarctic treaty consultative meeting in baltimore , maryland , clinton said the obama administration is concerned about the growing popularity of tourism in the southern polar region . she said the united states is proposing new international limits on the number of landings from tourist vessels , as well as greater cooperation to prevent potentially hazardous discharges from those ships . at the same time , the united states is proposing new requirements for lifeboats on tourist ships to make sure they can keep passengers alive until rescue comes , ' clinton noted . aside from worrying about the environmental impact of tourism , the u.s. is concerned about the safety of the tourists and the suitability of the ships that make the journey south , ' she said . watch clinton say how the antarctic has been protected from war » the issue of tourism in the antarctic has become an increasingly divisive issue in recent years , pitting scientists and preservationists against a travel industry seeking to capitalize on a growing demand for adventure and nature-oriented tours . over 46,000 tourists visited antarctica in the 2007-2008 tour season -- almost four times as many visitors as during the 2000-2001 season , according to the international association of antarctica tour operators . clinton 's remarks came as the united states helped mark the 50th anniversary of the antarctic treaty , a model for how agreements created for one age can serve the world in another , ' clinton said . clinton noted that president obama sent the u.s. senate an amendment to the treaty friday that would spell out how the international community should better prevent and respond to environmental emergencies in antarctica . the amendment would cover the question of liability tied to environmental damage in the ecologically sensitive region . in addition , the united states has proposed an extension of the treaty 's marine pollution rules in a manner that more accurately reflects the boundaries of the antarctic ecosystem , ' she noted . the treaty is a blueprint for the kind of international cooperation that will be needed more and more to address the challenges of the 21st century , ' clinton said . it is an example of smart power at its best : governments coming together around a common interest and citizens , scientists and institutions from different countries joined in scientific collaboration to advance peace and understanding . ' clinton argued that the treaty and its related instruments remain a key tool in our efforts to address an urgent threat of this time : climate change . ' a number of international scientific research stations have been established in antarctica in part to help explore the probable causes and effects of global warming . twelve nations initially signed the antarctic treaty in 1959 ; 47 nations abide by it today . the accord specifies that antarctic territory can not be used for military purposes . it bans , among other things , nuclear testing and the disposal of radioactive waste material on the continent . it also protects freedom for international scientific research in the region . | secretary of state hillary clinton calls for limits on tourism in antarctica |
tiffany <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a former vice president of product development at tiffany & co. is accused of stealing $ 1.3 million worth of jewelry from the luxury brand and selling it to an international jewelry company , an unnamed fbi representative said . ingrid lederhaas-okun , 46 , was arrested tuesday . she is accused of stealing 165 pieces of jewelry , including diamond bracelets , earrings and pendants , between january 2011 and february 2013 . officials said lederhaas-okun abused her position to check out the pieces and write off or cancel the costs of the jewelry , later reselling the pieces falsely as her own . according to a federal complaint , lederhaas-okun was terminated by tiffany & co. in february 2013 as a result of downsizing within the company . the day after her termination , tiffany 's conducted an inventory review and discovered the missing jewelry . lederhaas-okun then continued to make false statements to the company through e-mail , including that the jewelry could be found in a white envelope at her desk , officials said . a search of her office , however , did not uncover the envelope , according to a news release . linda buckley , vice president for tiffany & co. , said , in deference to the u.s. attorney 's investigation , we are not in a position to comment at this time . ' notable diamond heists according to the complaint , the jewelry store that lederhaas-okun sold the jewelry to is a leading international buyer and reseller of jewelry with an office in midtown manhattan . more than 75 checks were made to lederhaas-okun and her husband , ranging from $ 7,525 to $ 47,400 , the complaint said . it also states that an unnamed friend of lederhaas-okun assisted with the transactions . ingrid lederhaas-okun took advantage of the access her employment afforded her to expensive jewelry . ' fbi assistant director-in-charge george venizelos said in a news release . a privileged position in a prestigious company does not insulate a thief from arrest and prosecution . ' lederhaas-okun is charged with one count of wire fraud , which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison , and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property , which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison . she was scheduled to appear in court on tuesday . bail was set at $ 250,000 but lederhaas-okun was released from custody on her own signature and given a week to post bond , according to the u.s. attorney 's office in new york . she was placed under travel restriction , required to surrender her passport and appointed a federal public defender for the time being . lederhaas-okun 's attorney , sabrina shroff , could not be reached for comment . half a million dollars'worth of jewelry stolen in atlantic city casino cnn 's elwyn lopez and elizabeth landers contributed to this report . | jewelry was discovered missing after executive was laid off , tiffany 's says |
iceland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- exploring iceland 's ancient landscape feels like stepping back in time . breathtaking waterfalls , fjords , volcanoes , mountains and glaciers dot the map as landmarks on this seemingly small island . but adventuring across iceland , you 'll find that it is full of natural wonder and miles of undiscovered whimsy . once you 've been there , you 'll find there is something about iceland that just digs in deep and keeps you wanting more , ' ireporter mallory swanson said . each time you think you 've seen the most beautiful sight in the world , you 'll drive around the next corner and have to update your top 10 list . ' ring around the country : nine days in iceland adventure awaits around each corner , brimming with history and wonderment . locals and visitors alike say the best way to experience iceland is by planning on taking a two-week trip . otherwise , you might miss out on some spectacular facet of this glimmering jewel in the north atlantic ocean . i 've traveled to around 30 countries , and i can say without any doubt that iceland is the most beautiful place i 've ever seen , not to mention the boundless warmth and humor of its people , ' ireporter alan patrick watts said . icelandic scenery at its best at times , you 'll feel isolated amongst the hauntingly beautiful landscape . that 's the joy of taking a trip to iceland ; it is a true escape from anything you 've ever known . get out of the city and visit the more remote locations , especially the south coast , snaefellsnes and the west fjords , ' ireporter amy billing said . once you get out of reykjavik , iceland opens up into a vast , untouched natural landscape where you are likely to encounter few , if any other people . ' prepare to see myriad wonders , some that even roll right into one another . it depends on what part of iceland you want to experience . every few kilometers is another waterfall , some more spectacular than the last , but all different , ' ireporter richard wile said . this lush lowland is constantly interrupted by evidence of iceland 's contrast of fire and ice ; one minute you are in the lush lowlands and then a transition to black lava dust fields for miles , followed by vast moss-covered lava fields for hours at a stretch . ' eat like a viking in iceland take a tour the sheer , wide open expanse of iceland can be intimidating to first-time visitors and venerable travelers alike . do n't assume that taking a tour will make you more of a tourist -- it could very well be the best way to experience iceland . iceland is remote in many locations and can be somewhat difficult to navigate -- outside of reykjavik and the golden circle -- on your own , ' billing said . for the areas around reykjavik , like the glacial lagoon and snaefellsnes , she recommends taking a tour with goecco . if i were going to do one thing in iceland , it would be to take a tour with goecco , ' she said . the guides from this company take small groups out to extremely remote locations that are beautiful beyond imagination . the guides are charismatic and offer an extremely unique perspective on both life in iceland and its natural landscape . ' ireporter marc burba experienced iceland while using a bus tour . on our visits we used reykjavik excursions to tour parts of the country . we never felt crowded or rushed . the larger tour buses are roomy and comfortable , and the smaller tour vans are nice . we normally do n't enjoy organized tours , but we 've never gone wrong with them . they got us to remote waterfalls that we may not have found otherwise . ' getting around ' i rented a car and drove clockwise around the island and never looked back ! ' ireporter bryce anzelmo said . some visitors to iceland swear by renting an off-road vehicle and exploring the country yourself , if you 're feeling adventurous . but beware , these are n't like the traffic-clogged interstates you 're used to . farm animals and fresh gravel are the enemy here . wile recommends maintaining a full tank of gas before venturing off , as well as food -- outside of the main towns , gas stations are few and far between . and just because the road sign says that a location is 80 km away , do n't assume it will take an hour . a network of skinny , gravel roads comprise much of iceland 's countryside . get a respected guidebook and follow the recommended places to visit , ' ireporter mark bergner said . there are amazing sites to see , but you may not know about them without a good guidebook . ' he also suggests that if you rent a vehicle , pay attention to the map and spend a little extra to include a trusty gps . if the map says you should n't take your rental vehicle down a particular road , believe it -- they 're not just blowing smoke . ' hiking is a favorite way to explore iceland 's wild side , but again , proceed with caution . do n't wander off the trails if you go hiking , ' ireporter christopher duran said . this is mainly due to the possibility of getting lost or overexposed after severely misjudging distances . the country has almost no trees and little atmospheric haze to calibrate against . another good reason is due to patches of unmarked boiling mud . ' experiencing iceland 's offerings making a little time to check iceland 's social calendar before you plan your trip could pay off . the country is known for hosting multiple festivals , and they are a must for first-timers . experience some of iceland 's many holidays and cultural events that are fun to participate in , such as culture day/night , known as menningarnótt , and music festivals like the iceland airwaves music festival , ' ireporter catharine wood said . a good source of information is the reykjavik grapevine . ' take time out of your vacation to relax in iceland 's famous blue lagoon . it 's the perfect way to end a day of adventure . stop at the blue lagoon for a soak in the milky blue geothermal seawater , ' burba said . floating in the blue lagoon at night , with steam rising around you while you gaze up at the black sky , is a truly memorable experience . ' remember , no matter how you travel across iceland , make the journey personal . explore every inch that you can , and do n't just sit in your vehicle . go out and explore , ' swanson said . climb a mountain . there are mountains and hiking paths for every skill level and i ca n't say enough about how amazing it feels to get to the top of a mountain you never thought you would manage to climb . the views from the top will be worth it . ' | end your day with a lazy soak in iceland 's iconic blue lagoon |
iceland <tsp> ( cnn ) -- exploring iceland 's ancient landscape feels like stepping back in time . breathtaking waterfalls , fjords , volcanoes , mountains and glaciers dot the map as landmarks on this seemingly small island . but adventuring across iceland , you 'll find that it is full of natural wonder and miles of undiscovered whimsy . once you 've been there , you 'll find there is something about iceland that just digs in deep and keeps you wanting more , ' ireporter mallory swanson said . each time you think you 've seen the most beautiful sight in the world , you 'll drive around the next corner and have to update your top 10 list . ' ring around the country : nine days in iceland adventure awaits around each corner , brimming with history and wonderment . locals and visitors alike say the best way to experience iceland is by planning on taking a two-week trip . otherwise , you might miss out on some spectacular facet of this glimmering jewel in the north atlantic ocean . i 've traveled to around 30 countries , and i can say without any doubt that iceland is the most beautiful place i 've ever seen , not to mention the boundless warmth and humor of its people , ' ireporter alan patrick watts said . icelandic scenery at its best at times , you 'll feel isolated amongst the hauntingly beautiful landscape . that 's the joy of taking a trip to iceland ; it is a true escape from anything you 've ever known . get out of the city and visit the more remote locations , especially the south coast , snaefellsnes and the west fjords , ' ireporter amy billing said . once you get out of reykjavik , iceland opens up into a vast , untouched natural landscape where you are likely to encounter few , if any other people . ' prepare to see myriad wonders , some that even roll right into one another . it depends on what part of iceland you want to experience . every few kilometers is another waterfall , some more spectacular than the last , but all different , ' ireporter richard wile said . this lush lowland is constantly interrupted by evidence of iceland 's contrast of fire and ice ; one minute you are in the lush lowlands and then a transition to black lava dust fields for miles , followed by vast moss-covered lava fields for hours at a stretch . ' eat like a viking in iceland take a tour the sheer , wide open expanse of iceland can be intimidating to first-time visitors and venerable travelers alike . do n't assume that taking a tour will make you more of a tourist -- it could very well be the best way to experience iceland . iceland is remote in many locations and can be somewhat difficult to navigate -- outside of reykjavik and the golden circle -- on your own , ' billing said . for the areas around reykjavik , like the glacial lagoon and snaefellsnes , she recommends taking a tour with goecco . if i were going to do one thing in iceland , it would be to take a tour with goecco , ' she said . the guides from this company take small groups out to extremely remote locations that are beautiful beyond imagination . the guides are charismatic and offer an extremely unique perspective on both life in iceland and its natural landscape . ' ireporter marc burba experienced iceland while using a bus tour . on our visits we used reykjavik excursions to tour parts of the country . we never felt crowded or rushed . the larger tour buses are roomy and comfortable , and the smaller tour vans are nice . we normally do n't enjoy organized tours , but we 've never gone wrong with them . they got us to remote waterfalls that we may not have found otherwise . ' getting around ' i rented a car and drove clockwise around the island and never looked back ! ' ireporter bryce anzelmo said . some visitors to iceland swear by renting an off-road vehicle and exploring the country yourself , if you 're feeling adventurous . but beware , these are n't like the traffic-clogged interstates you 're used to . farm animals and fresh gravel are the enemy here . wile recommends maintaining a full tank of gas before venturing off , as well as food -- outside of the main towns , gas stations are few and far between . and just because the road sign says that a location is 80 km away , do n't assume it will take an hour . a network of skinny , gravel roads comprise much of iceland 's countryside . get a respected guidebook and follow the recommended places to visit , ' ireporter mark bergner said . there are amazing sites to see , but you may not know about them without a good guidebook . ' he also suggests that if you rent a vehicle , pay attention to the map and spend a little extra to include a trusty gps . if the map says you should n't take your rental vehicle down a particular road , believe it -- they 're not just blowing smoke . ' hiking is a favorite way to explore iceland 's wild side , but again , proceed with caution . do n't wander off the trails if you go hiking , ' ireporter christopher duran said . this is mainly due to the possibility of getting lost or overexposed after severely misjudging distances . the country has almost no trees and little atmospheric haze to calibrate against . another good reason is due to patches of unmarked boiling mud . ' experiencing iceland 's offerings making a little time to check iceland 's social calendar before you plan your trip could pay off . the country is known for hosting multiple festivals , and they are a must for first-timers . experience some of iceland 's many holidays and cultural events that are fun to participate in , such as culture day/night , known as menningarnótt , and music festivals like the iceland airwaves music festival , ' ireporter catharine wood said . a good source of information is the reykjavik grapevine . ' take time out of your vacation to relax in iceland 's famous blue lagoon . it 's the perfect way to end a day of adventure . stop at the blue lagoon for a soak in the milky blue geothermal seawater , ' burba said . floating in the blue lagoon at night , with steam rising around you while you gaze up at the black sky , is a truly memorable experience . ' remember , no matter how you travel across iceland , make the journey personal . explore every inch that you can , and do n't just sit in your vehicle . go out and explore , ' swanson said . climb a mountain . there are mountains and hiking paths for every skill level and i ca n't say enough about how amazing it feels to get to the top of a mountain you never thought you would manage to climb . the views from the top will be worth it . ' | waterfalls , fjords , volcanoes , mountains and glaciers dot iceland 's landscape |
world cup <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's been a world cup notable for late drama in most of the matches and a high number of goals scored , particularly in the preliminary stages . new heroes like james rodriguez of colombia have also emerged , while modern technology has been introduced for the first time to decide if the ball has crossed the goal line . but for some , the real star of brazil 2014 comes in a small spray can , a magic foam ' which allows referees to make sure players retreat the requisite 10 yards ( 9.15 meters ) when a free kick is awarded against them . referees have been brandishing the spray with flourish , pacing out the distance then marking it with a line of the spray , over which they can see if a player has edged too close to the taker of the free kick . it has also been used to mark the exact location of a free kick , stopping players from gaining an advantage by edging forwards nearer the goal . due to its properties of butane , isobutane , propane gas , water and other chemicals , the line on the pitch made by the spray quickly disappears . it is also environmentally friendly as it is biodegradable and does n't damage the pitch of the atmosphere . it is very good , ' fifa president sepp blatter said of the spray 's impact . it disciplines the players . it gives the attacking teams the chance to take the free kick from the real distance , not from where the wall is always moving . some players have said now we have nine meters but in our leagues we have six or seven meters . ' the brainchild of a former amateur player from brazil , with a german-sounding name , heine allemagne , it was used as first used as far back as 2000 in a junior football tournament in the brazilian city of belo horizonte . the spray was then known as spuni , ' but after allemagne joined forces in 2006 with an argentine , journalist pablo silva , to refine the product , it has been renamed 9.15 fair play . ' the big breakthrough for the spray came in 2012 , when the ifab ( the law-making body of the game ) authorized the product for international use . fifa tested the spray in 2013 at its under-17 and under-20 world cups and gave the go-ahead for this year 's senior showpiece soon after . it is literally a dream come true to see 9.15 fair play being used at this world cup and seen by billions of people across the globe , ' said allemagne . judging by its success , with statistics pointing to more goals coming from free kicks and less time needed to take them , the little spray cans are set to be a permanent addition to the back pockets of referees for many years to come . | special spray to mark out distances at free kicks being used in world cup |
donovan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rock and roll hall of fame on wednesday named its latest inductees , adding talent such as the red hot chili peppers and 1960s singer-songwriter donovan . the beastie boys , who have been blending hip-hop , punk and other genres since the 1980s , also made it onto the hall of fame 's final list for 2012 . so did guns n'roses , the hard rock standard bearers of the late '80s and early '90s , and laura nyro , the innovative pop songstress . other artists inducted by the hall under the performer category included the '60s british group the small faces -- best known for their psychedelic hit itchycoo park ' -- and their subsequent incarnation , the faces , which featured rod stewart . it 's quite a thrill and honor to make it in the hall of fame a second time , ' stewart said in a statement . we ( the faces ) were always synonymous with a good party , and with this list of fellow artists being inducted i 'm looking forward to a true piss up ... and it 's a hell of a good reason to reunite and celebrate with my old mates . ' the faces'ronnie wood added in a statement : needless to say we are all very excited about this great honor . at the same time our thoughts go out to the late steve marriot -- who rod and i greatly loved -- and of course to the much missed ronnie lane . ' the beastie boys also expressed excitement . we 're in the rock and roll hall of fame ? that 's ... crazy and awesome ! ' the group said in an expletive-laced statement . while we are very proud of the music we make , we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families , friends and musicians like the slits , bad brains , x-ray spex , the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name . and most of all , we give thanks to new york city and the world of musical influence it provided for us . ' on his twitter account , chad smith of the red hot chili peppers commented : those crazy bastards at the hall of fame are putting us in this year ? ! ! howabout them apples ! seriously .. i 'm very humbled and grateful . wow . ' slash , another inductee , also tweeted , thanks for all the r & rhf mentions , its quite an honor to be inducted . cheers ! ' the acts that made the final cut beat out competition from the likes of the cure and rufus with chaka khan , who had been among the nominees . the hall of fame singled out the music producer and promoter don kirshner for the nonperformer award . kirshner , whose live tv rock show helped wean 1970s audiences off lip-synched programming , died in january . and it cited the guitarist freddie king for his early influence on rock and roll . the induction ceremony will take place on april 14 in cleveland , ohio . cnn 's denise quan and michael martinez contributed to this report . | others on the final list are donovan , guns n'roses , the small faces and laura nyro |
don kirshner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rock and roll hall of fame on wednesday named its latest inductees , adding talent such as the red hot chili peppers and 1960s singer-songwriter donovan . the beastie boys , who have been blending hip-hop , punk and other genres since the 1980s , also made it onto the hall of fame 's final list for 2012 . so did guns n'roses , the hard rock standard bearers of the late '80s and early '90s , and laura nyro , the innovative pop songstress . other artists inducted by the hall under the performer category included the '60s british group the small faces -- best known for their psychedelic hit itchycoo park ' -- and their subsequent incarnation , the faces , which featured rod stewart . it 's quite a thrill and honor to make it in the hall of fame a second time , ' stewart said in a statement . we ( the faces ) were always synonymous with a good party , and with this list of fellow artists being inducted i 'm looking forward to a true piss up ... and it 's a hell of a good reason to reunite and celebrate with my old mates . ' the faces'ronnie wood added in a statement : needless to say we are all very excited about this great honor . at the same time our thoughts go out to the late steve marriot -- who rod and i greatly loved -- and of course to the much missed ronnie lane . ' the beastie boys also expressed excitement . we 're in the rock and roll hall of fame ? that 's ... crazy and awesome ! ' the group said in an expletive-laced statement . while we are very proud of the music we make , we have to acknowledge the inspiration from our families , friends and musicians like the slits , bad brains , x-ray spex , the treacherous three and too many others to possibly name . and most of all , we give thanks to new york city and the world of musical influence it provided for us . ' on his twitter account , chad smith of the red hot chili peppers commented : those crazy bastards at the hall of fame are putting us in this year ? ! ! howabout them apples ! seriously .. i 'm very humbled and grateful . wow . ' slash , another inductee , also tweeted , thanks for all the r & rhf mentions , its quite an honor to be inducted . cheers ! ' the acts that made the final cut beat out competition from the likes of the cure and rufus with chaka khan , who had been among the nominees . the hall of fame singled out the music producer and promoter don kirshner for the nonperformer award . kirshner , whose live tv rock show helped wean 1970s audiences off lip-synched programming , died in january . and it cited the guitarist freddie king for his early influence on rock and roll . the induction ceremony will take place on april 14 in cleveland , ohio . cnn 's denise quan and michael martinez contributed to this report . | the hall of fame gave its nonperformer award to the producer and promoter don kirshner |
cevallos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york prosecutors dropped charges against one of two men arrested in a chaotic motorcycle chase that ended in the beating of suv driver alexian lien . it started when his range rover collided with a motorcycle in a phalanx riding down a manhattan highway on sunday . video , taken by a camera on the helmet of one of the many bikers who chased lien as he sped away , shows bikers catching up with lien 's suv and bashing its windows . this has brought bikers under intense scrutiny . but i 'll say it : motorbike enthusiasts , on the whole , get a bad rap . a minority of them cause trouble , sometimes a lot of trouble , which causes an undeserved prejudice against the majority . and that prejudice can subtly influence law enforcement , just as it can the public at large . bikers have a rich history of misbehavior . in the most infamous case , the rolling stones hired the hell 's angels to provide security at a concert in 1969 at altamont , california . a member of the audience was killed by a gang member , reaffirming the bikers'reputation as thugs . most bikers who tarnish motorcyclists'reputation commit far less dramatic and tragic acts . riders do themselves no good when they remove the perfectly operational mufflers from their bike for maximum urban volume or pop wheelies in a downtown metropolis . at minimum , these riders are massively annoying , and at worst , they are very dangerous . either way , the bias against many is caused by the few . the transgressions of a few bikers do not represent the true biker spirit , which is a celebrated part of americana . like the cowboys and horsemen of the frontier , riding the open road exemplifies the rugged individualist tradition of our country . but like many issues in society and law , often the actions of few negatively affect the policies applied to the rest of us . how important is bias ? the arrest , and the almost immediate dropping of charges , demonstrate how fine the line is between criminal ' and victim ' in a police investigation . bias works both ways . have you noticed that every news story has mentioned range rover ' several times ? what if the range rover was a lamborghini ? how about a 1980 ford pinto ? would that make the driver more sympathetic to you ? less sympathetic ? bias is intrinsically neither evil nor good . it just is . how fine is the line between victim and defendant ? consider how the law might apply to these facts : first , in the video , a motorcyclist appears to deliberately slow down in front of the suv , which then collides with the cycle . the law in most states presumptively holds the rear ending vehicle liable . if the driver in front makes a sudden stop , that can overcome this presumption . but in the case of rear enders , even defense attorneys will often concede liability , so it 's certainly possible that a jury could find lien completely at fault for an accident . second , as bikers surround his vehicle , lien speeds away . as he drives off , motorcyclist jeremiah mieses is run over in the chaos . mieses remains hospitalized with two broken legs and spinal injuries and might be paralyzed for life . those are very serious injuries under any civil standard or penal code . if it 's proven that lien ran over mieses , he could be considered a fleeing felon . ' new york , like other states , criminalizes leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident . in a case like this , in which someone is seriously injured , flight is a potential felony . so was lien fleeing for his life , or was he a fleeing felon ? third , it 's true that a lot of bikers gave chase . was this alone permissible ? in new york , a citizen acting on his own may use non-deadly force to prevent the escape of a person who has committed a crime . lien 's tires were slashed and his windows bashed in . was that appropriate force ? those acts themselves are non-deadly . if so , were the bikers apprehending a fleeing criminal within the law ? finally , if any of the bikers charged claim they were justified in preventing the escape of a criminal , the burden is on the prosecution to disprove it and disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt . police officers have the unenviable task of making snap judgments under chaotic circumstances . they 're human , as is their process of assigning blame . new york police commissioner ray kelly says the investigation is continuing . more arrests on more serious charges may follow . motorcyclist christopher cruz faces reckless driving charges after police say he was the one who slowed down in front of lien 's suv and touched off the whole bloody encounter . nobody has been charged yet in the actual beating that sent lien to the hospital , but cruz 's attorney has told reporters that his client is not guilty . what would you do ? whoever is charged , you have this dilemma . party no . 1 , a young male member of a noisy biker rally carving up the west side highway vs party no . 2 , a 33-year-old dad out for a sunday drive with his wife and baby . who do you think gets the benefit of the doubt in a close call ? that 's bias . it 's not intentional , and it 's not categorically evil . it just is . but a lot of people do n't realize that there 's often a fine line between criminal and complaining witness in our criminal justice system . the proliferation of technology and video evidence has made investigations more objective , but it 's unreasonable to think humans can cure themselves of all prejudice . are bikers discriminated against unfairly ? maybe . but the alternative for them is taking up a less controversial pastime , and i do n't see them trading their rides for golf clubs anytime soon . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of danny cevallos . | cevallos : motorbike enthusiasts get a bad rap for the transgressions of a few |
cevallos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york prosecutors dropped charges against one of two men arrested in a chaotic motorcycle chase that ended in the beating of suv driver alexian lien . it started when his range rover collided with a motorcycle in a phalanx riding down a manhattan highway on sunday . video , taken by a camera on the helmet of one of the many bikers who chased lien as he sped away , shows bikers catching up with lien 's suv and bashing its windows . this has brought bikers under intense scrutiny . but i 'll say it : motorbike enthusiasts , on the whole , get a bad rap . a minority of them cause trouble , sometimes a lot of trouble , which causes an undeserved prejudice against the majority . and that prejudice can subtly influence law enforcement , just as it can the public at large . bikers have a rich history of misbehavior . in the most infamous case , the rolling stones hired the hell 's angels to provide security at a concert in 1969 at altamont , california . a member of the audience was killed by a gang member , reaffirming the bikers'reputation as thugs . most bikers who tarnish motorcyclists'reputation commit far less dramatic and tragic acts . riders do themselves no good when they remove the perfectly operational mufflers from their bike for maximum urban volume or pop wheelies in a downtown metropolis . at minimum , these riders are massively annoying , and at worst , they are very dangerous . either way , the bias against many is caused by the few . the transgressions of a few bikers do not represent the true biker spirit , which is a celebrated part of americana . like the cowboys and horsemen of the frontier , riding the open road exemplifies the rugged individualist tradition of our country . but like many issues in society and law , often the actions of few negatively affect the policies applied to the rest of us . how important is bias ? the arrest , and the almost immediate dropping of charges , demonstrate how fine the line is between criminal ' and victim ' in a police investigation . bias works both ways . have you noticed that every news story has mentioned range rover ' several times ? what if the range rover was a lamborghini ? how about a 1980 ford pinto ? would that make the driver more sympathetic to you ? less sympathetic ? bias is intrinsically neither evil nor good . it just is . how fine is the line between victim and defendant ? consider how the law might apply to these facts : first , in the video , a motorcyclist appears to deliberately slow down in front of the suv , which then collides with the cycle . the law in most states presumptively holds the rear ending vehicle liable . if the driver in front makes a sudden stop , that can overcome this presumption . but in the case of rear enders , even defense attorneys will often concede liability , so it 's certainly possible that a jury could find lien completely at fault for an accident . second , as bikers surround his vehicle , lien speeds away . as he drives off , motorcyclist jeremiah mieses is run over in the chaos . mieses remains hospitalized with two broken legs and spinal injuries and might be paralyzed for life . those are very serious injuries under any civil standard or penal code . if it 's proven that lien ran over mieses , he could be considered a fleeing felon . ' new york , like other states , criminalizes leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident . in a case like this , in which someone is seriously injured , flight is a potential felony . so was lien fleeing for his life , or was he a fleeing felon ? third , it 's true that a lot of bikers gave chase . was this alone permissible ? in new york , a citizen acting on his own may use non-deadly force to prevent the escape of a person who has committed a crime . lien 's tires were slashed and his windows bashed in . was that appropriate force ? those acts themselves are non-deadly . if so , were the bikers apprehending a fleeing criminal within the law ? finally , if any of the bikers charged claim they were justified in preventing the escape of a criminal , the burden is on the prosecution to disprove it and disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt . police officers have the unenviable task of making snap judgments under chaotic circumstances . they 're human , as is their process of assigning blame . new york police commissioner ray kelly says the investigation is continuing . more arrests on more serious charges may follow . motorcyclist christopher cruz faces reckless driving charges after police say he was the one who slowed down in front of lien 's suv and touched off the whole bloody encounter . nobody has been charged yet in the actual beating that sent lien to the hospital , but cruz 's attorney has told reporters that his client is not guilty . what would you do ? whoever is charged , you have this dilemma . party no . 1 , a young male member of a noisy biker rally carving up the west side highway vs party no . 2 , a 33-year-old dad out for a sunday drive with his wife and baby . who do you think gets the benefit of the doubt in a close call ? that 's bias . it 's not intentional , and it 's not categorically evil . it just is . but a lot of people do n't realize that there 's often a fine line between criminal and complaining witness in our criminal justice system . the proliferation of technology and video evidence has made investigations more objective , but it 's unreasonable to think humans can cure themselves of all prejudice . are bikers discriminated against unfairly ? maybe . but the alternative for them is taking up a less controversial pastime , and i do n't see them trading their rides for golf clubs anytime soon . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of danny cevallos . | the true biker spirit is a celebrated part of americana , cevallos says |
cevallos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- new york prosecutors dropped charges against one of two men arrested in a chaotic motorcycle chase that ended in the beating of suv driver alexian lien . it started when his range rover collided with a motorcycle in a phalanx riding down a manhattan highway on sunday . video , taken by a camera on the helmet of one of the many bikers who chased lien as he sped away , shows bikers catching up with lien 's suv and bashing its windows . this has brought bikers under intense scrutiny . but i 'll say it : motorbike enthusiasts , on the whole , get a bad rap . a minority of them cause trouble , sometimes a lot of trouble , which causes an undeserved prejudice against the majority . and that prejudice can subtly influence law enforcement , just as it can the public at large . bikers have a rich history of misbehavior . in the most infamous case , the rolling stones hired the hell 's angels to provide security at a concert in 1969 at altamont , california . a member of the audience was killed by a gang member , reaffirming the bikers'reputation as thugs . most bikers who tarnish motorcyclists'reputation commit far less dramatic and tragic acts . riders do themselves no good when they remove the perfectly operational mufflers from their bike for maximum urban volume or pop wheelies in a downtown metropolis . at minimum , these riders are massively annoying , and at worst , they are very dangerous . either way , the bias against many is caused by the few . the transgressions of a few bikers do not represent the true biker spirit , which is a celebrated part of americana . like the cowboys and horsemen of the frontier , riding the open road exemplifies the rugged individualist tradition of our country . but like many issues in society and law , often the actions of few negatively affect the policies applied to the rest of us . how important is bias ? the arrest , and the almost immediate dropping of charges , demonstrate how fine the line is between criminal ' and victim ' in a police investigation . bias works both ways . have you noticed that every news story has mentioned range rover ' several times ? what if the range rover was a lamborghini ? how about a 1980 ford pinto ? would that make the driver more sympathetic to you ? less sympathetic ? bias is intrinsically neither evil nor good . it just is . how fine is the line between victim and defendant ? consider how the law might apply to these facts : first , in the video , a motorcyclist appears to deliberately slow down in front of the suv , which then collides with the cycle . the law in most states presumptively holds the rear ending vehicle liable . if the driver in front makes a sudden stop , that can overcome this presumption . but in the case of rear enders , even defense attorneys will often concede liability , so it 's certainly possible that a jury could find lien completely at fault for an accident . second , as bikers surround his vehicle , lien speeds away . as he drives off , motorcyclist jeremiah mieses is run over in the chaos . mieses remains hospitalized with two broken legs and spinal injuries and might be paralyzed for life . those are very serious injuries under any civil standard or penal code . if it 's proven that lien ran over mieses , he could be considered a fleeing felon . ' new york , like other states , criminalizes leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident . in a case like this , in which someone is seriously injured , flight is a potential felony . so was lien fleeing for his life , or was he a fleeing felon ? third , it 's true that a lot of bikers gave chase . was this alone permissible ? in new york , a citizen acting on his own may use non-deadly force to prevent the escape of a person who has committed a crime . lien 's tires were slashed and his windows bashed in . was that appropriate force ? those acts themselves are non-deadly . if so , were the bikers apprehending a fleeing criminal within the law ? finally , if any of the bikers charged claim they were justified in preventing the escape of a criminal , the burden is on the prosecution to disprove it and disprove it beyond a reasonable doubt . police officers have the unenviable task of making snap judgments under chaotic circumstances . they 're human , as is their process of assigning blame . new york police commissioner ray kelly says the investigation is continuing . more arrests on more serious charges may follow . motorcyclist christopher cruz faces reckless driving charges after police say he was the one who slowed down in front of lien 's suv and touched off the whole bloody encounter . nobody has been charged yet in the actual beating that sent lien to the hospital , but cruz 's attorney has told reporters that his client is not guilty . what would you do ? whoever is charged , you have this dilemma . party no . 1 , a young male member of a noisy biker rally carving up the west side highway vs party no . 2 , a 33-year-old dad out for a sunday drive with his wife and baby . who do you think gets the benefit of the doubt in a close call ? that 's bias . it 's not intentional , and it 's not categorically evil . it just is . but a lot of people do n't realize that there 's often a fine line between criminal and complaining witness in our criminal justice system . the proliferation of technology and video evidence has made investigations more objective , but it 's unreasonable to think humans can cure themselves of all prejudice . are bikers discriminated against unfairly ? maybe . but the alternative for them is taking up a less controversial pastime , and i do n't see them trading their rides for golf clubs anytime soon . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of danny cevallos . | danny cevallos : case of driver beaten by motorcyclists raises issues of bias |
hamburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a german citizen of afghan descent was the source of much of the information on a potential mumbai-style ' terror plot in europe , a german counterterrorism official said wednesday . the man , ahmed sidiqi , was detained in kabul in july and transferred to u.s. custody where he has revealed details about the terror plot , ' said the official , who did not want to be named because he is not authorized to talk to the media . the man and several other germans traveled from hamburg to the afghan-pakistan border area in 2009 , where he joined the islamic movement of uzbekistan , an extremist group allied with al qaeda , german intelligence officials said . sidiqi , once captured , started to talk a lot , ' and detailed a mumbai-style ' attack in europe , the german official said . eiffel tower evacuated after bomb threat ten men launched a carefully planned attack on buildings in mumbai , india , on november 26 , 2008 . the attack on such prominent sites -- such as the taj mahal palace and tower hotel , the oberoi-trident hotels , the historic victoria terminus train station and a jewish cultural center -- lasted three days and killed 164 people . sidiqi is from hamburg where he worked for a cleaning company at the hamburg international airport , the german official said . he attended the masjid taiba mosque , formerly known as the al-quds mosque , in hamburg , which became known as the meeting place of those behind the september 11 , 2001 , attacks on new york and washington . among those who prayed there was mohammad atta , one of the hijackers who commandeered the first plane that crashed into new york 's world trade center . sidiqi was part of atta 's circle , the official said . hamburg shut down the mosque this year , not long after sidiqi 's capture . national intelligence director james clapper would not talk about a plot tuesday evening . we are not going to comment on specific intelligence , as doing so threatens to undermine intelligence operations that are critical to protecting the u.s. and our allies , ' he said . as we have repeatedly said , we know al qaeda wants to attack europe and the united states . ' meanwhile , a federal law enforcement official in the united states , said the volume seems to be turned up ' on the threat information coming out of europe . the intelligence indicates there is interest in using people with western passports in an attack , that official said . this source says the potential operatives may be a mix of europeans and others possibly including north africans , pakistanis , turks , uzbeks , and tajiks . there is concern about an active shooter ' scenario that would create as many casualties and as much chaos as possible in a short period of time . the mumbai attacks showed how effective this kind of an attack can be in drawing attention . according to this source , economic targets in europe could be possible targets , including institutions such as banks and stock exchanges . a separate law enforcement source said the belief is ' that osama bin laden signed off on a european attack plan , and that source confirmed the intelligence related to a mumbai-style attack . the german government is increasingly concerned about the number of germans becoming jihadists . according to a senior german counterterrorism source , some 200 individuals have traveled to train with jihadist groups in the afghanistan-pakistan border region since the 9/11 attacks . the potential plot against europe was one factor contributing to the uptick this month in missile strikes by unmanned drones against terrorist targets in pakistan , according to a u.s. official . we would be remiss not to try to take action to thwart what might be underway in europe , ' said the official . the official emphasized that the potential plot was not the sole factor . u.s. officials say they are taking advantage of what they call precise intelligence . ' most of the drone attacks this year have been focused on north waziristan , a mountainous area bordering afghanistan where pakistani security forces have little control . that has continued to be the pattern this month . based on information from pakistani officials , cnn estimates there have been 20 drone attacks in the area in september alone , a higher number than in any previous month , and more than twice the monthly average . acknowledging the spike , one u.s. official told cnn : our operational tempo has been up for a while now , we have good information driving it , and given the stakes involved , we hope to keep the pressure on as long as we can . ' according to the official , the mix of threats remains the same . it comes from groups like the haqqani network , al qaeda , the afghan taliban and the pakistan taliban . the threats they pose are all deadly , ' said the official . pakistani officials say many recent strikes have been aimed at compounds in or around the town of miramshah , a stronghold of the haqqani network . western intelligence officials have long regarded the haqqanis as one of the most dangerous terror groups and have linked them to several attacks in kabul . intelligence analysts point to other reasons for the escalated drone attacks . they include better information from sources in the border area and better surveillance technology -- including the growing use of spy balloons fitted with high-powered cameras . in addition , the rising number of drone strikes is designed to deprive the afghan taliban of strategic depth ' as the obama administration 's campaign to defeat the insurgency enters a crucial phase and tighten the noose on the senior al qaeda leadership . pakistani officials say one strike last weekend killed sheikh mohammad fateh al masri , described as the group 's senior operational commander . cnn 's pam benson , paul cruickshank , tim lister and jeanne meserve contributed to this report . | he attended the same mosque in hamburg as 9/11 hijacker atta |
free north korea radio <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- it broadcasts only three hours a day . its on-air reporters use fake names . and its operators do n't know for sure whether their target audience is listening . kim seong min , the founder of free north korea radio , broadcasting from seoul . free north korea radio , based in seoul , south korea , broadcasts news of the outside world across the border . it 's illegal for north koreans to listen to anything other than state-run radio , and all legal radios are fixed so they can play only channels approved by the government . but the founder of free north korea radio , kim seong min , believes that more and more north koreans are secretly tuning in . kim is also a defector . a former propagandist for the north korean army , kim says he collected an illegal radio on one of his patrols . he was curious , so he tuned in to a south korean broadcast . the program centered on the leader of north korea , kim jong il . he says it was meant to dispel the myths surrounding the leader , including the story of kim jong il 's birth . north koreans were taught to believe that kim jong il was born on mount paekdu , considered sacred in korean history . but the radio program kim heard that day said kim jong il was born in the soviet union . kim started to doubt everything he was taught to believe , and the more he listened , the more he was convinced that he had to leave the country . in 1996 , kim says he made a perilous escape by crossing the north korean-chinese border , only to be caught by north korean soldiers while trying to board a ship to south korea . he was sent back to north korea but escaped once again by jumping off a train . for days , kim says , he hid in the chinese countryside , eating roots and grass to survive before finally settling in a nearby town . three years later , he says he made his way to south korea , where he started free north korea radio in 2004 . north koreans need food , but they also need food for their minds , otherwise they will continue to have deformed children , and they will be people with deformed minds , ' kim said . the radio program is three hours , but kim hopes to expand to five hours daily , broadcasting during the evenings and late at night , when he believes that most north koreans are able to tune in . but running a radio station is expensive , and fnk radio relies on donations from south korean citizens as well as an annual grant indirectly from washington , through the national endowment for democracy . though funding is sometimes a struggle , they believe that the broadcast is vital to north korea because the south korean government stopped its own radio broadcasts into the country under the sunshine policy ' instituted by former president kim dae jung in 1988 . kim seong min is the only north korean on staff at the radio station who uses his real name . three of the 15 staffers at fnk radio are south korean ; the rest are defectors . they use pseudonyms to protect their families who are still living in the north . one defector who calls himself kim dae sung says he bought a radio on the black market and listened under the covers at night . he did n't want to risk being heard by his family or any neighbors , because they would be required by law to report him to the police . kim dae sung says that although he was nervous about listening to the radio illegally , he also looked forward every night to being able to hear news of the outside world . he also says he began to realize that everything he was taught was a lie and decided to escape . he believes that the work he does at fnk radio is helping other north koreans hear the truth about the world . my family is important , but what i 'm doing here at the radio station is even more important , ' he said . there 's no way to determine how many north koreans are actually listening to fnk radio , but kim seong min says he receives letters and phone calls almost daily from defectors who say they were able to hear his program through radios bought on the black market . when we started , i thought , if just one person , just one north korean was listening , that would be good enough , ' kim said . but it 's not just one person . ' kim believes the north koreans try to jam their radio signal into north korea , and says the north koreans have called him a traitor . if he were ever to go back to his homeland , kim says , he would receive the highest punishment ' for his work . but he and the other staffers at fnk radio all believe that it is worth the risk . that 's why , when they receive the messages from defectors , kim says , they often grab each other and cry . e-mail to a friend | free north korea radio broadcasts news across the border from south korea |
north korean <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- it broadcasts only three hours a day . its on-air reporters use fake names . and its operators do n't know for sure whether their target audience is listening . kim seong min , the founder of free north korea radio , broadcasting from seoul . free north korea radio , based in seoul , south korea , broadcasts news of the outside world across the border . it 's illegal for north koreans to listen to anything other than state-run radio , and all legal radios are fixed so they can play only channels approved by the government . but the founder of free north korea radio , kim seong min , believes that more and more north koreans are secretly tuning in . kim is also a defector . a former propagandist for the north korean army , kim says he collected an illegal radio on one of his patrols . he was curious , so he tuned in to a south korean broadcast . the program centered on the leader of north korea , kim jong il . he says it was meant to dispel the myths surrounding the leader , including the story of kim jong il 's birth . north koreans were taught to believe that kim jong il was born on mount paekdu , considered sacred in korean history . but the radio program kim heard that day said kim jong il was born in the soviet union . kim started to doubt everything he was taught to believe , and the more he listened , the more he was convinced that he had to leave the country . in 1996 , kim says he made a perilous escape by crossing the north korean-chinese border , only to be caught by north korean soldiers while trying to board a ship to south korea . he was sent back to north korea but escaped once again by jumping off a train . for days , kim says , he hid in the chinese countryside , eating roots and grass to survive before finally settling in a nearby town . three years later , he says he made his way to south korea , where he started free north korea radio in 2004 . north koreans need food , but they also need food for their minds , otherwise they will continue to have deformed children , and they will be people with deformed minds , ' kim said . the radio program is three hours , but kim hopes to expand to five hours daily , broadcasting during the evenings and late at night , when he believes that most north koreans are able to tune in . but running a radio station is expensive , and fnk radio relies on donations from south korean citizens as well as an annual grant indirectly from washington , through the national endowment for democracy . though funding is sometimes a struggle , they believe that the broadcast is vital to north korea because the south korean government stopped its own radio broadcasts into the country under the sunshine policy ' instituted by former president kim dae jung in 1988 . kim seong min is the only north korean on staff at the radio station who uses his real name . three of the 15 staffers at fnk radio are south korean ; the rest are defectors . they use pseudonyms to protect their families who are still living in the north . one defector who calls himself kim dae sung says he bought a radio on the black market and listened under the covers at night . he did n't want to risk being heard by his family or any neighbors , because they would be required by law to report him to the police . kim dae sung says that although he was nervous about listening to the radio illegally , he also looked forward every night to being able to hear news of the outside world . he also says he began to realize that everything he was taught was a lie and decided to escape . he believes that the work he does at fnk radio is helping other north koreans hear the truth about the world . my family is important , but what i 'm doing here at the radio station is even more important , ' he said . there 's no way to determine how many north koreans are actually listening to fnk radio , but kim seong min says he receives letters and phone calls almost daily from defectors who say they were able to hear his program through radios bought on the black market . when we started , i thought , if just one person , just one north korean was listening , that would be good enough , ' kim said . but it 's not just one person . ' kim believes the north koreans try to jam their radio signal into north korea , and says the north koreans have called him a traitor . if he were ever to go back to his homeland , kim says , he would receive the highest punishment ' for his work . but he and the other staffers at fnk radio all believe that it is worth the risk . that 's why , when they receive the messages from defectors , kim says , they often grab each other and cry . e-mail to a friend | station 's founder is former north korean soldier who defected |
china <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i thought it was absolutely fantastic , the enthusiasm of the people , the logistics . i like it even more because there has been so much doom-saying and criticism in the run-up to these games . there must be a few very frustrated marathon runners who could have set a new world record in the terribly polluted air of beijing but decided not to compete , not to mention so many journalists that wished the games to end up in a disaster . the people in the cities hosting olympic events and bocog deserve praise . the ioc , in my opinion , deserves even more praise for choosing beijing and sticking to its decision despite all the criticism . go china ! go ! laurentius metaal gm projects western way for industrial development co. ltd. of course the show was without equal , for which congratulations are well deserved . however , the spending of $ 40 billion in the face of abject rural poverty , the clandestine treatment of local gymnasts'ages , the lip-synching+re-editing of the opening ceremony and the shipping-off of near-octogenarian women to labor camp after filing an unwanted eyesore of a protest application ' as only a few examples , show that while we can admire china 's cosmetic ability to show itself off , we must be wary of the beast within . thank you for the greatest olympics ever , china ! now , can we see some freedom for your people and some more balanced economic development ? john jakarta , indonesia i think that the international olympic committee made a tragic mistake when they awarded the olympic games to the chinese . the chinese have a ... track record of human rights violations that only increased before and during the olympics . it was disappointing that many media outlets covered so little of the atrocities that the chinese government committed against their people . i realize that they had a commitment to cover the games , but so much more could have been shown concerning the loss that occurred for the entertainment of others . homes were seized and demolished so the venues could be built . michele mccullough i think it was perhaps the best olympics ever . china did an outstanding job of preparing and producing a very successful two weeks of competition on a world-class level . i would hate to be london and have to try even matching the spectacle or the opening and closing shows . because of people power , which they used brilliantly , i think no other country will ever hold a candle to those two events . mostly , i am happy for china . i think the world will view it differently despite issues in which we differ greatly . i am hopeful that the afterglow of its success will spill over into many other areas and bring a better future to its people . wallace rhodes i do n't know why the medal tracker is not done on a weighted point-based system . for example a gold = 5 , silver = 3 , and a bronze = 1 . this would eliminate the debate and allow gold to be valued higher and all medals to count for something . cheers , mike k i think the games were great , but why should n't they be ? with a country whose government can control everything and spend what it wants , everything should have been perfect . in a country with the the number of people that china has there should be an amazing number of gold ... perhaps even more . thing about the number of people in china vs canada . percentage-wise china should have won a lot more . i 'm glad that the games went well , but i do n't think anyone should be at all surprised . few countries have the number of people , the freedom for government control and spending that china has . it would be interesting to know what china could have done / would have done without government control . dan ingram toronto participant age controversies and government ideologies aside , this could well have been the greatest olympics of the modern age . with less pomp and ceremony and more art and talent , the chinese have brought together both its people , its money , and its true concern for artistic beauty , and displayed to the world what it is capable of being . now , if it would let its people figure out how to develop and illustrate their olympic talents without the force and pressure of the whole weight of government , we could surely have some wonderful olympic champions . thank you , joel shattles lawrenceville , georgia , u.s. a spectacular olympics to be sure ( however not the greatest cover of events on local tv in bermuda ... thank goodness for my satellite dish ! ! ) only real complaint was that the scoring for boxing was a travesty ... please scrap that system ! ! donald macpherson bermuda without a doubt , china put on the most spectacular show on earth ! however , the issue of many of china 's gymnastic team not meeting age-requirement standards is of concern . mention of this issue has been reported by cnn , and since no further commentary has been announced , i presume the issue is still under investigation . evidence that under-age gymnasts were knowingly being trained for china 's olympic gymnastic team is well documented in discovery channel 's series - discovery atlas - china . in that documentary is the story of jin yang , a 12-year-old girl from beijing . her intensive training , along with her performance in china 's qualifying olympic trial competition , was filmed . in her own words , jin stated ,'i dream of the 2008 olympics .'jin jang qualified after the first round , but was eliminated after the second one . clearly , this is irrefutable evidence that china 's olympic coaches , etc. , were attempting to create the most talented olympic competitors irrespective of meeting age-requirement standards set by olympic committee regulations . this evidence needs to be presented not only to the world at large , but submitted to the olympic investigating committee . sincerely , sandra st john sao paulo , brazil olympic games ; vulgar and shameful display of unrestrained commercialism . luis in mexico i think they were great . china may have its share of problems , but they proved to be an excellent host nation . i wish the olympics were less politicized , but i guess that will not be changing anytime soon . w may fairfax , virginia , u.s . | sandra st john : china put on the most spectacular show on earth ! ' |
mars science lab <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- nasa 's launch of the mars science laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011 , nasa officials said at a news conference thursday in washington . a photo illustration of a laser-equipped vehicle that is set to be part of the mars science laboratory . the mission had been scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009 . the mars science lab is a large , nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances with a suite of onboard scientific instruments aboard . it is , according to nasa 's web site , part of a long-term effort of robotic exploration ' established to study the early environmental history of mars ' and assess whether mars has ever been -- or still is -- able to sustain life . the delay of the launch , according to nasa , is due to a number of testing and hardware challenges that must ( still ) be addressed to ensure mission success . ' the progress in recent weeks has not come fast enough on solving technical challenges and pulling hardware together , ' said charles elachi , director of nasa 's jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena , california . changing to a 2011 launch will allow for careful resolution of any remaining technical problems , proper and thorough testing , and avoid a mad dash to launch , ' argued nasa associate administrator ed weiler . the overall cost of the mars science lab is now projected to be roughly $ 2.1 billion , according to nasa spokesman dwayne browne . the project originally carried a price tag of $ 1.6 billion . nasa 's entire budget for the current fiscal year , according to browne , is approximately $ 15 billion . according to nasa , the mars rover will use new technologies and be engineered to explore greater distances over rougher terrain than previous missions to the planet . this will be done in part by employing a new surface propulsion system . failure is not an option on this mission , ' weiler said . the science is too important and the investment of american taxpayer dollars compels us to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission . ' weiler asserted that , based on the agency 's preliminary evaluations , additional costs tied to the delay of the science lab launch would not result in the cancellation of other nasa programs over the next two years . he did , however , concede that it would result in other unspecified program delays . critics have charged that the delay and cost overruns associated with the mars science lab are indicative of an agency that is plagued by a lack of accountability and inefficiency in terms of its management of both time and taxpayer dollars . the mars science laboratory is only the latest symptom of a nasa culture that has lost control of spending , ' wrote alan stern , a former nasa associate administrator , in a november 24 op-ed in the new york times . a cancer is overtaking our space agency : the routine acquiescence to immense cost increases in projects . ' stern charged that the agency 's cost overruns are being fueled by managers who disguise the size of cost increases that missions incur ' and members of congress who accept steep increases to protect local jobs . ' browne replied in a written statement saying that nasa administrators are constantly working to improve ( the agency 's ) cost-estimating capabilities . ... we continually review our projects to understand the true risk in terms of performance , cost and schedule . ' the fact of life at nasa , where we are charged with creating first-of-a-kind missions of scientific discovery , is that estimating the costs of ... science can be almost as difficult as actually doing the science , ' browne said . nasa 's most recent mars project -- the mission of the phoenix mars lander -- came to an end last month after the solar-powered vehicle 's batteries ran down as the result of a dust storm and the onset of martian winter . it had operated two months beyond its initial three-month mission . nasa officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area , most likely in the form of permafrost . they thought such a location would be a promising place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable environment . scientists were able to verify the presence of water-ice in the martian subsurface , find small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life , and observe snow descending from the clouds , nasa said thursday . | mars science lab is a large rover designed to traverse long distances |
mars science lab <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- nasa 's launch of the mars science laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011 , nasa officials said at a news conference thursday in washington . a photo illustration of a laser-equipped vehicle that is set to be part of the mars science laboratory . the mission had been scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009 . the mars science lab is a large , nuclear-powered rover designed to traverse long distances with a suite of onboard scientific instruments aboard . it is , according to nasa 's web site , part of a long-term effort of robotic exploration ' established to study the early environmental history of mars ' and assess whether mars has ever been -- or still is -- able to sustain life . the delay of the launch , according to nasa , is due to a number of testing and hardware challenges that must ( still ) be addressed to ensure mission success . ' the progress in recent weeks has not come fast enough on solving technical challenges and pulling hardware together , ' said charles elachi , director of nasa 's jet propulsion laboratory in pasadena , california . changing to a 2011 launch will allow for careful resolution of any remaining technical problems , proper and thorough testing , and avoid a mad dash to launch , ' argued nasa associate administrator ed weiler . the overall cost of the mars science lab is now projected to be roughly $ 2.1 billion , according to nasa spokesman dwayne browne . the project originally carried a price tag of $ 1.6 billion . nasa 's entire budget for the current fiscal year , according to browne , is approximately $ 15 billion . according to nasa , the mars rover will use new technologies and be engineered to explore greater distances over rougher terrain than previous missions to the planet . this will be done in part by employing a new surface propulsion system . failure is not an option on this mission , ' weiler said . the science is too important and the investment of american taxpayer dollars compels us to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission . ' weiler asserted that , based on the agency 's preliminary evaluations , additional costs tied to the delay of the science lab launch would not result in the cancellation of other nasa programs over the next two years . he did , however , concede that it would result in other unspecified program delays . critics have charged that the delay and cost overruns associated with the mars science lab are indicative of an agency that is plagued by a lack of accountability and inefficiency in terms of its management of both time and taxpayer dollars . the mars science laboratory is only the latest symptom of a nasa culture that has lost control of spending , ' wrote alan stern , a former nasa associate administrator , in a november 24 op-ed in the new york times . a cancer is overtaking our space agency : the routine acquiescence to immense cost increases in projects . ' stern charged that the agency 's cost overruns are being fueled by managers who disguise the size of cost increases that missions incur ' and members of congress who accept steep increases to protect local jobs . ' browne replied in a written statement saying that nasa administrators are constantly working to improve ( the agency 's ) cost-estimating capabilities . ... we continually review our projects to understand the true risk in terms of performance , cost and schedule . ' the fact of life at nasa , where we are charged with creating first-of-a-kind missions of scientific discovery , is that estimating the costs of ... science can be almost as difficult as actually doing the science , ' browne said . nasa 's most recent mars project -- the mission of the phoenix mars lander -- came to an end last month after the solar-powered vehicle 's batteries ran down as the result of a dust storm and the onset of martian winter . it had operated two months beyond its initial three-month mission . nasa officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area , most likely in the form of permafrost . they thought such a location would be a promising place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable environment . scientists were able to verify the presence of water-ice in the martian subsurface , find small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life , and observe snow descending from the clouds , nasa said thursday . | overall cost of mars science lab now projected to be roughly $ 2.1 billion |
microsoft <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's sacrilege to some apple fanboys . it 's also something none of apple 's competitors have been able to claim since that magical ' day in early 2010 . but when microsoft unveiled the surface tablet ( actually a pair of them ) monday , the software company clearly had one ultimate goal : to make a tablet that 's better than the ipad . by most standards , apple has crushed its tablet rivals that have tried to compete feature-for-feature . no single tablet running google 's android system has gotten much traction ( save the smaller , cheaper kindle fire from amazon ) and blackberry maker rim 's playbook hit the market with a thud . and microsoft 's past attempts at building apple-like gadgets -- witness the ipod-copying zune -- have failed . unlike some hasty competitors , microsoft took its time getting into the tablet game . earlier this year , the company rolled out the windows 8 operating system , software that is optimized for mobile and that manufacturers such as samsung and asus are already building tablets around . but microsoft clearly wanted to control at least one version of the hardware , a move it has largely shied away from during its history . and microsoft seems determined to get this one right . so , the question remains -- will this be the tablet that finally gives apple a run for its money ? details about the surface are sketchy -- no price or release date were announced , and info about apps is scant . but there are at least five features ceo steve ballmer and friends showed off monday that might make the surface better than the ipad . keyboard a frustration for many users of the ipad and other touchscreen devices is the keyboard . while it 's possible to get somewhat proficient at tapping spots on a flat screen , most acknowledge it 's impossible to get e-mail and other documents written as quickly as with physical keys . sure , there are third-party keyboards you can buy to add onto the ipad , but they can be clunky . the surface keyboard will be part of its touch cover , which is connected with magnets and flips open . there will be a version with pressure-sensitive flat keys and another with more traditional raised keys called a type cover . they 're both sleeker and thinner than many of the third-party offerings for the ipad . the touch cover is 3 millimeters thick , and the type cover is 5 millimeters . and for the style-sensitive among us , they 'll come in a variety of colors , including black , pink , red and blue . some folks see the inclusion of a keyboard as the surface 's big selling point . if it works well , the keyboard -- which i got to inspect at great length but not actually type on -- is going to be the surface 's killer attraction , ' wrote slate 's farhad manjoo . lots of people get frustrated with the ipad because typing on it is a major chore . they want to use it like a full-fledged desktop , but they 're stymied by the input method . ... if the surface ships with the keyboard -- and if microsoft markets the device as a tablet that will let you get some work done -- it could be a big hit . ' add the machine 's trackpad and built-in kickstand , ' and you 've got usability features that current ipads do n't possess . size apple has made such a compact , stylish tablet that many of its competitors look chunky by comparison . that 's not true of the surface , at least as it was demoed monday . first , its display screen is 10.6 inches , almost a full inch bigger than the ipad 's . and the company says it 's optimized to have essentially the same dimensions as a movie screen : so , farewell black bars when watching video . the surface for windows rt is a fraction of a millimeter thinner than the ipad ( 9.3 vs. 9.4 ) , while the heftier surface for windows 8 pro will be 13.5 millimeters . the rt weighs virtually the same as the ipad ( it 's less than an ounce heavier ) , while the pro will be around 2 pounds . the surface 's touch cover , with the keyboard , is 3 millimeters thick . every micron matters within microsoft surface , ' microsoft 's panos panay said monday . power especially with the windows 8 pro model , microsoft has set out to blur the line between tablets and the new wave of light , slim ultrabooks and their predecessor , apple 's macbook air . tablets have always been a hybrid hovering somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop , best used for game playing , web surfing and media consumption . microsoft wants the surface to be something you can actually do some work on . the windows pro model will run on an i5 intel processor and come with up to 128 gigabytes of internal memory ( the ipad currently goes up to 64 ) . usb ports both versions of the surface come with two usb ports ( 2.0 on the rt and a faster 3.0 on the windows pro ) . the lack of ports has been one of the few persistent compaints about the ipad . these ports open up the possibility of extra storage , printing and other external capabilities that should be easier and quicker than the workarounds ipad users need involving cloud storage , wi-fi connections and the like . xbox smartglass the xbox smartglass feature , which microsoft rolled out at this month 's e3 video gaming expo , will work with the ipad and android tablets . but it 's not hard to envision microsoft optimizing the technology for its own piece of hardware . the system looks to make the xbox a central device in the living room -- one that may or may not be even used for video games . it will connect a smartphone or tablet with the xbox , which in turn will be connected with the television . by connecting the devices , users can watch a movie on their television while getting bonus material on their tablet . they could also start enjoying a game or movie on the tablet , then transfer it to a tv -- or vice versa . if the feature is front and center on the surface , it will be one more step in microsoft 's push to bring all of a user 's devices together within the flexible windows 8 system . | from early showing , microsoft 's surface tablet could be superior to the ipad in some ways |
jamaica <tsp> ( cnn ) -- usain bolt completed his hat-trick of sprint titles at the world athletics championships in berlin as he helped the all-conquering jamaican side power to victory in the men 's 4x100m relay final . bolt ( second right ) celebrates his third gold medal after helping jamaica to victory in the 4x100m relay . bolt ran the third leg , handing off to individual bronze medallist asafa powell , as olympic champions jamaica took gold in a new championship record of 37.31 seconds . jamaica had rested bolt and powell in the heats and were always red-hot favorites to win . i was n't really thinking about getting three gold medals because i could be in better shape , ' bolt , who broke his own world records in the 100 and 200m with times of 9.58 and 19.19 respectively , told trackside reporters . trinidad , who chased jamaica home in beijing last year , again took silver with great britain claiming the bronze medal . the united states were disqualified on friday for an illegal baton change despite winning their semifinal . jamiaca 's victory , their seventh gold medal of the games , ensured the nation won both sprint relays after their women claimed gold in the women 's 4x100m relay earlier on saturday . individual 100m champion shelly-ann fraser led the team to victory in a time of 42.06 seconds to take gold ahead of the bahamas , while germany pulled off a surprise to claim third place . defending champions the united states failed to reach the final when muna lee struggled to get hold of the baton on the second handover from alexandria anderson and stumbled before pulling up with a hamstring injury . the u.s. relay performances in berlin 's have been a carbon copy of last year 's olympics where neither team reached the final or finished their heat . elsewhere , kenya 's abel kirui comfortably won the men 's marathon with a well-timed break in the last four miles of the race . kirui produced a sustained burst to pull clear of team-mate emmanuel mutai and win gold in a championship record time of two hours six minutes and 54 seconds . mutai finished 54 seconds behind in second position while ethiopia 's olympic bronze medallist tsegaye kebede again took third place . kenya were celebrating again when vivian cheruiyot outsprinted defending champion meseret defar of ethiopia to win the women 's 5,000 meters . cheruiyot , a sydney olympic games finalist at 16 , who won silver in the last worlds in osaka in 2007 , had led for much of the race but was overtaken by defar with 150 metres to go to the finish . it looked like defar would be celebrating an ethiopian gold in the absence of injured team-mate and olympic champion tirunesh dibaba , but cheruiyot produced a stunning fightback to cross first in 14 minutes 57.98 seconds . as defar eased off in the knowledge that she had been beaten , cheruiyot 's compatriot sylvia kibet stole in for silver in 14:58.33 , for the second one-two podium finish for kenya following the men 's marathon . the result was a blow to ethiopia , for whom olympic champion and world recorder holder dibaba was injured but would have been pre-race favorite if fit . in the field events , olympic champion steven hooker of australia added the men 's pole vault title to his beijing crown by clearing 5.90 meters . the 27-year-old , whose personal best of 6.06m makes him the second highest vaulter in history , showed his confidence by sitting out the early rounds and only came in at 5.85m which he failed to clear . but he opted to raise the bar and nailed 5.90m at his first attempt which was enough to give him the gold medal with frenchmen romain mesnil and renaud lavillenie claiming silver and bronze . american dwight phillips regained his men 's long jump title to fulfill his dream of winning in the same stadium and same event where jesse owens triumphed at the 1936 olympic games . the 31-year-old , the 2004 olympic champion and 2003 and 2005 world champion , won gold with 8.54 meters to beat south africa 's olympic silver medalist godfrey mokoena ( 8.47m ) while australia 's mitchell watt took bronze ( 8.37m ) . poland 's anita wlodarczyk won the women 's hammer with a new world record throw of 77.96 meters . the 24-year-old beat defending champion betty heidler of germany , who took silver with a national record of 77.12m , while martina hrasnova of slovakia won the bronze with a throw of 74.79m . | it was jamaica 's seventh gold after the women also claimed sprint relay victory |
jamaica <tsp> ( cnn ) -- usain bolt completed his hat-trick of sprint titles at the world athletics championships in berlin as he helped the all-conquering jamaican side power to victory in the men 's 4x100m relay final . bolt ( second right ) celebrates his third gold medal after helping jamaica to victory in the 4x100m relay . bolt ran the third leg , handing off to individual bronze medallist asafa powell , as olympic champions jamaica took gold in a new championship record of 37.31 seconds . jamaica had rested bolt and powell in the heats and were always red-hot favorites to win . i was n't really thinking about getting three gold medals because i could be in better shape , ' bolt , who broke his own world records in the 100 and 200m with times of 9.58 and 19.19 respectively , told trackside reporters . trinidad , who chased jamaica home in beijing last year , again took silver with great britain claiming the bronze medal . the united states were disqualified on friday for an illegal baton change despite winning their semifinal . jamiaca 's victory , their seventh gold medal of the games , ensured the nation won both sprint relays after their women claimed gold in the women 's 4x100m relay earlier on saturday . individual 100m champion shelly-ann fraser led the team to victory in a time of 42.06 seconds to take gold ahead of the bahamas , while germany pulled off a surprise to claim third place . defending champions the united states failed to reach the final when muna lee struggled to get hold of the baton on the second handover from alexandria anderson and stumbled before pulling up with a hamstring injury . the u.s. relay performances in berlin 's have been a carbon copy of last year 's olympics where neither team reached the final or finished their heat . elsewhere , kenya 's abel kirui comfortably won the men 's marathon with a well-timed break in the last four miles of the race . kirui produced a sustained burst to pull clear of team-mate emmanuel mutai and win gold in a championship record time of two hours six minutes and 54 seconds . mutai finished 54 seconds behind in second position while ethiopia 's olympic bronze medallist tsegaye kebede again took third place . kenya were celebrating again when vivian cheruiyot outsprinted defending champion meseret defar of ethiopia to win the women 's 5,000 meters . cheruiyot , a sydney olympic games finalist at 16 , who won silver in the last worlds in osaka in 2007 , had led for much of the race but was overtaken by defar with 150 metres to go to the finish . it looked like defar would be celebrating an ethiopian gold in the absence of injured team-mate and olympic champion tirunesh dibaba , but cheruiyot produced a stunning fightback to cross first in 14 minutes 57.98 seconds . as defar eased off in the knowledge that she had been beaten , cheruiyot 's compatriot sylvia kibet stole in for silver in 14:58.33 , for the second one-two podium finish for kenya following the men 's marathon . the result was a blow to ethiopia , for whom olympic champion and world recorder holder dibaba was injured but would have been pre-race favorite if fit . in the field events , olympic champion steven hooker of australia added the men 's pole vault title to his beijing crown by clearing 5.90 meters . the 27-year-old , whose personal best of 6.06m makes him the second highest vaulter in history , showed his confidence by sitting out the early rounds and only came in at 5.85m which he failed to clear . but he opted to raise the bar and nailed 5.90m at his first attempt which was enough to give him the gold medal with frenchmen romain mesnil and renaud lavillenie claiming silver and bronze . american dwight phillips regained his men 's long jump title to fulfill his dream of winning in the same stadium and same event where jesse owens triumphed at the 1936 olympic games . the 31-year-old , the 2004 olympic champion and 2003 and 2005 world champion , won gold with 8.54 meters to beat south africa 's olympic silver medalist godfrey mokoena ( 8.47m ) while australia 's mitchell watt took bronze ( 8.37m ) . poland 's anita wlodarczyk won the women 's hammer with a new world record throw of 77.96 meters . the 24-year-old beat defending champion betty heidler of germany , who took silver with a national record of 77.12m , while martina hrasnova of slovakia won the bronze with a throw of 74.79m . | bolt helps olympic champions jamaica to victory in men 's 4x100m relay final |
texas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in texas on sunday , less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the federal aviation administration asked u.s. pilots to watch for falling space debris , ' authorities said . video captured in austin , texas , shows a meteor-like object in the sky sunday morning . there were no reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft in flight , faa spokesman roland herwig said . herwig told cnn the faa received no reports from pilots in the air of any sightings but the agency recieved numerous ' calls from people on the ground from dallas , texas , south to austin , texas . video shot by a photographer from news 8 tv in austin showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky sunday morning . the photographer caught the incident while covering a marathon in austin . on saturday , the faa told pilots through its routine notification system that a potential hazard may occur due to re-entry of satellite debris into the earth 's atmosphere . ' the notice did not specify a time or location . watch video of meteor-like fireball » herwig said most of the reports the faa received came in about midday sunday in an area of texas from dallas south to austin . ireport.com : did you see the fireball ? send photos , video he said he was not certain where the information that sparked the faa notification came from , but it was probably from norad , ' or the north american aerospace defense command , which tracks man-made objects in space . calls to norad headquarters in colorado were not immediately returned . lisa block , spokeswoman for the texas department of public safety , said her agency had received calls from residents surprised by sonic booms about 11 a.m. she said calls came from an area from dallas to houston . last week , the russian and u.s. space agencies said two satellites , one russian and one american , collided about 496 miles ( 800 kilometers ) above siberia , russia . the collision on tuesday produced two large debris clouds , nasa said . the satellites collided at 6.2 miles ( 10 kilometers ) per second , producing 500 to 600 pieces of space debris , the u.s. strategic command said . cnn 's monte plott contributed to this report . | video shot in austin , texas , shows meteor-like object in sky sunday morning |
afrikka hardy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- who are the seven women who police say one indiana man has confessed to killing ? they 're not forgotten , because they 're not nobodies . they 're somebody , ' said lori townsend , whose 19-year-old daughter afrikka hardy was found strangled at a motel 6 in hammond , indiana , over the weekend . they 're somebody 's daughter , ' she told cnn affiliate wls , somebody 's mother , somebody 's sister . ' here 's what we know so far about the suspected serial killer 's victims : afrikka hardy ' she could walk into a room and just light it up with her smile and her laugh and just her presence , ' townsend told cnn 's don lemon . afrikka never met a stranger . she loved everybody . and that was kind of part of her problem . she was a little naive on trusting people . ' hardy , 19 , had recently moved back to chicago after graduating from high school and living for five years with her mother in aurora , colorado . authorities say suspect darren deon vann hired a prostitute through the backpage.com site serving chicago and arranged a meeting with hardy at the motel 6 . that was a surprise to her mother . i had no idea . that 's not the way i raised afrikka . she was n't raised up like that , ' townsend said . her three months out there , she never said that anything was wrong . she never gave me any inclination she was doing this or thinking about doing this . ' but even if true , that information is irrelevant , the mother said . what matters is that my baby be remembered for who she really is , ' townsend wrote on facebook monday . remember her smile , laugh , tender heart and the fact that she is no longer with us ! ' in facebook posts , townsend described her daughter as a princess and posted a youtube video of her belting out a ballad . hardy 's cousins told the chicago tribune that she enjoyed singing , loved kids and eventually wanted to own a day care . she had plans on going back to school , and we talked about it numerous times , ' one cousin told the newspaper . but i guess she started hanging with different people and it took her towards another way . ' teaira batey the last time gloria cullom saw her daughter , they were grocery shopping together in gary . she said ,'i love you . i 'll be back , mama .'that 's what she said to me , and she left , and she went with her friend , ' cullom told cnn affiliate kare . but she did n't come back that night . ' when she heard from her the next day , batey was crying , sounded scared and wanted someone to pick her up , cullom said . she was never heard from again . batey 's family reported her missing in late january , boyfriend marvin clinton told cnn 's poppy harlow . at first , they held off because batey had been known to leave her home in gary for days or even a week at a time , clinton said . but as the days passed , he said , they became increasingly concerned and contacted police . we know her daily routine . she would go out , you know , and hang out , go visit friends and things like that , ' he said . but she would always stay in touch with the family . ' batey , 28 , did n't work , clinton said . it was more being home , being a mom , raising her son , doing things as a family , ' he said . cullom said her daughter was mentally ill and often willing to trust people . like i told ( the police ) there , she might be grown , but she had a mind like a 12-year-old . she 's very vulnerable , but she 's a sweet person , ' cullom told kare . she 's very trusting . she never thought that somebody would hurt her if she never gave them no reason to hurt her . ' authorities at one point suggested that maybe batey had decided to leave and start a new life , but clinton said he did n't buy it . teaira would not leave her son like that , ' he said . she was a loving , kind person ... a bighearted person . teaira was the kind of person that ... would give you her coat to wear if you did n't have one . ' clinton told cnn affiliate wls that he 's been struggling to tell their 2-year-old son what happened . i do n't know how to explain it to him right now . ... he 's been asking for mommy a lot , and the only thing i can tell him is ,'mommy 's not here right now ,'' clinton said . anith jones the 35-year-old was last seen on october 8 , the chicago sun-times reported . she was reported missing two days later . her sister told the newspaper that jones , who lived in merrillville , indiana , ran a booth at a flea market . she was a kind , loving woman , ' yolanda nowell , a chicago police officer , told the sun-times . she was my favorite sister . she was everybody 's favorite aunt . ' her 2001 chevrolet prism was found parked in the driveway of a vacant house in gary earlier this month . police with cadaver dogs had searched other vacant lots and abandoned homes to look for her , the newspaper said . they did n't find her , until vann pointed them to an abandoned house in gary . the bodies of two other women were found at the same address . they have not yet been identified . vann had some sort of connection ' with jones , gary police chief larry mckinley said , adding that authorities do n't know yet what the connection is . kristine williams williams , 36 , was a resident of gary and a mother of four , according to her mother-in-law , deborah berry . berry told cnn she had not heard from williams since february but did not file a police report because williams would often disappear . ' i 've been kind of wondering what happened to kristine . she kind of disappeared , ' said berry . i have n't talked to her since february . she would call me every couple of months . i was like her mother . her real family would n't have much to do with her . ' williams did not have a job , and according to berry , she had two children from her marriage with berry 's son siad , and two more children from different fathers . all four were put up for adoption , said berry . jane doe # 3 one victim , described by authorities as jane doe # 3 , was a 5-foot-tall woman with shoulder length blond hair tinted red . she wore a pair of size-3/4 twentyone black by rue21 blue jeans and white nike gym shoes size 6 , said lake county coroner merrilee frey . we may have a possible lead . we will be conducting dna analysis with her possible family through the indiana state police . as well as all the victims that we have identified , to be able to make a positive identification , ' said frey jane doe # 5 frey said a victim known as jane doe # 5 wore a silver-colored chain-linked bracelet that said best aunt ' when investigators found her . fray asked for help identifying the 5-foot 3-inch african-american woman , who she said was also wearing a silver-colored ring with scalloped engravings and another silver-colored ring with a heart shape . jane doe # 6 frey said a victim known as jane doe # 6 was an african-american woman . cnn 's sonia moghe , daniel verello , justin lear , greg botelho and holly yan contributed to this report . | afrikka hardy loved singing and working with kids , her family says |
anith jones <tsp> ( cnn ) -- who are the seven women who police say one indiana man has confessed to killing ? they 're not forgotten , because they 're not nobodies . they 're somebody , ' said lori townsend , whose 19-year-old daughter afrikka hardy was found strangled at a motel 6 in hammond , indiana , over the weekend . they 're somebody 's daughter , ' she told cnn affiliate wls , somebody 's mother , somebody 's sister . ' here 's what we know so far about the suspected serial killer 's victims : afrikka hardy ' she could walk into a room and just light it up with her smile and her laugh and just her presence , ' townsend told cnn 's don lemon . afrikka never met a stranger . she loved everybody . and that was kind of part of her problem . she was a little naive on trusting people . ' hardy , 19 , had recently moved back to chicago after graduating from high school and living for five years with her mother in aurora , colorado . authorities say suspect darren deon vann hired a prostitute through the backpage.com site serving chicago and arranged a meeting with hardy at the motel 6 . that was a surprise to her mother . i had no idea . that 's not the way i raised afrikka . she was n't raised up like that , ' townsend said . her three months out there , she never said that anything was wrong . she never gave me any inclination she was doing this or thinking about doing this . ' but even if true , that information is irrelevant , the mother said . what matters is that my baby be remembered for who she really is , ' townsend wrote on facebook monday . remember her smile , laugh , tender heart and the fact that she is no longer with us ! ' in facebook posts , townsend described her daughter as a princess and posted a youtube video of her belting out a ballad . hardy 's cousins told the chicago tribune that she enjoyed singing , loved kids and eventually wanted to own a day care . she had plans on going back to school , and we talked about it numerous times , ' one cousin told the newspaper . but i guess she started hanging with different people and it took her towards another way . ' teaira batey the last time gloria cullom saw her daughter , they were grocery shopping together in gary . she said ,'i love you . i 'll be back , mama .'that 's what she said to me , and she left , and she went with her friend , ' cullom told cnn affiliate kare . but she did n't come back that night . ' when she heard from her the next day , batey was crying , sounded scared and wanted someone to pick her up , cullom said . she was never heard from again . batey 's family reported her missing in late january , boyfriend marvin clinton told cnn 's poppy harlow . at first , they held off because batey had been known to leave her home in gary for days or even a week at a time , clinton said . but as the days passed , he said , they became increasingly concerned and contacted police . we know her daily routine . she would go out , you know , and hang out , go visit friends and things like that , ' he said . but she would always stay in touch with the family . ' batey , 28 , did n't work , clinton said . it was more being home , being a mom , raising her son , doing things as a family , ' he said . cullom said her daughter was mentally ill and often willing to trust people . like i told ( the police ) there , she might be grown , but she had a mind like a 12-year-old . she 's very vulnerable , but she 's a sweet person , ' cullom told kare . she 's very trusting . she never thought that somebody would hurt her if she never gave them no reason to hurt her . ' authorities at one point suggested that maybe batey had decided to leave and start a new life , but clinton said he did n't buy it . teaira would not leave her son like that , ' he said . she was a loving , kind person ... a bighearted person . teaira was the kind of person that ... would give you her coat to wear if you did n't have one . ' clinton told cnn affiliate wls that he 's been struggling to tell their 2-year-old son what happened . i do n't know how to explain it to him right now . ... he 's been asking for mommy a lot , and the only thing i can tell him is ,'mommy 's not here right now ,'' clinton said . anith jones the 35-year-old was last seen on october 8 , the chicago sun-times reported . she was reported missing two days later . her sister told the newspaper that jones , who lived in merrillville , indiana , ran a booth at a flea market . she was a kind , loving woman , ' yolanda nowell , a chicago police officer , told the sun-times . she was my favorite sister . she was everybody 's favorite aunt . ' her 2001 chevrolet prism was found parked in the driveway of a vacant house in gary earlier this month . police with cadaver dogs had searched other vacant lots and abandoned homes to look for her , the newspaper said . they did n't find her , until vann pointed them to an abandoned house in gary . the bodies of two other women were found at the same address . they have not yet been identified . vann had some sort of connection ' with jones , gary police chief larry mckinley said , adding that authorities do n't know yet what the connection is . kristine williams williams , 36 , was a resident of gary and a mother of four , according to her mother-in-law , deborah berry . berry told cnn she had not heard from williams since february but did not file a police report because williams would often disappear . ' i 've been kind of wondering what happened to kristine . she kind of disappeared , ' said berry . i have n't talked to her since february . she would call me every couple of months . i was like her mother . her real family would n't have much to do with her . ' williams did not have a job , and according to berry , she had two children from her marriage with berry 's son siad , and two more children from different fathers . all four were put up for adoption , said berry . jane doe # 3 one victim , described by authorities as jane doe # 3 , was a 5-foot-tall woman with shoulder length blond hair tinted red . she wore a pair of size-3/4 twentyone black by rue21 blue jeans and white nike gym shoes size 6 , said lake county coroner merrilee frey . we may have a possible lead . we will be conducting dna analysis with her possible family through the indiana state police . as well as all the victims that we have identified , to be able to make a positive identification , ' said frey jane doe # 5 frey said a victim known as jane doe # 5 wore a silver-colored chain-linked bracelet that said best aunt ' when investigators found her . fray asked for help identifying the 5-foot 3-inch african-american woman , who she said was also wearing a silver-colored ring with scalloped engravings and another silver-colored ring with a heart shape . jane doe # 6 frey said a victim known as jane doe # 6 was an african-american woman . cnn 's sonia moghe , daniel verello , justin lear , greg botelho and holly yan contributed to this report . | anith jones'car was found abandoned after she was reported missing |
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