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lori day <tsp> lori day , a mom , educational psychologist , parenting coach and new author , remembers that day about 15 years ago so well . she was reading something in the new york times about how clothing manufacturers were marketing adult fashions directly to girls as young as her daughter , who was 7 at the time . frustrated , she headed upstairs to her clunky old dell desktop computer ' ( remember , it was 1999 ) and wrote her first letter to the editor . at about the same time that she says her eyes were opened to the sexualization of girls , she and her only child , charlotte , passed by their local book shop . in the window was a display about mother-daughter book clubs . pink , princess-y and sexy too soon charlotte was immediately curious . we went in , and she really quickly said ,'mommy , i want to do this .'and ... all the light bulbs were going off for me . ' day and charlotte , who was then 8 and in the third grade , went on to start their mother-daughter book club in 2000 with four other mothers and daughters . their experiences and the ways mother-daughter book clubs can help empower girls are the focus of day 's new book , her next chapter : how mother-daughter book clubs can help girls navigate malicious media , risky relationships , girl gossip and so much more . ' for six years , from the third grade up until the girls finished middle school , day , charlotte and the other mothers and daughters would meet monthly and tackle issues that the girls might have felt uncomfortable discussing directly with their mothers and that their moms might not have known how to bring up with them . you get these wonderful moments where it 's almost like the girls forget their moms are there and they 're into the discussion , ' day said . she said that happened when they read a book that involved bullying . and the kids will be talking about the girl who was bullied , and then one of them will say ,'well , that was me'or'this happened to my friend .'they 'll start telling a story about something that happened at school , and the moms are sort of invisible in that moment , and that lets you see something that you might not otherwise ever see or hear from your child or someone else 's child . ' children 's choice book awards : what your kids actually like to read ironically , they dealt with bullying in their very own club . one of the girls was fat-shaming another girl in the club who was overweight , and these were kids who had known each other since kindergarten and who had been together since the third grade . my biggest regret honestly , and i talk about this in the book , is that we never explicitly discussed at the beginning of forming our club what we would do if it happens , because there was just this ... assumption that we had been friends for so long that we were somehow immune , but why did we think that ? anyone 's child can be the bully ; anyone 's child can be bullied . ' day recommends that mothers who are planning to start a book club get together first to discuss issues such as how they 'll handle any conflicts , the goals of the club and the comfort level with the amount of sex and violence that might be included in books , especially as the girls enter middle school . at times , even in her own club , it was hard to come to agreement on books . she was the more liberal member of her club when it came to mature content , she says , because as someone who has worked in schools for 25 years , she knew that children are always more worldly than their parents think they are . mean girls : how not to raise one ' so i wanted my daughter to share about things and learn about things first with me so that ... i could process those things with her and answer her questions . ' day believes mother-daughter book clubs may be even more important today than when she started one nearly 15 years ago . when i was raising charlotte , we did n't have the internet . we did n't have the cyberbullying . we did not have the digital media assault on girls in terms of body image and everything that we have right now . i have so many concerns about how adrift girls can be and how vulnerable they are to the messages they get from media about what their role is as females , and so i think having these clubs is just a way to sidestep some of that noise . ' helping girls navigate what they see and hear in the media was an enormous positive to their book club experience , day said . so was getting to know her daughter , now a graduate student at the university of rhode island , in a unique way . the puberty ad you 'll want to show all girls and boys ' i had a different lens on her than i ever would have had without this experience of seeing her in a group with other girls and seeing her with other female role models besides me , ' she said . it let us know the girls and the girls know us as human beings , just in a different way than mommies and daughters . ' it was also a big benefit to learn from the other mothers : to see how they modeled things , how they talked to their girls and how they handled issues . i mean , we dealt with a lot of the usual things that come up in life such as going back to work , divorce , more children , things that happen in the life of a family , ' she said . they also became each other 's support group . i think mothers can feel really isolated and intimidated . the parenting culture right now is very judgmental and confusing , all these different methods ... attachment parenting or this or that , and we were not about that stuff . ... we created our own support system for raising these girls . ' to those who say what about mother-son or father-son book clubs , ' day says bring them on . she supports any opportunity for parents and their children to connect over books -- or movies and videos if the parents or children do n't have the interest or time to read . middle school transition : tough for teens and parents she wrote about mother-daughter book clubs , she says , because that was her experience but also because she does believe there are certain issues going on now in our culture that are particularly difficult for girls . boys have issues too , and i have concerns about boys as well , but i think for girls , when you are talking about media and marketing , the sexualization , the stereotypes about girls , the dumbing down of stuff for girls is just so concerning to me , so i do n't feel i have anything to apologize for in pushing mother-daughter book clubs . ' no , you do n't , as far as this reporter is concerned . and now , as my daughter enters the third grade , i 'm planning to send this story to her friends'moms . time for us to start a mother-daughter book club of our own ! 100 books to read in a lifetime do you think mother-daughter book clubs are a good way to empower women ? tell kelly wallace on twitter or cnn living on facebook . | author lori day started one in 2000 when her daughter was 8 |
baltimore bullet <tsp> ( cnn ) -- michael phelps , the most decorated olympian of all time , is set to return to competitive swimming less than two years after announcing his retirement . phelps , who has won a record 22 olympic medals , will return to the pool later this month at the arena grand prix at mesa , arizona , according to usa swimming . the 28-year-old will join a field including fellow olympic gold medalists , ryan lochte and katie ledecky at the event taking place at the skyline aquatic center from april 24-26 . phelps called time on his career after winning four golds and two silvers at the london games in 2012 , but fueled speculation that he was preparing to stage a comeback after re-entering u.s. drug testing program last year . swimming 's global governing body fina requires athletes intending to return to competition following their retirement to be tested at least nine months before he or she expects to return to competition . ' the three-time olympian would n't be drawn on the subject of a return to the pool when quizzed last november telling the associated press ( ap ) that nothing is set in stone . if i decide to keep going and swim again , then i 'll compete . ' phelps , a regular tweeter with nearly 1.5 million twitter followers , has yet to break his silence on the subject of his expected return . his last tweet was on sunday congratulating bubba watson on his sick win ' at the masters . read more : phelps'fairway to retirement heaven ? known as the baltimore bullet , ' phelps was without peer in the pool winning 18 olympic gold medals including a record haul of eight gold at the 2008 games in beijing -- one more than compatriot mark spitz won at the munich olympics in 1972 . he collected a further 27 gold medals in world championships and a total of 58 gold , 11 silver and three bronze in all during his career and still holds three individual world records in the 100m and 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley . phelps'next chance to add to his medal tally will come in july 2015 at the world championships in kazan , russia with the ultimate goal , perhaps , an appearance at a fourth successive olympics at rio in two years time . read more : bubba watson dons green jacket for second time | baltimore bullet ' re-entered u.s. drug testing program last year |
shimmi modipa <tsp> johannesburg ( cnn ) -- at sunset , the smell of food simmering in dozens of pots starts to fill the air on 15th avenue . soon after , as if summoned by the aroma of meat and spices , a steady stream of cars starts rolling in , pulling up to the food stalls and carts where local women armed with serving spoons prepare to ladle out portions of south african comfort food -- ox tripe known as mogodu , chicken feet , beans and maize dusted with spicy pepper . a woman in a red dress loudly licked her lips as she waited to collect several containers full of food . its food from the homeland , ' she said as she then hurried away to her waiting car . my husband 's going to be very happy . ' the neighbourhood that hungry south africans flock to on monday nights is a township called alexandra , or alex . this densely-populated district is often associated with poverty and crime . squatters , many of them immigrants from other sub-saharan countries in africa , live in wretched conditions in shacks and derelict industrial buildings on the edges of the township , and within view of sandton , one of the city 's wealthiest , leafy enclaves . twenty-five-year-old maurice modipa wants to change the township 's negative image . more than anything , i want to put alex on the map , ' he said . in terms of getting people into alex and change the stigma that we have , i just want people to see it from my point of view . ' modipa and his brothers are transforming their father 's small liquor store into a nightclub that they hope will one day offer panoramic views of alexandra township . their bar -- called stoep , ' which is a south african term for the veranda where locals gather next to the house -- is part of a larger attempt to attract members of the country 's rising black middle class back to the townships . workers at stoep set up amplifiers and haul in cases of beer under the watchful eye of 66-year-old shimmi modipa , who first started selling beer to his friends at this property decades ago , when it was little more than a collection of shacks on 15th avenue . i used to call it'amstel lounge ,'because it 's where we used to entertain myself , my friends and visitors , ' the elder modipa said . deep inequalities in the days of apartheid , modipa said the white minority-ruled government confined black south africans to the township after dark . he also said it was difficult to start a business , since white-owned banks refused to issue loans to blacks . and though the poverty that is visible today in alexandra reflects the deep income inequalities and high unemployment that continue to plague south africa , modipa said this working class neighborhood has come a long way in the last 20 years . there were no tar roads , there were just gravel roads.there were no sewage systems ... in the olden days [ we had ] bucket systems , ' shimmi modipa said . pointing to the paved road outside his family 's bar , modipa said , we are still saying thanks , thanks , thanks . my thanks to our papa madiba , ' referring to nelson mandela , the first democratically-elected black president of south africa , who has been lying in critical condition for weeks in a hospital in pretoria . mandela made this possible . ' by 9pm , loud dance music was blaring from amplifiers in the modipa bar . patrons arrived on roaring motorcycles , in mercedes sedans and expensive sport utility vehicles they swayed to the music in the bar 's unfinished open structure , sipping beer and whiskey and munching on chicken feet , apparently oblivious to the winter chill . maurice modipa danced and played dj behind a laptop with big headphones on his ears . the customers who used to drink beer at stoep have changed dramatically in the last decade . we know quite a few people who have made something of themselves ... economically , ' maurice modipa said later . the scene of affluent south africans returning from wealthy suburbs to the poor township for a taste of their roots was a homecoming of sorts . this uniquely south african night out showed much progress has been made since the end of apartheid , and highlighted how far the country still has to go to overcome its deep social and economic challenges . | shimmi modipa said his working class neighborhood has come a long way in the last 20 years |
club <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the legendary computer club where apple co-founders steve jobs and steve wozniak first showed off their early retail computers is reuniting next month . tech-savvy members of the homebrew computer club are scheduled to present at the computer history museum in mountain view , calif. , the same city where tech giants google and linkedin now have their headquarters . see also : technostalgia : 20 misty memories of personal computing a kickstarter campaign , which aimed to raise $ 16,000 to fund the reunion , announced that the event will take place on nov. 11 . original members of the club will be on hand to celebrate their legacy and to impart their wisdom to the next generation of hackers and creators whose innovations will shape the future , ' according to the kickstarter page . the homebrew computer club was founded in 1975 and , in typical silicon valley fashion , hosted its inaugural meeting at computer engineer gordon french 's garage in menlo park , calif. if one had to pick the single most important moment in personal computing history , the first meeting of the homebrew computer club in that dimly lit garage in menlo park might be at the top of the list , ' the campaign 's organizers said on kickstarter . so far , 25 members from the club 's old guard , including wozniak , have rsvped for the reunion . tickets for the public are being sold via the kickstarter page ; a single ticket costs $ 64 , or $ 128 for a ticket and a limited-edition t-shirt . the campaign aimed to raise $ 16,000 to fund the event space , food , and travel for some of the club 's original members . as of saturday , more than 200 backers had pledged over $ 23,000 towards the event . if the campaign raises $ 30,000 , professional photographs from the event will be shared online . if $ 40,000 is raised , a micro-documentary will be made about the reunion . what do you think was the homebrew computer club 's biggest contribution to technology ? tell us in the comments , below . this article originally appeared on mashable . © 2013 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | club was where steve wozniak and steve jobs first showed their computers |
club <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the legendary computer club where apple co-founders steve jobs and steve wozniak first showed off their early retail computers is reuniting next month . tech-savvy members of the homebrew computer club are scheduled to present at the computer history museum in mountain view , calif. , the same city where tech giants google and linkedin now have their headquarters . see also : technostalgia : 20 misty memories of personal computing a kickstarter campaign , which aimed to raise $ 16,000 to fund the reunion , announced that the event will take place on nov. 11 . original members of the club will be on hand to celebrate their legacy and to impart their wisdom to the next generation of hackers and creators whose innovations will shape the future , ' according to the kickstarter page . the homebrew computer club was founded in 1975 and , in typical silicon valley fashion , hosted its inaugural meeting at computer engineer gordon french 's garage in menlo park , calif. if one had to pick the single most important moment in personal computing history , the first meeting of the homebrew computer club in that dimly lit garage in menlo park might be at the top of the list , ' the campaign 's organizers said on kickstarter . so far , 25 members from the club 's old guard , including wozniak , have rsvped for the reunion . tickets for the public are being sold via the kickstarter page ; a single ticket costs $ 64 , or $ 128 for a ticket and a limited-edition t-shirt . the campaign aimed to raise $ 16,000 to fund the event space , food , and travel for some of the club 's original members . as of saturday , more than 200 backers had pledged over $ 23,000 towards the event . if the campaign raises $ 30,000 , professional photographs from the event will be shared online . if $ 40,000 is raised , a micro-documentary will be made about the reunion . what do you think was the homebrew computer club 's biggest contribution to technology ? tell us in the comments , below . this article originally appeared on mashable . © 2013 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | the homebrew computer club will present at the computer history museum |
sudanese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sudan on wednesday blamed israel for an airstrike that killed two people near the coastal city of port sudan . this is foreign aggression , ' foreign minister ali ahmad karti said . we know that it was an israeli strike . ' karti said sudan will be lodging a complaint with the u.n. security council . it was n't clear who was the target of the strike , which occurred tuesday . one of those killed in the attack was a sudanese citizen picking up a passenger who had arrived at the port sudan airport , karti said . the passenger 's identity is still unknown . authorities have begun an investigation , he said . cnn got karti 's comments from the sudanese foreign ministry . the same remarks were made at a news conference ' we have no information that it would indicate there was a palestinian in the car , as had been implied , ' the foreign minister said . the israel defense forces had no comment on the report . israel has identified sudan as one of the countries through which weapons are smuggled to hamas and other militant groups operating in the palestinian territory of gaza , and to hezbollah in lebanon . militants lately have stepped up their rocket attacks from gaza into israel . israeli foreign minister avigdor liberman told an israeli reporter in 2009 that iran is using all resources and footholds for shipping weapons to lebanon , ' and that includes sudan . we have information from trusted sources that this is done , first and foremost , through syria and sudan , ' he said . karti said the attack is meant to implicate us in terror-related activities . ' he argued that israel does n't want sudan removed from the u.s. list of state sponsors of terror . sudanese authorities said that israel struck a gaza-bound arms convoy in sudan two years ago , an attack that killed 39 people . cnn 's nima elbagir and kevin flower contributed to this report . | new : foreign minister says one of the dead was a sudanese citizen |
chelsea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- wayne rooney 's second-half hat-trick helped manchester united move seven points clear in the english premier league on saturday as title rivals arsenal and chelsea were both held to draws . united trailed 2-0 after only 25 minutes against relegation-threatened west ham , but rooney scored three goals in 14 minutes before substitute javier hernandez sealed a controversial 4-2 victory . both west ham 's goals came from the penalty spot , with midfielder mark noble scoring after patrice evra handled carlton cole 's flick and then nemanja vidic fouled the striker on the edge of the area . the home fans were furious when the serbian defender remained on the pitch despite illegally denying striker demba ba what appeared to be a goalscoring opportunity , and united hit back in the second half after bringing on strikers hernandez and dimitar berbatov to replace evra and midfielder park ji-sung . rooney curled in a superb free-kick in the 65th minute , then leveled eight minutes later with the 100th premier league goal of his career . the england striker completed his fourth league treble from the penalty spot after his international teammate matthew upson somewhat unluckily handled a cross by fabio da silva as he regained his footing . mexico forward hernandez sealed the victory from ryan giggs'cross with six minutes to play to give united a morale-boosting win ahead of wednesday 's first leg of the champions league quarterfinal at chelsea . the london club , however , will go into the match knowing their premier league title defense is realistically over with eight rounds to play after drawing 1-1 at stoke . carlo ancelotti 's team are now 11 points off the pace , but united have played one more game than the rest of the top five . striker jon walters gave 10th-placed stoke the lead in the eighth minute after surging forward from the halfway line , but ivory coast star didier drogba leveled with his first goal since january 24 with a header from nicolas anelka 's cross in the 33rd minute . drogba twice hit the woodwork , while stoke 's marc wilson and robert huth were both denied by the crossbar . ancelotti brought on fernando torres for anelka after an hour , but the spain striker is still yet to score following his $ 80 million move from liverpool in january . second-placed arsenal no longer have the distraction of playing in europe , but arsene wenger 's team 's poor run continued with a 0-0 draw at home to 10-man blackburn . the visitors had steven nzonzi sent off with 14 minutes to play after a two-footed challenge on defender laurent koscielny , but arsenal could not force a winning goal and have now triumphed in just one game in seven in all competitions . fifth-placed tottenham also suffered frustration ahead of tuesday 's champions league quarterfinal first leg away to real madrid , being held goalless by bottom team wigan . the result was a big blow in the london team 's hopes of qualifying for next season 's premier european competition , with fourth-placed manchester city three points ahead of harry redknapp 's side ahead of sunday 's home match against sunderland . liverpool 's bid to catch tottenham and secure a europa league place faltered after a 2-1 defeat at former manager roy hodgson 's new team west brom . slovakia defender martin skrtel headed liverpool into the lead five minutes after halftime , but chris brunt leveled with a penalty just after the hour and then netted the winner from the spot with a minute to go as nigeria striker striker peter odemwingie was fouled both times . the result lifted west brom into 12th place , four points above the relegation zone . seventh-placed everton moved to within four points of local rivals liverpool after snatching a 2-2 draw at home to aston villa , who came from behind to lead with a double from england striker darren bent . leighton baines leveled with a penalty seven minutes from fulltime after cameroonian midfielder jean makoun fouled phil jagielka . eighth-placed bolton lost 2-1 at birmingham , a victory which lifted the league cup winners out of the bottom three as veteran striker kevin phillips and midfielder craig gardner scored before johan elmander 's consolation . newcastle moved up to ninth place with a 4-1 win over second-bottom wolverhampton , who remained behind west ham on goal difference . | champions chelsea held 1-1 with stoke ahead of european clash with united |
dimaggio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months after a nationwide manhunt helped authorities track down kidnapped california teen hannah anderson , she 's revealing new details about her conversations with the man who allegedly held her hostage and killed her mother and brother . in an interview with nbc 's today ' show broadcast thursday morning , anderson described the moment she says she realized family friend james dimaggio was kidnapping her in early august . he had just picked her up from cheerleading practice and took her to his home about an hour east of san diego -- apparently , she said she 'd eventually learn , with her mom and brother hidden somewhere inside . anderson says dimaggio sat her down on a couch , handcuffed her , zip-tied her feet and revealed his plan to kidnap her and drive her to idaho . the day quickly took an even darker turn , anderson said , when dimaggio encouraged her to play russian roulette with him , using a real gun . when it was my turn , i started crying and , like , was freaking out , ' anderson said . and he said ,'do you want to play ?'and i said ,'no ,'and i started crying , and he 's like ,'ok ,'and he stopped . ' anderson said dimaggio told her that her mother , christina anderson , 42 , and her brother ethan , 8 , were elsewhere in the house , alive . anderson , 16 , said that she could hear ethan . i heard him trying to yell upstairs , but he was gagged , so i could n't do anything to help him , ' anderson said . i was yelling his name . i could n't do anything . ' she said after about two to three hours , dimaggio drugged her -- with ambien , she thinks -- and when she woke up , she found herself in idaho with him . that 's when he told her , she said , that her mother and ethan still were in the house 's garage , and that he had set a timer that would ignite a fire at the home , many hours after dimaggio and anderson had left . dimaggio told her that he had left signs that would indicate to responding firefighters -- before the fire reached the garage -- where christina anderson and ethan were , hannah anderson told today . ' authorities would eventually find the remains of christina anderson in the burned garage and ethan 's body in another part of the home . christina anderson was struck at least 12 times in the head ; her right arm and both legs were fractured , and she had a cut on her neck , an autopsy revealed . the woman 's ankles were bound by a plastic cable tie , and duct tape was wrapped around her neck and mouth , her autopsy report said . ethan was burned beyond recognition . it was believed , according to the autopsy , that the boy died because of the fire . after evading authorities for a week , horseback riders spotted dimaggio and hannah anderson in the idaho wilderness , nearly 1,000 miles from where the alleged kidnapping occurred . anderson said dimaggio told her he 'd kill the riders if she spoke to them . dimaggio spoke to them , and they left , she said . but those riders , feeling something was amiss and learning that an amber alert had been issued , contacted authorities . when law enforcement teams closed in on the two august 10 , dimaggio was shot dead by an fbi agent and anderson was taken to a hospital . recalling the moments before the shooting , anderson told today ' that she and dimaggio were by a fire , which she said he 'd set in an effort to signal for help . she did n't say why he was trying to signal for assistance . she said she told him that she 'd read in a book that firing a gun three times in the air also was a signal for help . so , she said , anderson fired a gun once in the air , and then a second time -- but with a lowered aim . then a bunch of guns went off . i looked and he fell on the ground , ' she said . i kind of looked over , and i was like ,'are you ok ?'and then a bunch of , like , the fbi people came out , telling me to get down . ' anderson said she was told the next day , in the hospital , that her mother , her brother and dimaggio were dead . with tears , anderson said she greatly missed her mother and brother . sometimes it 's like i wait for them to get home , and then they 're not there , ' she said . the nationwide manhunt for dimaggio drew widespread attention and sparked intense speculation about the case . now , the author of a new book is criticizing the teen 's behavior and claiming there are inconsistencies in her story , cnn affiliate kgtv reported . an anderson family spokeswoman told cnn the family has no comment on the book . addressing letters between anderson and dimaggio that authorities found in his burned home , anderson told today ' that she had been writing to dimaggio , a family friend , because her mother and father had split up . me and my mom really did n't get along a year ago , so when i was having problems with her and i would n't have really anyone to talk about it with , me and him , instead of talking face to face if we did n't have time ... we 'd just write letters back and forth , talking about , like , the situation and how to get through it , ' she said . her father , brett anderson , told today ' that he and his daughter are working through the ordeal . we 're getting help and talking with each other and trying to be strong ( and ) moving forward , ' he said . cnn 's faith karimi contributed to this report . | anderson says james dimaggio tried to make her play russian roulette with a real gun |
dimaggio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months after a nationwide manhunt helped authorities track down kidnapped california teen hannah anderson , she 's revealing new details about her conversations with the man who allegedly held her hostage and killed her mother and brother . in an interview with nbc 's today ' show broadcast thursday morning , anderson described the moment she says she realized family friend james dimaggio was kidnapping her in early august . he had just picked her up from cheerleading practice and took her to his home about an hour east of san diego -- apparently , she said she 'd eventually learn , with her mom and brother hidden somewhere inside . anderson says dimaggio sat her down on a couch , handcuffed her , zip-tied her feet and revealed his plan to kidnap her and drive her to idaho . the day quickly took an even darker turn , anderson said , when dimaggio encouraged her to play russian roulette with him , using a real gun . when it was my turn , i started crying and , like , was freaking out , ' anderson said . and he said ,'do you want to play ?'and i said ,'no ,'and i started crying , and he 's like ,'ok ,'and he stopped . ' anderson said dimaggio told her that her mother , christina anderson , 42 , and her brother ethan , 8 , were elsewhere in the house , alive . anderson , 16 , said that she could hear ethan . i heard him trying to yell upstairs , but he was gagged , so i could n't do anything to help him , ' anderson said . i was yelling his name . i could n't do anything . ' she said after about two to three hours , dimaggio drugged her -- with ambien , she thinks -- and when she woke up , she found herself in idaho with him . that 's when he told her , she said , that her mother and ethan still were in the house 's garage , and that he had set a timer that would ignite a fire at the home , many hours after dimaggio and anderson had left . dimaggio told her that he had left signs that would indicate to responding firefighters -- before the fire reached the garage -- where christina anderson and ethan were , hannah anderson told today . ' authorities would eventually find the remains of christina anderson in the burned garage and ethan 's body in another part of the home . christina anderson was struck at least 12 times in the head ; her right arm and both legs were fractured , and she had a cut on her neck , an autopsy revealed . the woman 's ankles were bound by a plastic cable tie , and duct tape was wrapped around her neck and mouth , her autopsy report said . ethan was burned beyond recognition . it was believed , according to the autopsy , that the boy died because of the fire . after evading authorities for a week , horseback riders spotted dimaggio and hannah anderson in the idaho wilderness , nearly 1,000 miles from where the alleged kidnapping occurred . anderson said dimaggio told her he 'd kill the riders if she spoke to them . dimaggio spoke to them , and they left , she said . but those riders , feeling something was amiss and learning that an amber alert had been issued , contacted authorities . when law enforcement teams closed in on the two august 10 , dimaggio was shot dead by an fbi agent and anderson was taken to a hospital . recalling the moments before the shooting , anderson told today ' that she and dimaggio were by a fire , which she said he 'd set in an effort to signal for help . she did n't say why he was trying to signal for assistance . she said she told him that she 'd read in a book that firing a gun three times in the air also was a signal for help . so , she said , anderson fired a gun once in the air , and then a second time -- but with a lowered aim . then a bunch of guns went off . i looked and he fell on the ground , ' she said . i kind of looked over , and i was like ,'are you ok ?'and then a bunch of , like , the fbi people came out , telling me to get down . ' anderson said she was told the next day , in the hospital , that her mother , her brother and dimaggio were dead . with tears , anderson said she greatly missed her mother and brother . sometimes it 's like i wait for them to get home , and then they 're not there , ' she said . the nationwide manhunt for dimaggio drew widespread attention and sparked intense speculation about the case . now , the author of a new book is criticizing the teen 's behavior and claiming there are inconsistencies in her story , cnn affiliate kgtv reported . an anderson family spokeswoman told cnn the family has no comment on the book . addressing letters between anderson and dimaggio that authorities found in his burned home , anderson told today ' that she had been writing to dimaggio , a family friend , because her mother and father had split up . me and my mom really did n't get along a year ago , so when i was having problems with her and i would n't have really anyone to talk about it with , me and him , instead of talking face to face if we did n't have time ... we 'd just write letters back and forth , talking about , like , the situation and how to get through it , ' she said . her father , brett anderson , told today ' that he and his daughter are working through the ordeal . we 're getting help and talking with each other and trying to be strong ( and ) moving forward , ' he said . cnn 's faith karimi contributed to this report . | her mother and brother were found dead in dimaggio 's burned home |
dimaggio <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two months after a nationwide manhunt helped authorities track down kidnapped california teen hannah anderson , she 's revealing new details about her conversations with the man who allegedly held her hostage and killed her mother and brother . in an interview with nbc 's today ' show broadcast thursday morning , anderson described the moment she says she realized family friend james dimaggio was kidnapping her in early august . he had just picked her up from cheerleading practice and took her to his home about an hour east of san diego -- apparently , she said she 'd eventually learn , with her mom and brother hidden somewhere inside . anderson says dimaggio sat her down on a couch , handcuffed her , zip-tied her feet and revealed his plan to kidnap her and drive her to idaho . the day quickly took an even darker turn , anderson said , when dimaggio encouraged her to play russian roulette with him , using a real gun . when it was my turn , i started crying and , like , was freaking out , ' anderson said . and he said ,'do you want to play ?'and i said ,'no ,'and i started crying , and he 's like ,'ok ,'and he stopped . ' anderson said dimaggio told her that her mother , christina anderson , 42 , and her brother ethan , 8 , were elsewhere in the house , alive . anderson , 16 , said that she could hear ethan . i heard him trying to yell upstairs , but he was gagged , so i could n't do anything to help him , ' anderson said . i was yelling his name . i could n't do anything . ' she said after about two to three hours , dimaggio drugged her -- with ambien , she thinks -- and when she woke up , she found herself in idaho with him . that 's when he told her , she said , that her mother and ethan still were in the house 's garage , and that he had set a timer that would ignite a fire at the home , many hours after dimaggio and anderson had left . dimaggio told her that he had left signs that would indicate to responding firefighters -- before the fire reached the garage -- where christina anderson and ethan were , hannah anderson told today . ' authorities would eventually find the remains of christina anderson in the burned garage and ethan 's body in another part of the home . christina anderson was struck at least 12 times in the head ; her right arm and both legs were fractured , and she had a cut on her neck , an autopsy revealed . the woman 's ankles were bound by a plastic cable tie , and duct tape was wrapped around her neck and mouth , her autopsy report said . ethan was burned beyond recognition . it was believed , according to the autopsy , that the boy died because of the fire . after evading authorities for a week , horseback riders spotted dimaggio and hannah anderson in the idaho wilderness , nearly 1,000 miles from where the alleged kidnapping occurred . anderson said dimaggio told her he 'd kill the riders if she spoke to them . dimaggio spoke to them , and they left , she said . but those riders , feeling something was amiss and learning that an amber alert had been issued , contacted authorities . when law enforcement teams closed in on the two august 10 , dimaggio was shot dead by an fbi agent and anderson was taken to a hospital . recalling the moments before the shooting , anderson told today ' that she and dimaggio were by a fire , which she said he 'd set in an effort to signal for help . she did n't say why he was trying to signal for assistance . she said she told him that she 'd read in a book that firing a gun three times in the air also was a signal for help . so , she said , anderson fired a gun once in the air , and then a second time -- but with a lowered aim . then a bunch of guns went off . i looked and he fell on the ground , ' she said . i kind of looked over , and i was like ,'are you ok ?'and then a bunch of , like , the fbi people came out , telling me to get down . ' anderson said she was told the next day , in the hospital , that her mother , her brother and dimaggio were dead . with tears , anderson said she greatly missed her mother and brother . sometimes it 's like i wait for them to get home , and then they 're not there , ' she said . the nationwide manhunt for dimaggio drew widespread attention and sparked intense speculation about the case . now , the author of a new book is criticizing the teen 's behavior and claiming there are inconsistencies in her story , cnn affiliate kgtv reported . an anderson family spokeswoman told cnn the family has no comment on the book . addressing letters between anderson and dimaggio that authorities found in his burned home , anderson told today ' that she had been writing to dimaggio , a family friend , because her mother and father had split up . me and my mom really did n't get along a year ago , so when i was having problems with her and i would n't have really anyone to talk about it with , me and him , instead of talking face to face if we did n't have time ... we 'd just write letters back and forth , talking about , like , the situation and how to get through it , ' she said . her father , brett anderson , told today ' that he and his daughter are working through the ordeal . we 're getting help and talking with each other and trying to be strong ( and ) moving forward , ' he said . cnn 's faith karimi contributed to this report . | hannah anderson : i heard my brother trying to scream in dimaggio 's house |
washington <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a rush-hour collision monday between two metro trains north of downtown washington , d.c. , killed at least six people and injured scores , mayor adrian fenty said . one train was stationary when the crash happened , according to metro general manager john catoe . he called it the deadliest crash in the history of the washington metropolitan area transit authority , known as metro . one of the dead was the female operator of one of the trains , metro officials said . the scene is as horrific as you can imagine , ' fenty said in a news conference . one car was almost squeezed completely together . ' seventy-six people were treated for injuries , including two with life-threatening injuries , said chief dennis rubin of washington 's fire and emergency medical services department . two of the injured were emergency responders , rubin said . see location of crash » the crash happened just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track on the red line in the district of columbia near the border with takoma park , maryland . both trains were on the same track , and one of them was stationary when the crash happened , said john catoe , metro general manager . watch woman say she , fellow passengers went flying ' » video footage of the scene showed two cars of one train lying atop the cars of the other train . emergency personnel carried injured passengers , some on stretchers , from the wreckage . watch injured passengers limp from the scene » ' metro officials do not know the cause of the collision and are not likely to know the cause for several days as the investigation unfolds , ' a metro statement said . fire department personnel cut through the trains to help people from the wreckage , officials said at a press briefing . some three hours after the accident , fire department sources said rescue operations had ceased , with ongoing work focusing on recovery . see pictures of crash site » president obama issued a statement saying he and his wife michelle were saddened by the terrible accident , ' and thanking the first responders to the scene who arrived immediately to save lives . ' a survivor , jodie wickett , described feeling a bump on the track , and then being flung forward when the train suddenly halted a few seconds later . she said she hit her head , but managed to get out and go to where the collision occurred a few cars up , where one subway car lay atop another . there was debris , and people pinned under in-between the two cars , ' wickett said . we were just trying to get them out and help them as much as possible , pulling back the metal . ' people were badly injured , she said . ones that could speak were calling back as we called out to them . ' one car was about 75 percent compressed , ' and recovery workers are n't sure if any more bodies are inside , fenty told cnn 's larry king live ' on monday night . we just have n't been able to cut through it to see if there 's bodies in there , ' fenty said . a certified nursing assistant who was on one of the trains told cnn affiliate wusa she was trying to help those in severe condition after the crash , including a lady who appeared to be in her 20s . she is very , very torn in her legs -- the muscles and everything are torn , ripped through . she had metal pieces in her face , ' said the nursing assistant , who said her name was jeanie . other witnesses described seeing more blood than they had seen before . tom baker , who was in the train that hit the stationary train , told wusa that after the collision , he looked toward the front of the car , and when the smoke cleared , all you could see was sky . ' jasmine gars , who also was on the moving train , told cnn 's larry king live ' that the collision was like nothing i 've ever felt before . ' it was like we hit a concrete wall , ' gars said . almost immediately i fell off my seat . another person -- i do n't know who -- flew off their seat . and the lights went off and smoke started filling the train car . ' four people were taken to providence hospital in washington , including two with back injuries , one with a hip injury and one complaining of dizziness from hitting her head , hospital officials said . washington hospital center reported seven patients from the crash with injuries ranging from serious to minor , while howard university hospital reported three and suburban hospital in maryland reported two . groups of people wearing green plastic ribbons to show they had been checked by paramedics left the scene about 90 minutes after the crash . some were crying , and a woman with her arm in a sling who gave her name as tijuana described the crash as an earthquake . ' a national transportation safety board team arrived to investigate the crash , assisted by the fbi evidence response team , according to ntsb board member deborah hersman , who said she walked the tracks by the wreckage . i can tell you it is a scene of real devastation down there , ' she said . hersman said both trains contained six cars . one train struck the other train from the rear and and its first car overrode the last car of the other train in an accordion fashion , ' she said . she said it was n't clear if the trains involved in the accident carried devices that recorded speed and other data . at least two fbi officials were at the scene , and the fbi confirmed it was assisting as part of the national capital response squad . amy kudwa of the department of homeland security said at this early stage , ' there was no indication of anything other than an accidental collision . it was the second metro crash to involve fatalities in the 33-year history of the transit authority . in january 1982 , a derailment killed three people . the only other collision between metro trains occurred in 2004 . we are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident , which has touched our metro family , ' catoe said in a statement . our safety officials are investigating , and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again . ' | two metro trains collide north of downtown washington |
sheen <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- it 's official : ashton kutcher is filling the gap left by charlie sheen on two and a half men . ' i ca n't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and i believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers'homes , ' kutcher said friday in a statement released by cbs and warner bros. television . i ca n't replace charlie sheen but i 'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people ! ' kutcher , who gained his early fame on a tv sitcom , that 70s show , ' has more recently been seen on the big screen . his last film was no strings attached , ' which hit theaters in january . he 's also made his mark as a tv executive producer , most notably for mtv 's hidden-camera show punk 'd . ' ashton is a pop culture triple threat -- film star , cutting-edge producer and a social media pioneer , ' said nina tassler , the head of cbs entertainment . he brings creativity , energy and personality to everything he touches . we are thrilled to have him . ' cbs and warner bros. did not disclose how much kutcher will earn . sheen , who is embroiled in a lawsuit over his sudden dismissal from the show in march , was earning a reported $ 2 million for each episode . sheen responded to the news by praising kutcher while taking a shot at the show 's executive producer , chuck lorre . ashton kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer . oh wait , so am i ! ! , ' sheen said in a written statement . enjoy the show america . enjoy seeing 2.0 in the demo every monday , wb . enjoy planet chuck , ashton . there is no air , laughter , loyalty , or love there . ' producers had been scrambling in recent weeks to find a replacement for sheen to keep one of tv 's highest-rated sitcoms on the air for another year . cnn 's alan duke contributed to this report . | new : sheen takes a shot at the executive producer of the show |
sheen <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- it 's official : ashton kutcher is filling the gap left by charlie sheen on two and a half men . ' i ca n't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and i believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers'homes , ' kutcher said friday in a statement released by cbs and warner bros. television . i ca n't replace charlie sheen but i 'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people ! ' kutcher , who gained his early fame on a tv sitcom , that 70s show , ' has more recently been seen on the big screen . his last film was no strings attached , ' which hit theaters in january . he 's also made his mark as a tv executive producer , most notably for mtv 's hidden-camera show punk 'd . ' ashton is a pop culture triple threat -- film star , cutting-edge producer and a social media pioneer , ' said nina tassler , the head of cbs entertainment . he brings creativity , energy and personality to everything he touches . we are thrilled to have him . ' cbs and warner bros. did not disclose how much kutcher will earn . sheen , who is embroiled in a lawsuit over his sudden dismissal from the show in march , was earning a reported $ 2 million for each episode . sheen responded to the news by praising kutcher while taking a shot at the show 's executive producer , chuck lorre . ashton kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer . oh wait , so am i ! ! , ' sheen said in a written statement . enjoy the show america . enjoy seeing 2.0 in the demo every monday , wb . enjoy planet chuck , ashton . there is no air , laughter , loyalty , or love there . ' producers had been scrambling in recent weeks to find a replacement for sheen to keep one of tv 's highest-rated sitcoms on the air for another year . cnn 's alan duke contributed to this report . | sheen is involved in a lawsuit over his dismissal from the hit show |
sheen <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- it 's official : ashton kutcher is filling the gap left by charlie sheen on two and a half men . ' i ca n't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and i believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers'homes , ' kutcher said friday in a statement released by cbs and warner bros. television . i ca n't replace charlie sheen but i 'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people ! ' kutcher , who gained his early fame on a tv sitcom , that 70s show , ' has more recently been seen on the big screen . his last film was no strings attached , ' which hit theaters in january . he 's also made his mark as a tv executive producer , most notably for mtv 's hidden-camera show punk 'd . ' ashton is a pop culture triple threat -- film star , cutting-edge producer and a social media pioneer , ' said nina tassler , the head of cbs entertainment . he brings creativity , energy and personality to everything he touches . we are thrilled to have him . ' cbs and warner bros. did not disclose how much kutcher will earn . sheen , who is embroiled in a lawsuit over his sudden dismissal from the show in march , was earning a reported $ 2 million for each episode . sheen responded to the news by praising kutcher while taking a shot at the show 's executive producer , chuck lorre . ashton kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer . oh wait , so am i ! ! , ' sheen said in a written statement . enjoy the show america . enjoy seeing 2.0 in the demo every monday , wb . enjoy planet chuck , ashton . there is no air , laughter , loyalty , or love there . ' producers had been scrambling in recent weeks to find a replacement for sheen to keep one of tv 's highest-rated sitcoms on the air for another year . cnn 's alan duke contributed to this report . | ashton kutcher will replace charlie sheen on two and a half men ' |
christopher <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two grieving fathers , who each lost a son in the recent killing spree in santa barbara , california , met for the first time sunday . peter rodger , the father of killer elliot rodger , met with richard martinez , whose son christopher was killed by the younger rodger in the deadly rampage through the college town of isla vista just over a week ago . the meeting was private , and no media or cameras were allowed . i have met with peter rodger and we plan to work together so other families such as ours will not suffer as ours have , ' martinez told cnn affiliate keyt . this was a private conversation between grieving fathers who 've reached common ground . ' an emotional martinez has been an outspoken critic of the nation 's gun laws in the days since his 20-year-old son , a junior at the university of california at santa barbara , was gunned down by rodger inside a deli on campus the night of the rampage . police say rodger killed six people between the ages of 19 and 22 the night of may 23 after years of rejection and jealousy . he was later found dead in his car from a gunshot wound to the head . his family had tried to get help for him in the weeks leading up to the massacre , even calling police to conduct a welfare check , but all attempts at helping the troubled 22-year-old college student failed . richard martinez has been so grief-stricken by his son 's death that he reached out to the father of his son 's killer . peter rodger agreed to a private meeting sunday . no other details of the meeting were available .'hell on earth ,'california killer 's family says cnn 's paul caron and anderson cooper contributed this report . | richard martinez , whose son , christopher was fatally shot , contacted peter rodger |
elliot rodger <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two grieving fathers , who each lost a son in the recent killing spree in santa barbara , california , met for the first time sunday . peter rodger , the father of killer elliot rodger , met with richard martinez , whose son christopher was killed by the younger rodger in the deadly rampage through the college town of isla vista just over a week ago . the meeting was private , and no media or cameras were allowed . i have met with peter rodger and we plan to work together so other families such as ours will not suffer as ours have , ' martinez told cnn affiliate keyt . this was a private conversation between grieving fathers who 've reached common ground . ' an emotional martinez has been an outspoken critic of the nation 's gun laws in the days since his 20-year-old son , a junior at the university of california at santa barbara , was gunned down by rodger inside a deli on campus the night of the rampage . police say rodger killed six people between the ages of 19 and 22 the night of may 23 after years of rejection and jealousy . he was later found dead in his car from a gunshot wound to the head . his family had tried to get help for him in the weeks leading up to the massacre , even calling police to conduct a welfare check , but all attempts at helping the troubled 22-year-old college student failed . richard martinez has been so grief-stricken by his son 's death that he reached out to the father of his son 's killer . peter rodger agreed to a private meeting sunday . no other details of the meeting were available .'hell on earth ,'california killer 's family says cnn 's paul caron and anderson cooper contributed this report . | elliot rodger , 22 , killed six people and himself on a rampage in isla vista , california |
netherlands <tsp> ( cnn ) -- germany 's build-up to euro 2012 suffered a setback saturday with a 5-3 defeat to switzerland in basel . it was the first time the swiss , who did not qualify for this summer 's tournament , had beaten germany in an international since 1956 . german coach joachim loew fielded an understrength team as he rested eight bayern munich players who were involved in the champions league final defeat to chelsea last weekend . but the performance of their understudies will do little to inspire confidence , with goalkeeper ter stegen having a forgettable error-strewn match as the germans lost for the second time in a row . having gone through euro qualifying unbeaten , they were beaten by france 2-1 in their last friendly in february . swiss striker eren derdiyok , who plays in the bundesliga , scored a hat-trick and put his team 2-0 ahead with two first half goals in three minutes . both goals were laid on by strike partner tranquillo barnettas before defender mats hummels pulled one back for germany just before halftime with a header from a mesut ozil cross . but derdiyok made it 3-1 after 50 minutes , again from a barnettas assist . andre schuerrle cut the lead to give germany some hope before andre lichtsteiner made it 4-2 in the 67th minute . marco reus added the third for the germans five minutes later but admir mehmedi sealed victory for the swiss and made it 5-3 late on . we did n't expect a result like this and we can not be satisfied by it , ' loew told afp . meanwhile , spain warmed up for a defense of their european title with a 2-0 friendly win over serbia in a friendly played in switzerland . coach vicente del bosque was also forced to field a second string line-up with many of his players involved in friday 's copa del rey final between barcelona and athletic bilbao . atletico madrid 's adrian lopez , a second half substitute , headed the 2010 world cup winners in front in the 64th minute . he was then pulled down by serbia captain branislav ivanovic to earn a 75th minute penalty , converted by santi cazorla . spain announce their 23-man squad for poland and the ukraine sunday . portugal , captained by cristiano ronaldo , were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by macedonia in leiria . their group rivals in the euro finals , denmark , were beaten 3-1 by a young brazil side , who are preparing for the london olympics , in a friendly in hamburg . porto striker hulk scored twice with denmark 's niki zimling turning an oscar cross into his own net for the other goal . nicklas bendtner pulled a goal back for the well-beaten danes . the netherlands also went down to a friendly defeat , losing 2-1 at home to bulgaria . arsenal 's robin van persie gave the dutch a 45th minute lead but bulgaria , who did not make euro 2012 , equalized four minutes into the second half with an ivelin popov penalty after rafael van der vaart had hand balled . bulgaria striker ilijan mizanski grabbed a shock winner in the second minute of injury time as the home side pushed forward and were caught on the break . | netherlands lose 2-1 at home to bulgaria |
christie <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- when he won re-election by a landslide last year , chris christie 's calling card became the republican who can get democratic votes . this week , the new jersey governor travels to three blue states -- illinois , connecticut and michigan -- to show republicans gubernatorial candidates how it 's done . it 's a busy travel schedule that comes as government sources say they have no evidence so far that christie was personally involved in last year 's george washington bridge scandal . the governor has long said he had no previous knowledge of the plot to close down access lanes to the country 's busiest bridge out of apparent political retribution . christie is clearly relieved . you 're always grateful to hear that the things that i said appear like they 're going to be confirmed , if these reports are accurate , ' he said during an ask the governor ' radio program on thursday . the m.o . of the gop historically is to have an establishment candidate in waiting -- someone who came close before but lost , like john mccain and mitt romney , or someone who captures the money and momentum early on , like george w. bush . that has n't happened so far in the 2016 presidential cycle , which has allowed christie to remain viable . still , it 's not as if the bridge scandal ever stopped him from preparing a potential 2016 white house run . he 's been getting in better shape since he had lap-band surgery in february 2013 . republican sources confirm to cnn that christie has lost 85 pounds . he revealed that at a private fundraiser hosted by key gop donors including david koch , the new york times first reported . in fact , cnn is told christie discussed his weight in response to a donor 's question about his health . christie has largely taken questions and jokes about his health in stride . at an event in new jersey with romney earlier this month , christie played along as the 2012 gop nominee recalled a story about how he prepared a large meal for christie recently , only to realize the governor was trying to lose weight . i brought out all this food and put it out in front of the table , ' romney said . and chris sat there and picked at a couple pieces of lettuce . ' still , it 's christie 's political prep that is most telling . he has been using his platform as chairman of the republican governors association to travel around the country and campaign for candidates on the ballot this year . it 's a job that also lets him meet people who could be helpful in any presidential run , especially the early contest states of iowa , new hampshire and south carolina . despite the bridge scandal making headlines not long after christie became chairman , the governor has still raised a whopping $ 75 million for the organization . how to campaign without campaigning he 's also going to key swing states such as florida and north carolina , as well as some red states such as alabama , arkansas , mississippi and oklahoma -- where the new jersey governor could use some get-to-know-ya time . but along the way , he has seen firsthand evidence of conservative skepticism about the garden state governor 's ideology . the group judicial crisis network , for example , spent money on negative ads in iowa , new hampshire and south carolina as christie was visiting the states . the ads blasted christie for appointing liberal judges to the new jersey supreme court . another potential problem for christie - especially among the fiscal conservatives in his party , is that new jersey 's credit rating has been downgraded eight times since he became governor in 2010 . christie aides argue the reasons for the downgrading go back to fiscal decisions made before he was elected governor five years ago . but for fiscal conservatives looking for a presidential candidate who can get the country out of debt , it could be a deal breaker politically . | chris christie has lost 85 pounds as he gears up for a possible white house run |
christie <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- when he won re-election by a landslide last year , chris christie 's calling card became the republican who can get democratic votes . this week , the new jersey governor travels to three blue states -- illinois , connecticut and michigan -- to show republicans gubernatorial candidates how it 's done . it 's a busy travel schedule that comes as government sources say they have no evidence so far that christie was personally involved in last year 's george washington bridge scandal . the governor has long said he had no previous knowledge of the plot to close down access lanes to the country 's busiest bridge out of apparent political retribution . christie is clearly relieved . you 're always grateful to hear that the things that i said appear like they 're going to be confirmed , if these reports are accurate , ' he said during an ask the governor ' radio program on thursday . the m.o . of the gop historically is to have an establishment candidate in waiting -- someone who came close before but lost , like john mccain and mitt romney , or someone who captures the money and momentum early on , like george w. bush . that has n't happened so far in the 2016 presidential cycle , which has allowed christie to remain viable . still , it 's not as if the bridge scandal ever stopped him from preparing a potential 2016 white house run . he 's been getting in better shape since he had lap-band surgery in february 2013 . republican sources confirm to cnn that christie has lost 85 pounds . he revealed that at a private fundraiser hosted by key gop donors including david koch , the new york times first reported . in fact , cnn is told christie discussed his weight in response to a donor 's question about his health . christie has largely taken questions and jokes about his health in stride . at an event in new jersey with romney earlier this month , christie played along as the 2012 gop nominee recalled a story about how he prepared a large meal for christie recently , only to realize the governor was trying to lose weight . i brought out all this food and put it out in front of the table , ' romney said . and chris sat there and picked at a couple pieces of lettuce . ' still , it 's christie 's political prep that is most telling . he has been using his platform as chairman of the republican governors association to travel around the country and campaign for candidates on the ballot this year . it 's a job that also lets him meet people who could be helpful in any presidential run , especially the early contest states of iowa , new hampshire and south carolina . despite the bridge scandal making headlines not long after christie became chairman , the governor has still raised a whopping $ 75 million for the organization . how to campaign without campaigning he 's also going to key swing states such as florida and north carolina , as well as some red states such as alabama , arkansas , mississippi and oklahoma -- where the new jersey governor could use some get-to-know-ya time . but along the way , he has seen firsthand evidence of conservative skepticism about the garden state governor 's ideology . the group judicial crisis network , for example , spent money on negative ads in iowa , new hampshire and south carolina as christie was visiting the states . the ads blasted christie for appointing liberal judges to the new jersey supreme court . another potential problem for christie - especially among the fiscal conservatives in his party , is that new jersey 's credit rating has been downgraded eight times since he became governor in 2010 . christie aides argue the reasons for the downgrading go back to fiscal decisions made before he was elected governor five years ago . but for fiscal conservatives looking for a presidential candidate who can get the country out of debt , it could be a deal breaker politically . | christie is chairman of the republican governors association |
harris <tsp> ( cnn ) -- e. lynn harris , the author who introduced millions of readers to the invisible life ' of black gay men , was a literary pioneer whose generosity was as huge as his courage , friends said friday . e. lynn harris touched fans with his courage and his kindness , friends say . harris , 54 , died thursday night while on a business trip to los angeles , california , said laura gilmore , his publicist . harris wrote a series of novels that exposed readers to characters rarely depicted in literature : black , affluent gay men who were masculine , complex and , sometimes , tormented . keith boykin , an author and friend , said harris encouraged the black community to talk openly about homosexuality . we have a'do n't ask , do n't tell'policy in the black community , ' boykin said . e. lynn harris encouraged people to ask and to tell . ' how harris broke ground in books like invisible life , ' a love of my own , ' and his new york times best-selling memoir , what becomes of the brokenhearted , ' harris virtually invented a new genre : books that depicted black gay men living double lives . though harris wrote primarily about black gay men , some of his biggest fans were black women . his books became staples in black beauty salons , bookstores and book clubs . it was hard to go on a subway in places in new york or d.c. and not see some black woman reading an e. lynn harris novel , ' boykin said . harris was an unlikely literary pioneer . he was a former ibm executive who decided to write about his life . he started off in 1991 selling books from the trunk of his car to african-american beauty salons and bookstores . he eventually became one of the nation 's most popular writers with an estimated 4 million of his books in print . tina mcelroy ansa , author of taking after mudear , ' met harris at the beginning of his literary career when he was selling his first book invisible life . ' she said they were both so poor they only had enough money to buy each other 's book . ansa said she took harris' invisible life ' home and was stunned by the time she reached page 20 . she came across a scene where harris depicted two black men playing in the snow with one another . she immediately dropped the book , called harris and told him she had never read such a scene before . i had never seen homosexual love in african-american men portrayed that way , ' she says . it was playful , loving , and it was n't hidden . ' years later , when harris became successful , he thanked ansa for her early encouragement . he gave me a string of pearls , ' ansa said . in 2000 , harris told the magazine entertainment weekly how important invisible life ' was for him . ' when i wrote invisible life , ' it had to be the first book out of me -- it helped me to deal with my own sexuality , ' harris said . 'for me , my 20s and early 30s were spent just hiding and running , because there was no one to tell me that my life had value and the way i felt was okay . ' standing room only at his book events ' it 's heartbreaking ; he had such a generous spirit , ' said tananarive due , author of blood colony . ' when i was just starting out , he flew me to an event out of his own pocket and put me up just because he thought more people should know my work , ' due said . harris was as generous with his fans as he was with his friends , some said . they describe an author who held dinner parties for aspiring writers at his home , loved meeting and hugging fans at book readings , and never seemed to let his fame change him . you could get trampled at an e. lynn harris reading , ' ansa said . people loved him . ' due said harris would answer up to 200 e-mails from his fans each day . she said harris had been a cheerleader in college and a spirit of joy followed him through his life . ' he genuinely loved being around people and remembered names , ' due said . i remember seeing him at an event in florida , and one woman in the crowd raised her hand and he said ,'oh , mary , you were here for my hardcover book signing .'' nonetheless , harris had his share of personal pain . he was born in flint , michigan , and grew up in little rock , arkansas . in his 2003 memoir , he wrote about enduring abuse by his stepfather and an attempted suicide in 1990 . and he had critics . some said harris was a mediocre writer who stumbled on a winning literary formula . boykin says harris was stung by some of the criticism . he always said'i 'm not a james baldwin ,'' boykin said , referring to the openly gay black author from the 1960s . he was writing accessible literature for the masses . ' boykin said harris received most of his criticism not from outraged straight critics , but people within the black community . he was hurt by some of the criticism from some black gay men who felt he was n't portraying them accurately and others who thought he was telling too much , ' boykin said . in a 2003 detroit free press interview , harris said he resisted becoming an advocate for gay rights . it 's such a small part of who i am , he said . it 's what i do when i 'm with my partner that puts this label on me . most of my friends are straight . i tend to have a regular life , if you will . ' due said there has traditionally been a lot of pain associated with homosexuality in the black community . harris took a little of that pain away with his life and his books . he really helped let the air in , ' due said . he helped us all breathe a little better . ' | harris created a new genre in black literature |
heimaey <tsp> helga jonsdottir still remembers in vivid detail the day her island home was swallowed by a volcano as she and her family joined others fleeing the molten lava . as my boat left the harbor , the fissure opened up , and flames burst into the sky , ' she recalls . the fissure extended into the ocean , and i could see red-hot lava beneath the water . ' jonsdottir was 18 in january 1973 when the eldfell volcano exploded on heimaey , a small island 151 kilometers ( 94 miles ) from the icelandic capital , reykjavik . her childhood home was among 400 buildings engulfed as 200 million tons of ash and lava rained down in the days following the eruption . some of these structures have now emerged , perfectly preserved beneath the volcanic debris following an archaeological excavation begun six years ago . worlds of fire the result is a captivating new museum , eldheimar , meaning worlds of fire , ' which opened its doors in may 2014 . at the museum , visitors can revisit 1973 , see a snapshot of life on heimaey and also get insight into the devastation wreaked by the volcano . on the fateful night , the island 's 5,300 residents were alerted to the eruption by the honking of fire engine horns . when they stepped outside their houses , they saw bright red lava exploding from eldfell and a wall of fire spurting from a fissure snaking across the island . only one person died as a result of the eruption . the vast majority of the islanders were evacuated that night , not returning until months later . many of those living on the eastern side came back to find their houses engulfed by lava , while other properties had been completely flattened or buried under mountains of ash . a few islanders stayed away , but the majority rebuilt their houses closer to vestmannaeyjar , the 13-square-kilometer ( five square miles ) island 's only town . time stands still when archaeologists began to excavate the houses nearest to the volcano in 2006 , they found that beneath the mountains of ash and frozen slabs of lava , time had stood still . prior to the eruption , tables had been laid for breakfast and clothes folded and piled by the fireplace , but everything had been abandoned when the fire engines started sounding their horns . archaeologists decided to focus on one particular cottage , which now forms the centerpiece of the eldheimar museum , located on the outskirts of vestmannaeyjar . inside the museum 's walls , petrified waterfalls of ash pour from the cottage 's windows , through which lampshades , tablecloths and curtains can be seen . the mountains of ash visible from the museum 's windows are reminders of just how close this island came to total destruction . heimaey , a 25-minute plane ride from reykjavik or a 30-minute ferry journey from iceland 's mainland , is a barren chunk of volcanic rock . visitors who take the ferry arrive into a small harbor dramatically narrowed by a river of solidified lava . when eldfell erupted , the lava flow almost cut the harbor off entirely . locals slowed its progress by spraying it with cold water , but not before it had increased the island 's size by one square mile . towering banks of ash the horizon here is dominated by two enormous volcanic peaks . helgafell , a perfect , grass-covered cone , erupted thousands of years ago , spewing so much lava that two islands merged to form heimaey . eldfell , meanwhile , is a jagged , ash-covered reminder of the 1973 eruption , although in places , bright purple lupins sprout from the blackened slopes where locals have planted grass to improve its appearance and prevent erosion . on boat rides around the island , visitors pass towering banks of ash sloping down to the sea . in places , the coastline has been imprinted with a semi-geometric pattern , as though someone has transplanted part of northern ireland 's giant 's causeway here . a visit to vinaminni kaffihus , a cafe in vestmannaeyjar run by jonsdottir , offers fascinating insight into the events of 1973 . jonsdottir , who returned to heimaey as a married woman two years after the eruption , opened the cafe as a memorial to the volcano . each table tells the story of a different family , with before and after photos and accounts of that fateful night . today jonsdottir , like other islanders , says she 's simply grateful for the low death toll , and the fact that the island was n't destroyed entirely . we 're just so thankful that we 've been allowed to continue living in such a beautiful place , ' she explains . we came so close to this island being uninhabitable . ' how to get there flights to heimaey depart reykjavik 's domestic airport , which is a 40-minute drive from keflavik international airport . round-trip fares with eagle air start from $ 359 ; +354 5624200 herjolfur ferries sail from landeyjarhofn to vestmannaeyjar . landeyjarhofn is 132 kilometers ( 82 miles ) from reykjavik , in the south of iceland . prices start from $ 28 each way . the ferry makes five crossings every day , apart from tuesday , when there are four crossings ; +354 4812800 it 's possible to drive to landeyjarhofn or take the bus from the bsi bus terminal in reykjavik . eldheimar museum , sudurvegur/gerdisbraut 10 , 900 vestmannaeyjar , heimaey , iceland ; +354 4882700 vinaminni kaffihus , vinaminni kaffihus , 481 2424m vesturvegi 5 , 900 vestmannaeyjum , heimaey , iceland ; +354 4812424 viking boat tours , tangagotu 7 , 900 vestmannaeyjum , heimaey , iceland ; + 354 4884884 . boat rides cost from $ 50 . | iceland 's heimaey island was evacuated in 1973 when the eldfell volcano exploded |
eldfell <tsp> helga jonsdottir still remembers in vivid detail the day her island home was swallowed by a volcano as she and her family joined others fleeing the molten lava . as my boat left the harbor , the fissure opened up , and flames burst into the sky , ' she recalls . the fissure extended into the ocean , and i could see red-hot lava beneath the water . ' jonsdottir was 18 in january 1973 when the eldfell volcano exploded on heimaey , a small island 151 kilometers ( 94 miles ) from the icelandic capital , reykjavik . her childhood home was among 400 buildings engulfed as 200 million tons of ash and lava rained down in the days following the eruption . some of these structures have now emerged , perfectly preserved beneath the volcanic debris following an archaeological excavation begun six years ago . worlds of fire the result is a captivating new museum , eldheimar , meaning worlds of fire , ' which opened its doors in may 2014 . at the museum , visitors can revisit 1973 , see a snapshot of life on heimaey and also get insight into the devastation wreaked by the volcano . on the fateful night , the island 's 5,300 residents were alerted to the eruption by the honking of fire engine horns . when they stepped outside their houses , they saw bright red lava exploding from eldfell and a wall of fire spurting from a fissure snaking across the island . only one person died as a result of the eruption . the vast majority of the islanders were evacuated that night , not returning until months later . many of those living on the eastern side came back to find their houses engulfed by lava , while other properties had been completely flattened or buried under mountains of ash . a few islanders stayed away , but the majority rebuilt their houses closer to vestmannaeyjar , the 13-square-kilometer ( five square miles ) island 's only town . time stands still when archaeologists began to excavate the houses nearest to the volcano in 2006 , they found that beneath the mountains of ash and frozen slabs of lava , time had stood still . prior to the eruption , tables had been laid for breakfast and clothes folded and piled by the fireplace , but everything had been abandoned when the fire engines started sounding their horns . archaeologists decided to focus on one particular cottage , which now forms the centerpiece of the eldheimar museum , located on the outskirts of vestmannaeyjar . inside the museum 's walls , petrified waterfalls of ash pour from the cottage 's windows , through which lampshades , tablecloths and curtains can be seen . the mountains of ash visible from the museum 's windows are reminders of just how close this island came to total destruction . heimaey , a 25-minute plane ride from reykjavik or a 30-minute ferry journey from iceland 's mainland , is a barren chunk of volcanic rock . visitors who take the ferry arrive into a small harbor dramatically narrowed by a river of solidified lava . when eldfell erupted , the lava flow almost cut the harbor off entirely . locals slowed its progress by spraying it with cold water , but not before it had increased the island 's size by one square mile . towering banks of ash the horizon here is dominated by two enormous volcanic peaks . helgafell , a perfect , grass-covered cone , erupted thousands of years ago , spewing so much lava that two islands merged to form heimaey . eldfell , meanwhile , is a jagged , ash-covered reminder of the 1973 eruption , although in places , bright purple lupins sprout from the blackened slopes where locals have planted grass to improve its appearance and prevent erosion . on boat rides around the island , visitors pass towering banks of ash sloping down to the sea . in places , the coastline has been imprinted with a semi-geometric pattern , as though someone has transplanted part of northern ireland 's giant 's causeway here . a visit to vinaminni kaffihus , a cafe in vestmannaeyjar run by jonsdottir , offers fascinating insight into the events of 1973 . jonsdottir , who returned to heimaey as a married woman two years after the eruption , opened the cafe as a memorial to the volcano . each table tells the story of a different family , with before and after photos and accounts of that fateful night . today jonsdottir , like other islanders , says she 's simply grateful for the low death toll , and the fact that the island was n't destroyed entirely . we 're just so thankful that we 've been allowed to continue living in such a beautiful place , ' she explains . we came so close to this island being uninhabitable . ' how to get there flights to heimaey depart reykjavik 's domestic airport , which is a 40-minute drive from keflavik international airport . round-trip fares with eagle air start from $ 359 ; +354 5624200 herjolfur ferries sail from landeyjarhofn to vestmannaeyjar . landeyjarhofn is 132 kilometers ( 82 miles ) from reykjavik , in the south of iceland . prices start from $ 28 each way . the ferry makes five crossings every day , apart from tuesday , when there are four crossings ; +354 4812800 it 's possible to drive to landeyjarhofn or take the bus from the bsi bus terminal in reykjavik . eldheimar museum , sudurvegur/gerdisbraut 10 , 900 vestmannaeyjar , heimaey , iceland ; +354 4882700 vinaminni kaffihus , vinaminni kaffihus , 481 2424m vesturvegi 5 , 900 vestmannaeyjum , heimaey , iceland ; +354 4812424 viking boat tours , tangagotu 7 , 900 vestmannaeyjum , heimaey , iceland ; + 354 4884884 . boat rides cost from $ 50 . | iceland 's heimaey island was evacuated in 1973 when the eldfell volcano exploded |
libya <tsp> tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- heavy , sustained gunfire rang out in the libyan capital of tripoli early sunday morning as unrest in the country entered a 20th day . on saturday , libyan opposition leaders announced an alternative government as the united states and other countries helped evacuate refugees of the conflict . anti-government forces also claimed two major successes saturday : preventing pro-government forces from taking the city of zawiya , near the capital of tripoli , and capturing the strategic eastern oil town of ras lanuf . the opposition and government forces have battled in recent days for full control of zawiya , about 30 miles west of tripoli . forces loyal to leader moammar gadhafi withdrew from the city 's martyrs'square and returned to their positions on the outskirts after intense clashes with rebels , according to a witness who is serving as a rebel spokesman . he reported heavy gunfire and mortar shelling and saw the bodies of three slain opposition members carried in the square en route to burial . the witness said pro-gadhafi forces entered a residential area in the city and shot live ammunition and automatic weapons at residents in the streets . the sounds of automatic weapon fire and people yelling could be heard during a telephone interview with the witness . after a lull in fighting , clashes erupted again saturday evening . the pro-gadhafi security forces are using tanks , armed vehicles , and heavy weapons , and the anti-gadhafi forces are well-armed , a second witness said . many deaths and injuries have occurred in the latest round of fighting , and protesters managed to seize tanks and weapons from the security forces . saturday , rebels also captured the strategic oil port of ras lanuf , a day after pro-gadhafi forces fought with opposition members there , fighters and commanders said . the development appeared to embolden opposition members , who prepared to advance west to gadhafi 's birthplace of sirte . government forces , however , worked to thwart their push . cnn reporters following the movement of rebels in as sidr , just west of ras lanuf , saw an air force helicopter pound opposition positions . there was no word on casualties . rebels near ras lanuf said they shot down a libyan air force plane , a soviet-made sukhoi su-24mk that crashed in the desert . cnn located the plane 's debris , spread over a kilometer ( about half a mile ) , with the headless bodies of two pilots at the site . the plane was printed with the emblem of the libyan arab air force . in the capital , a pro-democracy activist who spoke to cnn described a city filled with tension and mistrust . the woman , who asked not to be named because of fears for her safety , said she has seen people in the streets who , she believes , are monitoring residents'comings and goings and phone conversations . i see cars that have people inside them , and they are usually connected with a computer , ' the woman said , adding that special antennae are connected to the computers . the same people are also interrupting cell phone signals and hacking mobiles , she said , and the internet has been unavailable since thursday . the family 's business has been robbed , with millions of dollars'worth of materials stolen , she said . squatters have also moved into one of the family 's homes . the police wo n't do anything about it , ' she told cnn . everyone is focusing on what is going on politically and losing focus on the crime . ' the woman said she has been trying to smuggle medication and other supplies into libya , and that 's one reason she refuses to leave -- even though so far , she said her efforts have been unsuccessful . the strife engulfing the besieged north african nation is reverberating across the country , the region and the world . death toll estimates range from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000 , and the international community has been pondering strategies on how to end the violence and remove the gadhafi regime . the government has been reviled across the globe for violence against civilians , and the international criminal court this week launched an investigation of gadhafi , some of his sons and other leaders for possible crimes against humanity . opposition-controlled radio announced saturday that the country 's sole legitimate representative was now the national transitional council , a group with 31 representatives for most of the regions in libya . the council held its first meeting saturday in the eastern city of benghazi . they called benghazi their temporary location until the liberation ' of the capital , according to a decree the council issued late in the day . former justice minister mustafa abdeljeleel , whom the council said had tried to resign from gadhafi 's government several times , was announced as the council 's new leader . the council also named a representative for military affairs and established a military council to oversee the liberation ' of libya and reconstruct the armed forces , according to the radio announcement . the council said its main missions are to represent all of libya internationally , liberate the country , draft a constitution and hold elections . in benghazi , witnesses said forces loyal to gadhafi pounded a weapons depot , an airstrike that caused casualties and widespread damage . one witness said the airstrike there was powerful enough to destroy a whole city . ' news footage showed the remains of buildings and debris and ambulances arriving . such aerial attacks have prompted the west to step up discussions about imposing a no-fly zone over libya . u.s. military and diplomatic officials have said such a zone would be complicated and risky , and international support for it is not strong . if it 's ordered , we can do it , ' u.s. defense secretary robert gates said earlier this week , but imposing a no-fly zone begins with an attack on libya to destroy the air defenses . ' the arab league has rejected international intervention , saying libya is facing an internal affair that is decided by the people and their governments . ' however , the league can not ignore the suffering of civilians and would consider the imposition of a no-fly zone in coordination with the african union if fighting were to continue , said hisham yousef , chief of staff of the arab league , on wednesday . the fierce fighting has sparked the flight of libyans and foreigners out of libya , with nations across the globe scrambling to help people leave . almost 200,000 people have fled libya with nearly equal numbers going to tunisia and egypt , the united nations refugee agency said . the united states announced saturday it is contributing $ 3 million to the international organization for migration to help return home thousands of non-libyans who fled to tunisia . four u.s. military flights saturday were taking a total of 312 egyptians back to cairo , the u.s. state department announced . thursday and friday , about 1,800 people crossed from libya to tunisia , and about 3,000 crossed on saturday , said firas kayal , spokesman for the u.n. high commissioner for refugees . he said the situation at the border is very calm . ' a few thousand egyptians are in tunisia awaiting travel home , and more than 10,000 bangladeshis are there awaiting evacuation with hundreds more still arriving , kayal said . the agency confirmed that a bangladeshi migrant worker died after a heart attack from the exhaustion of walking to the border . many migrant workers told aid workers they had to walk to the border because soldiers took their money and they could n't afford paying for a taxi . cnn 's ben brumfield , arwa damon , ben wedeman , salma abdelaziz , jomana karadsheh , nic robertson and jill dougherty contributed to this report | gadhafi 's foes announce the formation of body to represent libya |
libya <tsp> tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- heavy , sustained gunfire rang out in the libyan capital of tripoli early sunday morning as unrest in the country entered a 20th day . on saturday , libyan opposition leaders announced an alternative government as the united states and other countries helped evacuate refugees of the conflict . anti-government forces also claimed two major successes saturday : preventing pro-government forces from taking the city of zawiya , near the capital of tripoli , and capturing the strategic eastern oil town of ras lanuf . the opposition and government forces have battled in recent days for full control of zawiya , about 30 miles west of tripoli . forces loyal to leader moammar gadhafi withdrew from the city 's martyrs'square and returned to their positions on the outskirts after intense clashes with rebels , according to a witness who is serving as a rebel spokesman . he reported heavy gunfire and mortar shelling and saw the bodies of three slain opposition members carried in the square en route to burial . the witness said pro-gadhafi forces entered a residential area in the city and shot live ammunition and automatic weapons at residents in the streets . the sounds of automatic weapon fire and people yelling could be heard during a telephone interview with the witness . after a lull in fighting , clashes erupted again saturday evening . the pro-gadhafi security forces are using tanks , armed vehicles , and heavy weapons , and the anti-gadhafi forces are well-armed , a second witness said . many deaths and injuries have occurred in the latest round of fighting , and protesters managed to seize tanks and weapons from the security forces . saturday , rebels also captured the strategic oil port of ras lanuf , a day after pro-gadhafi forces fought with opposition members there , fighters and commanders said . the development appeared to embolden opposition members , who prepared to advance west to gadhafi 's birthplace of sirte . government forces , however , worked to thwart their push . cnn reporters following the movement of rebels in as sidr , just west of ras lanuf , saw an air force helicopter pound opposition positions . there was no word on casualties . rebels near ras lanuf said they shot down a libyan air force plane , a soviet-made sukhoi su-24mk that crashed in the desert . cnn located the plane 's debris , spread over a kilometer ( about half a mile ) , with the headless bodies of two pilots at the site . the plane was printed with the emblem of the libyan arab air force . in the capital , a pro-democracy activist who spoke to cnn described a city filled with tension and mistrust . the woman , who asked not to be named because of fears for her safety , said she has seen people in the streets who , she believes , are monitoring residents'comings and goings and phone conversations . i see cars that have people inside them , and they are usually connected with a computer , ' the woman said , adding that special antennae are connected to the computers . the same people are also interrupting cell phone signals and hacking mobiles , she said , and the internet has been unavailable since thursday . the family 's business has been robbed , with millions of dollars'worth of materials stolen , she said . squatters have also moved into one of the family 's homes . the police wo n't do anything about it , ' she told cnn . everyone is focusing on what is going on politically and losing focus on the crime . ' the woman said she has been trying to smuggle medication and other supplies into libya , and that 's one reason she refuses to leave -- even though so far , she said her efforts have been unsuccessful . the strife engulfing the besieged north african nation is reverberating across the country , the region and the world . death toll estimates range from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000 , and the international community has been pondering strategies on how to end the violence and remove the gadhafi regime . the government has been reviled across the globe for violence against civilians , and the international criminal court this week launched an investigation of gadhafi , some of his sons and other leaders for possible crimes against humanity . opposition-controlled radio announced saturday that the country 's sole legitimate representative was now the national transitional council , a group with 31 representatives for most of the regions in libya . the council held its first meeting saturday in the eastern city of benghazi . they called benghazi their temporary location until the liberation ' of the capital , according to a decree the council issued late in the day . former justice minister mustafa abdeljeleel , whom the council said had tried to resign from gadhafi 's government several times , was announced as the council 's new leader . the council also named a representative for military affairs and established a military council to oversee the liberation ' of libya and reconstruct the armed forces , according to the radio announcement . the council said its main missions are to represent all of libya internationally , liberate the country , draft a constitution and hold elections . in benghazi , witnesses said forces loyal to gadhafi pounded a weapons depot , an airstrike that caused casualties and widespread damage . one witness said the airstrike there was powerful enough to destroy a whole city . ' news footage showed the remains of buildings and debris and ambulances arriving . such aerial attacks have prompted the west to step up discussions about imposing a no-fly zone over libya . u.s. military and diplomatic officials have said such a zone would be complicated and risky , and international support for it is not strong . if it 's ordered , we can do it , ' u.s. defense secretary robert gates said earlier this week , but imposing a no-fly zone begins with an attack on libya to destroy the air defenses . ' the arab league has rejected international intervention , saying libya is facing an internal affair that is decided by the people and their governments . ' however , the league can not ignore the suffering of civilians and would consider the imposition of a no-fly zone in coordination with the african union if fighting were to continue , said hisham yousef , chief of staff of the arab league , on wednesday . the fierce fighting has sparked the flight of libyans and foreigners out of libya , with nations across the globe scrambling to help people leave . almost 200,000 people have fled libya with nearly equal numbers going to tunisia and egypt , the united nations refugee agency said . the united states announced saturday it is contributing $ 3 million to the international organization for migration to help return home thousands of non-libyans who fled to tunisia . four u.s. military flights saturday were taking a total of 312 egyptians back to cairo , the u.s. state department announced . thursday and friday , about 1,800 people crossed from libya to tunisia , and about 3,000 crossed on saturday , said firas kayal , spokesman for the u.n. high commissioner for refugees . he said the situation at the border is very calm . ' a few thousand egyptians are in tunisia awaiting travel home , and more than 10,000 bangladeshis are there awaiting evacuation with hundreds more still arriving , kayal said . the agency confirmed that a bangladeshi migrant worker died after a heart attack from the exhaustion of walking to the border . many migrant workers told aid workers they had to walk to the border because soldiers took their money and they could n't afford paying for a taxi . cnn 's ben brumfield , arwa damon , ben wedeman , salma abdelaziz , jomana karadsheh , nic robertson and jill dougherty contributed to this report | almost 200,000 people have fled the situation in libya |
moscow <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- a moscow high school student shot a teacher and a police officer dead and held about 20 other pupils hostage in a classroom monday before he was disarmed and detained , russian authorities said , just days before russia hosts the winter olympics . in a rare school shooting in russia , the attacker entered his school in northern moscow with a rifle and held students and a teacher hostage in a biology classroom , the investigative committee of russia said . the incident , at school no . 263 , happened around noon local time when the armed student forced his way past a security guard , who raised an alarm . on his way to the class the shooter injured one of the teachers who died later , ' said the committee , russia 's federal intelligence agency . the police officers arrived to the school . when they entered the building the shooter opened a gun fire , injured one and killed another . ' all of the hostages were released and the gunman was detained , it added . state media said there were about 20 students in the classroom . the incident comes as russia prepares to host the winter olympic games , due to start in sochi this week . motive unclear state news agency ria novosti said it was unclear what motivated the attack . state news channel russia 24 said the student is said to have had an issue with a geography teacher . this was not the teacher who was shot or who was among the hostages , it said . he is also said to have been an a ' student , state media reported , adding that his apartment is being searched by investigators . television footage showed the school building surrounded by police and fire emergency vehicles . an emergencies ministry helicopter landed near the school and evacuated the injured police officer , russia 24 said . the media outlets said the student had a small-bore rifle and a hunting carbine , which were registered under his father 's name . they reported he is said to have fired 11 times . his father called him and spoke to him for 15 minutes to try to convince him to release his hostages . the father then went to the school and talked to the student in the classroom . only then did he agree to release his hostages , state media said . cnn could not immediately independently verify this . olympics are days away the shooting came as the global spotlight falls on russia , which will host the 2014 winter olympics in four days . security concerns have been heightened after twin bombings in volgograd in december . the olympic games will begin friday in sochi , and a huge security operation is under way around the black sea resort city . russia is pouring resources into ensuring that the olympic games , seen as a flagship project of president vladimir putin , go off without problems . | the gunman , said to be a student at the moscow school , has been detained |
utah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a man accused of making threatening statements about killing president obama has been arrested in nevada , the secret service said saturday . daniel james murray was arrested friday night in the parking lot of the riverside resort hotel and casino in laughlin , nevada , said secret service spokesman malcolm wiley . murray recently withdrew $ 85,000 from a bank in st. george , utah , in two separate visits and told a teller , we are on a mission to kill the president of the united states , ' according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in utah . according to the complaint , murray opened an account at zions first national bank on may 19 with an $ 85,000 check . with all this mess going on under president obama with banks and the economy , i 'm sure if citizens happen to lose their money , they will rise up and we could see killing and deaths , ' he said , according to the complaint . on may 27 , he returned to the bank and tried to withdraw $ 12,000 , but lacked proper identification . not to be disrespectful , but if i do n't get this money , someone is going to die , ' murray said , according to the complaint . a bank manager was summoned and murray was allowed to withdraw the money without proper identification . murray would not accept a check and demanded bills no larger than $ 50 , the complaint says . we are 94 million miles from the sun , and are in-between the sun and moon , and the eagle that flies between them and it 's a giant step for mankind . ... i have traveled thousands of miles to be here and know things that are going to happen . ... the banking system will fail and people will die . ... there will be chaos in the world , ' murray said , according to the complaint . he then made his threat against the president , the complaint says . the next day , murray returned to the bank , withdrew the rest of his money and closed the account , a bank teller told authorities . cnn 's carol cratty contributed to this report . | complaint : he told bank teller in utah , we are on a mission to kill the president ' |
norman <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- long before u2 and bono blazed their own paths , and decades before the christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business , a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way . larry norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex and jesus -- sometimes in the same song . larry norman was a christian rock musician before the genre existed , combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness . think of him as rock music 's street preacher , often referred to as the father of christian rock . ' between 1969 and 1979 , larry norman was the christian rock scene 's answer to bob dylan , john lennon and mick jagger , ' said emmy-nominated director david di sabatino , who takes a critical look at norman 's career and life in his documentary fallen angel : the outlaw larry norman . ' he set the standard . he created the space for others to exist . ... the vision he created for where christian rock music could go still resonates today . ' the documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010 . norman hit the u.s. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation . his first solo album , upon this rock , ' came out in late 1969 , after he left the band people ! the san francisco bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a top 20 hit with a cover of the zombies' i love you . ' it was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-vietnam war protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at woodstock . as many americans looked for answers , norman offered his faith , a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut . it was a pretty gutsy move to sing about jesus on his first record , ' younger brother charles norman said . to take a chance on mentioning jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step . ' 'upon this rock'was written to stand outside the christian culture , ' larry norman said in an interview with ccm magazine . my songs were n't written for christians . ... i was saying ,'i 'm going to present the gospel , and i 'm not going to say it like you want . this album is not for you .' no small surprise , given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream . a national survey conducted by louis harris and associates in 1966 found that rock 'n'roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country . about 45 percent of adults said they disliked it , with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite . compare that with today , when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent pew resource center poll said they listen to it . being a rocker in the late 1960s was n't just flying in the face of a conservative christian music industry but mainstream america as well . then there were the lyrics , especially on norman 's second solo effort , 1972 's only visiting this planet . ' there were no happy songs about going to heaven ; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day . norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex , venereal disease and jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from christian bookstores that might have sold it . stuff like that shocked uptight christians , ' charles norman said in an npr interview shortly after his brother 's death in february 2008 at age 60 . one of his songs , it 's called'why do n't you look into jesus ,'one of the lines is :'you 've got gonorrhea on valentine 's day [ vd ] and you 're still looking for the perfect lay . ... why do n't you look into jesus ? he 's got the answer .'' the album also contained what became larry norman 's signature song , why should the devil have all the good music . ' nearly two decades after its release , only visiting this planet , ' helmed by beatles'producer george martin , was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre , voted by ccm magazine in 1990 as the greatest christian album ever recorded . a similar list released in 2001 by ccm , a christian music and lifestyle magazine , put the album at no . 2 all time . u2 's the joshua tree ' was sixth . norman was inducted into the gospel music hall of fame that same year , along with elvis presley . the accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media . in 1971 , billboard magazine called norman the most important writer since paul simon , ' while time magazine pegged him as probably the top solo artist in the field . ' norman 's fans include u2 , guns n'roses and bob dylan , according to his brother charles . john mellencamp said he 's one , too . british pop star cliff richard made no secret of his admiration . when i first became a christian , i hunted around in vain to find christian rock 'n'roll music i could relate to . it just all sounded horrible , ' richard said on rockspell , ' a gospel-music-themed bbc television show he hosted in 1986 , and on which norman appeared . then he was introduced to norman 's music , and i just was overjoyed and thrilled , because suddenly i could relate ... and there seemed to be a christian who could do it as well , if not better , than the rest of us . ' black francis of the alternative rock group the pixies said norman has been a lifelong influence . i listened to his records growing up , and saw him perform many times . in fact , i used to dress up like him ; long blond hair with bangs , sort of a grown-out british invasion look , with black jacket , black shirt , black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes , ' francis said . while larry is always referenced by his christian beliefs , to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous , poignant and always rock 'n'roll . his respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer . ' more than 300 versions of norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists , including non-gospel acts as diverse as richard and francis , as well as sammy davis jr. , petula clark and tennessee ernie ford . christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since norman pioneered christian rock . before larry norman , there was not any christian music industry , ' said shawn mcspadden , manager for switchfoot and the grammy award-winning band third day . but today is a different story , according to figures from the gospel music association . it says 56 million units of christian/gospel music sold in 2008 , totaling nearly $ 500 million . the christian music industry has been very business-savvy , probably without even realizing it , in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers , ' said bruce burch of the university of georgia 's music business school . they immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist , but to their message . ' album sales for the genre , during 2008 , outsold classical , jazz , new age and latin , according to nielsen soundscan . norman , a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith , blazed the trail for christian rock . | norman 's fans include u2 , guns n'roses and bob dylan |
norman <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- long before u2 and bono blazed their own paths , and decades before the christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business , a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way . larry norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex and jesus -- sometimes in the same song . larry norman was a christian rock musician before the genre existed , combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness . think of him as rock music 's street preacher , often referred to as the father of christian rock . ' between 1969 and 1979 , larry norman was the christian rock scene 's answer to bob dylan , john lennon and mick jagger , ' said emmy-nominated director david di sabatino , who takes a critical look at norman 's career and life in his documentary fallen angel : the outlaw larry norman . ' he set the standard . he created the space for others to exist . ... the vision he created for where christian rock music could go still resonates today . ' the documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010 . norman hit the u.s. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation . his first solo album , upon this rock , ' came out in late 1969 , after he left the band people ! the san francisco bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a top 20 hit with a cover of the zombies' i love you . ' it was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-vietnam war protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at woodstock . as many americans looked for answers , norman offered his faith , a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut . it was a pretty gutsy move to sing about jesus on his first record , ' younger brother charles norman said . to take a chance on mentioning jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step . ' 'upon this rock'was written to stand outside the christian culture , ' larry norman said in an interview with ccm magazine . my songs were n't written for christians . ... i was saying ,'i 'm going to present the gospel , and i 'm not going to say it like you want . this album is not for you .' no small surprise , given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream . a national survey conducted by louis harris and associates in 1966 found that rock 'n'roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country . about 45 percent of adults said they disliked it , with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite . compare that with today , when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent pew resource center poll said they listen to it . being a rocker in the late 1960s was n't just flying in the face of a conservative christian music industry but mainstream america as well . then there were the lyrics , especially on norman 's second solo effort , 1972 's only visiting this planet . ' there were no happy songs about going to heaven ; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day . norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex , venereal disease and jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from christian bookstores that might have sold it . stuff like that shocked uptight christians , ' charles norman said in an npr interview shortly after his brother 's death in february 2008 at age 60 . one of his songs , it 's called'why do n't you look into jesus ,'one of the lines is :'you 've got gonorrhea on valentine 's day [ vd ] and you 're still looking for the perfect lay . ... why do n't you look into jesus ? he 's got the answer .'' the album also contained what became larry norman 's signature song , why should the devil have all the good music . ' nearly two decades after its release , only visiting this planet , ' helmed by beatles'producer george martin , was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre , voted by ccm magazine in 1990 as the greatest christian album ever recorded . a similar list released in 2001 by ccm , a christian music and lifestyle magazine , put the album at no . 2 all time . u2 's the joshua tree ' was sixth . norman was inducted into the gospel music hall of fame that same year , along with elvis presley . the accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media . in 1971 , billboard magazine called norman the most important writer since paul simon , ' while time magazine pegged him as probably the top solo artist in the field . ' norman 's fans include u2 , guns n'roses and bob dylan , according to his brother charles . john mellencamp said he 's one , too . british pop star cliff richard made no secret of his admiration . when i first became a christian , i hunted around in vain to find christian rock 'n'roll music i could relate to . it just all sounded horrible , ' richard said on rockspell , ' a gospel-music-themed bbc television show he hosted in 1986 , and on which norman appeared . then he was introduced to norman 's music , and i just was overjoyed and thrilled , because suddenly i could relate ... and there seemed to be a christian who could do it as well , if not better , than the rest of us . ' black francis of the alternative rock group the pixies said norman has been a lifelong influence . i listened to his records growing up , and saw him perform many times . in fact , i used to dress up like him ; long blond hair with bangs , sort of a grown-out british invasion look , with black jacket , black shirt , black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes , ' francis said . while larry is always referenced by his christian beliefs , to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous , poignant and always rock 'n'roll . his respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer . ' more than 300 versions of norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists , including non-gospel acts as diverse as richard and francis , as well as sammy davis jr. , petula clark and tennessee ernie ford . christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since norman pioneered christian rock . before larry norman , there was not any christian music industry , ' said shawn mcspadden , manager for switchfoot and the grammy award-winning band third day . but today is a different story , according to figures from the gospel music association . it says 56 million units of christian/gospel music sold in 2008 , totaling nearly $ 500 million . the christian music industry has been very business-savvy , probably without even realizing it , in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers , ' said bruce burch of the university of georgia 's music business school . they immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist , but to their message . ' album sales for the genre , during 2008 , outsold classical , jazz , new age and latin , according to nielsen soundscan . norman , a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith , blazed the trail for christian rock . | more than 300 versions of norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists |
norman <tsp> atlanta , georgia ( cnn ) -- long before u2 and bono blazed their own paths , and decades before the christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business , a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way . larry norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex and jesus -- sometimes in the same song . larry norman was a christian rock musician before the genre existed , combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness . think of him as rock music 's street preacher , often referred to as the father of christian rock . ' between 1969 and 1979 , larry norman was the christian rock scene 's answer to bob dylan , john lennon and mick jagger , ' said emmy-nominated director david di sabatino , who takes a critical look at norman 's career and life in his documentary fallen angel : the outlaw larry norman . ' he set the standard . he created the space for others to exist . ... the vision he created for where christian rock music could go still resonates today . ' the documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010 . norman hit the u.s. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation . his first solo album , upon this rock , ' came out in late 1969 , after he left the band people ! the san francisco bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a top 20 hit with a cover of the zombies' i love you . ' it was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-vietnam war protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at woodstock . as many americans looked for answers , norman offered his faith , a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut . it was a pretty gutsy move to sing about jesus on his first record , ' younger brother charles norman said . to take a chance on mentioning jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step . ' 'upon this rock'was written to stand outside the christian culture , ' larry norman said in an interview with ccm magazine . my songs were n't written for christians . ... i was saying ,'i 'm going to present the gospel , and i 'm not going to say it like you want . this album is not for you .' no small surprise , given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream . a national survey conducted by louis harris and associates in 1966 found that rock 'n'roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country . about 45 percent of adults said they disliked it , with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite . compare that with today , when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent pew resource center poll said they listen to it . being a rocker in the late 1960s was n't just flying in the face of a conservative christian music industry but mainstream america as well . then there were the lyrics , especially on norman 's second solo effort , 1972 's only visiting this planet . ' there were no happy songs about going to heaven ; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day . norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex , venereal disease and jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from christian bookstores that might have sold it . stuff like that shocked uptight christians , ' charles norman said in an npr interview shortly after his brother 's death in february 2008 at age 60 . one of his songs , it 's called'why do n't you look into jesus ,'one of the lines is :'you 've got gonorrhea on valentine 's day [ vd ] and you 're still looking for the perfect lay . ... why do n't you look into jesus ? he 's got the answer .'' the album also contained what became larry norman 's signature song , why should the devil have all the good music . ' nearly two decades after its release , only visiting this planet , ' helmed by beatles'producer george martin , was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre , voted by ccm magazine in 1990 as the greatest christian album ever recorded . a similar list released in 2001 by ccm , a christian music and lifestyle magazine , put the album at no . 2 all time . u2 's the joshua tree ' was sixth . norman was inducted into the gospel music hall of fame that same year , along with elvis presley . the accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media . in 1971 , billboard magazine called norman the most important writer since paul simon , ' while time magazine pegged him as probably the top solo artist in the field . ' norman 's fans include u2 , guns n'roses and bob dylan , according to his brother charles . john mellencamp said he 's one , too . british pop star cliff richard made no secret of his admiration . when i first became a christian , i hunted around in vain to find christian rock 'n'roll music i could relate to . it just all sounded horrible , ' richard said on rockspell , ' a gospel-music-themed bbc television show he hosted in 1986 , and on which norman appeared . then he was introduced to norman 's music , and i just was overjoyed and thrilled , because suddenly i could relate ... and there seemed to be a christian who could do it as well , if not better , than the rest of us . ' black francis of the alternative rock group the pixies said norman has been a lifelong influence . i listened to his records growing up , and saw him perform many times . in fact , i used to dress up like him ; long blond hair with bangs , sort of a grown-out british invasion look , with black jacket , black shirt , black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes , ' francis said . while larry is always referenced by his christian beliefs , to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous , poignant and always rock 'n'roll . his respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer . ' more than 300 versions of norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists , including non-gospel acts as diverse as richard and francis , as well as sammy davis jr. , petula clark and tennessee ernie ford . christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since norman pioneered christian rock . before larry norman , there was not any christian music industry , ' said shawn mcspadden , manager for switchfoot and the grammy award-winning band third day . but today is a different story , according to figures from the gospel music association . it says 56 million units of christian/gospel music sold in 2008 , totaling nearly $ 500 million . the christian music industry has been very business-savvy , probably without even realizing it , in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers , ' said bruce burch of the university of georgia 's music business school . they immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist , but to their message . ' album sales for the genre , during 2008 , outsold classical , jazz , new age and latin , according to nielsen soundscan . norman , a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith , blazed the trail for christian rock . | larry norman was christian rock musician before genre existed |
merah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- did french intelligence services miss vital clues as mohammed merah showed signs of growing radicalization ? in the words of the french newspaper , l'express , on thursday : did the security services fail in their surveillance ? ' how do western intelligence agencies choose who to focus on as terror suspects , amid hundreds that express or harbor militant views ? do they have sufficient resources ; and where lies the balance between surveillance and the protection of civil liberties ? these are just a few of the questions emerging after merah 's killings . merah had been on the radar of the french intelligence service for several years . he 'd been detained in afghanistan in 2010 and repatriated to france -- only to return to the afghan-pakistan border area in august of last year . he 'd been interviewed by the french security services last november after returning from the af-pak area a second time . but he had apparently persuaded them , even showing photographs he had taken , that he had been on a tourist trip . in addition , it has emerged that merah was on a u.s. no-fly-list , according to u.s. officials , which would have prevented him from boarding any u.s.-bound flight . there were also worrisome signs before he left for afghanistan . two years ago , merah held ' a 15-year-old boy in his apartment and forced him to watch videos of al qaeda beheadings . when confronted by his mother , he assaulted her -- and she made a report to police . french media report that after the incident merah donned military fatigues and yelled i 'm al qaeda ' in the street near the woman 's house . by then , he already had multiple convictions for minor offenses , and several jail sentences . both he and his older brother abdelkader were known to the security services because of their membership of a small salafist group in toulouse . french prosecutors say abdelkader was implicated in a network sending islamic militants to iraq in 2007 but not charged because of inadequate evidence . he is currently under arrest but has not been charged . but at the same time merah did not fit any conventional ' profile of a jihadist-to-be . he was a motor-bike enthusiast and soccer player . according to his attorney , christian etelin , he was usually quiet and courteous -- not rigid to the point of falling into fanaticism . ' but etelin said there were signs of a dual personality ' in merah . friends have told french reporters of their shock at his sudden metamorphosis to killer . french interior minister claude geant defended the work of france 's equivalent of the fbi , the direction centrale du renseignement intã©rieur . the dcri follows a lot of people who are involved in islamist radicalism , ' he said thursday . expressing ideas , showing salafist opinions is not enough to bring someone before justice , ' he said . nor had there been any criminal tendencies ' among islamist radicals in toulouse , which has a large population of north african origin , he said . french foreign minister alain juppe told a radio network thursday that light must be shed ' on events leading up to the shootings by merah . i understand that one can ask whether there was a failing or not . as i do n't know if there was a failing , i ca n't tell you what kind of failing , but light must be shed on that , ' juppe said on europe 1 . one avenue of inquiry may be communication between different security agencies in france . for example the dcri tracks french citizens who have returned from overseas travels ; the role of the external spy service dgse includes keeping tabs on foreigners in france suspected of links to extremism . other questions include the judicial authority needed for some forms of surveillance , although police in france can tap telephones with the approval of the prime minister and an administrative panel . there is also the issue of budget cuts at the dcri over the past few years . whether and how the dcri dropped the ball in merah 's case has already entered the bloodstream of the presidential race in france , with the candidate of the far-right national front , marine le pen , demanding an inquiry into whether the intelligence services took necessary precautions in merah 's case and complaining of the government 's laxity in the face of the fundamentalist risk . ' another candidate , franã§ois bayrou , expressed surprise that merah had been able to buy weapons without drawing attention , after so many convictions . in past cases efforts by terror suspects to make bombs , or gather the materials to do so , have triggered alerts . for example , attempts to buy large amounts of fertilizer or other ingredients -- such as hydrogen peroxide -- used in bomb-making are often relayed to law enforcement agencies . an attempt by najibullah zazi to contact a handler in the afghan-pakistan border area as he tried make the high explosive petn in a denver motel room was intercepted by counter-terrorism officers . zazi planned suicide bomb attacks on the new york subway ; he is now serving a life sentence in federal prison . by contrast , planning a gun attack -- such as those in toulouse or at fort hood -- is less likely to trigger alarms . guns are easier to acquire ( though less so in europe than in the united states ) and easier to use than home-made bombs . that 's perhaps why al qaeda propagandists like american-born adam gadahn have urged followers in the united states to buy weapons at gun shows . america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms . you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle , ' gadahn said in a video posted last year . across europe and in the united states , radicalization within rapidly growing north african and south asian populations has stretched domestic intelligence services , especially given substantial traffic between western countries and places like pakistan , yemen and somalia . some previous terror cases - in minneapolis , the united kingdom and germany -- have shown second-generation immigrants to be less assimilated than their parents , and more conflicted about their surroundings . certainly that was the case among the bombers who carried out the july 2005 subway attacks in britain , and among young some 20 somali-americans who suddenly left to wage jihad with al shabaab in 2008 . those who are self-radicalized , ' who remain beyond any cell structure , who drift from one job or place of residence to another ( as merah did ) are the most difficult to track . and counter-terrorism experts say a myriad of factors , many of them unpredictable , may be involved in pushing an individual from expressing militant views into committing bloody acts . even apparently obvious signs have been missed in previous terror cases . when british intelligence broke up a plot in 2004 to use fertilizer in a series of attacks , it discounted the plotters'links to two men - mohammed sidique khan and shehzad tanweer . the pair went on to commit suicide bombing attacks on the london subway in july 2005 . the uk domestic intelligence agency mi5 said in a statement later that khan and tanweer appeared as petty fraudsters in loose contact with members of the plot . there was no indication that they were involved in the planning of any kind of terrorist attack in the uk . ' similarly , new research into the planning of the 2004 madrid train bombings , published in the latest edition of the ctc sentinel by the combating terrorism center at west point , shows extensive contacts between the plotters and al qaeda 's leadership . for two years , according to author fernando reinares , a key intermediary who had been part of an al qaeda cell in spain since the mid-1990s planned the attacks , returning to spain from pakistan months before the bombings . reinares , who became a senior adviser on counter-terrorism in the spanish government after the attacks , writes that when the madrid cell was dismantled in 2001 , there was insufficient evidence to prosecute at least three men . all became ringleaders in the bombings that killed 191 people on march 11 2004 . germany 's problems in tracking right-wing extremists are also instructive . after several immigrants were murdered by neo-nazis between 2000 and 2007 , investigations established a lack of co-ordination between different state and federal agencies . the government responded with a plan to establish a central database of right-wing extremists available to the police and state authorities . but legal experts have questioned the criteria for including suspects and the blurring of lines between intelligence services and the police . some critics also say such databases can include so many names that they become redundant . by any standard , the record of the french intelligence services has been impressive to date , aided by some of europe 's toughest anti-terrorism laws . more than 200 people in france have been convicted of terrorism-related offenses since 2001 . a french counter-terrorism source told cnn in 2010 that the security services had established a large network of informants within france 's muslim communities - but cautioned that it had proved much more difficult to recruit informers among the younger generation of french muslims . on thursday , president nicolas sarkozy announced plans for legislation that would make it an offense for anybody to view jihadist websites regularly in france or travel abroad for jihadist training . there has been no terror attack on mainland france since 1995 , when a series of bombings was claimed by a group calling itself the armed islamic group general command . one of the devices exploded at a toulouse police station . the man behind the attacks , khaled kelkal , was also of algerian origin and had grown up in a poor district of lyon . but the 17 years of peace since is unlikely to spare the dcri from some penetrating questioning after the events of the last week . cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank contributed to this story | merah was on a u.s. no-fly-list , according to american officials |
merah <tsp> ( cnn ) -- did french intelligence services miss vital clues as mohammed merah showed signs of growing radicalization ? in the words of the french newspaper , l'express , on thursday : did the security services fail in their surveillance ? ' how do western intelligence agencies choose who to focus on as terror suspects , amid hundreds that express or harbor militant views ? do they have sufficient resources ; and where lies the balance between surveillance and the protection of civil liberties ? these are just a few of the questions emerging after merah 's killings . merah had been on the radar of the french intelligence service for several years . he 'd been detained in afghanistan in 2010 and repatriated to france -- only to return to the afghan-pakistan border area in august of last year . he 'd been interviewed by the french security services last november after returning from the af-pak area a second time . but he had apparently persuaded them , even showing photographs he had taken , that he had been on a tourist trip . in addition , it has emerged that merah was on a u.s. no-fly-list , according to u.s. officials , which would have prevented him from boarding any u.s.-bound flight . there were also worrisome signs before he left for afghanistan . two years ago , merah held ' a 15-year-old boy in his apartment and forced him to watch videos of al qaeda beheadings . when confronted by his mother , he assaulted her -- and she made a report to police . french media report that after the incident merah donned military fatigues and yelled i 'm al qaeda ' in the street near the woman 's house . by then , he already had multiple convictions for minor offenses , and several jail sentences . both he and his older brother abdelkader were known to the security services because of their membership of a small salafist group in toulouse . french prosecutors say abdelkader was implicated in a network sending islamic militants to iraq in 2007 but not charged because of inadequate evidence . he is currently under arrest but has not been charged . but at the same time merah did not fit any conventional ' profile of a jihadist-to-be . he was a motor-bike enthusiast and soccer player . according to his attorney , christian etelin , he was usually quiet and courteous -- not rigid to the point of falling into fanaticism . ' but etelin said there were signs of a dual personality ' in merah . friends have told french reporters of their shock at his sudden metamorphosis to killer . french interior minister claude geant defended the work of france 's equivalent of the fbi , the direction centrale du renseignement intã©rieur . the dcri follows a lot of people who are involved in islamist radicalism , ' he said thursday . expressing ideas , showing salafist opinions is not enough to bring someone before justice , ' he said . nor had there been any criminal tendencies ' among islamist radicals in toulouse , which has a large population of north african origin , he said . french foreign minister alain juppe told a radio network thursday that light must be shed ' on events leading up to the shootings by merah . i understand that one can ask whether there was a failing or not . as i do n't know if there was a failing , i ca n't tell you what kind of failing , but light must be shed on that , ' juppe said on europe 1 . one avenue of inquiry may be communication between different security agencies in france . for example the dcri tracks french citizens who have returned from overseas travels ; the role of the external spy service dgse includes keeping tabs on foreigners in france suspected of links to extremism . other questions include the judicial authority needed for some forms of surveillance , although police in france can tap telephones with the approval of the prime minister and an administrative panel . there is also the issue of budget cuts at the dcri over the past few years . whether and how the dcri dropped the ball in merah 's case has already entered the bloodstream of the presidential race in france , with the candidate of the far-right national front , marine le pen , demanding an inquiry into whether the intelligence services took necessary precautions in merah 's case and complaining of the government 's laxity in the face of the fundamentalist risk . ' another candidate , franã§ois bayrou , expressed surprise that merah had been able to buy weapons without drawing attention , after so many convictions . in past cases efforts by terror suspects to make bombs , or gather the materials to do so , have triggered alerts . for example , attempts to buy large amounts of fertilizer or other ingredients -- such as hydrogen peroxide -- used in bomb-making are often relayed to law enforcement agencies . an attempt by najibullah zazi to contact a handler in the afghan-pakistan border area as he tried make the high explosive petn in a denver motel room was intercepted by counter-terrorism officers . zazi planned suicide bomb attacks on the new york subway ; he is now serving a life sentence in federal prison . by contrast , planning a gun attack -- such as those in toulouse or at fort hood -- is less likely to trigger alarms . guns are easier to acquire ( though less so in europe than in the united states ) and easier to use than home-made bombs . that 's perhaps why al qaeda propagandists like american-born adam gadahn have urged followers in the united states to buy weapons at gun shows . america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms . you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle , ' gadahn said in a video posted last year . across europe and in the united states , radicalization within rapidly growing north african and south asian populations has stretched domestic intelligence services , especially given substantial traffic between western countries and places like pakistan , yemen and somalia . some previous terror cases - in minneapolis , the united kingdom and germany -- have shown second-generation immigrants to be less assimilated than their parents , and more conflicted about their surroundings . certainly that was the case among the bombers who carried out the july 2005 subway attacks in britain , and among young some 20 somali-americans who suddenly left to wage jihad with al shabaab in 2008 . those who are self-radicalized , ' who remain beyond any cell structure , who drift from one job or place of residence to another ( as merah did ) are the most difficult to track . and counter-terrorism experts say a myriad of factors , many of them unpredictable , may be involved in pushing an individual from expressing militant views into committing bloody acts . even apparently obvious signs have been missed in previous terror cases . when british intelligence broke up a plot in 2004 to use fertilizer in a series of attacks , it discounted the plotters'links to two men - mohammed sidique khan and shehzad tanweer . the pair went on to commit suicide bombing attacks on the london subway in july 2005 . the uk domestic intelligence agency mi5 said in a statement later that khan and tanweer appeared as petty fraudsters in loose contact with members of the plot . there was no indication that they were involved in the planning of any kind of terrorist attack in the uk . ' similarly , new research into the planning of the 2004 madrid train bombings , published in the latest edition of the ctc sentinel by the combating terrorism center at west point , shows extensive contacts between the plotters and al qaeda 's leadership . for two years , according to author fernando reinares , a key intermediary who had been part of an al qaeda cell in spain since the mid-1990s planned the attacks , returning to spain from pakistan months before the bombings . reinares , who became a senior adviser on counter-terrorism in the spanish government after the attacks , writes that when the madrid cell was dismantled in 2001 , there was insufficient evidence to prosecute at least three men . all became ringleaders in the bombings that killed 191 people on march 11 2004 . germany 's problems in tracking right-wing extremists are also instructive . after several immigrants were murdered by neo-nazis between 2000 and 2007 , investigations established a lack of co-ordination between different state and federal agencies . the government responded with a plan to establish a central database of right-wing extremists available to the police and state authorities . but legal experts have questioned the criteria for including suspects and the blurring of lines between intelligence services and the police . some critics also say such databases can include so many names that they become redundant . by any standard , the record of the french intelligence services has been impressive to date , aided by some of europe 's toughest anti-terrorism laws . more than 200 people in france have been convicted of terrorism-related offenses since 2001 . a french counter-terrorism source told cnn in 2010 that the security services had established a large network of informants within france 's muslim communities - but cautioned that it had proved much more difficult to recruit informers among the younger generation of french muslims . on thursday , president nicolas sarkozy announced plans for legislation that would make it an offense for anybody to view jihadist websites regularly in france or travel abroad for jihadist training . there has been no terror attack on mainland france since 1995 , when a series of bombings was claimed by a group calling itself the armed islamic group general command . one of the devices exploded at a toulouse police station . the man behind the attacks , khaled kelkal , was also of algerian origin and had grown up in a poor district of lyon . but the 17 years of peace since is unlikely to spare the dcri from some penetrating questioning after the events of the last week . cnn terrorism analyst paul cruickshank contributed to this story | merah held ' a 15-year-old boy in his apartment and forced him to watch al qaeda beheadings |
milwaukee <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hungry air travelers know that all those onboard snacks and spirits reserved for premium-class passengers or available only for a fee look mighty tempting , but airport workers apparently give them a second look as well . milwaukee county sheriff 's deputies were dispatched to general mitchell international airport last week after an airtran airways manager complained that he saw a maintenance worker take wine bottles from a plane and put them in his jacket pocket . the worker was identified as jesse repetti , 28 , an employee with primeflight aviation services who was responsible for cleaning the plane , according to a complaint filed in the milwaukee county circuit court . when they arrived , the deputies found repetti in a jetway , eating a bag of chips , which belonged to airtran , ' the court papers say . they asked the suspect whether he had wine bottles in his pocket , and he replied yes , ' according to the complaint . when the deputies searched repetti , they found a small bottle of cabernet sauvignon , a small bottle of chardonnay , three small bottles of whiskey , three small bottles of rum , a can of beer , two bags of chips and two bags of pretzels . officials estimate that the items were worth about $ 70 . repetti has been charged with theft , a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $ 10,000 and/or nine months in prison . a pretrial conference in the case has been scheduled for next week . court documents do not say whether repetti has retained an attorney . | the incident happened at general mitchell international airport in milwaukee |
jesse repetti <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hungry air travelers know that all those onboard snacks and spirits reserved for premium-class passengers or available only for a fee look mighty tempting , but airport workers apparently give them a second look as well . milwaukee county sheriff 's deputies were dispatched to general mitchell international airport last week after an airtran airways manager complained that he saw a maintenance worker take wine bottles from a plane and put them in his jacket pocket . the worker was identified as jesse repetti , 28 , an employee with primeflight aviation services who was responsible for cleaning the plane , according to a complaint filed in the milwaukee county circuit court . when they arrived , the deputies found repetti in a jetway , eating a bag of chips , which belonged to airtran , ' the court papers say . they asked the suspect whether he had wine bottles in his pocket , and he replied yes , ' according to the complaint . when the deputies searched repetti , they found a small bottle of cabernet sauvignon , a small bottle of chardonnay , three small bottles of whiskey , three small bottles of rum , a can of beer , two bags of chips and two bags of pretzels . officials estimate that the items were worth about $ 70 . repetti has been charged with theft , a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $ 10,000 and/or nine months in prison . a pretrial conference in the case has been scheduled for next week . court documents do not say whether repetti has retained an attorney . | jesse repetti has been charged with theft |
orman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i hate the holidays . professionally speaking that is . this is the dangerous season when more family finances go off the rails than at any time of the year . from the opening gun on black friday through the last-minute grabs on christmas eve there seems to be a national moratorium on sound spending practices . that said , if you 're expecting some finger-wagging lecture about not spending money on gifts this year , well , i hate to disappoint you , but that 's not where i am headed . gift-giving is part of our celebration ritual . and there 's nothing wrong with that . all that i care about -- and what you should care about just as much -- is that your gift-giving shows respect . for yourself . that means crafting a gift-giving strategy that is affordable for you today . what you gave to someone last year , or the length of last-year 's gift-giving list should be irrelevant . yet we all know that there 's this internal pressure to keep up appearances or traditions , even if your financial circumstances have changed . so even if you did a fabulous job the first 11 months of the year scaling back your spending so you could ramp up your retirement savings , or pay down your debts , there 's a temptation to let those good habits get pushed to the back burner during this dangerous season . here 's how to make it through this holiday season with your financial integrity intact . pay cash i challenge you to not make one holiday gift purchase with a credit card . you ca n't have regrets in january if you limit your spending to money you actually have . the tab for unpaid credit card balances in the u.s. is $ 690 billion . it 's one thing to run up a balance if your family is struggling to make ends meet -- and even that has obvious serious consequences -- but there is just no excuse for running up any credit card debt for gifts . period . the simplest way to keep your household on track is to put the credit cards away and use a debit card tied to a bank account . and do n't you dare let the bank snooker you into accepting overdraft protection . that 's just a temptation to allow yourself to slip and spend more than you have . the only one who really benefits is the bank ; the average charge for an overdraft is $ 30 . prioritize it takes a plan to make it through this season unscathed . here 's my three-step strategy : set a spending limit , stick to a firm list of recipients and most important , no wavering from steps 1 and 2 . your spending limit is pretty simple : how much extra cash do you have handy ? no dipping into savings ( unless you in fact were smart and have a holiday savings account you 've been socking money into throughout the year ) . no touching the emergency fund . no gift is an emergency . and no robbing peter : no cheating by not making your roth ira deposit this month or skipping the kid 's 529 college savings contribution to free up cash for presents . next , decide who 's on your list . then divvy up your cash to each person : literally write down how much you intend to spend on each person . if the numbers do n't add up , then you 've got a few choices : spend less on that person , spend less on someone else . reduce the number of people on your list . or get creative : offer to babysit for the kids of harried friends or family . that 's probably going to be worth a hell of a lot more than any monetary gift . have a friend who keeps talking about tackling cleaning out their garage or fixing up a spare room ? okay , your gift is three weekends over the course of the year to serve as their sub-contractor and cheerleader . you get the idea : before you spend a penny on gifts this season you need to have a formal plan from which you will not deviate . do n't get played retailers know we are suckers for anything that seems like a deal . so they try to play us for chumps . instead of offering a $ 50 sweater for $ 50 , they advertise that the sweater was $ 75 but they are going to let you steal it from them for $ 50 . woo-hoo , one-third off ! and this works like a charm thanks to our anchoring habit . that 's a term used by behavioral economists to describe how we get fixated on a number . in this case , we 're anchored to the fact that the sweater is worth ' $ 75 , so we feel like we 're getting a great deal at $ 50 . but is it really a deal ? for starters , slow down and size up what you 're buying . does it seem worth it at $ 50 ? quality matters . and most important , do you have the $ 50 to spend ? the sales price does n't matter if you were intending to spend $ 40 on this specific gift . it 's still overpriced by 20 percent based on what you can truthfully afford . standing in your truth is the most important gift to bestow this and every holiday season . it 's not just about doing what is right for you . when we stand in our truth -- without embarrassment , without fear -- we remove layers of stress and panic . and that makes us happier and more present for those we love . that strikes me as the most generous gift any of us has to give . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of suze orman . | orman : stand in your truth about what you have to spend , and you will have less stress |
orman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i hate the holidays . professionally speaking that is . this is the dangerous season when more family finances go off the rails than at any time of the year . from the opening gun on black friday through the last-minute grabs on christmas eve there seems to be a national moratorium on sound spending practices . that said , if you 're expecting some finger-wagging lecture about not spending money on gifts this year , well , i hate to disappoint you , but that 's not where i am headed . gift-giving is part of our celebration ritual . and there 's nothing wrong with that . all that i care about -- and what you should care about just as much -- is that your gift-giving shows respect . for yourself . that means crafting a gift-giving strategy that is affordable for you today . what you gave to someone last year , or the length of last-year 's gift-giving list should be irrelevant . yet we all know that there 's this internal pressure to keep up appearances or traditions , even if your financial circumstances have changed . so even if you did a fabulous job the first 11 months of the year scaling back your spending so you could ramp up your retirement savings , or pay down your debts , there 's a temptation to let those good habits get pushed to the back burner during this dangerous season . here 's how to make it through this holiday season with your financial integrity intact . pay cash i challenge you to not make one holiday gift purchase with a credit card . you ca n't have regrets in january if you limit your spending to money you actually have . the tab for unpaid credit card balances in the u.s. is $ 690 billion . it 's one thing to run up a balance if your family is struggling to make ends meet -- and even that has obvious serious consequences -- but there is just no excuse for running up any credit card debt for gifts . period . the simplest way to keep your household on track is to put the credit cards away and use a debit card tied to a bank account . and do n't you dare let the bank snooker you into accepting overdraft protection . that 's just a temptation to allow yourself to slip and spend more than you have . the only one who really benefits is the bank ; the average charge for an overdraft is $ 30 . prioritize it takes a plan to make it through this season unscathed . here 's my three-step strategy : set a spending limit , stick to a firm list of recipients and most important , no wavering from steps 1 and 2 . your spending limit is pretty simple : how much extra cash do you have handy ? no dipping into savings ( unless you in fact were smart and have a holiday savings account you 've been socking money into throughout the year ) . no touching the emergency fund . no gift is an emergency . and no robbing peter : no cheating by not making your roth ira deposit this month or skipping the kid 's 529 college savings contribution to free up cash for presents . next , decide who 's on your list . then divvy up your cash to each person : literally write down how much you intend to spend on each person . if the numbers do n't add up , then you 've got a few choices : spend less on that person , spend less on someone else . reduce the number of people on your list . or get creative : offer to babysit for the kids of harried friends or family . that 's probably going to be worth a hell of a lot more than any monetary gift . have a friend who keeps talking about tackling cleaning out their garage or fixing up a spare room ? okay , your gift is three weekends over the course of the year to serve as their sub-contractor and cheerleader . you get the idea : before you spend a penny on gifts this season you need to have a formal plan from which you will not deviate . do n't get played retailers know we are suckers for anything that seems like a deal . so they try to play us for chumps . instead of offering a $ 50 sweater for $ 50 , they advertise that the sweater was $ 75 but they are going to let you steal it from them for $ 50 . woo-hoo , one-third off ! and this works like a charm thanks to our anchoring habit . that 's a term used by behavioral economists to describe how we get fixated on a number . in this case , we 're anchored to the fact that the sweater is worth ' $ 75 , so we feel like we 're getting a great deal at $ 50 . but is it really a deal ? for starters , slow down and size up what you 're buying . does it seem worth it at $ 50 ? quality matters . and most important , do you have the $ 50 to spend ? the sales price does n't matter if you were intending to spend $ 40 on this specific gift . it 's still overpriced by 20 percent based on what you can truthfully afford . standing in your truth is the most important gift to bestow this and every holiday season . it 's not just about doing what is right for you . when we stand in our truth -- without embarrassment , without fear -- we remove layers of stress and panic . and that makes us happier and more present for those we love . that strikes me as the most generous gift any of us has to give . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of suze orman . | suze orman says holiday shopping makes us forget our sound spending practices |
dillard <tsp> ( cnn ) the first daughter to be married from the hit reality show 19 kids and counting ' has also become the first mother . people magazine reports that jill ( duggar ) dillard gave birth monday to a 9-pound , 10-ounce son she and husband derick have named israel david . jill 's parents , jim bob and michelle duggar , posted a video of the new family on their official facebook page . the baby was a bit tardy , going past his due date by more than a week . dillard , who is a student midwife , said she gave herself two due dates and was prepared for the wait . i have told myself ,'first-time moms often go a week and a half over , so do n't get discouraged ,' she told people . when everyone else is asking you ,'when are you going to have that baby ?'the baby will come when the baby comes . ' dillard has a ways to go to catch up with her mother . her super-sized family and their lives have been well-documented on their tlc series , including jill and derick 's wedding on june 21 . eldest duggar son josh is already the father of three children , and his wife , anna , is expecting their fourth in july . | dillard was the first of the duggar daughters to be married |
duggar <tsp> ( cnn ) the first daughter to be married from the hit reality show 19 kids and counting ' has also become the first mother . people magazine reports that jill ( duggar ) dillard gave birth monday to a 9-pound , 10-ounce son she and husband derick have named israel david . jill 's parents , jim bob and michelle duggar , posted a video of the new family on their official facebook page . the baby was a bit tardy , going past his due date by more than a week . dillard , who is a student midwife , said she gave herself two due dates and was prepared for the wait . i have told myself ,'first-time moms often go a week and a half over , so do n't get discouraged ,' she told people . when everyone else is asking you ,'when are you going to have that baby ?'the baby will come when the baby comes . ' dillard has a ways to go to catch up with her mother . her super-sized family and their lives have been well-documented on their tlc series , including jill and derick 's wedding on june 21 . eldest duggar son josh is already the father of three children , and his wife , anna , is expecting their fourth in july . | dillard was the first of the duggar daughters to be married |
kao <tsp> ( mashable ) -- facebook is rolling out a new breed of pages called friendship pages that pull together the public wall posts , comments , photos ( based on tags ) and events that two friends have in common . the friendship pages feature was cooked up by facebook software engineer wayne kao and then brought to life in an internal hackathon event . the pages are designed to the tell the story of two friends on facebook through their shared activity . for those of us who have worked on it , the best part is the human side of these pages . they can bring back memories , conversations and times spent together , ' explains kao . friendship pages are accessible from under the main photo on a friend 's profile page and via links from related wall posts or relationship stories . the pages are public to other members so long as they have permission to view both users'profiles . friendship pages are said to be launching today , but are likely being delivered to members in a gradual rollout . we think the pages are an interesting alternative way to organize facebook activity around friends , though it does add another layer of complexity to the site . © 2010 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | feature was cooked up by facebook software engineer wayne kao |
kao <tsp> ( mashable ) -- facebook is rolling out a new breed of pages called friendship pages that pull together the public wall posts , comments , photos ( based on tags ) and events that two friends have in common . the friendship pages feature was cooked up by facebook software engineer wayne kao and then brought to life in an internal hackathon event . the pages are designed to the tell the story of two friends on facebook through their shared activity . for those of us who have worked on it , the best part is the human side of these pages . they can bring back memories , conversations and times spent together , ' explains kao . friendship pages are accessible from under the main photo on a friend 's profile page and via links from related wall posts or relationship stories . the pages are public to other members so long as they have permission to view both users'profiles . friendship pages are said to be launching today , but are likely being delivered to members in a gradual rollout . we think the pages are an interesting alternative way to organize facebook activity around friends , though it does add another layer of complexity to the site . © 2010 mashable.com . all rights reserved . | best part is the human side of these pages , ' kao says |
shane mosley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- floyd mayweather is returning to boxing after a year out of the ring , announcing he is to fight victor ortiz . the five-time world champion 's last bout was against shane mosley in may 2010 as he won a unanimous decision in las vegas . mayweather , 34 , has won all 41 of his professional fights and is a six-time world champion at five different weights . ortiz became the current world boxing council ( wbc ) welterweight champion after beating andre berto in april and the bout has been set for september 17 . i am ready to return to the ring and give my fans a fantastic night of boxing by fighting the best out there , ' mayweather said in a statement . for me , that is victor ortiz . he is the current champion and an extremely talented fighter , who showed amazing skills and heart in his last performance . at this stage of my career , these are the challenges i look for -- a young , strong , rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me . ortiz is just going to be another casualty , the 42nd one who tried and failed . trust me . i will be ready . ' mayweather has recorded 25 knockouts in his 41 bouts , while ortiz has suffered two defeats and two draws in his 33 fights . the 24-year-old american said : i respect mayweather because he has been a champion for many years and i know he will be ready but so will i . i 'm a world champion for a reason and i am not going to let go of my title any time soon . this is going to be a great fight , but i will remain a world champion for many years to come . ' mayweather 's return to the ring will again raise the prospect of a so-called superbout ' with eight-division world champion manny pacquiao . since mayweather last fought he was arrested at a las vegas casino in december last year on a misdemeanor battery charge after he allegedly assaulted a security guard at his housing complex he has also been embroiled in domestic violence claims from his former girlfriend . he faces criminal charges in court in january . | mayweather has been in retirement since defeating shane mosley in may 2010 |
sindelar <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- a few years ago , researchers at cornell made a remarkable discovery : when unsuspecting diners were given self-refilling bowls , they consumed almost twice as much soup as those with normal bowls . in other words , it was the quantity in the bowl that determined how much they ate , not their appetite . while researchers are only recently discovering the power of serving sizes , manufacturers have been manipulating consumers in this way for years , from stealthily shrinking the size of yogurt containers to super-sizing sodas . now it 's time for the government to take advantage of the power of portion size to save lives . we already know we should reduce the size of many of our food products -- not to mention our waistlines -- but there 's another item that needs to go on a diet : the pack of cigarettes . it 's time for the 10-cigarette pack . the government mandates 20 cigarettes per pack . but cigarette packs with fewer cigarettes could bolster willpower and help smokers quit . let 's imagine that you are one of the 70 % of smokers who want to quit or cut back . craving a cigarette , you have no option but to buy the full pack of 20 -- leaving 19 readily available to soon entice you . would changing the pack size really help smokers quit ? many smokers do n't purchase cartons , because they want to limit their smoking . they are willing to pay a higher price per cigarette to limit availability , fearing that easy access would increase their smoking . now is the time to consider this move . congress recently gave the food and drug administration the jurisdiction to regulate tobacco products . before this congressional act , the fda could regulate nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch and gum , but not the far more toxic tobacco . now , the fda has comprehensive authority to regulate the manufacturing , marketing and sales of tobacco products . in fact , the fda is developing new tobacco regulations ; it should consider portion size . most smokers actually want fewer cigarettes . the average number of cigarettes smoked per day declined among daily smokers from almost 19.6 in 1993 to not quite 16.8 in 2004 , according to the national center for health statistics . nondaily smokers consume even fewer cigarettes per day . a smaller pack can nudge smokers to smoke even less , just as buying only a pint of ice cream is safer for a dieter than buying a gallon . evidence suggests that those who cut back are more likely to quit . think about it : we could change what it means to be a pack-a-day smoker . the reason that we have the 20-cigarette pack is to prevent youths from smoking by keeping the price high . while preventing teen smoking is critical , according to the centers for disease control and prevention , only about 14 % of youths who smoke buy their own cigarettes directly from a store . the rest get them from family and friends . moreover , cigarette prices are higher than ever because of increased federal , state and even city excise taxes -- perhaps making friends and family less likely to share and teens even less likely to buy . we have other ways to prevent kids from picking up the habit . for example , under the latest fda regulations , flavored cigarettes that appeal to youths are banned , as is all outdoor advertising within 1,000 feet of schools . and it is still illegal to sell to people younger than 18 . now that most smokers are trying to quit or cut back , we should allow or require smaller packs . if the size of the bowl can determine how much soup you eat , imagine what the size of the pack could do in determining how many cigarettes you smoke . it 's time to find out how much size matters . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jody sindelar . | cigarette packs with fewer cigarettes could bolster willpower , jody sindelar says |
sindelar <tsp> new haven , connecticut ( cnn ) -- a few years ago , researchers at cornell made a remarkable discovery : when unsuspecting diners were given self-refilling bowls , they consumed almost twice as much soup as those with normal bowls . in other words , it was the quantity in the bowl that determined how much they ate , not their appetite . while researchers are only recently discovering the power of serving sizes , manufacturers have been manipulating consumers in this way for years , from stealthily shrinking the size of yogurt containers to super-sizing sodas . now it 's time for the government to take advantage of the power of portion size to save lives . we already know we should reduce the size of many of our food products -- not to mention our waistlines -- but there 's another item that needs to go on a diet : the pack of cigarettes . it 's time for the 10-cigarette pack . the government mandates 20 cigarettes per pack . but cigarette packs with fewer cigarettes could bolster willpower and help smokers quit . let 's imagine that you are one of the 70 % of smokers who want to quit or cut back . craving a cigarette , you have no option but to buy the full pack of 20 -- leaving 19 readily available to soon entice you . would changing the pack size really help smokers quit ? many smokers do n't purchase cartons , because they want to limit their smoking . they are willing to pay a higher price per cigarette to limit availability , fearing that easy access would increase their smoking . now is the time to consider this move . congress recently gave the food and drug administration the jurisdiction to regulate tobacco products . before this congressional act , the fda could regulate nicotine replacement therapies such as the patch and gum , but not the far more toxic tobacco . now , the fda has comprehensive authority to regulate the manufacturing , marketing and sales of tobacco products . in fact , the fda is developing new tobacco regulations ; it should consider portion size . most smokers actually want fewer cigarettes . the average number of cigarettes smoked per day declined among daily smokers from almost 19.6 in 1993 to not quite 16.8 in 2004 , according to the national center for health statistics . nondaily smokers consume even fewer cigarettes per day . a smaller pack can nudge smokers to smoke even less , just as buying only a pint of ice cream is safer for a dieter than buying a gallon . evidence suggests that those who cut back are more likely to quit . think about it : we could change what it means to be a pack-a-day smoker . the reason that we have the 20-cigarette pack is to prevent youths from smoking by keeping the price high . while preventing teen smoking is critical , according to the centers for disease control and prevention , only about 14 % of youths who smoke buy their own cigarettes directly from a store . the rest get them from family and friends . moreover , cigarette prices are higher than ever because of increased federal , state and even city excise taxes -- perhaps making friends and family less likely to share and teens even less likely to buy . we have other ways to prevent kids from picking up the habit . for example , under the latest fda regulations , flavored cigarettes that appeal to youths are banned , as is all outdoor advertising within 1,000 feet of schools . and it is still illegal to sell to people younger than 18 . now that most smokers are trying to quit or cut back , we should allow or require smaller packs . if the size of the bowl can determine how much soup you eat , imagine what the size of the pack could do in determining how many cigarettes you smoke . it 's time to find out how much size matters . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jody sindelar . | sindelar : fda can now regulate the manufacturing , marketing and sales of tobacco products |
rolling stone <tsp> on a fall night two years ago , jackie , the alleged victim of a brutal gang rape , recounted her story in vivid detail to two friends . she recalled the assault for ryan duffin and alex stock on picnic tables at the quaint university of virginia campus . her lips were quivering and ( she ) looked like somebody who had just been through some really traumatic experience , ' said duffin , who met jackie through a mutual friend at orientation . i 've never seen anyone look like that before . i really hope i never have to see anyone look like that again . ' they sat outside a freshman dorm as she told of the shocking sexual assault , according to the friends . this was long before her account of the attack appeared in a now infamous rolling stone article published on november 19 . that harrowing account described how jackie was lured to a fraternity house and allegedly raped by seven men at a phi kappa psi party . the article sparked international outrage and portrayed the university of virginia 's response as cold and even tolerant of such horrific behavior . several weeks later , the magazine published an apology that raised questions about the authenticity of the story . duffin and stock told cnn they remember a starkly different account than what appeared in rolling stone . their version cast doubt over whether the man who allegedly orchestrated the attack even existed . i mean there are definitely some major holes in the story , ' said stock , who also met jackie through a mutual friend at summer orientation . i think that that was pretty clear in the rolling stone piece ... it was almost too perfect of a story . ' jackie 's lawyer declined to comment to cnn for this article . in its apology , rolling stone said of jackie , our trust in her was misplaced . ' the magazine later removed those words in an updated statement and said of its reporting errors , these mistakes are on rolling stone , not on jackie . ' the magazine admitted that its writer had not contacted the man who allegedly brought about the attack . it said the writer did n't contact any of the men that jackie claimed participated in the attack for fear of retaliation . duffin and stock said they were never contacted by the magazine ; instead , the writer portrayed them through jackie 's eyes . rolling stone is conducting a thorough internal review of the reporting , editing , and fact-checking of sabrina rubin erdely 's'a rape on campus , ' the magazine said in a statement tuesday . if jackie , who supposedly had a crush on duffin , was indeed raped by the man her friends say went on a date with jackie on the night of september 28 , 2012 , his behavior was more brazen that originally thought . cnn has obtained text messages and an email from the man who jackie said lured her to the frat house , including one sent to duffin days after the alleged assault . bombshell rape story triggers weeks of turmoil at the university of virginia was haven monahan a real person ? since summer orientation in 2012 , stock , duffin and another freshman , kathryn hendley , had become friends with jackie . duffin said jackie was much more interested in him than he in her . he said he was happy when jackie told friends that an upperclassman in her chemistry class asked her on a date . duffin and stock decided to learn more about the upperclassman and check to see if he 's ok , ' duffin said . jackie gave them the phone number for the man , whom she identified as haven monahan . stock and duffin said they sent him text messages and pretended to be another student from chemistry class . monahan purportedly texted back , saying of jackie , i really like her , ' and describing her as super smart .. hot ' and liking the same music as he . at one point , he even sent a photo of himself . duffin never suspected monahan may not be a real person . no , ' duffin said , at the time , it all seemed very real . ' jackie said she went on a date with monahan the evening in late september 2012 , when rolling stone reported that she was raped . late that night , jackie called duffin . she just said something bad had happened and could i come meet her , ' he recalled . duffin and stock met her outside the first-year dorms . they sat at the picnic tables . it looked like she had been crying , ' duffin remembered . she was shaking ... obviously just scared about something . and it looked like she thought somebody might just pop out of the dark and just grab her or something . ' jackie told her two friends that her date parked in front of the fraternity house , duffin said . the man told her he had to go up to his room and asked whether she wanted to join him . she went with him . she then said that when she went into the house and went up the stairs , her date locked the door of the room once they got in there , ' duffin said . and she said that there were five other men in the room who she was then forced to perform oral sex on . ' stock said she was very upset . friends saw inconsistencies in story ' i did n't have any doubts that what she said happened had happened , ' he said . but details of the assault chronicled in rolling stone did n't match what jackie told her friends , the two men said . in the article , for instance , she graphically describes a brutal gang rape by seven men instead of five . oral sex was not mentioned . the article described her date as a man named drew ' who she met while working lifeguard shifts together at the university pool . ' in 2012 , she told her friends his name was haven ' and they had met in chemistry class . the inconsistencies did not end there , according to duffin and stock . the article described how she was beaten , struck about the face and left barefoot and bloodied . that 's not what her friends remember . i did n't notice any sort of physical injuries , ' duffin said . i did n't notice a lack of shoes . i really did n't notice anything that was consistent with the physical description that was in the article . ' said stock , if there had been major injuries the way the article portrays , i think i would have remembered that . ' a major criticism of the rolling stone article , titled a rape on campus : a brutal assault and search for justice at uva , ' was that the reporter did not seek comment from the alleged attackers . discrepancies in the account were later reported by the washington post and other news outlets . for instance , phi kappa psi did not have a party the night jackie said the rape occurred ; the man she identified as her date that night was not a member of that fraternity . perhaps the biggest discrepancy was the rolling stone article 's portrayal of how her friends reacted to news of the sexual assault : the three friends launched into a heated discussion about the social price of reporting jackie 's rape while jackie stood beside them , mute in her bloody dress . ' the article quoted cindy , whose was actually hendley , saying : her reputation will be shot for the next four years . ' duffin and stock said that hendley was n't even part of the conversation . jackie did n't want the female friend to hear what happened . kathryn waited about 25 feet away from the picnic table as jackie spoke with her two male friends . that conversation never happened , ' said duffin . that whole entire conversation about debating the social price of reporting a rape , and any sort of detriment to a reputation that might come around from reporting a rape , absolutely never happened . ' hendley told cnn she was not part of the initial conversation . the things she said about me were completely off , ' hendley said of jackie . it was a powerful part of the story , but it was n't true . ' they say jackie did n't want to call police the two friends said they tried desperately to convince jackie to call the police . she decided against it , they said . i was really forceful in wanting to call the police , ' duffin said . i brought up the point a few times . but the reason we did n't call the police was because jackie did n't want to . she did n't want to have to go through ... constant interrogation by police officers which would cause her to continually relive this traumatic event . ' the two friends said they slept on the floor of jackie 's dorm to help her get through the night . five days later , duffin said he inexplicably received an email titled about you ' from haven , the man allegedly behind the alleged sexual assault . ( when cnn tried the email address , the message came back undeliverable . ' ) it was from haven monahan ... and it looked like haven had written ,'you should read this , i 've never read anything nicer in my life ,'with a page worth -- an essay -- that jackie had written about me , ' duffin said . which seemed really weird to me , even at the time , because here 's somebody who allegedly just led a brutal sexual assault on a friend of mine , and now he 's going to email me this thing about me ? ' jackie told her friends that monahan dropped out of the university after the assault , but a university record check by cnn revealed that no one by that name ever attended the university . another check found no one by that name in the united states . the photo monahan supposedly sent duffin via text message matched that of a man who went to high school with jackie in stafford , virginia . there 's a very good chance whoever i was texting was jackie , ' stock said . there 's a definite possibility . ' jackie and her three friends drifted apart long before the rolling stone article , though her friends believe something bad may have happened to her that september night . i think it 's very possible , yeah , ' duffin said . i still think it 's extremely , extremely possible . if only because the reaction she had on that night seemed so strong , and seemed so genuine , that i still think it 's difficult to believe that she would have been acting . ' | an account of alleged rape in rolling stone was criticized |
fifa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- luis suarez appealed to the court of arbitration ( cas ) friday against his four-month ban imposed by fifa for biting during the 2014 world cup in brazil . suarez and his legal team spent five hours before a three-man cas appeal panel in lausanne in an attempt to reduce the suspension , which covers all football activity . the uruguay striker bit italy defender giorgio chiellini on the shoulder during a world cup group game in natal last month . it was the third time he had committed a similar offense and it drew an immediate response from football 's world governing body . with suarez banned , uruguay lost its last 16 match to colombia and was knocked out of the world cup . despite the punishment , it did not stop spanish giants barcelona from signing suarez from english premier league liverpool in a $ 127 million deal last month . ushered away suarez did not comment to reporters either before or after the proceedings friday in the swiss city , but did take time to sign autographs for waiting children before being ushered away . his connections are hopeful of cutting his ban by two months , meaning he would be available to make his barcelona debut by the end of the month . the cas said it would issue its decision as soon as possible , probably before the end of next week . ' suarez , 27 , was top scorer in the epl last season , winning the two major player of the year awards for his outstanding performances in helping liverpool to runner-up spot in the standings . he suffered a knee injury at the end of the season which threatened his participation in the world cup , but he recovered to score two goals in a decisive 2-1 victory over england . but in the final group game , his bite on chiellini , captured by television cameras , provided the most notorious moment of the world cup . uefa adopts spray one of the biggest successes of brazil 2014 was the use of a magic spray ' which was used by referees to mark the spot from which a free kick was taken and to make sure the defensive wall retreated the requisite distance . uefa said friday that it would be used in all its competitions , including the champions league , following successful trials in its recent under-17 championship in malta . as we all saw at the world cup , this spray was very useful in helping the referee in free-kick situations , and i am sure we will see similar results in our matches this season , ' said uefa president michel platini . the spray will be used for the first time in the uefa super cup game between real madrid and sevilla in cardiff on august 12 . celtic lifeline in other football news friday , scottish champion celtic has been handed a champions league lifeline after uefa punished legia warsaw for fielding an ineligible player . legia won the third qualifying round tie 6-1 on aggregate , but brought on bartosz bereszynski for the last four minutes of its 2-0 second-leg victory at murrayfield wednesday . bereszynski was supposed to be serving a three-game ban for violent conduct in last season 's europa league . uefa awarded the second leg game 3-0 to celtic , handing them victory on away goals . legia , who say the problem arose because of the failure to fill in appropriate paperwork for bereszynski , will appeal the decision . | fifa banned uruguay striker for four months |
london <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- london police have arrested a man in connection with a brazen daylight robbery of a jewelry store last week , they announced wednesday . security camera footage shows images of the men wanted by police . the 50-year-old man was arrested on monday , police revealed . some $ 65 million in merchandise was stolen in the august 6 robbery . on tuesday police released surveillance camera photos of two men sought for questioning over the heist as well as images of some of the rings , bracelets , necklaces and watches taken from graff jewellers on central london 's new bond street . a total of 43 items were taken , with a value of about £40 million , or about $ 65 million , scotland yard said . the heist occurred august 6 , when two men walked into the jewelry store at about 4:40 p.m. and threatened employees with handguns . as the robbers were leaving the store , they brought a female worker outside with them before leaving in a blue bmw , scotland yard said . a shot was fired outside the store , but no one was injured . the men abandoned the bmw nearby , firing a second shot into the ground , scotland yard said . police believe they switched to a silver mercedes , then later to a black vehicle , possibly a ford or volkswagen . this was a well-planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape , ' detective chief inspector pam mace said in the statement . these men are extremely dangerous and fired at least two shots in busy london streets as they made their getaway . watch how robbers rip off london jewelers » ' someone knows who these men are , ' she said . they would undoubtedly have spoken about ( the robbery ) before or boasted about it afterwards . i would urge anyone who recognizes them , knows the whereabouts of the jewelry or has any other information to contact us . ' the images show the two men dressed in suits and ties . one man is white , about 30 , police said . the second is a black man believed to be in his 30s with short hair . both men are thought to have spoken with london accents , scotland yard said . the robbery is the latest in a spate of daytime thefts at jewelry stores and designer shops in london 's exclusive shopping areas of bond street , which includes new bond street . groups of men or teenagers typically stage smash and grab ' robberies , in which they break the windows and steal anything they can get their hands on before speeding away in waiting cars or motorbikes . a cnn camera crew filming in march on oxford street , near bond street , caught a group of thieves speeding away on motorbikes from a jewelry store they had just robbed . the thieves choose to strike during the day when a store 's security system is typically disarmed , even though the store and sidewalk may be crowded with people . | london police arrest man in connection with brazen daylight robbery of jewelry store |
christie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the president of an advertising firm that lost a $ 25 million contract to create a marketing campaign promoting the jersey shore told cnn tuesday that the evaluation committee asked her team whether they would be comfortable featuring new jersey gov . chris christie in the ads . the news comes as federal investigators are looking into whether christie improperly used some of that money to produce tourism ads that featured him and his family while he ran for re-election . the new jersey ad agency sigma group had the lowest bid on labor and markup costs but lost the contract to a firm charging about $ 2 million more . sigma group president shannon morris told cnn that her team was asked during the pitch meeting if we would be open to featuring chris christie in the ads . ' we did n't want to commit one way or the other . we were confident in the creative direction that we had presented . our opinion was that maybe they knew something we did n't about the requirement or maybe they felt strongly for one reason or another that he should be included , ' she said . we also wanted to stand behind the work that we had submitted that did n't feature the governor or any other celebrity . ' it turns out that the committee evaluating the proposals is made up entirely of people who work for the christie administration . and perhaps the most controversial of the members is michele brown , the chief executive of the state 's economic development authority . she 's one of the six voting members on the evaluation committee and has a long history with christie . when christie was u.s. attorney , brown was a prosecutor . she resigned after revelations that christie had given her a $ 46,000 loan in 2007 and had not reported it . after resigning , brown went into private law practice , but in 2012 , christie named her to her current post . cnn was not able to reach brown for comment . the other voting members are also tied to christie . two work with brown at the economic development authority . another is chief of staff to christie 's lieutenant governor . and the two others are representatives from the community affairs and treasury departments , all of which ultimately answer to christie . some critics slammed christie over the summer for starring in taxpayer-funded ads as he was running for re-election in november , arguing it gave him an unfair advantage . but others argued that he was the face of the sandy recovery , so it made sense to put him in the ads . on tuesday , the office the u.s. department of housing and urban development inspector general issued a statement about the inquiry , first reported by cnn , that said it had begun an audit in september to examine whether the state administered its tourism marketing program in accordance with applicable departmental and federal requirements . ' the inspector general also said , this is an audit and not an investigation of the procurement process . ' the inspector general uses the term investigation ' to denote a law enforcement probe . | firm with lowest bid for post-sandy campaign was asked about using gov . chris christie , it says |
christie <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the president of an advertising firm that lost a $ 25 million contract to create a marketing campaign promoting the jersey shore told cnn tuesday that the evaluation committee asked her team whether they would be comfortable featuring new jersey gov . chris christie in the ads . the news comes as federal investigators are looking into whether christie improperly used some of that money to produce tourism ads that featured him and his family while he ran for re-election . the new jersey ad agency sigma group had the lowest bid on labor and markup costs but lost the contract to a firm charging about $ 2 million more . sigma group president shannon morris told cnn that her team was asked during the pitch meeting if we would be open to featuring chris christie in the ads . ' we did n't want to commit one way or the other . we were confident in the creative direction that we had presented . our opinion was that maybe they knew something we did n't about the requirement or maybe they felt strongly for one reason or another that he should be included , ' she said . we also wanted to stand behind the work that we had submitted that did n't feature the governor or any other celebrity . ' it turns out that the committee evaluating the proposals is made up entirely of people who work for the christie administration . and perhaps the most controversial of the members is michele brown , the chief executive of the state 's economic development authority . she 's one of the six voting members on the evaluation committee and has a long history with christie . when christie was u.s. attorney , brown was a prosecutor . she resigned after revelations that christie had given her a $ 46,000 loan in 2007 and had not reported it . after resigning , brown went into private law practice , but in 2012 , christie named her to her current post . cnn was not able to reach brown for comment . the other voting members are also tied to christie . two work with brown at the economic development authority . another is chief of staff to christie 's lieutenant governor . and the two others are representatives from the community affairs and treasury departments , all of which ultimately answer to christie . some critics slammed christie over the summer for starring in taxpayer-funded ads as he was running for re-election in november , arguing it gave him an unfair advantage . but others argued that he was the face of the sandy recovery , so it made sense to put him in the ads . on tuesday , the office the u.s. department of housing and urban development inspector general issued a statement about the inquiry , first reported by cnn , that said it had begun an audit in september to examine whether the state administered its tourism marketing program in accordance with applicable departmental and federal requirements . ' the inspector general also said , this is an audit and not an investigation of the procurement process . ' the inspector general uses the term investigation ' to denote a law enforcement probe . | all members of the panel that picked the winning firm were part of the christie administration |
the amazing spider-man 2 <tsp> the amazing spider-man 2 ' might not be so amazing , judging from some early reviews of the anticipated may 2 sequel . the marc webb-directed feature again stars brit actor andrew garfield as the web-slinging spider-man and his girlfriend , emma stone , as on-screen love interest gwen stacy . a sequel to 2012 's franchise reboot the amazing spider-man , ' amazing 2 ' is supposed to pack in even more suspense and star power . jamie foxx plays the villain electro , paul giamatti is rhino , and dane dehaan is the green goblin . yet on rottentomatoes.com , the amazing spider-man 2 ' is on the wrong side of fresh . ' i 'm sorry people , the most i can go with is'adequate ,' says rolling stone 's film critic , peter travers . i would call this movie'the adequate spider-man 2 .' uh oh . the problem , at least according to travers , is that all the villains , who were supposed to add thrills , instead make the movie top-heavy . ' the washington post 's ann hornaday , too , thought the sequel added up to an unforgivably long assemblage that never coalesces into a compelling story . ' and over at the wall street journal , critic joe morgenstern was straightforward . how bad is this one , though ? amazingly so , ' he critiques . villainy abounds , but the villains are strident contrivances . spider-man flies , but does so dutifully , without joy . ' entertainment weekly 's chris nashawaty tried to be more measured , noting that there 's a lot riding on'the amazing spider-man 2 ,'not just commercially ( although there is that ) but also as a signpost of what lies ahead . ' thankfully , ' the review continues , director marc webb 's dizzy , slickly enjoyable sequel gets a ton right . it 's a marvel spectacle that manages to deftly balance razzle-dazzle , feel-it-in-your-gut slingshot moments of flight and believable human relationships . there 's psychological weight to go with all of the gravity-defying , webslinging weightlessness . ' the new york times'manohla dargis was also kinder to spidey , thinking the movie moved along nicely ... until a late , badly handled turn for the grim . ' the saving grace for dargis and a few others was the starring actors . stone , dargis writes , brightens ' the sequel , while garfield , who 's making a career out of playing delicate flowers , fits the role , suit and moist sniffling fine . ' if garfield checks out the times'review , he might not be pleased with the verdict but will probably appreciate the attentiveness to his sensitive side . as the 30-year-old actor told cnn at the amazing spider-man 2 's ' new york premiere , personality traits he may have felt insecure about actually come in handy when he portrays peter parker . i think my gifts , weirdly , are the things that i thought i should 've been ashamed of as a kid , ' garfield said . sensitivity , vulnerability , a very'feeling'nature , you know ? qualities that boys are n't allowed to really have growing up . ' after trying to downplay those characteristics as he came of age , it eventually dawned on garfield that those are actually qualities that would help him in his career . they 've led me to playing spider-man , ' he said . the wonderful thing about peter parker and what makes spider-man a great hero is his compassion , his humanity , his sensitivity , his care and love for others , his need to protect others and his ability to have empathy for others . and i think that 's peter parker . that has nothing to do with spider-man . spider-man has the skill , but peter parker has the heart . ' | the amazing spider-man 2 ' opens friday |
hillary clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) thinking about presidential candidates ? apparently , hormones are a major factor one should consider . according to one female businesswoman in texas , hillary clinton should n't be president because her hormones might make her so irrational she 'll start an unnecessary war . when george w. bush waged an unnecessary war in iraq -- was his testosterone to blame ? as cheryl rios , the ceo of go ape marketing , sees it : we 're built differently , we have different hormones . in the world that we live in , i understand that there 's equal rights and that 's a wonderful thing and i support all of that . i do n't support a woman being president . ' with the hormones we have there is no way we should be able to start a war , ' rios wrote in a facebook post . if rios is concerned about hormones impacting decisions in the oval office , she 'd be better off worrying about the male candidates for president . throughout history , male hormones have indeed impaired some male leaders'decision-making . studies show that women leaders take fewer unnecessary risks than their male counterparts . if science does n't convince you , just google cheating politicians ' for the long and sordid list of men like arnold schwarzenegger , mark sanford and john edwards , whose hormones got the best of them . rios has taken a lot of flak for her biblically ' inspired beliefs , but she 's not the only one who 's arguing that a woman 's hormones are a legitimate leadership concern . time magazine declared hillary clinton the perfect ' age to be president , because she 's a postmenopausal woman who is biologically primed ' to lead . ( she also happens to be a former first lady , senator and secretary of state . ) i 'm not joking . believe me , i wish i were . no wonder jon stewart left the daily show ' before the election cycle ramps up in full swing . if discussions about a candidate 's hormones are what we have to look forward to , the state of presidential politics is depressing indeed . but underneath the biochemistry debate is a much scarier consideration : the bias against women in the workplace is so well established that even in 2015 , a female candidate will be hard-pressed to get elected unless we have a serious discussion about ending gender bias . we want to believe that we live in a world where our daughters can do anything and be anything . and you 'd think they could -- they outnumber boys in college , graduate school and the work force . but what will limit their potential is not biochemistry or ability , but a bias in how women and girls are viewed . unfortunately , cheryl rios'view of women is not unique . some people believe women have our place ' and that place is not at the table . they 'll tell your daughter to go for it ' but believe she is n't qualified to fulfill her dreams . in a compelling series about women and work , wharton school professor adam grant and facebook coo sheryl sandberg lay out the startling facts about the bias women face at work and the profound benefit of eradicating gender stereotypes . the evidence of bias is undeniable and the examples are endless . it 's overt : there are more men on corporate boards named john , robert , william or james than there are women on boards altogether . the bias is also covert : when students rate their favorite professors , they describe the men as geniuses ' and the women as nice . ' the bias is real , yet so many of us are blind to it . hillary clinton might not be the perfect candidate , but the fact that she is a woman will make her road to the white house a much steeper climb . that 's not just a problem for democrats -- it 's a problem for republicans , independents , everyone . the fact is , equality benefits everyone . it 's better for the bottom line ( companies with more women in leadership roles make more money ) . it 's great for kids because children with involved fathers are happier , healthier , and more successful . it 's great for marriages because couples that share responsibilities have stronger marriages . and it 's great for corporate teams because diverse teams and companies produce better results . our nation , our economy and our families would be much stronger if half of our companies were run by women and half of our households were run by men . it 's not enough to say to our daughters : you can be anything you want to be . ' what we need to say is : you can be anything you want to be , despite what some people might think -- and what they think is wrong . ' rios said that if clinton is elected , she is moving to canada ' because a female should n't be president . ' apparently rios knows as much about women and leadership as she knows about canada : kim campbell became the country 's first female prime minister in 1993 . correction : an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that canadians elected their first female prime minister , kim campbell . | a businesswoman worries that if hillary clinton becomes president , her hormones will make her go to war |
ebola <tsp> ebola has officially been eradicated from the democratic republic of congo , the world health organization declared friday , even amid fresh concerns about the deadly virus in places like sierra leone and mali . the united nations health agency cleared the drc for ebola because 42 days had passed since tests came back negative on the last person with the disease and there have been no other cases since . the who credited the central african country 's leadership and effective coordination , including steps to monitor those with the disease and the people they had been in contact with , for the milestone . this marks the seventh ebola outbreak in the drc since the virus was first identified in 1976 , the agency said . the democratic republic of congo has had 38 confirmed and 28 probable reported ebola cases in recent months . of those , 49 people -- including eight health care workers -- have died . the drc 's ebola cases are n't related to those in hard-hit west africa , though they come at a time when many around the continent are dealing with the same disease . the drc joins other countries , such as nigeria and senegal , that the who has declared ebola-free in recent weeks . this good news notwithstanding , ebola remains a very real threat elsewhere , particularly in west africa . and in some places , things are getting worse . that includes mali , where the first case of ebola came from a 2½-year-old girl who 'd crossed the border . then there was a 70-year-old grand imam who came from guinea to bamako , where he died on october 27 , prompting authorities to try to track down hundreds who were in contact with him . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called the new trail of transmissions in mali ... a cause of deep concern , ' announcing that who director-general dr. margaret chan will head to the country to assist officials there . we must smother this little fire , this little smoke before it gets out of control , ' chan said . ... i am confident that , if we work together as one , we will be able to bring this outbreak under control . ' six ebola cases have been reported so far in mali . contrast that with liberia , sierra leone and guinea , home to the vast majority of more than 15,000 ebola cases and over 5,000 deaths in recent months , according to a who report out friday . french president francois hollande plans to spend november 28-30 in that stricken region -- including a visit to guinea , a former french colony -- to address how to combat the virus , the elysee palace announced friday . france is giving more than $ 40 million to set up ebola treatment centers in guinea , as well as to send medical and related equipment to that and other west african nations . yet that 's just a fraction of what 's been requested to help fight the disease . the united nations this year launched a $ 1 billion campaign to fight ebola , but so far , it has fallen well short of that goal . un 's fast-track ebola fund falls woefully short u.n under-secretary-general kandeh yumkella told cnn 's richard quest on thursday that he is cautiously optimistic ' that ebola will be brought under control , pointing , for example , to successes containing the disease in liberia and increased awareness in some of the hardest-hit areas . but he also said that infection rates are increasing exponentially ' in parts of sierra leone , particularly its capital of freetown . the u.n. official said the future rests in part on what and how much the international community does to help corral the virus . talking about freetown , the former sierra leone trade minister said , if you look at the spike in the capital , we can not afford one minute of complacence , whether locally or internationally . ' chan echoed this view friday for all areas now battling ebola , saying we must maintain our vigilance ' given that for all the places where the outbreak appears to be stabilizing , new cases are still popping up elsewhere . but if the international community , local leaders and the residents of africa do their part , ban said , there 's hope that ebola can be beaten . if we continue to accelerate our response , ' the u.n. leader said , we can contain and end the outbreak by the middle of next year . ' | who chief heading to mali , where there have been new ebola transmissions |
ebola <tsp> ebola has officially been eradicated from the democratic republic of congo , the world health organization declared friday , even amid fresh concerns about the deadly virus in places like sierra leone and mali . the united nations health agency cleared the drc for ebola because 42 days had passed since tests came back negative on the last person with the disease and there have been no other cases since . the who credited the central african country 's leadership and effective coordination , including steps to monitor those with the disease and the people they had been in contact with , for the milestone . this marks the seventh ebola outbreak in the drc since the virus was first identified in 1976 , the agency said . the democratic republic of congo has had 38 confirmed and 28 probable reported ebola cases in recent months . of those , 49 people -- including eight health care workers -- have died . the drc 's ebola cases are n't related to those in hard-hit west africa , though they come at a time when many around the continent are dealing with the same disease . the drc joins other countries , such as nigeria and senegal , that the who has declared ebola-free in recent weeks . this good news notwithstanding , ebola remains a very real threat elsewhere , particularly in west africa . and in some places , things are getting worse . that includes mali , where the first case of ebola came from a 2½-year-old girl who 'd crossed the border . then there was a 70-year-old grand imam who came from guinea to bamako , where he died on october 27 , prompting authorities to try to track down hundreds who were in contact with him . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called the new trail of transmissions in mali ... a cause of deep concern , ' announcing that who director-general dr. margaret chan will head to the country to assist officials there . we must smother this little fire , this little smoke before it gets out of control , ' chan said . ... i am confident that , if we work together as one , we will be able to bring this outbreak under control . ' six ebola cases have been reported so far in mali . contrast that with liberia , sierra leone and guinea , home to the vast majority of more than 15,000 ebola cases and over 5,000 deaths in recent months , according to a who report out friday . french president francois hollande plans to spend november 28-30 in that stricken region -- including a visit to guinea , a former french colony -- to address how to combat the virus , the elysee palace announced friday . france is giving more than $ 40 million to set up ebola treatment centers in guinea , as well as to send medical and related equipment to that and other west african nations . yet that 's just a fraction of what 's been requested to help fight the disease . the united nations this year launched a $ 1 billion campaign to fight ebola , but so far , it has fallen well short of that goal . un 's fast-track ebola fund falls woefully short u.n under-secretary-general kandeh yumkella told cnn 's richard quest on thursday that he is cautiously optimistic ' that ebola will be brought under control , pointing , for example , to successes containing the disease in liberia and increased awareness in some of the hardest-hit areas . but he also said that infection rates are increasing exponentially ' in parts of sierra leone , particularly its capital of freetown . the u.n. official said the future rests in part on what and how much the international community does to help corral the virus . talking about freetown , the former sierra leone trade minister said , if you look at the spike in the capital , we can not afford one minute of complacence , whether locally or internationally . ' chan echoed this view friday for all areas now battling ebola , saying we must maintain our vigilance ' given that for all the places where the outbreak appears to be stabilizing , new cases are still popping up elsewhere . but if the international community , local leaders and the residents of africa do their part , ban said , there 's hope that ebola can be beaten . if we continue to accelerate our response , ' the u.n. leader said , we can contain and end the outbreak by the middle of next year . ' | u.n. leader says the ebola outbreak could be over by the middle of 2015 |
ebola <tsp> ebola has officially been eradicated from the democratic republic of congo , the world health organization declared friday , even amid fresh concerns about the deadly virus in places like sierra leone and mali . the united nations health agency cleared the drc for ebola because 42 days had passed since tests came back negative on the last person with the disease and there have been no other cases since . the who credited the central african country 's leadership and effective coordination , including steps to monitor those with the disease and the people they had been in contact with , for the milestone . this marks the seventh ebola outbreak in the drc since the virus was first identified in 1976 , the agency said . the democratic republic of congo has had 38 confirmed and 28 probable reported ebola cases in recent months . of those , 49 people -- including eight health care workers -- have died . the drc 's ebola cases are n't related to those in hard-hit west africa , though they come at a time when many around the continent are dealing with the same disease . the drc joins other countries , such as nigeria and senegal , that the who has declared ebola-free in recent weeks . this good news notwithstanding , ebola remains a very real threat elsewhere , particularly in west africa . and in some places , things are getting worse . that includes mali , where the first case of ebola came from a 2½-year-old girl who 'd crossed the border . then there was a 70-year-old grand imam who came from guinea to bamako , where he died on october 27 , prompting authorities to try to track down hundreds who were in contact with him . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called the new trail of transmissions in mali ... a cause of deep concern , ' announcing that who director-general dr. margaret chan will head to the country to assist officials there . we must smother this little fire , this little smoke before it gets out of control , ' chan said . ... i am confident that , if we work together as one , we will be able to bring this outbreak under control . ' six ebola cases have been reported so far in mali . contrast that with liberia , sierra leone and guinea , home to the vast majority of more than 15,000 ebola cases and over 5,000 deaths in recent months , according to a who report out friday . french president francois hollande plans to spend november 28-30 in that stricken region -- including a visit to guinea , a former french colony -- to address how to combat the virus , the elysee palace announced friday . france is giving more than $ 40 million to set up ebola treatment centers in guinea , as well as to send medical and related equipment to that and other west african nations . yet that 's just a fraction of what 's been requested to help fight the disease . the united nations this year launched a $ 1 billion campaign to fight ebola , but so far , it has fallen well short of that goal . un 's fast-track ebola fund falls woefully short u.n under-secretary-general kandeh yumkella told cnn 's richard quest on thursday that he is cautiously optimistic ' that ebola will be brought under control , pointing , for example , to successes containing the disease in liberia and increased awareness in some of the hardest-hit areas . but he also said that infection rates are increasing exponentially ' in parts of sierra leone , particularly its capital of freetown . the u.n. official said the future rests in part on what and how much the international community does to help corral the virus . talking about freetown , the former sierra leone trade minister said , if you look at the spike in the capital , we can not afford one minute of complacence , whether locally or internationally . ' chan echoed this view friday for all areas now battling ebola , saying we must maintain our vigilance ' given that for all the places where the outbreak appears to be stabilizing , new cases are still popping up elsewhere . but if the international community , local leaders and the residents of africa do their part , ban said , there 's hope that ebola can be beaten . if we continue to accelerate our response , ' the u.n. leader said , we can contain and end the outbreak by the middle of next year . ' | there have been no ebola cases in the democratic republic of congo in 42 days |
who <tsp> ebola has officially been eradicated from the democratic republic of congo , the world health organization declared friday , even amid fresh concerns about the deadly virus in places like sierra leone and mali . the united nations health agency cleared the drc for ebola because 42 days had passed since tests came back negative on the last person with the disease and there have been no other cases since . the who credited the central african country 's leadership and effective coordination , including steps to monitor those with the disease and the people they had been in contact with , for the milestone . this marks the seventh ebola outbreak in the drc since the virus was first identified in 1976 , the agency said . the democratic republic of congo has had 38 confirmed and 28 probable reported ebola cases in recent months . of those , 49 people -- including eight health care workers -- have died . the drc 's ebola cases are n't related to those in hard-hit west africa , though they come at a time when many around the continent are dealing with the same disease . the drc joins other countries , such as nigeria and senegal , that the who has declared ebola-free in recent weeks . this good news notwithstanding , ebola remains a very real threat elsewhere , particularly in west africa . and in some places , things are getting worse . that includes mali , where the first case of ebola came from a 2½-year-old girl who 'd crossed the border . then there was a 70-year-old grand imam who came from guinea to bamako , where he died on october 27 , prompting authorities to try to track down hundreds who were in contact with him . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called the new trail of transmissions in mali ... a cause of deep concern , ' announcing that who director-general dr. margaret chan will head to the country to assist officials there . we must smother this little fire , this little smoke before it gets out of control , ' chan said . ... i am confident that , if we work together as one , we will be able to bring this outbreak under control . ' six ebola cases have been reported so far in mali . contrast that with liberia , sierra leone and guinea , home to the vast majority of more than 15,000 ebola cases and over 5,000 deaths in recent months , according to a who report out friday . french president francois hollande plans to spend november 28-30 in that stricken region -- including a visit to guinea , a former french colony -- to address how to combat the virus , the elysee palace announced friday . france is giving more than $ 40 million to set up ebola treatment centers in guinea , as well as to send medical and related equipment to that and other west african nations . yet that 's just a fraction of what 's been requested to help fight the disease . the united nations this year launched a $ 1 billion campaign to fight ebola , but so far , it has fallen well short of that goal . un 's fast-track ebola fund falls woefully short u.n under-secretary-general kandeh yumkella told cnn 's richard quest on thursday that he is cautiously optimistic ' that ebola will be brought under control , pointing , for example , to successes containing the disease in liberia and increased awareness in some of the hardest-hit areas . but he also said that infection rates are increasing exponentially ' in parts of sierra leone , particularly its capital of freetown . the u.n. official said the future rests in part on what and how much the international community does to help corral the virus . talking about freetown , the former sierra leone trade minister said , if you look at the spike in the capital , we can not afford one minute of complacence , whether locally or internationally . ' chan echoed this view friday for all areas now battling ebola , saying we must maintain our vigilance ' given that for all the places where the outbreak appears to be stabilizing , new cases are still popping up elsewhere . but if the international community , local leaders and the residents of africa do their part , ban said , there 's hope that ebola can be beaten . if we continue to accelerate our response , ' the u.n. leader said , we can contain and end the outbreak by the middle of next year . ' | who chief heading to mali , where there have been new ebola transmissions |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sachin tendulkar became the most-capped player in test cricket on tuesday as india began their battle to level the three-match series against sri lanka . the 37-year-old , known as the little master , ' took the field in the five-day format for the 169th time as he surpassed the mark set by former australia captain steve waugh . tendulkar did not have the immediate chance to add to his records of 48 test centuries and 13,742 runs as sri lanka won the toss and decided to bat first at colombo . the hosts reached 293-4 at the end of the opening day , with captain kumar sangakkara top-scoring on 75 and thilan samaraweera unbeaten on 65 , while mahela jayawardene contributed 56 . opener tharanga paranavitana fell to ishant sharma for eight with the score at just 15 , but tillakaratne dilshan added 87 with sangakkara before falling just before the lunch break . tendulkar hits double century as india head for sri lanka stalemate dilshan made 41 off 70 balls before being run out by close fielder murali vijay . sangakkara was dropped on 23 by suresh raina off the bowling of abhimanyu mithun , but became the first of left-arm spinner pragyan ojha 's two victims on 157 when he was caught trying to loft down the ground . samaraweera was then joined by angelo mathews ( 26 ) , and they added an unbroken 53 against an indian attack missing injured spinner harbhajan singh . tendulkar adds biggest one-day score to his list of records the tourists , who lost the first match and drew the second , conceded 22 extras and harbhajan 's replacement amit mishra was warned twice for running on the pitch . meanwhile , former england all-rounder andrew flintoff has been ruled out for the rest of his country 's domestic season as plans for his comeback from long-term knee problems ground to a halt . the 32-year-old has not played since the last ashes match against australia almost a year ago , when he retired from test cricket to concentrate on limited-overs competitions . he has had two knee operations but is not yet ready to return , so will miss next month 's twenty20 champions trophy in south africa with his indian premier league club chennai super kings . | the 37-year-old passes the old mark set by former australia captain steve waugh |
felicia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hurricane felicia weakened friday as it headed toward hawaii and may continue to wane , but forecasters have not discounted the threat of flooding on the island chain . hurricane felicia is expected to reach hawaii by monday and continue to weaken on its way . the storm was downgraded to a category 2 hurricane as it moved west-northwest toward hilo , hawaii , at 13 mph ( 20 kmh ) . felicia 's maximum sustained winds slowed from 140 mph ( 220 kmh ) thursday to near 100 mph ( 185 kmh ) as of 8 a.m. pt friday , according to the national hurricane center in miami , florida . felicia is expected to weaken further as it moves over cooler waters , according to the hurricane center . felicia could reach hawaii by monday , but by that time it may have weakened to a tropical depression or tropical storm , said meteorologist derek wroe at the central pacific hurricane center in honolulu , hawaii . see hurricane ratings , what they mean , and how to keep safe » even if the storm does not hit hawaii as a hurricane , it can still cause flooding damage , wroe said . [ storms and depressions ] bring a lot of moisture with them and the wind may not be as strong when it comes in with a depression , but a depression is sometimes just as capable as bringing in flooding as a tropical storm , ' wroe said . felicia is about 1,280 miles east ( 2,060 kilometers ) of the big island , according to the weather service . wroe expects the hurricane to continue westward after it strikes hawaii , bringing rain to one or more of the islands for a day or part of a day as it moves along , he said . if the hurricane sweeps through each island , it could take a couple of days before hawaii is in the clear , he said . | felicia might be tropical depression or storm when it reaches hawaiian islands |
felicia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- hurricane felicia weakened friday as it headed toward hawaii and may continue to wane , but forecasters have not discounted the threat of flooding on the island chain . hurricane felicia is expected to reach hawaii by monday and continue to weaken on its way . the storm was downgraded to a category 2 hurricane as it moved west-northwest toward hilo , hawaii , at 13 mph ( 20 kmh ) . felicia 's maximum sustained winds slowed from 140 mph ( 220 kmh ) thursday to near 100 mph ( 185 kmh ) as of 8 a.m. pt friday , according to the national hurricane center in miami , florida . felicia is expected to weaken further as it moves over cooler waters , according to the hurricane center . felicia could reach hawaii by monday , but by that time it may have weakened to a tropical depression or tropical storm , said meteorologist derek wroe at the central pacific hurricane center in honolulu , hawaii . see hurricane ratings , what they mean , and how to keep safe » even if the storm does not hit hawaii as a hurricane , it can still cause flooding damage , wroe said . [ storms and depressions ] bring a lot of moisture with them and the wind may not be as strong when it comes in with a depression , but a depression is sometimes just as capable as bringing in flooding as a tropical storm , ' wroe said . felicia is about 1,280 miles east ( 2,060 kilometers ) of the big island , according to the weather service . wroe expects the hurricane to continue westward after it strikes hawaii , bringing rain to one or more of the islands for a day or part of a day as it moves along , he said . if the hurricane sweeps through each island , it could take a couple of days before hawaii is in the clear , he said . | new : hurricane felicia , now category 2 , likely to keep weakening |
john terry <tsp> ( cnn ) -- english football continues to troubled by the scourge of racism , according to a parliamentary report . over the last year england 's football authorities -- as well as england 's justice system -- have had to contend with racism cases involving patrice evra of manchester united and liverpool 's luis suarez as well as chelsea 's john terry and anton ferdinand of qpr . in december , the english football association handed suarez an eight-match ban and a â£40,000 fine after finding the uruguayan guilty of racially abusing evra , while in july , ex-england captain john terry was cleared of racially abusing fellow footballer anton ferdinand at westminster magistrates'court ' much has been done to improve the atmosphere and behaviour at football matches and it has become a much more family-friendly activity , ' said chair of the culture , media and sport ( cms ) committee john whittingdale mp . however , recent incidents of racist abuse in the uk , both on and off the pitch , have highlighted the fact that there remain significant problems . it should be a priority for the fa to develop procedures for stewards to follow and regular training opportunities to ensure that all relevant staff at club grounds are capable of reacting swiftly and consistently to incidents of abuse . ' and the cms committee called on the fa to do more in tackling all forms of abuse in the game : ' while the general level of progress in combating racism and racist abuse in the uk is positive and should be applauded , there is much more that can and must be done , and we believe it is for the fa to take the lead and set the example for everyone , from football authorities at all levels to the grassroots groups , to follow . ' the fa , the premier league and the football league issued a joint response to the cms report . we agree with the committee that whilst substantial progress has been made to promote equality and tackle discrimination in the game , challenges remain for all of the football authorities , ' said their statement . we remain committed , along with all of our stakeholders , to promoting equality and diversity within the game and to the eradication of all forms of discrimination in football . we will continue to work across the entire breadth of the sport to deliver our inclusion and anti-discrimination agenda . in doing so , we will consider in detail how the committee 's recommendations can support and influence this work . evidence given to the cms suggested that homophobia might now be the biggest problem football is facing . recent research found that 25 % of fans think that football is homophobic while 10 % think that football is racist , ' said the cms , which wants the fa to promote a campaign to highlight the damaging effect of homophobic language and behaviour in around football at every level . ' as well as identifying homophobic abuse as well as laddish ' behaviour as significant problems , the report demanded a more active response from the authorities to racial abuse at grassroots level . the report noted that social media -- such as twitter and online forums -- had been used to spread racist and abusive content but suggested the medium could be used more effectively to counteract the problem of abuse . ' we believe that the football authorities should be using this developing forum for communication and debate , to spread positive messages about equality and diversity and also to speak out strongly against instances of racist abuse when they occur , ' added whittingdale . there are very few black managers in english football 's four divisions -- chris hughton is the only one in the premier league -- and the cms committee called for improved recruitment processes across all clubs and football authorities . more needs to be done to increase the diversity of the pool of candidates for coaches and referees , to embed the values of equality and diversity at all levels of the game , ' said the report . although terry was cleared of racially abusing ferdinand in the courts the ex-england captain faces an fa racial abuse charge on september 24 . the fa 's three-man independent regulatory commission will judge that case on the balance of probabilities ' , a lesser burden of proof than beyond reasonable doubt ' which is used in the courts . english football is not the only sport that is currently facing the issue of racism . toronto shortstop yunel escobar has been suspended for three games by the blue jays for wearing eye-black displaying a homophobic slur written in spanish during a game last weekend against boston . | chelsea 's john terry was recently cleared a racial abuse by a magistrate 's court |
copenhagen <tsp> ( cnn ) -- first trip to malmo ? here 's some insider advice to help you get the most out of your visit . locals like to take a cold dip after a sauna at ribersborgs kallbadhus . getting around town most of malmo 's attractions are reachable by foot , but flat terrain and an abundance of cycle paths also make the city ideal to explore by bike . rentals run around 120 kronor . you can also jump on the eco-friendly buses that criss-cross the city . visit the tourist office at central station for maps . if you opt for a taxi , be sure to set the price of the trip with the driver before setting off . ice cool for more than a century , locals have been visiting the ribersborgs kallbadhus for a steam in the sauna followed by a dip in the baltic . the swimming baths are open year-round . if you want to blend in with the locals , brave the elements and hit the baths in the winter for an icy plunge . a better time to visit for the less adventurous is in the summer , when the baths are open for sunbathing . living green as part of its post-industrial transformation , malmo has become a leader in environmental design . the city 's green achievements are reflected by the bo01 housing development , a waterfront regeneration project with a focus on environmentally-friendly living . for the latest in green design , visit the western harbor and augustenborg neighborhoods . for a more informed look , contact the local environmental department , which occasionally offers free guided tours of the city 's ecologically sustainable areas . around the sound malmo is located just 35 minutes by train from the danish capital of copenhagen , and every day thousands travel between the two cities via the oresund bridge . trains leave from malmo every 20 minutes for most of the day . after midnight , service is less frequent . the two cities are part of scandinavia 's oresund region -- the transnational area made up of southern sweden and eastern denmark . the best way to explore the oresund region is with an around the sound ' ticket , which gives you access to all the trains you need to travel around the area , including the ride across the oresund bridge . you can make as many stops as you want as long as you travel in one direction . tickets are good for two days and also get you discounts to the major attractions in the region . prices depend on how far you travel and start from 199 kronor . feasting on crayfish swedes are crazy about crayfish , and outdoor festivities celebrating the crustacean are held across the nation to mark the end of summer . in malmo , head to stortorget , the city 's main square , for one of the biggest crayfish parties in the world . the massive celebration is held annually to kick off the popular malmo festival . swedes like their crayfish cooked in salty water infused with dill . blend in with the locals by eating it cold with toast and beer . to really get into the tradition , wash down the crayfish with akvavit , a scandinavian kind of vodka . | enjoy a two-nation vacation by taking a trip to nearby copenhagen |
iran <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- international officials arrived in iran on sunday to inspect a newly disclosed nuclear facility near the city of qom , state media reported . inspectors from the united nations'nuclear watchdog -- the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) -- will visit the installation to make sure it is being used for peaceful purposes , said ali akbar salehi , the head of atomic energy organization of iran , according to the islamic republic news agency . the three-day visit comes after iran said friday that it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a deal that could help end the international showdown over its nuclear activities . that proposal calls for low-enriched uranium produced in iran to be sent abroad for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment . tehran is studying the draft proposal and will have an answer next week , iranian diplomat ali asghar soltanieh said on state-run press tv . iran informed iaea director general mohamed elbaradei that it is considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light , but it needs until the middle of next week to provide a response , ' according to an iaea statement . delegations from iran , france , russia , the united states and the iaea met in vienna this week to work out details of the tentative deal reached in early october . and france , russia and the united states indicated their approval of the arrangement . the director general hopes that iran 's response will equally be positive , since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation , ' the iaea statement said . tehran sent shock waves through the international community by revealing in a letter to the iaea the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility near qom . it is important for us to send out inspectors to do comprehensive verification ... to assure ourselves that it is ... fit for peaceful purposes , ' elbaradei said earlier this month . after the inspection , but before the end of the month , iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the u.n. security council -- britain , china , france , russia and the united states -- plus germany to further discuss tehran 's nuclear program . iran 's leaders maintain that their nation 's nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes , but many in the west believe iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities . low-enriched nuclear fuel can be further enriched into weapons-grade material . | iran says its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes |
iran <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- international officials arrived in iran on sunday to inspect a newly disclosed nuclear facility near the city of qom , state media reported . inspectors from the united nations'nuclear watchdog -- the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) -- will visit the installation to make sure it is being used for peaceful purposes , said ali akbar salehi , the head of atomic energy organization of iran , according to the islamic republic news agency . the three-day visit comes after iran said friday that it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a deal that could help end the international showdown over its nuclear activities . that proposal calls for low-enriched uranium produced in iran to be sent abroad for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment . tehran is studying the draft proposal and will have an answer next week , iranian diplomat ali asghar soltanieh said on state-run press tv . iran informed iaea director general mohamed elbaradei that it is considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light , but it needs until the middle of next week to provide a response , ' according to an iaea statement . delegations from iran , france , russia , the united states and the iaea met in vienna this week to work out details of the tentative deal reached in early october . and france , russia and the united states indicated their approval of the arrangement . the director general hopes that iran 's response will equally be positive , since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation , ' the iaea statement said . tehran sent shock waves through the international community by revealing in a letter to the iaea the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility near qom . it is important for us to send out inspectors to do comprehensive verification ... to assure ourselves that it is ... fit for peaceful purposes , ' elbaradei said earlier this month . after the inspection , but before the end of the month , iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the u.n. security council -- britain , china , france , russia and the united states -- plus germany to further discuss tehran 's nuclear program . iran 's leaders maintain that their nation 's nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes , but many in the west believe iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities . low-enriched nuclear fuel can be further enriched into weapons-grade material . | new : visit comes after iran says it needs more time to mull deal over uranium production |
iran <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- international officials arrived in iran on sunday to inspect a newly disclosed nuclear facility near the city of qom , state media reported . inspectors from the united nations'nuclear watchdog -- the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) -- will visit the installation to make sure it is being used for peaceful purposes , said ali akbar salehi , the head of atomic energy organization of iran , according to the islamic republic news agency . the three-day visit comes after iran said friday that it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a deal that could help end the international showdown over its nuclear activities . that proposal calls for low-enriched uranium produced in iran to be sent abroad for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment . tehran is studying the draft proposal and will have an answer next week , iranian diplomat ali asghar soltanieh said on state-run press tv . iran informed iaea director general mohamed elbaradei that it is considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light , but it needs until the middle of next week to provide a response , ' according to an iaea statement . delegations from iran , france , russia , the united states and the iaea met in vienna this week to work out details of the tentative deal reached in early october . and france , russia and the united states indicated their approval of the arrangement . the director general hopes that iran 's response will equally be positive , since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation , ' the iaea statement said . tehran sent shock waves through the international community by revealing in a letter to the iaea the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility near qom . it is important for us to send out inspectors to do comprehensive verification ... to assure ourselves that it is ... fit for peaceful purposes , ' elbaradei said earlier this month . after the inspection , but before the end of the month , iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the u.n. security council -- britain , china , france , russia and the united states -- plus germany to further discuss tehran 's nuclear program . iran 's leaders maintain that their nation 's nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes , but many in the west believe iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities . low-enriched nuclear fuel can be further enriched into weapons-grade material . | many in the west believe iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities |
tehran <tsp> tehran , iran ( cnn ) -- international officials arrived in iran on sunday to inspect a newly disclosed nuclear facility near the city of qom , state media reported . inspectors from the united nations'nuclear watchdog -- the international atomic energy agency ( iaea ) -- will visit the installation to make sure it is being used for peaceful purposes , said ali akbar salehi , the head of atomic energy organization of iran , according to the islamic republic news agency . the three-day visit comes after iran said friday that it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a deal that could help end the international showdown over its nuclear activities . that proposal calls for low-enriched uranium produced in iran to be sent abroad for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment . tehran is studying the draft proposal and will have an answer next week , iranian diplomat ali asghar soltanieh said on state-run press tv . iran informed iaea director general mohamed elbaradei that it is considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light , but it needs until the middle of next week to provide a response , ' according to an iaea statement . delegations from iran , france , russia , the united states and the iaea met in vienna this week to work out details of the tentative deal reached in early october . and france , russia and the united states indicated their approval of the arrangement . the director general hopes that iran 's response will equally be positive , since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation , ' the iaea statement said . tehran sent shock waves through the international community by revealing in a letter to the iaea the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility near qom . it is important for us to send out inspectors to do comprehensive verification ... to assure ourselves that it is ... fit for peaceful purposes , ' elbaradei said earlier this month . after the inspection , but before the end of the month , iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the u.n. security council -- britain , china , france , russia and the united states -- plus germany to further discuss tehran 's nuclear program . iran 's leaders maintain that their nation 's nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes , but many in the west believe iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities . low-enriched nuclear fuel can be further enriched into weapons-grade material . | tehran has revealed the existence of a second nuclear enrichment facility |
rahm emanuel <tsp> rahm emanuel is building a second city . two cities really , as the two summers ' theme shown in episode 4 of chicagoland ' suggests . one white , one black . one for the rich , one for the poor . one for private schools , one for closed schools . a new chicago for the saved and the damned . gold coast heavens and low-end hells . it 's biblical , binary . the mayor 's new chicago is a second city for the first citizens who colonized the land and took it from the pottawatomie . the mayor 's vision is not for most chicagoans who live here now . it is not for jason barrett . in last week 's chicagoland ' episode , principal elizabeth dozier of fenger high school secures the early release of barrett , who she is mentoring . but he is re-arrested and becomes one of the thousands of black and brown bodies disproportionately locked up and routed into america 's growing , often privatized , prison system . the mayor 's new chicago is not for black and brown and white workers who toil in multiple service sector jobs that the mayor 's neo-liberal economic advisers hail as job creation . in fact emanuel and his advisers have been the proponents of a global economic policy that packs up the kind of blue collar jobs that built chicago and sends them south with ease : emanuel championed nafta at the clinton white house . the chicago that the mayor and his team of wealthy financiers are continuing to create and sell is a second city of tourists and grand inequities . the disparity gap grows between those who have and those who have to rent . those who can afford private schools like the mayor 's children and those whose public neighborhood schools are underfunded and tracked and given impossible and idiotic standardized tests to validate their existence . the new chicago is for new businesses that will be lured with tax-free incentives , gaining advantages they wo n't have to pay back in order to be responsible citizens . the new chicago is based on old european models of urban planning , concentric zones of wealth where working and poor people are pushed to the margins of the land and public discourse . the mayor is like a suburban kid back in the city with his parents'money who wants to go to lollapalooza . when the list of 50 school closings in mostly black and brown neighborhoods was leaked , he was skiing on spring break in utah . this month when a group of poets from the chicago public high school team englewood hoped to speak to the mayor directly at louder than a bomb : the chicago youth poetry festival , he chose instead , the same night , to be on a giant swing at a $ 450-a-ticket gala , eating a $ 1,000 priced meal , served by a celebrity chef . the slick series chicagoland ' glosses over issues such as economic injustice , white supremacy , the declining middle class and the school to prison pipeline . chicago on tv appears in a vacuum , rather than in the torrent of history . police chief garry mccarthy 's stop-and-frisk policy is a continuation of america 's long history of criminalizing and dehumanizing black and brown bodies . police force and presence in neighborhoods is sometimes the cause of violence and destruction rather than its cessation . chicago is , after all , the home of jon burge , a chicago police commander who was fired for torture and later convicted of lying about the practice . it was also the home of rekia boyd , an unarmed young black woman shot and killed by a chicago police detective . the mayor maintains systemic inequity and champions individual exceptionalism . in episode 4 , the gracious white mayor provides an internship for one young black man while his city locks up thousands . recidivism and the school to prison pipeline is the real graduation ' to paraphrase the most honest articulation of episode 4 from an interview with an unnamed prisoner . the dismantling of public education in chicago is a pathway toward a privatized school system living at the center of the department of education in washington . the mayor and his cronies are the architects of these blueprints concerned with standardized tests but not standards for every student 's academic success and environment . until they hold the system to the standards they demand for their own children , for all children , schools will continue to fail students they seek to teach . the mayor is not a mentor or educator . he is a millionaire businessman . in episode 4 , he walks around after-school programs patting black kids on the head like some king . he considers himself a white savior , but he is something antithetical . in episode 4 , he says he gives kids a second chance . but it is certain the schools and the city will fail students of color and send them to the largest jail in the country . chance , the incredibly gifted hyper-literate emergent hip-hop superstar at the center of episode 4 and at the center of a youth cultural renaissance in chicago , succeeds despite the school system he was suspended from and because of a strong two parent household , an informal network of aunties in the working class community of chatham , and a cadre of arts programs . those include young chicago authors and louder than a bomb , where i serve as artistic director and had the privilege of mentoring the young rapper , where he was able to develop his voice and craft outside of the school day . chance is not an anomaly when it comes to the brilliance of young chicagoans and the contributions they have to share with the world . he is in the great tradition of chicago realist working class portraiture . chance is connected aesthetically and spiritually to gwendolyn brooks , lorraine hansberry , studs terkel and kanye west , when he rhymes on nostalgia from his mix-tape 10day ' : round here we lose best friends like every week i like to think we playin'a long game of hide and go seek and one day maybe ... i could lead them kids of the kingdom singing about freedom ... as chicago goes , so goes the country . and we are here fighting for freedom , for all , for every person from every zip code . we are fighting for the soul of the city , the soul of the country . we are building again , indeed , a second city , as we derive our nickname from the ability to rise after the ashes and great fire of 1871 . chicagoans have the ability to rise like a phoenix . this is a testament to the resiliency of hard working people everywhere , not the backroom dealings of a millionaire mayor or his posse . we are the city of the eight-hour workday and the haymarket martyrs . the home of margaret burroughs and fred hampton , home of jane addams and the mothers of whittier elementary school . a city of genius and gangsters . this is a writer 's and fighter 's town as nelson algren would say . and this is a fight to counter the mayor 's vision of a future city , of two cities . we are trying to write and fight for a united city , a different city . a second city . a new city , a city anew , a city for all . for real . | he says mayor rahm emanuel is presiding over two cities , one for rich , one for poor |
national weather service <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a freak fall snow storm slammed the mid-atlantic and northeast on saturday , leaving three people dead , more than 2 million households without power and thousands of air travelers stranded . an 84-year-old man was napping in a recliner at his home in temple , pennsylvania , on saturday afternoon when part of a large , snow-filled tree fell into his house and killed him instantly , ' according to a state police report . with numerous downed trees in the area , rescue crews took two hours to safely remove the victim . ' another person died while driving in hebron , connecticut , state emergency spokesman scott devico said . a third person was killed in springfield , massachusetts , when a man in his 20s ignored police barricades surrounding downed power lines and touched a metal guard rail , which was charged , said city fire department spokesman dennis legere . predicting the system could dump as much as 18 inches of snow in some spots , connecticut gov . dannel malloy joined new york gov . andrew cuomo , new jersey gov . chris christie and massachusetts gov . deval patrick in issuing emergency declarations for their respective states . it 's like a blizzard , you ca n't see far at all , ' cnn ireporter alban ajro , 32 , said saturday night from watertown , connecticut . this is the first time that i can ever recall this kind of storm happening before halloween . ' all domestic flights out of new jersey 's newark international airport were canceled around 4 p.m. saturday , according to an announcement made at the airport . frustrated passengers filled an array of long lines , trying to change their tickets in light of the storm . overheard : storm sparks discussion about new grid another airport in the garden state , teterboro , closed just after 2 p.m. before reopening hours later , the federal aviation administration reported on its website . the faa also reported major delays of , at times , over 5 hours at new york 's two airports , john f. kennedy and laguardia . richard roth , a cnn correspondent , was among those affected when his syracuse-to-kennedy flight was diverted to hartford because of the storm . he sat with his fellow passengers on the runway at bradley international airport for about four and a half hours , and -- roughly eight hours after arriving -- he was still stuck in the terminal . we 're here in the dark now , ' roth said saturday evening . there 's no hope , at the moment , in sight . ' the connecticut governor acknowledged that conditions are not very pleasant ' at bradley , where 23 flights have been diverted . he added , they 're trying to get people off their planes as rapidly as they can . ' the early season snowstorm was the result of unseasonably cold air mixing with a storm system on the east coast . ireport : winter weather near you as of 8 p.m. , the storm had already dumped 10 inches of snow in places as far afield as ridgefield , connecticut ; ogletown , pennsylvania ; and terra alta , west virginia , according to the national weather service . parts of new york and new jersey especially got buried , including 15.5 inches in west milford , new jersey , and 12 inches in harriman , new york . lesser , albeit still significant amounts were measured in other locales around the northeast , including 1.3 inches of snow in new york 's central park as of 8 p.m. -- the most ever for this date since record-keeping began in 1869 . snow continued to fall saturday night as the system moved over new england . the storm 's timing made it unique and caught some off-guard . we 're used to a lot of snow here , but not this early , ' cnn ireporter michael majosky , 34 , said from windber , pennsylvania . we do n't mind the snow -- it 's pretty neat having it around halloween . ' winter storm warnings were in effect saturday evening for a swath of states , from pennsylvania to eastern maine . along with heavy snow , high winds gusting up to 50 mph were possible . forecasters'predictions of power outages and downed trees in some areas bore fruit , as hundreds of thousands were without electricity as of saturday afternoon . the reason is that the moisture content -- thus density -- of the falling snow was particularly high given temperatures hovering around the freezing point .'occupy'demonstrators face bite of wintry storm malloy , the connecticut governor , said early saturday night that 50,000 to 70,000 customers were losing power every hour , with the leading utility connecticut light and power reporting on its website about 550,000 without service at 9 p.m. saturday . the governor cautioned that power crews are not out on the roads , and wo n't return until road conditions improve markedly . if you are without power , you should expect to be without power for a prolonged period of time , ' malloy said . about 715,000 customers were without power late saturday in new jersey , in addition to 333,000 in neighboring new york , according to figures reported saturday evening by power companies in those states . another 360,000 did n't have electricity in pennsylvania due to the storm . other states were affected as well , including at least 7,000 households in maryland , 6,300 in virginia who get service from dominion , and 1,400 allegheny power customers in west virginia . the storm had wreaked havoc on the roads , with malloy noting a large number of spin-outs and vehicles going off the road ' in his state . he noted that -- in addition to the fatality -- a state trooper was injured in a crash . and in pennsylvania and elsewhere , cnn meteorologist chad myers warned that the wet snow would turn to ice in many spots overnight due to freezing temperatures , making road conditions even more perilous . one positive is that the wintry weather should n't last too much longer . by sunday afternoon , the storm is expected to have passed the united states . temperatures should warm by then -- including a high of 49 forecast for sunday in new york , warming into the high-50s over the course of the week . cnn 's greg botelho , greg morrison , sara weisfeldt , elizabeth cherneff and sean morris contributed to this report . | the national weather service reports 15 inches of snow in one new jersey town |
paul walker <tsp> ( cnn ) universal 's furious 7 ' continues to build momentum at the friday box office for a weekend debut in the $ 135 million- $ 138 million range , the largest opening in north america since fall 2013 . that includes a projected friday take of $ 58 million- $ 60 million . the final film featuring the late paul walker , furious 7 ' is opening around the globe this weekend and earned a record-breaking $ 60 million internationally on wednesday and thursday for a possible worldwide debut approaching or crossing $ 300 million by the end of easter sunday . furious 7 ' is getting the widest release in universal 's history . domestically , it will be playing in 4,003 theaters by good friday . internationally , it has booked more than 10,500 screens in 63 territories , although it wo n't open in china , japan and russia until later . the current record-holder for top april opening domestically is captain america : the winter soldier , ' which debuted to $ 95 million from 3,928 theaters last year . furious 7 ' is likewise poised to nab the biggest opening of 2015 to date . and it will easily beat the $ 121.9 million launch of the hunger games mockingjay — part 1 ' in november 2104 , making it the largest three-day opening since the hunger games : catching fire ' ( $ 158 million ) in november 2013 . the movie enjoys massive awareness and interest , due to both the popularity of the street-racing series and walker 's death . the last film , fast & furious 6 , ' debuted to a franchise-best $ 117 million over the four-day memorial day weekend in 2012 , including $ 97.4 million for the three days , on its way to grossing $ 788.7 million worldwide . universal intended to open furious 7 ' on july 11 , 2014 , but production was halted in november 2013 when walker died in a car crash during the thanksgiving hiatus . after director james wan , writer chris morgan and universal pored over existing footage and tweaked the script , production resumed in april 2014 . cgi and voice effects were used in some scenes featuring walker 's detective character , brian o'conner , with walker 's brothers , caleb and cody , used as stand-ins . furious 7 ' pits vin diesel 's dominic toretto and crew ( which includes michelle rodriguez and tyrese gibson , among others , as well as walker ) against jason statham 's deckard shaw , out for revenge after the death of his brother . dwayne johnson also reprises his role as hobbs . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the final film featuring the late paul walker , furious 7 ' is opening around the globe this weekend |
easter sunday <tsp> ( cnn ) universal 's furious 7 ' continues to build momentum at the friday box office for a weekend debut in the $ 135 million- $ 138 million range , the largest opening in north america since fall 2013 . that includes a projected friday take of $ 58 million- $ 60 million . the final film featuring the late paul walker , furious 7 ' is opening around the globe this weekend and earned a record-breaking $ 60 million internationally on wednesday and thursday for a possible worldwide debut approaching or crossing $ 300 million by the end of easter sunday . furious 7 ' is getting the widest release in universal 's history . domestically , it will be playing in 4,003 theaters by good friday . internationally , it has booked more than 10,500 screens in 63 territories , although it wo n't open in china , japan and russia until later . the current record-holder for top april opening domestically is captain america : the winter soldier , ' which debuted to $ 95 million from 3,928 theaters last year . furious 7 ' is likewise poised to nab the biggest opening of 2015 to date . and it will easily beat the $ 121.9 million launch of the hunger games mockingjay — part 1 ' in november 2104 , making it the largest three-day opening since the hunger games : catching fire ' ( $ 158 million ) in november 2013 . the movie enjoys massive awareness and interest , due to both the popularity of the street-racing series and walker 's death . the last film , fast & furious 6 , ' debuted to a franchise-best $ 117 million over the four-day memorial day weekend in 2012 , including $ 97.4 million for the three days , on its way to grossing $ 788.7 million worldwide . universal intended to open furious 7 ' on july 11 , 2014 , but production was halted in november 2013 when walker died in a car crash during the thanksgiving hiatus . after director james wan , writer chris morgan and universal pored over existing footage and tweaked the script , production resumed in april 2014 . cgi and voice effects were used in some scenes featuring walker 's detective character , brian o'conner , with walker 's brothers , caleb and cody , used as stand-ins . furious 7 ' pits vin diesel 's dominic toretto and crew ( which includes michelle rodriguez and tyrese gibson , among others , as well as walker ) against jason statham 's deckard shaw , out for revenge after the death of his brother . dwayne johnson also reprises his role as hobbs . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | it 's worldwide debut may approach or cross $ 300 million by the end of easter sunday |
furious 7 <tsp> ( cnn ) universal 's furious 7 ' continues to build momentum at the friday box office for a weekend debut in the $ 135 million- $ 138 million range , the largest opening in north america since fall 2013 . that includes a projected friday take of $ 58 million- $ 60 million . the final film featuring the late paul walker , furious 7 ' is opening around the globe this weekend and earned a record-breaking $ 60 million internationally on wednesday and thursday for a possible worldwide debut approaching or crossing $ 300 million by the end of easter sunday . furious 7 ' is getting the widest release in universal 's history . domestically , it will be playing in 4,003 theaters by good friday . internationally , it has booked more than 10,500 screens in 63 territories , although it wo n't open in china , japan and russia until later . the current record-holder for top april opening domestically is captain america : the winter soldier , ' which debuted to $ 95 million from 3,928 theaters last year . furious 7 ' is likewise poised to nab the biggest opening of 2015 to date . and it will easily beat the $ 121.9 million launch of the hunger games mockingjay — part 1 ' in november 2104 , making it the largest three-day opening since the hunger games : catching fire ' ( $ 158 million ) in november 2013 . the movie enjoys massive awareness and interest , due to both the popularity of the street-racing series and walker 's death . the last film , fast & furious 6 , ' debuted to a franchise-best $ 117 million over the four-day memorial day weekend in 2012 , including $ 97.4 million for the three days , on its way to grossing $ 788.7 million worldwide . universal intended to open furious 7 ' on july 11 , 2014 , but production was halted in november 2013 when walker died in a car crash during the thanksgiving hiatus . after director james wan , writer chris morgan and universal pored over existing footage and tweaked the script , production resumed in april 2014 . cgi and voice effects were used in some scenes featuring walker 's detective character , brian o'conner , with walker 's brothers , caleb and cody , used as stand-ins . furious 7 ' pits vin diesel 's dominic toretto and crew ( which includes michelle rodriguez and tyrese gibson , among others , as well as walker ) against jason statham 's deckard shaw , out for revenge after the death of his brother . dwayne johnson also reprises his role as hobbs . ©2015 the hollywood reporter . all rights reserved . | the final film featuring the late paul walker , furious 7 ' is opening around the globe this weekend |
uk <tsp> ( cnn ) -- thomas the tank engine , whose television adventures on the fictional island of sodor have delighted children around the world for years , is now on a real-life mission to help kids with autism . thomas the tank engine is part of a new online game to help autistic children recognize different emotions . the steam locomotive and his friends are the stars of a new game in australia , designed to help autistic children recognize emotions . autism spectrum australia ( aspect ) , a nonprofit that provides services to people diagnosed with the developmental disorder , unveiled the game on its web site tuesday . the game asks players to recognize which engine has a sad face , or which is happy or angry . children with autism often have a difficult time distinguishing different facial expressions . each time a child plays the game , he/she is presented with a different sequence of emotions . in doing so , the game takes advantage of the single-mindedness of autistic children to assist in their development . it 's a great way to help develop social and communication skills , ' said anthony warren of aspect . a study conducted in the united kingdom found that autistic children were far more fascinated by the television series , thomas and friends , ' than they were with other fictional characters . the study , by the national autistic society , summarized that the show held such appeal because of the clear facial expressions of the characters , the pacing of the program and the easy-to-follow story lines . we got those results down here , and we thought , how could we leverage that strength and give a little back to the community ? ' said tom punch with haven licensing , the company that handles licensing for the characters in australia . warren said one of the reasons thomas is particularly stimulating and motivating for children with autism is that it 's very predictable . children can understand the clear visual messages -- the big smile on the front of the engine , ' he said . the messages it communicates are very concrete , not abstract . and the emotions are primary emotions . it 's uncomplicated . ' autism is a developmental disorder that affects physical , social and language skills . it usually appears before age 3 , though the earliest signs are subtle . more doctors and researchers are referring to autism ' as autisms , ' because each child 's case is different , as are the causes , helpful therapies and potential treatments . the australian nonprofit unveiled the game this month to coincide with autism awareness month in that country . after all , as the show 's theme song attests : red and green and brown and blue ; they 're the really useful crew . ' | uk study : more autistic kids fascinated with thomas ' than other fictional characters |
bill hader <tsp> ( ew.com ) -- three big names have just signed on for guest roles in mindy kaling 's promising fox comedy pilot . in the as-yet-untitled show , kaling plays a bridget-jones type ob/gyn trying to navigate her personal and professional life . here 's the scoop : first , kaling 's the office ' co-star ed helms is in the show as a potential love interest . he 'll play dennis , a wall street analyst who goes on a blind date with kaling 's character mira . next , saturday night live ' and superbad ' veteran bill hader has joined the pilot to play kaling 's ex-boyfriend tom . he 's described as upbeat , humble , almost infinitely appealing boy-next-door type who has such perfect chemistry with kaling 's character that it feels nearly too good to be true . mira sees him as the living breathing equivalent of an early 80 's tom hanks . ' and finally , west wing ' veteran richard schiff will appear in the episode , too , as a former free spirit who 's now a menschy but accomplished obgyn . ' the character makes up yiddish stuff hoping no one will catch him , is terrible with technology and tells stories about the 60s and 70s . ' if the universal television-produced pilot gets a series greenlight , kaling might exit nbc 's the office . ' in other office ' news , the show is seeking a new showrunner as paul lieberstein ( who also plays toby ) seeks to focus on the planned spinoff . see the full article at ew.com click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly © 2011 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved . | ed helms and bill hader will join a new fox comedy by mindy kaling |
va <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the department of veterans affairs said wednesday it will apologize to veterans who were mistakenly told they 'd been diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition . brent casey said went into a meltdown ' when he got a letter from the va saying , erroneously , that he had als . letters were sent august 13 to 1,864 veterans and survivors , the va said in a written statement . they were supposed to be sent to veterans with als -- also known as lou gehrig 's disease -- to keep them apprised of expanding benefits eligibility . according to the records of the department of veterans affairs ( va ) , you have a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( als ) , ' said the letter , according to the national gulf war resource center . this letter tells you about va disability compensation benefits that may be available to you . ' but some who received the letters , like brent casey , do not have als . casey , a disabled army veteran from the first gulf war , told cnn that when he received the letter , he was just completely beside myself . just floored . went into a complete and total meltdown . i could n't speak , could n't -- i guess i was , truthfully , speechless . ' the va said issued a statement saying it made a coding error , and a number of veterans who should not have received this letter did . ' an estimated one-third of the letters -- more than 600 -- were sent erroneously , a department official familiar with the program told cnn . after hearing from veterans who received the letter but do not have als , the va immediately began reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients to determine who received the letter by mistake , agency spokeswoman katie roberts said in the statement . va employees are personally contacting these individuals to ensure they understand the letter should not be confused with a medical diagnosis of als , explain why they mistakenly received the letter and express va 's sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error . ' it 's not right for it to happen this way , ' casey said . regardless if it was the case that i was diagnosed with als , that would be the worst possible way for an organization to let an individual know . ' upon receiving the letter , some veterans sought a second opinion outside the va , according to veterans'service organizations , paying for doctors'consultations out of their own pockets . the va said it will reimburse those veterans for the costs . in addition , the va said it is reviewing its notification process to make sure a similar error does n't happen again . the amvets service organization is encouraged ' by the va 's response to the situation , and pleased to see they caught the error , said spokesman ryan gallucci . cnn radio 's john lorinc contributed to this report . | new : va says some 600 people got letters in error due to a coding error ' |
va <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the department of veterans affairs said wednesday it will apologize to veterans who were mistakenly told they 'd been diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition . brent casey said went into a meltdown ' when he got a letter from the va saying , erroneously , that he had als . letters were sent august 13 to 1,864 veterans and survivors , the va said in a written statement . they were supposed to be sent to veterans with als -- also known as lou gehrig 's disease -- to keep them apprised of expanding benefits eligibility . according to the records of the department of veterans affairs ( va ) , you have a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( als ) , ' said the letter , according to the national gulf war resource center . this letter tells you about va disability compensation benefits that may be available to you . ' but some who received the letters , like brent casey , do not have als . casey , a disabled army veteran from the first gulf war , told cnn that when he received the letter , he was just completely beside myself . just floored . went into a complete and total meltdown . i could n't speak , could n't -- i guess i was , truthfully , speechless . ' the va said issued a statement saying it made a coding error , and a number of veterans who should not have received this letter did . ' an estimated one-third of the letters -- more than 600 -- were sent erroneously , a department official familiar with the program told cnn . after hearing from veterans who received the letter but do not have als , the va immediately began reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients to determine who received the letter by mistake , agency spokeswoman katie roberts said in the statement . va employees are personally contacting these individuals to ensure they understand the letter should not be confused with a medical diagnosis of als , explain why they mistakenly received the letter and express va 's sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error . ' it 's not right for it to happen this way , ' casey said . regardless if it was the case that i was diagnosed with als , that would be the worst possible way for an organization to let an individual know . ' upon receiving the letter , some veterans sought a second opinion outside the va , according to veterans'service organizations , paying for doctors'consultations out of their own pockets . the va said it will reimburse those veterans for the costs . in addition , the va said it is reviewing its notification process to make sure a similar error does n't happen again . the amvets service organization is encouraged ' by the va 's response to the situation , and pleased to see they caught the error , said spokesman ryan gallucci . cnn radio 's john lorinc contributed to this report . | va : employees are personally contacting ' those who do n't have disease |
james <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a filing on behalf of basketball superstar lebron james dismisses as rank speculation ' claims by a washington lawyer that he is the athlete 's biological father , saying the man has delusions ' about alleged family ties . lawyers for james and his mother filed papers in federal court monday seeking to dismiss a pending lawsuit . leicester stovell alleges the nba all-star and his family have been involved in a cover-up to deny paternity , by committing fraud and misrepresentation . the 14-page document said stovell had completely failed to prove any of the facts alleged in his june 23 complaint . and they said he was motivated only by fame and money , calling stovell 's actions a fanciful hope for celebrity . ' the lawsuit claims stovell met james'mother , gloria , in a washington bar and restaurant in 1984 , when she was visiting from ohio . she was 15 or 16 at the time , and stovell says they had sex only once , and was informed by gloria james months later that she was pregnant . he claims she told him the child would be named lebron , similar to leicester bryce , stovell 's first and middle names . stovell is asking for unspecified millions of dollars in damages , and says he has been trying for three years to establish paternity , which he hopes would lead to financial and commercial opportunities . he is a solo legal practitioner in the district of columbia , and filed the lawsuit on his own behalf . he alleges a dna test that showed he was not james'father was falsified . james'attorneys , frederick nance and john burlingame , dismissed those suggestions in often mocking tones aimed at the plaintiff . stovell 's claims for millions of dollars from his putative son and gloria james are based upon rank speculation , ' said the court filing , that a man who claims that as a 29-year-old lawyer he got a 15-year-old girl pregnant during a one-night stand and who never contributed a penny in child support would earn millions in commercial endorsements by crawling out of the woodwork after the child he never gave a thought to became an nba star . ' james , a native of akron , ohio , recently left the cleveland cavaliers to sign with the miami heat for what is believed to be one of the richest sports contracts in history . he is the reigning most valuable player of the nba , and has carefully cultivated a public image as one of the most popular and talented athletes . the complaint filed june 23 by stovell said , i recently have concluded that a comprehensive , sophisticated and well-funded effort might well have been under way for quite some time , perhaps beginning in its present form as early as when defendant lebron james was in high school , to frustrate identification of his real father , and that there is a likelihood that the father in question is me . ' james'lawyers think otherwise . stovell may truly believe that he is the father of lebron james , even though a dna test has told him otherwise . but his delusions do not give rise to a cause of action against either gloria or lebron james . ' public records show stovell is a former government attorney with the securities and exchange commission . he filed a lawsuit in 2002 against the agency , alleging racial discrimination . federal court records show the case was settled when the sec paid him $ 230,000 , while not admitting fault . | man claims to be lebron james'biological father |
james <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a filing on behalf of basketball superstar lebron james dismisses as rank speculation ' claims by a washington lawyer that he is the athlete 's biological father , saying the man has delusions ' about alleged family ties . lawyers for james and his mother filed papers in federal court monday seeking to dismiss a pending lawsuit . leicester stovell alleges the nba all-star and his family have been involved in a cover-up to deny paternity , by committing fraud and misrepresentation . the 14-page document said stovell had completely failed to prove any of the facts alleged in his june 23 complaint . and they said he was motivated only by fame and money , calling stovell 's actions a fanciful hope for celebrity . ' the lawsuit claims stovell met james'mother , gloria , in a washington bar and restaurant in 1984 , when she was visiting from ohio . she was 15 or 16 at the time , and stovell says they had sex only once , and was informed by gloria james months later that she was pregnant . he claims she told him the child would be named lebron , similar to leicester bryce , stovell 's first and middle names . stovell is asking for unspecified millions of dollars in damages , and says he has been trying for three years to establish paternity , which he hopes would lead to financial and commercial opportunities . he is a solo legal practitioner in the district of columbia , and filed the lawsuit on his own behalf . he alleges a dna test that showed he was not james'father was falsified . james'attorneys , frederick nance and john burlingame , dismissed those suggestions in often mocking tones aimed at the plaintiff . stovell 's claims for millions of dollars from his putative son and gloria james are based upon rank speculation , ' said the court filing , that a man who claims that as a 29-year-old lawyer he got a 15-year-old girl pregnant during a one-night stand and who never contributed a penny in child support would earn millions in commercial endorsements by crawling out of the woodwork after the child he never gave a thought to became an nba star . ' james , a native of akron , ohio , recently left the cleveland cavaliers to sign with the miami heat for what is believed to be one of the richest sports contracts in history . he is the reigning most valuable player of the nba , and has carefully cultivated a public image as one of the most popular and talented athletes . the complaint filed june 23 by stovell said , i recently have concluded that a comprehensive , sophisticated and well-funded effort might well have been under way for quite some time , perhaps beginning in its present form as early as when defendant lebron james was in high school , to frustrate identification of his real father , and that there is a likelihood that the father in question is me . ' james'lawyers think otherwise . stovell may truly believe that he is the father of lebron james , even though a dna test has told him otherwise . but his delusions do not give rise to a cause of action against either gloria or lebron james . ' public records show stovell is a former government attorney with the securities and exchange commission . he filed a lawsuit in 2002 against the agency , alleging racial discrimination . federal court records show the case was settled when the sec paid him $ 230,000 , while not admitting fault . | lawyers for james and his mother seek dismissal of a lawsuit the man filed |
british open <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods sizzled at the wgc-bridgestone invitational . with the season 's final major a week away , his timing is good . woods equaled his career-best round on the pga tour and matched his own course record in ohio by shooting a 61 , hitting an eagle , seven birdies and not dropping a shot . he also shot a nine-under-par 61 in the second round of the tournament in 2000 -- the year he outclassed his rivals and claimed three majors . but woods has n't won a major in five years now , stuck on 14 , and struggled on the final day of the british open last month when he was in contention . the bridgestone invitational was the world no . 1 's first tournament since muirfield , and he began with an impressive 66 . he bettered that on friday at a tournament he has captured seven times , beginning with a birdie , eagle and birdie to set the tone . woods shot the first nine in 30 . i just let the round build from there , ' woods said in a television interview aired by sky sports . i made a couple of key putts for pars . things like that happen today . ' the back nine started just as well , with woods registering four straight birdies . he was nine under through 13 holes . with a sub 60 round in his sights , though , woods shot at par the rest of the way , narrowly missing a birdie on the 17th but then avoiding a bogey on the 18th with a stunning putt . he leads defending champion keegan bradley and england 's chris wood by seven shots . it put me in a nice position going into the weekend , ' said woods . the last time woods shot a 61 at any tournament was at the 2005 buick open . before looking ahead to the pga championship , woods was focusing on finishing the job at the bridgestone invitational . thunderstorms are expected saturday . we got a long way to go , ' said woods . the golf course will be certainly a lot different than it is now with the weather coming in so we 're going to have to make a few adjustments and see how it goes . ' british open winner phil mickelson was tied for 43rd . the slumping rory mcilroy was tied for 25th alongside u.s. open winner justin rose , 14 shots behind woods . park eight shots behind at st. andrews at the women 's british open at st. andrews in scotland , meanwhile , inbee park has work to do if she wants to become the first golfer in 83 years to claim four majors in a single season . through two rounds on the old course , park trails fellow south korean na yeon choi by eight shots after registering a 1-over-par 73 in blustery conditions . she is tied for 22nd . a little bit of everything was n't really working well out there today , ' park told reporters . i think i grinded ( it out ) really well out there . i was a bit unlucky with the draw , getting afternoon today , not playing in the morning when it 's lovely . ' choi , last year 's u.s. open winner , leads japan 's miki saiki by a shot , with overnight leader morgan pressel of the u.s. a further shot behind . | inbee park , attempting to win four majors in a season , trails at the women 's british open |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods sizzled at the wgc-bridgestone invitational . with the season 's final major a week away , his timing is good . woods equaled his career-best round on the pga tour and matched his own course record in ohio by shooting a 61 , hitting an eagle , seven birdies and not dropping a shot . he also shot a nine-under-par 61 in the second round of the tournament in 2000 -- the year he outclassed his rivals and claimed three majors . but woods has n't won a major in five years now , stuck on 14 , and struggled on the final day of the british open last month when he was in contention . the bridgestone invitational was the world no . 1 's first tournament since muirfield , and he began with an impressive 66 . he bettered that on friday at a tournament he has captured seven times , beginning with a birdie , eagle and birdie to set the tone . woods shot the first nine in 30 . i just let the round build from there , ' woods said in a television interview aired by sky sports . i made a couple of key putts for pars . things like that happen today . ' the back nine started just as well , with woods registering four straight birdies . he was nine under through 13 holes . with a sub 60 round in his sights , though , woods shot at par the rest of the way , narrowly missing a birdie on the 17th but then avoiding a bogey on the 18th with a stunning putt . he leads defending champion keegan bradley and england 's chris wood by seven shots . it put me in a nice position going into the weekend , ' said woods . the last time woods shot a 61 at any tournament was at the 2005 buick open . before looking ahead to the pga championship , woods was focusing on finishing the job at the bridgestone invitational . thunderstorms are expected saturday . we got a long way to go , ' said woods . the golf course will be certainly a lot different than it is now with the weather coming in so we 're going to have to make a few adjustments and see how it goes . ' british open winner phil mickelson was tied for 43rd . the slumping rory mcilroy was tied for 25th alongside u.s. open winner justin rose , 14 shots behind woods . park eight shots behind at st. andrews at the women 's british open at st. andrews in scotland , meanwhile , inbee park has work to do if she wants to become the first golfer in 83 years to claim four majors in a single season . through two rounds on the old course , park trails fellow south korean na yeon choi by eight shots after registering a 1-over-par 73 in blustery conditions . she is tied for 22nd . a little bit of everything was n't really working well out there today , ' park told reporters . i think i grinded ( it out ) really well out there . i was a bit unlucky with the draw , getting afternoon today , not playing in the morning when it 's lovely . ' choi , last year 's u.s. open winner , leads japan 's miki saiki by a shot , with overnight leader morgan pressel of the u.s. a further shot behind . | woods leads defending champion keegan bradley and chris wood by seven shots |
woods <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods sizzled at the wgc-bridgestone invitational . with the season 's final major a week away , his timing is good . woods equaled his career-best round on the pga tour and matched his own course record in ohio by shooting a 61 , hitting an eagle , seven birdies and not dropping a shot . he also shot a nine-under-par 61 in the second round of the tournament in 2000 -- the year he outclassed his rivals and claimed three majors . but woods has n't won a major in five years now , stuck on 14 , and struggled on the final day of the british open last month when he was in contention . the bridgestone invitational was the world no . 1 's first tournament since muirfield , and he began with an impressive 66 . he bettered that on friday at a tournament he has captured seven times , beginning with a birdie , eagle and birdie to set the tone . woods shot the first nine in 30 . i just let the round build from there , ' woods said in a television interview aired by sky sports . i made a couple of key putts for pars . things like that happen today . ' the back nine started just as well , with woods registering four straight birdies . he was nine under through 13 holes . with a sub 60 round in his sights , though , woods shot at par the rest of the way , narrowly missing a birdie on the 17th but then avoiding a bogey on the 18th with a stunning putt . he leads defending champion keegan bradley and england 's chris wood by seven shots . it put me in a nice position going into the weekend , ' said woods . the last time woods shot a 61 at any tournament was at the 2005 buick open . before looking ahead to the pga championship , woods was focusing on finishing the job at the bridgestone invitational . thunderstorms are expected saturday . we got a long way to go , ' said woods . the golf course will be certainly a lot different than it is now with the weather coming in so we 're going to have to make a few adjustments and see how it goes . ' british open winner phil mickelson was tied for 43rd . the slumping rory mcilroy was tied for 25th alongside u.s. open winner justin rose , 14 shots behind woods . park eight shots behind at st. andrews at the women 's british open at st. andrews in scotland , meanwhile , inbee park has work to do if she wants to become the first golfer in 83 years to claim four majors in a single season . through two rounds on the old course , park trails fellow south korean na yeon choi by eight shots after registering a 1-over-par 73 in blustery conditions . she is tied for 22nd . a little bit of everything was n't really working well out there today , ' park told reporters . i think i grinded ( it out ) really well out there . i was a bit unlucky with the draw , getting afternoon today , not playing in the morning when it 's lovely . ' choi , last year 's u.s. open winner , leads japan 's miki saiki by a shot , with overnight leader morgan pressel of the u.s. a further shot behind . | tiger woods shoots a 61 at the bridgestone invitational to match his career best round |
bridgestone invitational <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tiger woods sizzled at the wgc-bridgestone invitational . with the season 's final major a week away , his timing is good . woods equaled his career-best round on the pga tour and matched his own course record in ohio by shooting a 61 , hitting an eagle , seven birdies and not dropping a shot . he also shot a nine-under-par 61 in the second round of the tournament in 2000 -- the year he outclassed his rivals and claimed three majors . but woods has n't won a major in five years now , stuck on 14 , and struggled on the final day of the british open last month when he was in contention . the bridgestone invitational was the world no . 1 's first tournament since muirfield , and he began with an impressive 66 . he bettered that on friday at a tournament he has captured seven times , beginning with a birdie , eagle and birdie to set the tone . woods shot the first nine in 30 . i just let the round build from there , ' woods said in a television interview aired by sky sports . i made a couple of key putts for pars . things like that happen today . ' the back nine started just as well , with woods registering four straight birdies . he was nine under through 13 holes . with a sub 60 round in his sights , though , woods shot at par the rest of the way , narrowly missing a birdie on the 17th but then avoiding a bogey on the 18th with a stunning putt . he leads defending champion keegan bradley and england 's chris wood by seven shots . it put me in a nice position going into the weekend , ' said woods . the last time woods shot a 61 at any tournament was at the 2005 buick open . before looking ahead to the pga championship , woods was focusing on finishing the job at the bridgestone invitational . thunderstorms are expected saturday . we got a long way to go , ' said woods . the golf course will be certainly a lot different than it is now with the weather coming in so we 're going to have to make a few adjustments and see how it goes . ' british open winner phil mickelson was tied for 43rd . the slumping rory mcilroy was tied for 25th alongside u.s. open winner justin rose , 14 shots behind woods . park eight shots behind at st. andrews at the women 's british open at st. andrews in scotland , meanwhile , inbee park has work to do if she wants to become the first golfer in 83 years to claim four majors in a single season . through two rounds on the old course , park trails fellow south korean na yeon choi by eight shots after registering a 1-over-par 73 in blustery conditions . she is tied for 22nd . a little bit of everything was n't really working well out there today , ' park told reporters . i think i grinded ( it out ) really well out there . i was a bit unlucky with the draw , getting afternoon today , not playing in the morning when it 's lovely . ' choi , last year 's u.s. open winner , leads japan 's miki saiki by a shot , with overnight leader morgan pressel of the u.s. a further shot behind . | tiger woods shoots a 61 at the bridgestone invitational to match his career best round |
libya <tsp> world-renowned chef , author and emmy winning television personality anthony bourdain visits libya in the next episode of anthony bourdain : parts unknown , ' airing sunday , may 19 , at 9 p.m . et . follow the show on twitter and facebook . | bourdain visits libya 's misrata war museum |
libya <tsp> world-renowned chef , author and emmy winning television personality anthony bourdain visits libya in the next episode of anthony bourdain : parts unknown , ' airing sunday , may 19 , at 9 p.m . et . follow the show on twitter and facebook . | which american food is a hit in libya ? |
air force <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a u.s. air force plane serving as an airborne radio station is broadcasting messages to haitians urging them not to attempt ocean voyages to the united states , saying they will be intercepted and turned back home if they do . the plane is broadcasting recorded messages from raymond joseph , haiti 's ambassador to the united states , and announcements of where earthquake victims can go for food and aid . listen , do n't rush on boats to leave the country , ' joseph says in creole . if you do that , we 'll all have even worse problems . because , i 'll be honest with you : if you think you will reach the u.s. and all the doors will be wide open to you , that 's not at all the case . and they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from . ' the ec-130j commando solo , a large transport aircraft , is flying and broadcasting five hours a day over haiti , authorities said . in addition to the message from joseph , it is broadcasting news from voice of america and instructions on hygiene procedures to prevent disease . we are sending public service messages ... to save lives , ' said state department deputy spokesman gordon duguid . it is part of the u.s. effort to help keep haitians safe . we do n't want people to endanger their lives by taking risk to try to get to the u.s. at this time . ' haitians who have valid visas can come to the united states on commercial flights . meanwhile , the department of homeland security has activated a task force to review plans on how to respond to a mass migration from haiti if necessary . but officials stressed that the measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution . we 're actively looking for signs that the citizens of haiti [ are migrating by sea ] but right now there 's no sign , ' said u.s. coast guard lt. cmdr . christopher o'neil . the only movement of people we 've seen has been all inland . ' o'neil said a sea migration is unlikely if for no other reason than there 's this massive federal government presence [ in haiti ] trying to deliver humanitarian relief . ' we 've probably never had this great of a situational awareness of what 's going on in haiti as we do right now , ' he added . full coverage | twitter updates the u.s. coast guard has five cutters off the haiti coast focused on delivering humanitarian assistance , and is moving more into the area . past mass migrations were sparked by geopolitical circumstances rather than natural disasters , o'neil said . the federal government created a mass migration plan in 2004 after an uptick in migration from the caribbean , and it regularly exercises the plan . more than 55 agencies participated in the last full-scale exercise , he said . attempts to enter the united states by sea are inherently dangerous , ' he said . migrants typically use crowded , poorly built boats and put themselves at the mercy of smugglers . it 's simply a prudent measure [ to activate the task force ] , ' he said . given the situation and not wanting to be caught unprepared , it makes sense to at least look at the plan and make sure that the people in the appropriate agencies are ready and able to execute the plan if it 's warranted . ' search list of missing and found the phenomenon of haitian migration in small boats and rafts dates back at least 35 years , according to a congressional research service report . most notably , an estimated 25,000 haitians were among the mass migration of more than 150,000 asylum seekers who arrived in south florida during the mariel boatlift , an exodus of mostly cuban migrants in 1980 . cnn producer elise labott contributed to this report . | u.s. air force plane broadcasts message five hours a day along with voice of america news |
voice of america <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a u.s. air force plane serving as an airborne radio station is broadcasting messages to haitians urging them not to attempt ocean voyages to the united states , saying they will be intercepted and turned back home if they do . the plane is broadcasting recorded messages from raymond joseph , haiti 's ambassador to the united states , and announcements of where earthquake victims can go for food and aid . listen , do n't rush on boats to leave the country , ' joseph says in creole . if you do that , we 'll all have even worse problems . because , i 'll be honest with you : if you think you will reach the u.s. and all the doors will be wide open to you , that 's not at all the case . and they will intercept you right on the water and send you back home where you came from . ' the ec-130j commando solo , a large transport aircraft , is flying and broadcasting five hours a day over haiti , authorities said . in addition to the message from joseph , it is broadcasting news from voice of america and instructions on hygiene procedures to prevent disease . we are sending public service messages ... to save lives , ' said state department deputy spokesman gordon duguid . it is part of the u.s. effort to help keep haitians safe . we do n't want people to endanger their lives by taking risk to try to get to the u.s. at this time . ' haitians who have valid visas can come to the united states on commercial flights . meanwhile , the department of homeland security has activated a task force to review plans on how to respond to a mass migration from haiti if necessary . but officials stressed that the measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution . we 're actively looking for signs that the citizens of haiti [ are migrating by sea ] but right now there 's no sign , ' said u.s. coast guard lt. cmdr . christopher o'neil . the only movement of people we 've seen has been all inland . ' o'neil said a sea migration is unlikely if for no other reason than there 's this massive federal government presence [ in haiti ] trying to deliver humanitarian relief . ' we 've probably never had this great of a situational awareness of what 's going on in haiti as we do right now , ' he added . full coverage | twitter updates the u.s. coast guard has five cutters off the haiti coast focused on delivering humanitarian assistance , and is moving more into the area . past mass migrations were sparked by geopolitical circumstances rather than natural disasters , o'neil said . the federal government created a mass migration plan in 2004 after an uptick in migration from the caribbean , and it regularly exercises the plan . more than 55 agencies participated in the last full-scale exercise , he said . attempts to enter the united states by sea are inherently dangerous , ' he said . migrants typically use crowded , poorly built boats and put themselves at the mercy of smugglers . it 's simply a prudent measure [ to activate the task force ] , ' he said . given the situation and not wanting to be caught unprepared , it makes sense to at least look at the plan and make sure that the people in the appropriate agencies are ready and able to execute the plan if it 's warranted . ' search list of missing and found the phenomenon of haitian migration in small boats and rafts dates back at least 35 years , according to a congressional research service report . most notably , an estimated 25,000 haitians were among the mass migration of more than 150,000 asylum seekers who arrived in south florida during the mariel boatlift , an exodus of mostly cuban migrants in 1980 . cnn producer elise labott contributed to this report . | u.s. air force plane broadcasts message five hours a day along with voice of america news |
biden <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the highly fortified international zone in baghdad came under fire the same day that vice president joe biden paid a surprise visit , an interior ministry official told cnn . vice president joe biden talks to the media tuesday in baghdad 's fortified international zone . biden was not injured , according to cnn 's chris lawrence , who was traveling with the vice president . but at least one round seems to have landed in the u.s. embassy grounds , u.s . ambassador christopher hill said . the zone houses the embassy and many government buildings . lawrence said he heard the blasts but saw no damage . cnn 's cal perry said he heard four loud booms . ' warning alarms were sounded , and security was stepped up in the international zone , which is informally known as the green zone . it is not clear what weapons were fired or if biden was near the location where the rounds hit . for security reasons , reporters traveling with the vice president are not allowed to report his location . watch as lawrence reports on the attack » a u.s. military spokesman said he could confirm only that one round hit , and he said it did not land in the international zone . initial reports indicate one round of indirect fire impacted near the international zone , not in it , ' lt. col. phillip smith , a spokesman for the u.s. military in baghdad , told cnn . but hill told reporters that some sort of projectile landed in the east end of the embassy complex . he said the projectile was the reason for a duck-and-cover ' alarm that journalists traveling with biden heard during a briefing by top u.s. officials in baghdad . the alarm sounded intermittently throughout almost the entire 35-minute briefing by hill and the top u.s. general in iraq , ray odierno , lawrence said . odierno and hill did not seem concerned , he said . no one jumped up or tried to run out of the building . they paused if they were talking when the alarm sounded , and picked up when it stopped . there was an all-clear ' as the briefing ended . hill said it is kind of unusual to get this type of attack now . he said they used to happen 10 to 12 times a day , but now are few and far between . biden 's visit was widely reported on iraqi television , perry said . he is in iraq to meet with the country 's leaders and visit u.s. troops , his office said . journalists on the plane with the vice president were not told where they were going until after they were on the way . biden was due to sit down with iraqi president jalal talabani and prime minister nuri al-maliki , as well as massoud barzani , the president of the kurdistan regional government , and other officials . he was greeted at the airport at dusk by gen. odierno , ambassador hill and iraqi foreign minister hoshyar zebari . watch biden arrive in iraq , greet troops » he flew by helicopter to the international zone . biden , hill , odierno and deputy secretary of state jim steinberg , who is traveling with biden , then went into a meeting . they did not speak to reporters . this is biden 's third trip to iraq this year , after visits in july and january . the president has asked the vice president to provide sustained , high-level focus from the white house on iraq , and this trip is part of that mission , ' the white house said in a statement issued as biden arrived . the united states is less than a year away from its goal of withdrawing all combat troops from iraq . hill has said the next 12 months are very critical ' to establishing security in iraq , but the goal of withdrawing most u.s. troops by august 2010 is absolutely achievable . ' biden said odierno is optimistic ' that iraqi forces will be ready in time to allow u.s. withdrawals to go ahead as planned , according to lawrence . cnn 's jomana karadsheh contributed to this report . | it 's not clear what arms were fired or if biden was near location where round hit |
biden <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the highly fortified international zone in baghdad came under fire the same day that vice president joe biden paid a surprise visit , an interior ministry official told cnn . vice president joe biden talks to the media tuesday in baghdad 's fortified international zone . biden was not injured , according to cnn 's chris lawrence , who was traveling with the vice president . but at least one round seems to have landed in the u.s. embassy grounds , u.s . ambassador christopher hill said . the zone houses the embassy and many government buildings . lawrence said he heard the blasts but saw no damage . cnn 's cal perry said he heard four loud booms . ' warning alarms were sounded , and security was stepped up in the international zone , which is informally known as the green zone . it is not clear what weapons were fired or if biden was near the location where the rounds hit . for security reasons , reporters traveling with the vice president are not allowed to report his location . watch as lawrence reports on the attack » a u.s. military spokesman said he could confirm only that one round hit , and he said it did not land in the international zone . initial reports indicate one round of indirect fire impacted near the international zone , not in it , ' lt. col. phillip smith , a spokesman for the u.s. military in baghdad , told cnn . but hill told reporters that some sort of projectile landed in the east end of the embassy complex . he said the projectile was the reason for a duck-and-cover ' alarm that journalists traveling with biden heard during a briefing by top u.s. officials in baghdad . the alarm sounded intermittently throughout almost the entire 35-minute briefing by hill and the top u.s. general in iraq , ray odierno , lawrence said . odierno and hill did not seem concerned , he said . no one jumped up or tried to run out of the building . they paused if they were talking when the alarm sounded , and picked up when it stopped . there was an all-clear ' as the briefing ended . hill said it is kind of unusual to get this type of attack now . he said they used to happen 10 to 12 times a day , but now are few and far between . biden 's visit was widely reported on iraqi television , perry said . he is in iraq to meet with the country 's leaders and visit u.s. troops , his office said . journalists on the plane with the vice president were not told where they were going until after they were on the way . biden was due to sit down with iraqi president jalal talabani and prime minister nuri al-maliki , as well as massoud barzani , the president of the kurdistan regional government , and other officials . he was greeted at the airport at dusk by gen. odierno , ambassador hill and iraqi foreign minister hoshyar zebari . watch biden arrive in iraq , greet troops » he flew by helicopter to the international zone . biden , hill , odierno and deputy secretary of state jim steinberg , who is traveling with biden , then went into a meeting . they did not speak to reporters . this is biden 's third trip to iraq this year , after visits in july and january . the president has asked the vice president to provide sustained , high-level focus from the white house on iraq , and this trip is part of that mission , ' the white house said in a statement issued as biden arrived . the united states is less than a year away from its goal of withdrawing all combat troops from iraq . hill has said the next 12 months are very critical ' to establishing security in iraq , but the goal of withdrawing most u.s. troops by august 2010 is absolutely achievable . ' biden said odierno is optimistic ' that iraqi forces will be ready in time to allow u.s. withdrawals to go ahead as planned , according to lawrence . cnn 's jomana karadsheh contributed to this report . | vp joe biden , on a surprise visit , not injured , according to pool report |
hawaii <tsp> in some ways , it 's just a number , but it 's a big number with enormous implications . for the first time , scientists measured an average concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide of 400 parts per million in mauna loa , hawaii , where the national oceanic and atmospheric administration observatory is located , on thursday . most experts that really study co2 amounts estimate that we have n't seen that amount of co2 in our atmosphere in about 3 million years , ' said j. marshall shepherd , climate change expert and professor at the university of georgia . in other words , modern humans have never seen carbon dioxide in these proportions before . scientists say it 's apparent that human activity -- namely burning coal , oil and natural gas -- has been driving a rapid rise of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere . carbon dioxide changes climate and drives acidification of the ocean . once emitted , it remains for the ocean atmosphere system for thousands of years , warming the planet . it changes climate and is driving ocean acidification all that time , ' said jim butler , a senior scientist at noaa . among the many risks of rising temperatures , agriculture , forestry , ecosystems and human health are all expected to suffer as a result of trends in climate change . turbulence ahead as climate changes the amount of carbon dioxide varies daily somewhat and has cycled historically in accordance with changes in the earth 's orbit , a phenomenon known as milankovitch cycles . but the exponential rise in carbon dioxide levels since the industrial revolution is far out of the ordinary , experts say . the number 400 parts per million is symbolic of what many scientists believe to be the inevitable growth of this gas in our atmosphere , shepherd said . getting to this number was to be expected . it also is kind of a warning sign or red flag that hey , we really need to tackle this problem , ' he said . it 's happening right before our eyes . ' in about eight to 10 years , levels will not go under 400 parts per million , butler said . and in terms of reaching new carbon dioxide highs , 450 will come even faster than than the change from 350 to 400 , given observed trends , shepherd said . for comparison , the last time annual co2 was 350 parts per million was in the 1980s . butler likens the phenomenon to an electric blanket . when you turn the dial , it takes a little while to warm up . it 's as if humans have turned the dial on earth 's blanket , and we 'll feel the heat only in a matter of time . even if we stopped emitting co2 , temperatures would still rise for at least a decade or two because the system has to catch up with it , ' butler said . most carbon dioxide is in the northern hemisphere , because most people on the planet live in these parts , butler said . in 2012 , monitoring stations in the arctic measured 400 parts per million , but this is a new high at mauna loa . the global average will catch up in a year or two , he said . since scientists began measuring at mauna loa in 1958 , the concentration of carbon dioxide has been increasing every year , noaa said . the rate of this rise has been accelerating , from 0.7 ppm per year in the late 1950s to 2.1 ppm per year over the last decade . before the 19th-century industrial revolution , the average carbon dioxide concentration worldwide was about 280 parts per million . over the course of the past 800,000 years , says noaa , these levels bounced between 180 and 280 parts per million . noaa : watch history of carbon dioxide levels you might be wondering how the planet could be warming if this past winter has been relatively cool . shepherd explains that weather is akin to mood , but climate is analogous to personality . weather changes a lot , but climate is something more fundamental , causing overall patterns . study : climate change may contribute to civil wars it may appear that , in the grand scheme of things , there 's not a lot of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere to begin with . the most abundant gas is nitrogen , at 78 % , followed by oxygen at 21 % . having a tiny amount of carbon dioxide is essential for our survival ; without it , the planet would be too cold . opinion : how to fight climate change but too much carbon dioxide , which leads to too much overall warming , is bad . while it 's impossible to say that any particular event was caused by global warming , ' says shepherd , climate change loads the deck , making extreme events such as last year 's superstorm sandy more likely . these storms also become more disastrous with rising sea levels . the sea level near new york city was about 10 inches higher in 2012 than in 1900 , shepherd said . the mauna loa station is the oldest in the world to measure carbon dioxide . it 's an alarming marker that we 've passed , ' butler said . mauna loa , the iconic site for co2 , has reached 400 for the first time over a day . that 's big . ' more science and space news from cnn light years | carbon dioxide levels have reached historic high at hawaii observatory |
kim clijsters <tsp> ( cnn ) -- maria sharapova 's bid to end her long wait for a second wimbledon crown came crashing to a halt on monday , while kim clijsters'final appearance at the grass-court grand slam also finished in round four . world no . 1 sharapova lost her rematch with sabine lisicki , who she beat in last year 's semifinals before losing the title match . sharapova won the event as a 17-year-old in 2004 to announce herself as a new star in women 's tennis , but the defeat by petra kvitova 12 months ago is the closest she has come to a repeat success in london . german 15th seed lisicki powered past her russian opponent to win 6-4 6-3 and set up a last-eight clash with eighth-seeded compatriot angelique kerber , who thrashed former no . 1 clijsters 6-1 6-1 in just 49 minutes . it is the first time that two german women have made it to the second week of the tournament since 1995 , when steffi graf won the title for the sixth time and anke huber lost in round four . it 's just unbelievable . i 'm so happy . i had lost the last three meetings with her , so it 's nice to finally win one , ' said lisicki , who had lost five matches in a row coming into wimbledon , including a first-round defeat at the french open . i just went for my shots out there . i felt great , it 's my favorite tournament . i love the crowd and playing on grass . i 'm a fighter and i fight to the last game . i think i 'm getting better with each match . ' sharapova , who won the french open last month after losing in january 's australian open final , struggled after going 3-1 down in the opening set and a 45-minute rain delay did not help her get back into rhythm . she did many things better than i did . she played very well , ' said sharapova , who saved two match-points . i could have done things differently but not on this particular day . ' four-time grand slam champion clijsters , who has never got past the semifinals at wimbledon , could not get going against kerber -- who fired 19 winners to 10 , and just five unforced errors to the belgian 's 13 . clijsters , 29 , will retire for the second time following september 's u.s. open , a tournament she has won three times . i think the first year that i played here , i was here just to take it all in . i do n't even think i was here to play tennis . i needed to just open my eyes and look at everything , ' clijsters said of her first wimbledon appearance in 1999 . it was such an amazing thing . to me this was like disneyland to another child . it was such a beautiful thing . ' in the other half of the wimbledon draw , four-time winner serena williams will face defending champion petra kvitova in the quarterfinals after both battled through with three-set victories . williams , seeking her first grand slam title since 2010 , triumphed 6-1 2-6 7-5 against kazakhstani yaroslava shvedova out on court two . shvedova won a record 24 points out of 24 in her first set against french open runnerup sara errani on saturday , but made a poor start in windy conditions before battling back to level . williams , bouncing back from her first-round exit at roland garros , hit 35 winners to 24 , and made 13 unforced errors to her opponent 's 20 . the bottom line is i can play so much better than i am . if i could n't do better that would be a problem , ' williams said . world no.4 kvitova has never beaten the american sixth seed , losing both meetings in 2010 at the australian open and then the wimbledon semifinals . the czech left-hander came from behind against 2010 french open champion francesca schiavone as she beat the italian 4-6 7-5 6-1 . schiavone , at 32 the oldest player left in the draw , paid for her 13 double faults and struggled to keep her cool after slipping on the wet grass at the end of the second set . world no . 37 tamira paszek reached the quarterfinals for the second year in a row , beating italian 21st seed roberta vinci 6-2 6-2 . the 21-year-old austrian , who has lost in the first round of five of her last six grand slam appearances , will next face second seed victoria azarenka of belarus . australian open champion azarenka was unaffected by a rain break as the roof was closed on centre court as she demolished serbia 's ana ivanovic 6-1 6-0 in a battle of former world no . 1s . polish third seed agnieszka radwanska will feature in the quartefinals for the first time since 2009 after beating 20-year-old italian qualifier camila giorgi 6-2 6-3 . radwanska , 23 , who also reached the last eight in 2008 , will next play russian 17th seed maria kirilenko -- who beat china 's no . 30 peng shuai 6-1 6-7 ( 8-6 ) 6-3 . kirilenko 's only other grand slam quarterfinal appearance was at the 2010 australian open , while peng is yet to get that far in singles play . | eighth seed lisicki beats kim clijsters in belgian 's final appearance at sw19 |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- good news : we 're not going to war in syria , at least not right away . bad news : we 're headed to a battle inside congress that will pose its own grave threat to the u.s. and world economy . the most conservative republicans in congress are threatening to force default on the nation 's obligations unless the president agrees to defund obamacare . less conservative republicans prefer a milder version of the threat : not default , but merely shutting down the government . either way , the country plunges into crisis -- a crisis republicans must eventually lose , as they have lost every previous round of this same game . it 's way past time for republicans to find a better way . these doomed all-or-nothing battles over obamacare perversely strengthen president obama . as republicans exhaust themselves in grand debates , obamacare fastens itself ever more tightly upon the country and the states . obamacare offers large benefits to many americans , and benefits once extended are very difficult to remove . that should have been the lesson of 2012 , and unless republicans get wiser , it 'll be the repeat lesson of 2016 . meanwhile , the clock is ticking . a core feature of obama 's health plan will go into effect in bare weeks -- and all the law 's flaws continue unaddressed . the republican challenge is to protect the country from those flaws , by concentrating on the reforms that matter most : 1 ) control obamacare 's costs ; 2 ) share obamacare 's burdens more widely . take no . 1 first . america used to have two health care cost problems : the cost of the health care system to the total economy , and the cost of health care programs to government budgets . those two costs were related , but distinct . one example : before obamacare , a proposal to raise the medicare qualification age to 67 would have saved the government money , without changing any real economic costs . as obamacare goes into effect , those two costs merge into one . raise the medicare age to 67 , and medicare 's costs may fall -- but other program costs will rise . an increase in health care costs anywhere will flow directly into an increase in government health care spending . if republicans want to control the cost of government , they have to change their thinking from cut government budgets ' to reform health care delivery . ' to date , u.s. health care markets have done a poor job of controlling health care costs . that has n't been a failure republicans worried much about -- but they had better start , because if markets continue to fail , the alternatives will be ever more voracious health care costs or direct government control . now problem no . 2 : burden-sharing . obamacare purports to finance itself with taxes only on upper-income americans . the revenues from these taxes will be inadequate just as a matter of arithmetic . worse , this mode of finance corrodes all political incentive for cost control . not many voters will deprive themselves of a benefit to save somebody else money . if obamacare is to be part of america 's future -- which is how the betting must run today -- this program that claims to benefit all should be paid for by all , as social security and medicare are paid for by all . back in 2010 , democrats desperate for republican support would happily have accepted a broader tax mechanism . today , of course , they have less incentive to deal . their voters do well out of obamacare ; the costs are borne by those americans most likely to vote republican . but there are revenue measures democrats would value even more highly than they value taxes on the affluent : carbon taxes , for example . a republican plan to tax work and investment less and to tax carbon more -- and to use such taxes to support health care costs -- would appeal to democrats , and would unite both democrats and republicans in a shared commitment to health care cost control . these are real-world political tradeoffs . they are less exciting than the grand drama of repeal-or-bust . but repeal-or-bust is much more likely to produce a bust than a repeal . more productive is the challenge of reforming obamacare so that the nation can live with its costs -- and so that all equitably shoulder their share of its burdens . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david frum . | david frum : gop effort to defund obama 's health plan is going nowhere |
crazy arms <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ray price , the nashville star whose trademark shuffle ' beat became a country music staple , has died at age 87 , his agent said monday . price 's 1956 single crazy arms ' spent 20 weeks atop the country charts and introduced a bass-driven , four-four rhythm that became a touchstone of the nashville sound -- a rhythm later dubbed the ray price beat . ' ray expanded country music to the masses , ' bobby roberts , price 's agent , said in a written statement . he was a true gentleman that absolutely cared about his fans . ' he had started singing while in veterinary school , after coming back to texas from world war ii . his first records drew little notice , but he caught the attention of hank williams , who took price on tour with him in 1951 and brought him to nashville , where he began to sing with the grand ole opry . price had one of the greatest voices in country music history as well as a great sense of humor , ' roberts said . his other hits included heartaches by the number ' in 1959 , a heavily orchestrated 1967 version of the traditional danny boy ' and the kris kristofferson-penned for the good times ' in 1970 . price was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in november 2012 , according to the country music hall of fame , which inducted him in 1996 . he died monday afternoon , roberts said . people we 've lost in 2013 cnn 's carolyn sung contributed to this report . | the 1956 song crazy arms ' introduced what 's now dubbed the ray price beat ' |
washington <tsp> six tanks at the hanford nuclear reservation in southeast washington state are leaking radioactive waste , the governor said friday , calling the news disturbing ' even as he insisted there are no immediate health risks . ' news of six leaking tanks at hanford raises serious questions about integrity of all single tanks , ' gov . jay inslee said friday afternoon on twitter . inslee said that he got the latest information about the site during a meeting in washington with u.s. energy secretary steven chu . one week earlier , chu called the governor to tell him that a single-shell tank in the same location was leaking liquids at a rate of 150 to 300 gallons per year . believed to be the first to lose liquids since 2005 , that tank was built in the 1940s and can hold roughly 447,000 gallons of sludge , according to the governor 's office . ( chu ) told me today that his department did not adequately analyze data it had that would have shown the other tanks that are leaking , ' inslee said . the sprawling , 586-square mile hanford site houses a total of 177 underground tanks full of radioactive sludge , of which 149 are single-shell tanks . on friday , inslee said there is still no current health risk ' tied to the leaks . he made similar comments a week earlier , saying it would be quite some time before these leaks could breach groundwater or the columbia river . ' at the same time , the governor stressed that the problem must be addressed . this certainly raises serious questions about the integrity of all 149 single-shell tanks with radioactive liquid and sludge at hanford , ' he said friday . hard lessons for u.s. nuclear safety from fukushima meltdown hanford became a focal point of u.s. nuclear efforts beginning in 1943 , when aspects of the manhattan project were moved there . as local residents moved out , thousands of workers moved into the site where plutonium for use in atomic bombs was produced . two bombs were dropped on japan during the final days of world war ii . the site -- about half the size of rhode island , in an area centered roughly 75 miles east of yakima -- continued to buzz during the cold war , with more plutonium production as well as the construction of several nuclear reactors . the last reactor shut down in 1987 , though a mammoth cleanup effort remained to address what state and federal authorities deemed the most contaminated site in the western hemisphere . those efforts were bolstered by about $ 2 billion in federal stimulus funds authorized in several years ago . but decades of more work remain , which is why washington 's governor said he feared that across-the-board budget cuts called the sequester -- which could take effect march 1 , unless congress passes and president barack obama signs an alternative -- could negatively affect activity at the site . we need to be sure the federal government maintains its commitment and legal obligation to the cleanup of hanford , ' inslee said . to see hanford workers furloughed at the exact moment we have additional leakers out there is completely unacceptable . ' | last week , washington 's governor said 1 tank at the hanford nuclear site was leaking |
emmy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cnn senior international correspondent nick paton walsh has won an emmy and an edward r. murrow award for his reports from the front line of the war in syria . paton walsh has reflected on his experiences in aleppo , where he reported on the heart-wrenching cruelty of a conflict that has torn the country apart . aleppo airstrikes ' is the account of indiscriminate shelling in the syrian city of aleppo . walsh 's piece to camera sees him crouching as a government bomber jet flies above . it 's that sound that terrifies ordinary residents of aleppo daily , ' he says . of the lone infant who survives the strike , paton walsh observes : a year old , he was born into syria 's bloody revolution , and may yet survive it still . ' in aleppo : old city fight , ' paton walsh goes right inside the fight for the historic old city . his report focuses on the improvised nature of the battle , with pot-shots at nothing in particular ' and what it could mean for the wider conflict . paton walsh says of the scene in aleppo in 2012 : people did n't really know where the front lines were . it was generally chaotic , and pretty much punctuated all day long with the sound of shelling , or jets flying in to hit civilian areas . ' paton walsh was awarded the emmy for outstanding writing for these stories and his report from afghanistan on an epidemic of self-immolation among young married women in herat . in its submission to the annual news and documentary emmy awards , cnn highlighted paton walsh 's poetic writing , ' saying it contrasted with the sobering environments from which his stories are usually drawn . ' his reports punch through the daily accounts of wounded and dead , and give us a fresh way to see the grinding pitilessness of war , and its quirky inconsistencies . ' | paton walsh won emmy for outstanding writing in reports from syria and afghanistan |
benjamin netanyahu <tsp> ( cnn ) -- day two at davos and big players from the last year are on the stage . there are more than 70 sessions to choose from , but do n't be overwhelmed -- we 'll ensure you 're alerted to the best . today , january 23 , we 'll be watching these speakers : at 1010 , iranian president hassan rouhani will take the stage to discuss his country 's position in the world . tony abbott , prime minister of australia , currently chairing the g20 , will address the forum at 1040 . 1230 immigration - welcome or not ? the rise of migration in europe represents opportunity for some , but threat for others . should governments improve their integration policies or impose barriers to entry ? former u.n. secretary general kofi annan , goldman sachs chairman peter d. sutherland and european parliament 's president martin schulz will be giving their insight on the topic . with growth rates at half their pre-crisis levels , concerns arise that the golden age of emerging markets growth may be over . ministers of india , south africa , brazil and russia will discus what some call brics midlife crisis . ' join them at 1300 . then , there 's a special address by benjamin netanyahu , prime minister of israel , at 1415 , enrique pena nieto , president of mexico , will follow him at 1545 . at 1615 a panel on the humanitarian crisis in syria gets underway . this is an economic forum , but syria 's civil war ca n't be ignored . more than 2.2 million syrians fled their homes since the civil war started , and more than half of them are children . peter maurer , the president of international red cross , un high commissioner for refugees antonio guterres will discuss what more can the international community do to respond to this urgent humanitarian crisis . joining them will be foreign ministers of two of syria 's neighbors -- jordan 's nasser sami judeh and ahmet davutoglu from turkey . to finish the day , at 1715 three european prime ministers -- italy 's enrico letta , irish enda kenny and sweden 's fredrik reinfeldt will join jose manuel barroso , the president of european commission to discuss europe 's transitioning from crisis response to -- hopefully -- crafting a long-term strategy for competitiveness . your reading list for the day : iran in 2014 : do n't expect rouhani to transform iran snowmen and suffering : a bleak winter for young syrian refugees europe 's two-speed economy | six heads of state , including iran 's hassan rouhani and israel 's benjamin netanyahu will speak on thursday |
iran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- day two at davos and big players from the last year are on the stage . there are more than 70 sessions to choose from , but do n't be overwhelmed -- we 'll ensure you 're alerted to the best . today , january 23 , we 'll be watching these speakers : at 1010 , iranian president hassan rouhani will take the stage to discuss his country 's position in the world . tony abbott , prime minister of australia , currently chairing the g20 , will address the forum at 1040 . 1230 immigration - welcome or not ? the rise of migration in europe represents opportunity for some , but threat for others . should governments improve their integration policies or impose barriers to entry ? former u.n. secretary general kofi annan , goldman sachs chairman peter d. sutherland and european parliament 's president martin schulz will be giving their insight on the topic . with growth rates at half their pre-crisis levels , concerns arise that the golden age of emerging markets growth may be over . ministers of india , south africa , brazil and russia will discus what some call brics midlife crisis . ' join them at 1300 . then , there 's a special address by benjamin netanyahu , prime minister of israel , at 1415 , enrique pena nieto , president of mexico , will follow him at 1545 . at 1615 a panel on the humanitarian crisis in syria gets underway . this is an economic forum , but syria 's civil war ca n't be ignored . more than 2.2 million syrians fled their homes since the civil war started , and more than half of them are children . peter maurer , the president of international red cross , un high commissioner for refugees antonio guterres will discuss what more can the international community do to respond to this urgent humanitarian crisis . joining them will be foreign ministers of two of syria 's neighbors -- jordan 's nasser sami judeh and ahmet davutoglu from turkey . to finish the day , at 1715 three european prime ministers -- italy 's enrico letta , irish enda kenny and sweden 's fredrik reinfeldt will join jose manuel barroso , the president of european commission to discuss europe 's transitioning from crisis response to -- hopefully -- crafting a long-term strategy for competitiveness . your reading list for the day : iran in 2014 : do n't expect rouhani to transform iran snowmen and suffering : a bleak winter for young syrian refugees europe 's two-speed economy | six heads of state , including iran 's hassan rouhani and israel 's benjamin netanyahu will speak on thursday |
meiji jingu shrine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tokyo was known as edo until 1868 , but it 's hard to imagine that this high-rise , high-tech metropolis could possibly have existed in a time before electricity and concrete . tokyo is n't just a futuristic city ; it 's the place that has shaped our vision of what the future will look like . in tokyo , the future is a long-standing tradition . there 's a sci-fi familiarity to areas like shibuya , shinjuku and akihabara ; the skyscrapers glowing with illuminated signs , subway stops inside shopping malls and taxis with automated doors could be straight out of blade runner ' or the fifth element . ' but the space-age topography of tokyo has been shaped by a history of catastrophe . in the 20th century alone tokyo suffered earthquakes , fires and devastating bombing . the result is a city that has repeatedly been forced to rebuild , shedding its past with each successive redevelopment . in tokyo , the future is a long-standing tradition . after centuries of expansion , tokyo has grown vertically to accommodate its 12 million residents . perhaps the inevitability of another catastrophic earthquake accounts for the lack of emotional attachment to the city 's architecture ; buildings are continuously being pulled down and replaced , creating the sensation that tokyo 's skyline is a permanent work in progress . while it can seem that the city is intent on stream rolling over its past , you can still see traces of old edo . the meiji jingu shrine tells of the city 's shinto heritage and there 's something timeless about the charming chaos of tsukiji fish market . even the enduring formalities of tokyo 's social etiquette and the joy with which tokyoites greet the coming of the cherry blossom are signs that the city maintains a lingering affection for its traditions . at first glance , tokyoites may seem sober and industrious , efficiently going about the business of making their city a world capital of techno commerce , but shops filled with manga comics and anime dvds hint at a desire to escape the obligations of real life . that appetite for escapism is most colorfully expressed in the phenomenon of cosplay ' , which sees teenagers dress as characters from cartoons and comic strips , or in the outlandish uniforms of various distinctive subcultures . in the 80s , japan 's bubble economy created unsustainable growth in tokyo and property prices in the capital went through the roof . when the bubble burst in the early 90s , tokyo was hit particularly hard but , after years of recession , tokyo has the buzz of a city regaining its confidence . for this endlessly fascinating city , it 's back to business -- and back to the future . | there are still traces of traditional tokyo , such as at the meiji jingu shrine |
van der sar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- manchester united goalkeeper edwin van der sar will retire from football at the end of the season , he announced thursday . the 40-year-old former dutch international has been at old trafford since 2005 , winning three english premier league titles and helping them to their champions league triumph in 2008 . van der sar began his professional career with ajax amsterdam , helping them to the champions league in 1995 . he subsequently had a spell in italy with juventus before joining united 's fellow premier league side fulham . it 's been coming for a while , ' van der sar told the official manchester united website . after playing for so many years , you reach a point where you have to make a decision . there are a couple of things to consider -- whether you still have an appetite for it , your family . van der sar 's wife annemarie collapsed with a brain haemorrhage in december 2009 and he admitted that retirement had been playing on my mind ' since that health scare . van der sar , whose brilliant save from nicolas anelka clinched their penalty shootout win over chelsea in the 2008 champions league final in moscow , has remained in fine form during united 's unbeaten start to the season . but he said he wanted to out out at the top . you ca n't play superman into your 40s , ' he added . it 's a mutual decision ( with manager alex ferguson ) that this season was the last . when i first came here i was just happy to sign a two-year contract . i wanted to win the league before i retired . i was lucky to achieve a little bit more than that . ' van der sar won a record 130 dutch caps before announcing his international retirement at the end of the 2008 season . | edwin van der sar to retire from football at the end of the current season |
van der sar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- manchester united goalkeeper edwin van der sar will retire from football at the end of the season , he announced thursday . the 40-year-old former dutch international has been at old trafford since 2005 , winning three english premier league titles and helping them to their champions league triumph in 2008 . van der sar began his professional career with ajax amsterdam , helping them to the champions league in 1995 . he subsequently had a spell in italy with juventus before joining united 's fellow premier league side fulham . it 's been coming for a while , ' van der sar told the official manchester united website . after playing for so many years , you reach a point where you have to make a decision . there are a couple of things to consider -- whether you still have an appetite for it , your family . van der sar 's wife annemarie collapsed with a brain haemorrhage in december 2009 and he admitted that retirement had been playing on my mind ' since that health scare . van der sar , whose brilliant save from nicolas anelka clinched their penalty shootout win over chelsea in the 2008 champions league final in moscow , has remained in fine form during united 's unbeaten start to the season . but he said he wanted to out out at the top . you ca n't play superman into your 40s , ' he added . it 's a mutual decision ( with manager alex ferguson ) that this season was the last . when i first came here i was just happy to sign a two-year contract . i wanted to win the league before i retired . i was lucky to achieve a little bit more than that . ' van der sar won a record 130 dutch caps before announcing his international retirement at the end of the 2008 season . | van der sar has helped manchester united win three english premier league titles |
van der sar <tsp> ( cnn ) -- manchester united goalkeeper edwin van der sar will retire from football at the end of the season , he announced thursday . the 40-year-old former dutch international has been at old trafford since 2005 , winning three english premier league titles and helping them to their champions league triumph in 2008 . van der sar began his professional career with ajax amsterdam , helping them to the champions league in 1995 . he subsequently had a spell in italy with juventus before joining united 's fellow premier league side fulham . it 's been coming for a while , ' van der sar told the official manchester united website . after playing for so many years , you reach a point where you have to make a decision . there are a couple of things to consider -- whether you still have an appetite for it , your family . van der sar 's wife annemarie collapsed with a brain haemorrhage in december 2009 and he admitted that retirement had been playing on my mind ' since that health scare . van der sar , whose brilliant save from nicolas anelka clinched their penalty shootout win over chelsea in the 2008 champions league final in moscow , has remained in fine form during united 's unbeaten start to the season . but he said he wanted to out out at the top . you ca n't play superman into your 40s , ' he added . it 's a mutual decision ( with manager alex ferguson ) that this season was the last . when i first came here i was just happy to sign a two-year contract . i wanted to win the league before i retired . i was lucky to achieve a little bit more than that . ' van der sar won a record 130 dutch caps before announcing his international retirement at the end of the 2008 season . | van der sar won a record 130 dutch caps |
barack obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the house of representatives voted wednesday to strip $ 450 million from funds slated for a controversial program to build an f-35 joint strike fighter second engine , a next-generation aircraft development program that has been riddled with cost overruns and labeled unnecessary by critics . the amendment to strip the funds passed 233-198 with bipartisan support . it was added to a bill that would fund the federal government for the remainder of the current fiscal year . neither the house nor the senate has the passed the full spending package yet . president barack obama has urged congress to eliminate funding for the development of the second engine of the joint strike fighter . house speaker john boehner , however , is a key supporter . the vote was a setback for the ohio republican . defense secretary robert gates told members of the house armed services committee earlier wednesday that he considers the program an unnecessary and extravagant expense , particularly during a period of fiscal contraction . ' congress has often proven reluctant to end major pentagon projects , which can be an important source of local jobs and revenue . cnn 's alan silverleib contributed to this report | president barack obama has urged elimination of the program |
john boehner <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the house of representatives voted wednesday to strip $ 450 million from funds slated for a controversial program to build an f-35 joint strike fighter second engine , a next-generation aircraft development program that has been riddled with cost overruns and labeled unnecessary by critics . the amendment to strip the funds passed 233-198 with bipartisan support . it was added to a bill that would fund the federal government for the remainder of the current fiscal year . neither the house nor the senate has the passed the full spending package yet . president barack obama has urged congress to eliminate funding for the development of the second engine of the joint strike fighter . house speaker john boehner , however , is a key supporter . the vote was a setback for the ohio republican . defense secretary robert gates told members of the house armed services committee earlier wednesday that he considers the program an unnecessary and extravagant expense , particularly during a period of fiscal contraction . ' congress has often proven reluctant to end major pentagon projects , which can be an important source of local jobs and revenue . cnn 's alan silverleib contributed to this report | house speaker john boehner , r-ohio , supports the program |
bashir <tsp> khartoum , sudan ( cnn ) -- sudanese police cracked down on protesters saturday after days of demonstrations against government austerity measures and calls for the president 's ouster . the head of sudan 's police force told his officers saturday how to deal with riots , groups targeting property , and arbitrary road closures by protesters in accordance with the laws , ' state television reported . at the same meeting with gen. hashim osman hussein , police called on residents of khartoum to cooperate with the police in doing its job to enforce the law aimed at securing the homeland and its citizens , ' state tv reported . growing numbers of protesters have rallied in the capital against government spending cuts and other measures . the protests have in some cases turned violent , with people throwing stones at police , burning tires and police trucks , and cutting off roads . after friday prayers , crowds called for the toppling of president omar al-bashir . leave , bashir , leave ! ' they chanted . khartoum , people , please revolt against humiliation and dictatorship . ' police and security agents intensified their crackdown saturday , detaining a number of opposition figures and surrounding the buildings of two of the country 's main opposition parties . officers used batons to disperse the demonstrations and police vehicles patrolled throughout the capital . in a televised speech on state media last week , al-bashir urged citizens to understand the new harsh austerity measures , which lifted fuel subsidies and cut the cabinet by half to reduce expenses . sudan has faced soaring inflation since it separated with south sudan a year ago -- taking with it more than 70 % of sudan 's oil reserves . the nation 's inflation has gone up by 30 % , according to sudanese finance minister ali mahmud . protesters have vowed to hold mass rallies june 30 , when the ruling party celebrates 24 years in power . organizers are also calling for mass action using social media sites such as twitter and facebook , where they are posting pictures and details of upcoming protests . the government has described the weeklong protests as small and urged citizens to avoid them . government officials were not immediately available for comment . in similar protests in january last year , students vowed to replicate the arab spring that has swept over the middle east . | leave , bashir , leave ! ' they chant as they protest in the capital |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with oil prices hitting a record high on monday , the chairman and ceo of chevron , david o'reilly , and robert f. kennedy jr. , senior attorney for the national resource defense counsel , appeared on cnn 's larry king live ' to discuss america 's energy future . chevron ceo david o'reilly says his company 's profit is about 7 percent . kennedy : the fastest way for us to solve our energy problems in this country is immediate conservation . if we improve fuel economy standards in our automobiles by one mile per gallon , we generate twice the oil that 's in the arctic national wildlife refuge . if we raise fuel economy standards by 7.6 miles per gallon , we can yield more oil than we are currently importing from the persian gulf . o'reilly : i agree , that first of all efficiency is the very first thing we ought to be working on . and there are new [ fuel efficiency ] standards in place that will obligate the automobile manufacturers to be more efficient and , in fact , you can see a shift already toward more efficient cars . kennedy : i 'm involved with a company called better place , which made a proposal a couple years ago to israel to get israel completely off of gasoline cars within three years . and israel is going to do that . within three years , they will be off of gasoline automobiles . we can do that in this country , too , using shifting to electricity and electricity gives us a lot more versatility , it allows us to harness wind . we have -- the midwest this is the saudi arabia of wind . we have enough harnessable wind energy in north dakota , kansas and texas combined to supply all the electrical needs of our country , even if every american were driving an electric car . we have the scientific american just published a report that shows in 19 percent of the most barren desert lands in the desert southwest , we have enough solar energy to provide all the electrical needs of our country . ... what we need now is a national policy that says , ok , let 's go out and get those electrons and get them into the marketplace . o'reilly : i encourage all these alternatives . i think there 's room for all of them . i 'm very concerned because the reality is today that these alternatives are a very small percentage . and just like it takes a long time to drill an offshore well , it takes a long time to find and develop and put in the sort of equipment that mr. kennedy is talking about . what bothers me about this is everyone portrays it as an either/or debate . it 's not and either/or debate . ... we need alternative and we need efficiency and we need conventional oil and gas . watch o'reilly discuss ballooning gas prices » kennedy : i really think that they talk windfall profit tax [ on oil companies ] , whether it 's good thing or it 's a bad thing , it 's not a long-term energy policy . what we need is really a long-term -- and drilling off the coast is not a long-term energy policy . what we need is an energy policy . today , larry , we are borrowing a billion dollars a day mainly from countries that do n't like us to import oil from countries that do n't like us . when i was a little boy , our country owned half the wealth on the face of the earth . we are now transferring that wealth at a historic rate to other countries , again , mainly nations that do n't like us . we have solutions . unfortunately , we have a congress that 's really brain dead . i 'll tell you something that the congress did today . first of all , they killed the investment tax credits for solar and wind which are absolutely vital to the growth of this burgeoning industry . second of all , today , congress and the white house declared a moratorium , a two-year moratorium on any solar plants being built on federal lands while they study supposedly the environmental impact . o'reilly : in the first quarter , we made $ 5 billion , which is 7 percent of sales and exactly the median for all of the industry . ... the percentage has been about the same . you 've got to keep in mind that as the revenues are going up , the costs are also going up . so it 's not as if this is all going to the bottom line . | kennedy : windfall profits taxes not an energy policy |
kennedy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- with oil prices hitting a record high on monday , the chairman and ceo of chevron , david o'reilly , and robert f. kennedy jr. , senior attorney for the national resource defense counsel , appeared on cnn 's larry king live ' to discuss america 's energy future . chevron ceo david o'reilly says his company 's profit is about 7 percent . kennedy : the fastest way for us to solve our energy problems in this country is immediate conservation . if we improve fuel economy standards in our automobiles by one mile per gallon , we generate twice the oil that 's in the arctic national wildlife refuge . if we raise fuel economy standards by 7.6 miles per gallon , we can yield more oil than we are currently importing from the persian gulf . o'reilly : i agree , that first of all efficiency is the very first thing we ought to be working on . and there are new [ fuel efficiency ] standards in place that will obligate the automobile manufacturers to be more efficient and , in fact , you can see a shift already toward more efficient cars . kennedy : i 'm involved with a company called better place , which made a proposal a couple years ago to israel to get israel completely off of gasoline cars within three years . and israel is going to do that . within three years , they will be off of gasoline automobiles . we can do that in this country , too , using shifting to electricity and electricity gives us a lot more versatility , it allows us to harness wind . we have -- the midwest this is the saudi arabia of wind . we have enough harnessable wind energy in north dakota , kansas and texas combined to supply all the electrical needs of our country , even if every american were driving an electric car . we have the scientific american just published a report that shows in 19 percent of the most barren desert lands in the desert southwest , we have enough solar energy to provide all the electrical needs of our country . ... what we need now is a national policy that says , ok , let 's go out and get those electrons and get them into the marketplace . o'reilly : i encourage all these alternatives . i think there 's room for all of them . i 'm very concerned because the reality is today that these alternatives are a very small percentage . and just like it takes a long time to drill an offshore well , it takes a long time to find and develop and put in the sort of equipment that mr. kennedy is talking about . what bothers me about this is everyone portrays it as an either/or debate . it 's not and either/or debate . ... we need alternative and we need efficiency and we need conventional oil and gas . watch o'reilly discuss ballooning gas prices » kennedy : i really think that they talk windfall profit tax [ on oil companies ] , whether it 's good thing or it 's a bad thing , it 's not a long-term energy policy . what we need is really a long-term -- and drilling off the coast is not a long-term energy policy . what we need is an energy policy . today , larry , we are borrowing a billion dollars a day mainly from countries that do n't like us to import oil from countries that do n't like us . when i was a little boy , our country owned half the wealth on the face of the earth . we are now transferring that wealth at a historic rate to other countries , again , mainly nations that do n't like us . we have solutions . unfortunately , we have a congress that 's really brain dead . i 'll tell you something that the congress did today . first of all , they killed the investment tax credits for solar and wind which are absolutely vital to the growth of this burgeoning industry . second of all , today , congress and the white house declared a moratorium , a two-year moratorium on any solar plants being built on federal lands while they study supposedly the environmental impact . o'reilly : in the first quarter , we made $ 5 billion , which is 7 percent of sales and exactly the median for all of the industry . ... the percentage has been about the same . you 've got to keep in mind that as the revenues are going up , the costs are also going up . so it 's not as if this is all going to the bottom line . | robert kennedy jr. says immediate conservation measures needed |
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