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glass <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the segway . the bluetooth headset . the pocket protector . what do these three technologies have in common ? they all pretty much work as promised . they all seem like good ideas on paper . and they 're all too dorky to live . now , far be it from me to claim that nerdiness equals lack of popularity potential . but i contend that dorkiness and nerdiness are two different qualities . while nerdiness implies a certain social awkwardness that 's ultimately endearing , dorkiness connotes social obliviousness that opens you to deserved ridicule . guess which category google glass will fall under when it goes mainstream ? ' forget about the privacy concerns for a second . i do n't think you have to get that serious to recognize the inherent antisocialness of google glass . all you have to do is look at the guy in the picture at the top of this post . or any of the rest of the guys on white men wearing google glass , a new tumblr that serves up the data needed to transform the hypothesis google glass is too dorky to succeed ' into a proven scientific theory . disagree ? the floor is open for falsification . start your own tumblr : people who look cool while wearing google glass . before its release , some of the smartest people in tech predicted that the segway would change the world . and even when the world joined in a collective huh ? ' when the much-hyped secret ginger project was revealed to be a gyro-balanced scooter , the idea still kind of made sense . if we were all riding around on segways now , cities would probably be better places to live compared to the car-infested streets we still endure . but that transformation has n't happened . and it wo n't . why ? because segways are lame . they 're too rational . they fail to acknowledge all the irrational reasons people love their cars . similarly , google glass fails to acknowledge that walking around with a camera mounted on the side of your face at all times makes you look dorky . think of the bluetooth headset : it 's a really sensible way to use your phone without having to take it out of your pocket†” so sensible that there 's really no reason not to keep that headset in your ear most of the time . but you do n't , do you ? there 's a reason that saturday night live put a bluetooth headset on jason sudeikis in its recurring two a-holes ' sketches . google glass , like the segway , is what happens when silicon valley spends too much time talking to itself . maybe that 's even overstating the case : the rhetoric around google glass is what happens when important tech people spend a little too much time congratulating each other . there 's really nothing wrong with google glass as a technological experiment . the future will include some kind of wearable smart technology , and it 's important for google to be experimenting in that direction . but google co-founder sergey brin 's presentation at ted , in which he characterized wearing google glass as somehow more macho than pulling your smartphone out of your pocket , underscores the tone-deafness that can envelop silicon valley when vips get a little too excited about the next big thing . brin , after all , is a guy who thinks nothing of engaging in spontaneous yoga in the middle of a crowded tech conference . this is n't a bad thing†” on the nerd to dork scale , it definitely tilts toward nerd . ' but if you 're one of the shareholders helping to keep google 's shares trading above $ 800 , the dork factor of google glass should give you pause . google is still trying to crack the secret of monetizing mobile technology , which so far has n't proven as lucrative as its desktop search business . google glass may be a fun experiment in building another mobile platform to attract as-yet-unimagined revenue streams . but making money on consumer technology requires that consumers embrace that technology . if google glass makes you look as cool as the guys in that tumblr , that embrace is about as likely to happen as you hugging a segway . or robert scoble in the shower . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | writer says glass is what happens when silicon valley does n't get the real world |
glass <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the segway . the bluetooth headset . the pocket protector . what do these three technologies have in common ? they all pretty much work as promised . they all seem like good ideas on paper . and they 're all too dorky to live . now , far be it from me to claim that nerdiness equals lack of popularity potential . but i contend that dorkiness and nerdiness are two different qualities . while nerdiness implies a certain social awkwardness that 's ultimately endearing , dorkiness connotes social obliviousness that opens you to deserved ridicule . guess which category google glass will fall under when it goes mainstream ? ' forget about the privacy concerns for a second . i do n't think you have to get that serious to recognize the inherent antisocialness of google glass . all you have to do is look at the guy in the picture at the top of this post . or any of the rest of the guys on white men wearing google glass , a new tumblr that serves up the data needed to transform the hypothesis google glass is too dorky to succeed ' into a proven scientific theory . disagree ? the floor is open for falsification . start your own tumblr : people who look cool while wearing google glass . before its release , some of the smartest people in tech predicted that the segway would change the world . and even when the world joined in a collective huh ? ' when the much-hyped secret ginger project was revealed to be a gyro-balanced scooter , the idea still kind of made sense . if we were all riding around on segways now , cities would probably be better places to live compared to the car-infested streets we still endure . but that transformation has n't happened . and it wo n't . why ? because segways are lame . they 're too rational . they fail to acknowledge all the irrational reasons people love their cars . similarly , google glass fails to acknowledge that walking around with a camera mounted on the side of your face at all times makes you look dorky . think of the bluetooth headset : it 's a really sensible way to use your phone without having to take it out of your pocket†” so sensible that there 's really no reason not to keep that headset in your ear most of the time . but you do n't , do you ? there 's a reason that saturday night live put a bluetooth headset on jason sudeikis in its recurring two a-holes ' sketches . google glass , like the segway , is what happens when silicon valley spends too much time talking to itself . maybe that 's even overstating the case : the rhetoric around google glass is what happens when important tech people spend a little too much time congratulating each other . there 's really nothing wrong with google glass as a technological experiment . the future will include some kind of wearable smart technology , and it 's important for google to be experimenting in that direction . but google co-founder sergey brin 's presentation at ted , in which he characterized wearing google glass as somehow more macho than pulling your smartphone out of your pocket , underscores the tone-deafness that can envelop silicon valley when vips get a little too excited about the next big thing . brin , after all , is a guy who thinks nothing of engaging in spontaneous yoga in the middle of a crowded tech conference . this is n't a bad thing†” on the nerd to dork scale , it definitely tilts toward nerd . ' but if you 're one of the shareholders helping to keep google 's shares trading above $ 800 , the dork factor of google glass should give you pause . google is still trying to crack the secret of monetizing mobile technology , which so far has n't proven as lucrative as its desktop search business . google glass may be a fun experiment in building another mobile platform to attract as-yet-unimagined revenue streams . but making money on consumer technology requires that consumers embrace that technology . if google glass makes you look as cool as the guys in that tumblr , that embrace is about as likely to happen as you hugging a segway . or robert scoble in the shower . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | early adopters might make google glass seem dorky |
glass <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the segway . the bluetooth headset . the pocket protector . what do these three technologies have in common ? they all pretty much work as promised . they all seem like good ideas on paper . and they 're all too dorky to live . now , far be it from me to claim that nerdiness equals lack of popularity potential . but i contend that dorkiness and nerdiness are two different qualities . while nerdiness implies a certain social awkwardness that 's ultimately endearing , dorkiness connotes social obliviousness that opens you to deserved ridicule . guess which category google glass will fall under when it goes mainstream ? ' forget about the privacy concerns for a second . i do n't think you have to get that serious to recognize the inherent antisocialness of google glass . all you have to do is look at the guy in the picture at the top of this post . or any of the rest of the guys on white men wearing google glass , a new tumblr that serves up the data needed to transform the hypothesis google glass is too dorky to succeed ' into a proven scientific theory . disagree ? the floor is open for falsification . start your own tumblr : people who look cool while wearing google glass . before its release , some of the smartest people in tech predicted that the segway would change the world . and even when the world joined in a collective huh ? ' when the much-hyped secret ginger project was revealed to be a gyro-balanced scooter , the idea still kind of made sense . if we were all riding around on segways now , cities would probably be better places to live compared to the car-infested streets we still endure . but that transformation has n't happened . and it wo n't . why ? because segways are lame . they 're too rational . they fail to acknowledge all the irrational reasons people love their cars . similarly , google glass fails to acknowledge that walking around with a camera mounted on the side of your face at all times makes you look dorky . think of the bluetooth headset : it 's a really sensible way to use your phone without having to take it out of your pocket†” so sensible that there 's really no reason not to keep that headset in your ear most of the time . but you do n't , do you ? there 's a reason that saturday night live put a bluetooth headset on jason sudeikis in its recurring two a-holes ' sketches . google glass , like the segway , is what happens when silicon valley spends too much time talking to itself . maybe that 's even overstating the case : the rhetoric around google glass is what happens when important tech people spend a little too much time congratulating each other . there 's really nothing wrong with google glass as a technological experiment . the future will include some kind of wearable smart technology , and it 's important for google to be experimenting in that direction . but google co-founder sergey brin 's presentation at ted , in which he characterized wearing google glass as somehow more macho than pulling your smartphone out of your pocket , underscores the tone-deafness that can envelop silicon valley when vips get a little too excited about the next big thing . brin , after all , is a guy who thinks nothing of engaging in spontaneous yoga in the middle of a crowded tech conference . this is n't a bad thing†” on the nerd to dork scale , it definitely tilts toward nerd . ' but if you 're one of the shareholders helping to keep google 's shares trading above $ 800 , the dork factor of google glass should give you pause . google is still trying to crack the secret of monetizing mobile technology , which so far has n't proven as lucrative as its desktop search business . google glass may be a fun experiment in building another mobile platform to attract as-yet-unimagined revenue streams . but making money on consumer technology requires that consumers embrace that technology . if google glass makes you look as cool as the guys in that tumblr , that embrace is about as likely to happen as you hugging a segway . or robert scoble in the shower . subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | like bluetooth headsets , glass is lopsided , with a camera on one lens |
cbs <tsp> ( cnn ) -- be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered . ' thong type costumes are problematic . ' avoid sheer see-through clothing . ' is this the new edict of a religiously conservative government that wants to make sure that men -- and especially women -- are covered up ? could it be the dress code for visiting the vatican , the wailing wall , the dome of the rock or other holy sites ? nope , these words are actually part of the wardrobe advisory e-mail that cbs sent to attendees of this sunday 's grammy awards . yep , cbs , the network that brought you a promo during last week 's super bowl for its show , 2 broke girls , ' featuring the show 's young female stars writhing on a stripper pole , is now concerned about sending the wrong message . the language that cbs used in explaining its clothing recommendations is actually hilarious -- it seems to have been written by a cross between an elderly lawyer and goody procter from the crucible . ' predicting the 2013 grammy winners here are some of the highlights : talent should , avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack . ' what exactly is fleshy under curves ' and why does it sound so oddly hot ? ( and by frowning upon the showing of buttock cracks , does this mean that many of the union plumbers working at the grammy venue may also have wardrobe problems ? ) cbs wants attendees to avoid outfits that could expose female breast nipples . ' and the network also put its foot down on clothes that expose the bare sides ' of breasts , aka , the famed and increasingly popular sideboob . ' however , the most bizarrely worded wardrobe line is that talent must , be sure that the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible'puffy'bare skin exposure . ' what exactly is puffy ' bare skin ? is that code for some word i do n't know about ? and why did cbs put the word puffy ' in quotes ? it sounds even dirtier that way . my big question is this : what caused cbs to be so concerned that this year it issued a written wardrobe advisory ? cbs has aired the grammys for more than 40 straight years , dating back to 1973 . obviously over that time we have seen some pretty risquã© outfits . could it be because cbs wants to appease conservatives who freaked out over the outfit beyonce wore while performing in the super bowl halftime show ? 21 questions for the 2012 grammys right-wing radio host laura ingraham protested beyonce 's outfit with a sarcastic tweet : very family-friendly dancing s & m by beyonce . what every girl shd aspire to . # waronwomen . ' a writer at the national review ' penned a column entitled , put a dress on , ' demanding that beyonce not wear a black teddy ' on stage but something less revealing . ( of course , if similar language was espoused from people in the muslim world , these same conservatives would denounce it as muslims attempting to oppress women , but it 's somehow ok when they do it . ) the real reason is unclear . cbs declined to officially comment but sources there stated that a similar verbal wardrobe warning had been given in the past . what is clear is that this wardrobe advisory is not gender neutral . its very language tells women what they can not wear . female breasts ' must be adequately covered . female breast nipples ' must not be exposed . even where there 's no specific gender reference , we all understand that no one is concerned that bruce springsteen , who is nominated for a grammy this year , will show up exposing the , bare fleshy under curves ' of his buttocks . no , cbs is more concerned with making sure that women are properly covered .'boss'auctions guitar , lesson beyond the apparent sexism of the wardrobe advisory , we also need to keep in mind that freedom of expression is not just words . freedom of expression also includes expressing yourself through the clothes you wear , especially for the talented musical artists attending the grammys . these performers should be able to dress any way they choose , both men and women . a big part of the grammys is enjoying the range of outfits worn , from the glamorous to the provocative to ones that make you wonder what was the bet the person lost that made them wear that outfit -- i 'm looking at you nicki minaj , who last year dressed like a bright red version of the flying nun ' and was accompanied by a man dressed like the pope . and of course , if someone wears an outfit that truly violates fcc regulations , then cbs should not allow that person on camera . that is not only cbs'right , it 's cbs'obligation . but the cbs wardrobe advisory note goes too far -- it both hampers creativity and imposes restrictions that are sexist . i hope that at sunday 's grammys we see people dressed as creatively and provocatively as they choose . part of me even hopes that bruce springsteen wears an outfit that exposes his puffy ' bare skin -- whatever that may be . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah . | cbs sent a wardrobe advisory e-mail to grammy attendees to cover up well |
cbs <tsp> ( cnn ) -- be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered . ' thong type costumes are problematic . ' avoid sheer see-through clothing . ' is this the new edict of a religiously conservative government that wants to make sure that men -- and especially women -- are covered up ? could it be the dress code for visiting the vatican , the wailing wall , the dome of the rock or other holy sites ? nope , these words are actually part of the wardrobe advisory e-mail that cbs sent to attendees of this sunday 's grammy awards . yep , cbs , the network that brought you a promo during last week 's super bowl for its show , 2 broke girls , ' featuring the show 's young female stars writhing on a stripper pole , is now concerned about sending the wrong message . the language that cbs used in explaining its clothing recommendations is actually hilarious -- it seems to have been written by a cross between an elderly lawyer and goody procter from the crucible . ' predicting the 2013 grammy winners here are some of the highlights : talent should , avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack . ' what exactly is fleshy under curves ' and why does it sound so oddly hot ? ( and by frowning upon the showing of buttock cracks , does this mean that many of the union plumbers working at the grammy venue may also have wardrobe problems ? ) cbs wants attendees to avoid outfits that could expose female breast nipples . ' and the network also put its foot down on clothes that expose the bare sides ' of breasts , aka , the famed and increasingly popular sideboob . ' however , the most bizarrely worded wardrobe line is that talent must , be sure that the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible'puffy'bare skin exposure . ' what exactly is puffy ' bare skin ? is that code for some word i do n't know about ? and why did cbs put the word puffy ' in quotes ? it sounds even dirtier that way . my big question is this : what caused cbs to be so concerned that this year it issued a written wardrobe advisory ? cbs has aired the grammys for more than 40 straight years , dating back to 1973 . obviously over that time we have seen some pretty risquã© outfits . could it be because cbs wants to appease conservatives who freaked out over the outfit beyonce wore while performing in the super bowl halftime show ? 21 questions for the 2012 grammys right-wing radio host laura ingraham protested beyonce 's outfit with a sarcastic tweet : very family-friendly dancing s & m by beyonce . what every girl shd aspire to . # waronwomen . ' a writer at the national review ' penned a column entitled , put a dress on , ' demanding that beyonce not wear a black teddy ' on stage but something less revealing . ( of course , if similar language was espoused from people in the muslim world , these same conservatives would denounce it as muslims attempting to oppress women , but it 's somehow ok when they do it . ) the real reason is unclear . cbs declined to officially comment but sources there stated that a similar verbal wardrobe warning had been given in the past . what is clear is that this wardrobe advisory is not gender neutral . its very language tells women what they can not wear . female breasts ' must be adequately covered . female breast nipples ' must not be exposed . even where there 's no specific gender reference , we all understand that no one is concerned that bruce springsteen , who is nominated for a grammy this year , will show up exposing the , bare fleshy under curves ' of his buttocks . no , cbs is more concerned with making sure that women are properly covered .'boss'auctions guitar , lesson beyond the apparent sexism of the wardrobe advisory , we also need to keep in mind that freedom of expression is not just words . freedom of expression also includes expressing yourself through the clothes you wear , especially for the talented musical artists attending the grammys . these performers should be able to dress any way they choose , both men and women . a big part of the grammys is enjoying the range of outfits worn , from the glamorous to the provocative to ones that make you wonder what was the bet the person lost that made them wear that outfit -- i 'm looking at you nicki minaj , who last year dressed like a bright red version of the flying nun ' and was accompanied by a man dressed like the pope . and of course , if someone wears an outfit that truly violates fcc regulations , then cbs should not allow that person on camera . that is not only cbs'right , it 's cbs'obligation . but the cbs wardrobe advisory note goes too far -- it both hampers creativity and imposes restrictions that are sexist . i hope that at sunday 's grammys we see people dressed as creatively and provocatively as they choose . part of me even hopes that bruce springsteen wears an outfit that exposes his puffy ' bare skin -- whatever that may be . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah . | he says maybe cbs is trying to appease conservatives like laura ingraham |
nfl <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it can happen to anybody -- forgetting your glasses are on the top of your head , or not remembering a loved one 's birthday after celebrating it for decades . most of us simply laugh off these short memory lapses . but for a former professional football player , memory lapses can be a scary thing . they can be a sign of chronic traumatic encephalopathy , or cte , a disease that has been found in the brains of many athletes who suffered repeated hits to the head during their career . quarterback brett favre played 321 straight games in the national football league before retiring . he recently told sports talk 570 in washington that he ca n't remember his daughter participating in youth soccer one summer , even though she played several games . that , and other memory lapses , have worried him . for the first time in 44 years , that put a little fear in me , ' he said . god only knows the toll . ' favre discusses impact concussions have had on his life the only way to diagnose cte is after death -- by analyzing brain tissue and finding microscopic clumps of an abnormal protein called tau . tau has been found in the brains of dozens of former nfl players , including junior seau , dave duerson , terry long and shane dronett , who all committed suicide . it was also found in the brain of mike webster , who died in 2002 . scientists are working to identify some common symptoms of the brain disease in living players . experts say athletes with cte often struggle with memory and decision-making . some exhibit mood and behavior problems such as depression and hopelessness , or violent , explosive behavior . a few show no symptoms at all . there is no specific order of changes in cte ; it 's on a case-by-case basis , ' robert stern , co-founder of the center for the study of traumatic encephalopathy , told cnn . it could be that some people have more initial changes to ( brain ) areas that are more responsible for mood and aggression and impulse control . ' in august , thousands of former football players and their families reached a settlement with the nfl in a lawsuit that put concussions , and their impact on the brain , under the microscope . the deal called for the nfl to pay $ 765 million to fund medical exams , concussion-related compensation , medical research for retired nfl players and their families , and litigation expenses , according to a court document filed in u.s. district court in philadelphia . my hope is that any players or ex-players that are suffering , or begin to suffer , from symptoms of dementia , will be taken care of in a respectable manner through this settlement , ' said chris dronett , one of the plaintiffs , whose husband shane dronett committed suicide in 2009 at age 38 . scientists found evidence of cte in shane 's brain after his death . at the heart of the lawsuit was plaintiffs'allegations that the nfl led a deliberate misinformation campaign -- primarily through its mild traumatic brain injury committee -- to deny scientific data being presented in the medical community about concussion risks . the suit alleged that misinformation , which included studies by the committee suggesting no correlation between concussions and long-term brain damage , trickled down to players so that they did not realize the true risks they were taking while playing . the nfl did n't comment about the settlement , but a league spokesman previously said , any allegation that the league sought to mislead players has no merit ... and stands in contrast to actions it took to better protect players . ' in recent years , the nfl has attempted to strengthen rules that govern player conduct on the field and added sideline medical staff -- unaffiliated with the teams -- in an effort to evaluate more independently injured players . what is most important , said jamal anderson , a former player and plaintiff , is to bring attention to the plight of thousands of players and the importance of taking concussion and head trauma seriously . ' concussions result from blows to the head , such as when a player collides with another . in a football game , when someone takes a hard hit , the helmet does a pretty good job of protecting the skull from getting a skull fracture , ' dr. sanjay gupta , a neurosurgeon and cnn 's chief medical correspondent , told bleacher report . but what is really happening when someone is running down the field and ... they get hit -- the brain keeps moving inside the skull . ' it 's not so much the hit , although that 's important , but the sudden acceleration and deceleration of the brain that causes the concussion , gupta said . confusion , nausea , headache and loss of consciousness are some of the immediate symptoms of concussions , but they can also have longer-lasting effects . severe impacts to the head can lead to bleeding or permanent nerve damage . research suggests repeated concussions can lead to cte . high schools tackle football concussions cnn 's elizabeth landau , nadia kounang and bleacher report 's mike chiari contributed to this story . | cte was at the center of a recent settlement between nfl and thousands of players |
pakistani <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistani defense minister chaudhry ahmed mukhtar was blocked from leaving the country thursday after pakistan 's supreme court struck down an amnesty that had protected politicians from corruption charges , state media reported . nearly 280 government officials and ministers have been placed on an exit control list by the high court , said wajid hasan , pakistan 's high commissioner in britain . the 17-judge court invalidated the national reconciliation order on wednesday , saying in its ruling that the amnesty seems to be against the national interest ' and violates various provisions of the constitution . ' the order , passed in october 2007 under then-president pervez musharraf , only covered alleged wrongdoing that occurred between 1986 through 1999 . the order , which expired last month , protected thousands of bureaucrats and politicians , including president asif ali zardari and his wife , former prime minister benazir bhutto , from corruption and criminal charges . mukhtar , among the officials once protected by the order , was on an official trip to china when he was stopped at the islamabad airport . pakistan 's supreme court said its ruling revived all cases that had been suspended or withdrawn under the amnesty . zardari 's government released a brief statement thursday saying : the government respects the judgment of the supreme court and is awaiting the detailed judgment . however , the government has already started consulting the legal experts for its implementation . ' cnn 's nic robertson and arwa damon contributed to this report . | pakistani court rules amnesty seems to be against the national interest ' |
china <tsp> islamabad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistani defense minister chaudhry ahmed mukhtar was blocked from leaving the country thursday after pakistan 's supreme court struck down an amnesty that had protected politicians from corruption charges , state media reported . nearly 280 government officials and ministers have been placed on an exit control list by the high court , said wajid hasan , pakistan 's high commissioner in britain . the 17-judge court invalidated the national reconciliation order on wednesday , saying in its ruling that the amnesty seems to be against the national interest ' and violates various provisions of the constitution . ' the order , passed in october 2007 under then-president pervez musharraf , only covered alleged wrongdoing that occurred between 1986 through 1999 . the order , which expired last month , protected thousands of bureaucrats and politicians , including president asif ali zardari and his wife , former prime minister benazir bhutto , from corruption and criminal charges . mukhtar , among the officials once protected by the order , was on an official trip to china when he was stopped at the islamabad airport . pakistan 's supreme court said its ruling revived all cases that had been suspended or withdrawn under the amnesty . zardari 's government released a brief statement thursday saying : the government respects the judgment of the supreme court and is awaiting the detailed judgment . however , the government has already started consulting the legal experts for its implementation . ' cnn 's nic robertson and arwa damon contributed to this report . | defense minister taking official trip to china when he is stopped at islamabad airport |
malian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a french soldier was killed during a clash with islamist fighters early wednesday in northern mali , the french defense ministry said . four french soldiers have been killed in mali since the beginning of france 's military intervention there in january . interactive : africa 's rocky road to democracy islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party mnla . the militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . france has more than 2,000 soldiers on malian soil , with 1,000 more troops supporting the operation from elsewhere . french involvement in the conflict began on january 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako , the capital . | france has more than 2,000 soldiers on malian soil |
federico macheda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- italian teenager federico macheda enjoyed a remarkable debut to english football as he curled home an injury-time winner that sent manchester united back to the top of the premier league with a thrilling 3-2 home win over aston villa . macheda receives a hug from manager sir alex ferguson after scoring manchester united 's last-gasp winner . it seemed united would have to settle for a point after cristiano ronaldo 's double had only proved enough to keep united level against a villa side that thoroughly deserved a lead provided by john carew and gabriel agbonlahor . but 17-year-old substitute macheda , a former member of the lazio academy who arrived at old trafford in 2007 , was to have the last word . who is federico macheda ? at exactly the same moment as yossi benayoun struck for liverpool at fulham on saturday , macheda turned onto ryan giggs'low pass before unleashing a stunning shot that curled past brad friedel and sent old trafford into ecstasy . united , missing a host of players including rio ferdinand , nemanja vidic , wayne rooney and paul scholes , started poorly against an out-of-form villa side who had gone eight matches without victory . however , a stunning piece of skill from cristiano ronaldo gave them a 14th- minute lead . james milner and friedel got themselves into a muddle , forcing the villa keeper to handle a back pass . the resulting free-kick saw ryan giggs brush the ball to ronaldo , who sent a fierce shot over the wall and into the roof of friedel 's net in a flash . villa were not to be denied and they drew level when gareth barry wriggled his way into space by the touchline and carew crept between gary neville and john o'shea to steer a deft header into the bottom corner of the net . the visitors then took a deserved lead on the hour mark when ronaldo gifted possession to stiliyan petrov , who swept upfield unopposed . he found carew , whose perfect cross was headed home by agbonlahor . the goal stung united into life and they levelled with 13 minutes remaining when michael carrick exchanged first-time passes with giggs on the edge of the villa box , before presenting ronaldo with a lay-off . the world player of the year did not have a lot to aim at but he found the one small gap friedel was unable to cover . a draw would have been a fair result , but united poured forward and in the third minute of five added on minutes at the end of the match , macheda delivered the killer blow to leave the defending champions a point clear of liverpool at the top with a game in hand . meanwhile , in the day 's other match , everton moved to within one point of villa in sixth position after a comfortable 4-0 victory over wigan , courtesy of a double from on-loan manchester city striker jo . | federico macheda scores an injury-time winner as manchester defeat villa 3-2 |
carlston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my heart aches for the children , parents and teachers at sandy hook elementary school . like them , i know what it means to have life turned on its head by unprecedented violence . on the morning of april 20 , 1999 , two senior students walked into columbine high school and began a shooting spree . someone pulled the fire alarm and i was able to escape my trigonometry classroom . while i did n't suffer any injury , people i knew and admired were killed . that awful day left a permanent scar on our community in littleton , colorado . but the columbine shooting did not define us . we are defined by the acts of goodness that followed . people in our community bonded and helped each other get through the tragedy . hundreds of comfort quilts were sewed and handed out to those who were trying to recover from the anguish and pain . restaurants provided free meals in the days after the shooting . strangers offered hugs to each other at the clement park memorial for support . no one ever should experience a columbine moment . no one wants to feel assaulted , offended or hurt by an inexplicable event . but sometimes , those things happen . the way we respond to those moments is crucial in how we build and rebuild our relationships , and more importantly , how we rebuild our lives . there are two ways we can respond to a traumatic experience -- as a victim or a survivor . early on , i pitifully used columbine to justify personal failures and shortcomings . eventually , i realized that i owned the way i reacted to situations and how i engaged with those around me . more than a decade later , i still think about columbine . i do not dwell on the grotesque details of the day . in quiet meditation , i think of the lives that were taken and the lessons that help me move forward . i appreciate the subtle and profound consequences that our thoughts and actions can have on others . i became slower to anger and quicker to love . the inconsiderate driver or long line at the post office does n't spoil my day anymore . i share my story to offer hope to those impacted by violence -- those who wonder whether they 'll be able to regain the life they once knew . the answer is no . life wo n't be the same . but one can , over time , find happiness . when you are able to come out of a tragedy you 'll be stronger with a greater capacity to love , more determination to serve others and desire to mend broken family ties . and you 'll feel joy that comes from these actions . to those who are wading through a mountain of pain and sorrow right now , please know that it will be ok. take time to grieve your loss . talk through your feelings , even if it 's no more than ramblings . live your life in a way that honors the memory of the precious lives that were taken . push out the anger and fill your mind with a positive outlook . i promise this approach will bring more peace and joy . there may be some people who are angry at god . i was not . in columbine 's aftermath , my faith was an essential part of my healing process . there 's a scripture passage that i take comfort in : ye can not behold with your natural eyes , the design of your god concerning those things which shall follow after much tribulation . for after much tribulation come the blessings . i believe in god and trust that he has a plan for our lives . his added measure of strength always comes at the moment when we 've exhausted our best effort . when tragedies like columbine or sandy hook happen , we are reminded of the fragility and precious nature of life . this gives rise to the question , what will you do with the time you have ? choose faith , choose charity , choose hope . then , life will be livable again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of liz carlston . | carlston : choose faith , choose charity , choose hope ; then , life will be livable again |
carlston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my heart aches for the children , parents and teachers at sandy hook elementary school . like them , i know what it means to have life turned on its head by unprecedented violence . on the morning of april 20 , 1999 , two senior students walked into columbine high school and began a shooting spree . someone pulled the fire alarm and i was able to escape my trigonometry classroom . while i did n't suffer any injury , people i knew and admired were killed . that awful day left a permanent scar on our community in littleton , colorado . but the columbine shooting did not define us . we are defined by the acts of goodness that followed . people in our community bonded and helped each other get through the tragedy . hundreds of comfort quilts were sewed and handed out to those who were trying to recover from the anguish and pain . restaurants provided free meals in the days after the shooting . strangers offered hugs to each other at the clement park memorial for support . no one ever should experience a columbine moment . no one wants to feel assaulted , offended or hurt by an inexplicable event . but sometimes , those things happen . the way we respond to those moments is crucial in how we build and rebuild our relationships , and more importantly , how we rebuild our lives . there are two ways we can respond to a traumatic experience -- as a victim or a survivor . early on , i pitifully used columbine to justify personal failures and shortcomings . eventually , i realized that i owned the way i reacted to situations and how i engaged with those around me . more than a decade later , i still think about columbine . i do not dwell on the grotesque details of the day . in quiet meditation , i think of the lives that were taken and the lessons that help me move forward . i appreciate the subtle and profound consequences that our thoughts and actions can have on others . i became slower to anger and quicker to love . the inconsiderate driver or long line at the post office does n't spoil my day anymore . i share my story to offer hope to those impacted by violence -- those who wonder whether they 'll be able to regain the life they once knew . the answer is no . life wo n't be the same . but one can , over time , find happiness . when you are able to come out of a tragedy you 'll be stronger with a greater capacity to love , more determination to serve others and desire to mend broken family ties . and you 'll feel joy that comes from these actions . to those who are wading through a mountain of pain and sorrow right now , please know that it will be ok. take time to grieve your loss . talk through your feelings , even if it 's no more than ramblings . live your life in a way that honors the memory of the precious lives that were taken . push out the anger and fill your mind with a positive outlook . i promise this approach will bring more peace and joy . there may be some people who are angry at god . i was not . in columbine 's aftermath , my faith was an essential part of my healing process . there 's a scripture passage that i take comfort in : ye can not behold with your natural eyes , the design of your god concerning those things which shall follow after much tribulation . for after much tribulation come the blessings . i believe in god and trust that he has a plan for our lives . his added measure of strength always comes at the moment when we 've exhausted our best effort . when tragedies like columbine or sandy hook happen , we are reminded of the fragility and precious nature of life . this gives rise to the question , what will you do with the time you have ? choose faith , choose charity , choose hope . then , life will be livable again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of liz carlston . | liz carlston : my heart aches for the children and parents at sandy hook |
carlston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- my heart aches for the children , parents and teachers at sandy hook elementary school . like them , i know what it means to have life turned on its head by unprecedented violence . on the morning of april 20 , 1999 , two senior students walked into columbine high school and began a shooting spree . someone pulled the fire alarm and i was able to escape my trigonometry classroom . while i did n't suffer any injury , people i knew and admired were killed . that awful day left a permanent scar on our community in littleton , colorado . but the columbine shooting did not define us . we are defined by the acts of goodness that followed . people in our community bonded and helped each other get through the tragedy . hundreds of comfort quilts were sewed and handed out to those who were trying to recover from the anguish and pain . restaurants provided free meals in the days after the shooting . strangers offered hugs to each other at the clement park memorial for support . no one ever should experience a columbine moment . no one wants to feel assaulted , offended or hurt by an inexplicable event . but sometimes , those things happen . the way we respond to those moments is crucial in how we build and rebuild our relationships , and more importantly , how we rebuild our lives . there are two ways we can respond to a traumatic experience -- as a victim or a survivor . early on , i pitifully used columbine to justify personal failures and shortcomings . eventually , i realized that i owned the way i reacted to situations and how i engaged with those around me . more than a decade later , i still think about columbine . i do not dwell on the grotesque details of the day . in quiet meditation , i think of the lives that were taken and the lessons that help me move forward . i appreciate the subtle and profound consequences that our thoughts and actions can have on others . i became slower to anger and quicker to love . the inconsiderate driver or long line at the post office does n't spoil my day anymore . i share my story to offer hope to those impacted by violence -- those who wonder whether they 'll be able to regain the life they once knew . the answer is no . life wo n't be the same . but one can , over time , find happiness . when you are able to come out of a tragedy you 'll be stronger with a greater capacity to love , more determination to serve others and desire to mend broken family ties . and you 'll feel joy that comes from these actions . to those who are wading through a mountain of pain and sorrow right now , please know that it will be ok. take time to grieve your loss . talk through your feelings , even if it 's no more than ramblings . live your life in a way that honors the memory of the precious lives that were taken . push out the anger and fill your mind with a positive outlook . i promise this approach will bring more peace and joy . there may be some people who are angry at god . i was not . in columbine 's aftermath , my faith was an essential part of my healing process . there 's a scripture passage that i take comfort in : ye can not behold with your natural eyes , the design of your god concerning those things which shall follow after much tribulation . for after much tribulation come the blessings . i believe in god and trust that he has a plan for our lives . his added measure of strength always comes at the moment when we 've exhausted our best effort . when tragedies like columbine or sandy hook happen , we are reminded of the fragility and precious nature of life . this gives rise to the question , what will you do with the time you have ? choose faith , choose charity , choose hope . then , life will be livable again . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of liz carlston . | carlston : i went through the columbine shooting and know the pain |
fatih terim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia coach guus hiddink has been named as turkey 's new national team manager after agreeing a two-year contract starting in august . the 63-year-old , who announced last week he was leaving his post with russia after failing to win a place at the 2010 world cup , will aim to guide turkey through the upcoming qualifiers for euro 2012 . the dutchman had a short tenure at english premier league club chelsea in 2009 when he led the side to the champions league semifinals and lost only one match during his 22 games in charge . the turkish football federation announced on wednesday that hiddink will take over in august , having decided not to renew his contract with russia which expires on june 30 . turkish football federation president mahmut ozgener and tff vice-president lutfi aribogan flew to amsterdam to finalize the negotiations with hiddink , ' it said on its web site . the experienced coach agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a further two years . ' the tff said former turkey captain oguz cetin and ex-goalkeeper engin ipekoglu would be among hiddink 's coaching staff , which will also include one of his fellow dutchmen . hiddink steered russia to the semifinals of euro 2008 , but last november his team were beaten in a world cup qualifying playoff by slovenia . he has previously managed club sides real madrid and valencia as well as taking south korea and the netherlands to fourth place at world cups in 2002 and 1998 , and australia to the second round in 2006 . one of his most successful periods was at dutch club psv eindhoven , where he won six domestic league titles and four cups . the turkish national team has been without a coach since fatih terim 's departure in october , following a failed 2010 world cup qualifying campaign . turkey are in group a for the euro 2012 qualifiers with germany , austria , belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . | turkey have been without a coach since fatih terim 's departure in october |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia coach guus hiddink has been named as turkey 's new national team manager after agreeing a two-year contract starting in august . the 63-year-old , who announced last week he was leaving his post with russia after failing to win a place at the 2010 world cup , will aim to guide turkey through the upcoming qualifiers for euro 2012 . the dutchman had a short tenure at english premier league club chelsea in 2009 when he led the side to the champions league semifinals and lost only one match during his 22 games in charge . the turkish football federation announced on wednesday that hiddink will take over in august , having decided not to renew his contract with russia which expires on june 30 . turkish football federation president mahmut ozgener and tff vice-president lutfi aribogan flew to amsterdam to finalize the negotiations with hiddink , ' it said on its web site . the experienced coach agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a further two years . ' the tff said former turkey captain oguz cetin and ex-goalkeeper engin ipekoglu would be among hiddink 's coaching staff , which will also include one of his fellow dutchmen . hiddink steered russia to the semifinals of euro 2008 , but last november his team were beaten in a world cup qualifying playoff by slovenia . he has previously managed club sides real madrid and valencia as well as taking south korea and the netherlands to fourth place at world cups in 2002 and 1998 , and australia to the second round in 2006 . one of his most successful periods was at dutch club psv eindhoven , where he won six domestic league titles and four cups . the turkish national team has been without a coach since fatih terim 's departure in october , following a failed 2010 world cup qualifying campaign . turkey are in group a for the euro 2012 qualifiers with germany , austria , belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . | hiddink will begin a two-year contract when his stint with russia ends on june 30 |
russia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- russia coach guus hiddink has been named as turkey 's new national team manager after agreeing a two-year contract starting in august . the 63-year-old , who announced last week he was leaving his post with russia after failing to win a place at the 2010 world cup , will aim to guide turkey through the upcoming qualifiers for euro 2012 . the dutchman had a short tenure at english premier league club chelsea in 2009 when he led the side to the champions league semifinals and lost only one match during his 22 games in charge . the turkish football federation announced on wednesday that hiddink will take over in august , having decided not to renew his contract with russia which expires on june 30 . turkish football federation president mahmut ozgener and tff vice-president lutfi aribogan flew to amsterdam to finalize the negotiations with hiddink , ' it said on its web site . the experienced coach agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a further two years . ' the tff said former turkey captain oguz cetin and ex-goalkeeper engin ipekoglu would be among hiddink 's coaching staff , which will also include one of his fellow dutchmen . hiddink steered russia to the semifinals of euro 2008 , but last november his team were beaten in a world cup qualifying playoff by slovenia . he has previously managed club sides real madrid and valencia as well as taking south korea and the netherlands to fourth place at world cups in 2002 and 1998 , and australia to the second round in 2006 . one of his most successful periods was at dutch club psv eindhoven , where he won six domestic league titles and four cups . the turkish national team has been without a coach since fatih terim 's departure in october , following a failed 2010 world cup qualifying campaign . turkey are in group a for the euro 2012 qualifiers with germany , austria , belgium , kazakhstan and azerbaijan . | russia coach guus hiddink has been named as turkey 's new national football boss |
howard greenberg <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a new york hardware clerk who pleaded guilty to abducting , smothering and dismembering an 8-year-old boy was sentenced wednesday to 40 years to life behind bars on charges of second degree murder and kidnapping in the second degree . as part of a plea deal , levi aron will be eligible for parole after 40 years , though could serve life in prison . aron was accused of snatching leiby kletzky last summer from the brooklyn boy 's neighborhood . his attorney , howard greenberg , said he asked for protective custody for aron because there are a lot of sick and demented people . ' the sentence was 40 years , not life . ' the plea deal was announced in early august and at the time aron 's attorney , jennifer l. mccann , said she was glad we were able to come up with an amenable resolution that both sides agreed to . ' police say leiby 's dismembered body was found in aron 's freezer and inside a suitcase in a nearby trash bin . new york city 's chief medical examiner said the brooklyn boy was drugged before he was slain . the autopsy results for leiby listed a cocktail of four prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the boy 's system : cyclobenzaprine , a muscle relaxant ; quetiapine , an antipsychotic drug ; hydrocodone , a pain medication ; and acetaminophen , the drug in tylenol . both aron and leiby were members of the borough 's close-knit orthodox jewish community , although police say it does n't appear that they knew each other . kletzky 's family released a statement saying they have finally received some partial closure on one aspect of this nightmare . ' cnn 's yon pomrenze contributed to this report | new : his attorney , howard greenberg , said he asked for protective custody for aron |
aron <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- a new york hardware clerk who pleaded guilty to abducting , smothering and dismembering an 8-year-old boy was sentenced wednesday to 40 years to life behind bars on charges of second degree murder and kidnapping in the second degree . as part of a plea deal , levi aron will be eligible for parole after 40 years , though could serve life in prison . aron was accused of snatching leiby kletzky last summer from the brooklyn boy 's neighborhood . his attorney , howard greenberg , said he asked for protective custody for aron because there are a lot of sick and demented people . ' the sentence was 40 years , not life . ' the plea deal was announced in early august and at the time aron 's attorney , jennifer l. mccann , said she was glad we were able to come up with an amenable resolution that both sides agreed to . ' police say leiby 's dismembered body was found in aron 's freezer and inside a suitcase in a nearby trash bin . new york city 's chief medical examiner said the brooklyn boy was drugged before he was slain . the autopsy results for leiby listed a cocktail of four prescription and over-the-counter drugs in the boy 's system : cyclobenzaprine , a muscle relaxant ; quetiapine , an antipsychotic drug ; hydrocodone , a pain medication ; and acetaminophen , the drug in tylenol . both aron and leiby were members of the borough 's close-knit orthodox jewish community , although police say it does n't appear that they knew each other . kletzky 's family released a statement saying they have finally received some partial closure on one aspect of this nightmare . ' cnn 's yon pomrenze contributed to this report | new : his attorney , howard greenberg , said he asked for protective custody for aron |
lamb of god <tsp> ( rolling stone ) -- a panel of czech judges ruled tuesday that concert promoters -- and not lamb of god frontman randy blythe -- were largely to blame for the tragic death nearly three years ago of a teenage fan of the metal band , saying the singer 's actions did not constitute a crime . the state attorney , who had sought a conviction for manslaughter and asked for the minimum sentence of five years , immediately appealed the decision . blythe declined to talk to the press after the trial but told the court earlier he was ready to face the music . as i 've stated previously , i do not wish to avoid my responsibility , and if i thought i were guilty i would plead guilty right now , ' he said . i still believe i acted responsibly to protect myself , my band , our equipment , and our audience . i did not strike anyone or run across the stage to push anyone , ' as one witness had claimed . q & a : lamb of god 's randy blythe on imprisonment and freedom concertgoers testified in february and on monday that blythe had violently pushed 19-year-old daniel nosek off the stage during the band 's concert in prague on may 24 , 2010 , using both hands . but there were stark and contradicting differences in key details as to when the young man breached the security barrier and which way he was facing when allegedly pushed , points the defense played up to create reasonable doubt in bltyhe 's favor . what is clear is that later that evening , the czech teenager -- though sober and not under the influence of any drugs -- fell on his back and hit his head , appeared to be ok but later complained of a headache , and vomited violently . he was rushed to a hospital , where he underwent emergency brain surgery but slipped into a coma and died several weeks later . an expert on biomechanics , called by blythe 's defense , presented the results of a recreation of the fall -- in part using fresh cadavers dead for less than 12 hours ' to measure the impact on a human skull -- to the court on tuesday . the expert said nosek must have fallen backwards as he would not have had time , involuntarily , to twist around before impact . had the teenager fallen forward , his hands would have reflexively shot out to protect himself , he said . lamb of god singer randy blythe 's manslaughter trial resumes in prague crucially for blythe 's defense , the expert said that had the teenager been pushed , he would not have fallen beyond the first row of fans , as two witnesses had testified . but state attorney vladimir muzik -- a bear of a man , whose forearms could not be contained by his crimson-trimmed black robe -- took great issue with the experiment , which he argued failed to recreate actual conditions and discounted the testimony of a key witness . the presiding judge wholeheartedly agreed with the prosecutor while noting most witnesses'recollections were foggy ' at best . while video footage had captured images of blythe subduing an admittedly drunk and out-of-control fan named milan poradek -- who had rushed the stage three times -- the fatal moment leading to nosek 's death was not recorded . the presiding judge , tomas kubovec , put the lion 's share of the blame for the tragedy on lax security and safety precautions at the prague club , which thereby allowed fans to take to the stage . kubovec said ninety percent of the audience ' must have known stage-diving was prohibited and dangerous . he said the teenager , who was reportedly a lamb of god fanatic but understood little english , evidently also misunderstood bltyhe 's hand gesture calling for applause that would have been absolutely understandable for english speakers ' as an invitation to take to the stage . nonetheless , the judge said , nosek must have known that stage-diving was not permitted , as there was a barrier in place and security personnel who had prevented other fans from climbing over it . u.s. state department responds to randy blythe petition as for the over $ 500,000 the boy 's family is seeking in damages , kubovec said they should try to get the money from the concert promoters and organizers . for his part , the lamb of god singer made a heartfelt apology to the noseks , saying , i can understand that pain as only the father of a dead child can . ' this has been a very sad and emotive experience for me , but i 've tried to remain as objective as possible because my emotions have no impact on what is for me and for the family of daniel nosek the most important thing : the truth , ' said blythe . he was just a boy . i wish he were still here . ' blythe had pledged to serve my sentence like a man ' if found guilty by the czech courts and to work tirelessly to prevent another such tragedy from ever occurring at a lamb of god show or any other show ' -- if found innocent . see the original article at rolling stone . copyright © 2011 rolling stone . | czech judges ruled that concert promoters were to blame for the death of a lamb of god fan |
pakistani <tsp> washington ( cnn ) in 2011 , al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage . then , about a year later , his family paid money to his captors , said a pakistani source who was in regular contact with the kidnappers . it did not lead to the american aid worker 's release , and he was inadvertently killed in an anti-terror strike in january , the white house announced thursday . after the transfer of funds in 2012 , the captors , who never referred to themselves as al qaeda , ' but instead as afghans , ' began demanding prisoners be released in exchange for weinstein , most prominently dr. aafia siddiqui of pakistan , the source said . she has been described as the poster girl ' for islamic jihad and is serving an 86-year sentence in the united states . the militants also wanted the release of local militants who hailed from the pakistani province of waziristan , along the afghan border , the source said . the men on the other end of the phone spoke pashto with an accent typical for the border region . and they were professional in their dealings , said the source , who noticed a marked change after the money was paid . the people who had originally talked to the source about weinstein vanished and were replaced by new voices on the phone . the militants also connected themselves with other terror events . after isis beheaded american james foley , weinstein 's afghan captors told the source that the iraqis ' were asking for the american and that they were preparing an orange suit ' for him -- a reference to the suits that victims have worn when isis militants murdered them . when the taliban released u.s. army sgt . bowe bergdahl , a militant on the phone bragged to the source that he had been one of bergdahl 's kidnappers . they had said , at one point , that if they did kill weinstein , they 'd announce it in a big way , because he was too big a catch not to publicly celebrate . the captors had called the source daily since sometime in 2012 , and the last time the source spoke with them , in early april , they said that weinstein was still alive . in spite of a request for proof of life , the militants did n't give one . after that , the calls stopped . the source never had a number for the militants ; they had always been the ones who called . the source declined to comment on the amount of money transferred to the captors , leaving the disclosure to weinstein 's family . could weinstein have been saved ? weinstein 's family in maryland was initially reluctant to take their case to congress . weinstein 's wife , elaine , and his two daughters worried that drawing attention to their loved one 's plight -- especially media attention -- would make weinstein , a government contractor working with usaid in pakistan , a more valuable hostage to his al qaeda captors . but the family switched course and went to their representatives in congress in late 2013 after a video of weinstein -- frail and apparently in declining health -- surfaced in which he said he felt totally abandoned and forgotten ' by his country . will the drone debate return ? more than a year later , that reluctance evolved into a close bond between the weinsteins and the maryland delegation of lawmakers and staff who pressed weinstein 's case with the obama administration as well as pakistan . the congressional offices helped the family navigate the maze of government agencies working to free their loved one , according to one of those lawmakers and a senate aide . we do n't get choked up too often at work , ' algene sajery said as she held back tears . but this is really hard . ' sajery is a foreign policy adviser to sen. ben cardin , d-maryland , who worked closely on the case . after the white house announced that weinstein had been accidentally killed in a january u.s. drone strike , the aide 's first call was to weinstein 's daughters . myself and my colleague worked really closely with them , talked to them all the time ... they 're just such good people , ' sajery said of the family . there 's a personal connection there . ' cardin and his staff had tracked the weinstein case since news of his abduction surfaced in august 2011 , but when the family reached out to get help pressing their case , cardin 's staff joined forces with rep. john delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , and began setting up meetings for the family . cardin 's staff set up meetings for the senator and weinstein 's family with everyone from the u.s. special representative to afghanistan and pakistan to the pakistani ambassador in washington . cardin and sen. barbara mikulski , d-maryland , wrote to president barack obama , calling on the u.s. to beef up efforts to secure weinstein 's release and dedicate more resources to the cause . and the staff and lawmakers helped the weinsteins weave through the network of agencies -- from the fbi to the state department and the white house -- working to bring weinstein home . we focused on making sure that the capabilities of the government was well coordinated , ' delaney told cnn on thursday . the government is a bureaucracy , and you have to make sure that it 's working . ' but for the weinsteins and the families of other american hostages held by terror groups abroad , the government has n't always worked well enough -- a frustration that was palpable to the staffers on capitol hill who worked to help them . al qaeda hostage warren weinstein killed ' unfortunately , the assistance we received from other elements of the u.s. government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of three and a half years , ' elaine weinstein said in a statement thursday . we hope that my husband 's death and the others who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt the u.s. government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families . ' it 's a criticism that has resurfaced as the families of american hostages were killed abroad spoke up and voiced their frustrations with what they characterized as insufficient u.s. government efforts to bring their loved ones home . delaney was saddened , disappointed and outraged that our government was not able to bring warren home , ' he said in a statement thursday . and in an interview with cnn later in the day , he strayed away from blaming the obama administration or people in various u.s. agencies , instead pointing the finger at a disjointed system . the weinstein family 's frustration with that system boiled over last summer when bergdahl , the u.s. army sergeant , was released by a taliban-affiliated group in exchange for five guantanamo bay prisoners . the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists appeared to have an exception . it 's one of those things where it 's both there 's some hope , but at the same time it caused them some great frustration , ' delaney recalled , saying the family asked : why not warren ? ' but as the state department called the bergdahl exchange a unique situation , ' the weinsteins'hopes were dashed . that 's when they asked us to really step up our efforts , ' sajery said . that 's when they decided to really go public . ' delaney introduced a resolution calling on the obama administration to use all tools necessary to bring weinstein home and make his return -- and that of other u.s. hostages abroad -- a top priority . mikulski , cardin and sens . dick durbin and mark kirk of illinois pushed a similar resolution in the senate . and the weinsteins took to the airwaves , with alisa weinstein appearing on cnn 's ac360 ' to make a public appeal for her father 's release -- and for the u.s. government to do more to secure his freedom . my father is just as deserving of freedom as sgt . bergdahl , as are all of the americans who are being held abroad , ' she said on cnn last june . you can not distinguish between these hostages . ... they ca n't just pick and choose , decide that it works to get one person out and then leave everybody else there . ' white house press secretary josh earnest on thursday said that significant resources ' were dedicated to try to free weinstein and that as painful as it is , ' the u.s policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , arguing that removing that policy could promote kidnappings abroad and put more americans at risk . and state department acting spokeswoman marie harf said many officials at the department were in touch with the weinsteins throughout the process . while the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , the state department is reviewing how it works to secure the release of american hostages held by terrorists abroad , she said . the white house announced the review last fall , which obama ordered last summer after terrorists killed or kidnapped americans abroad . speaking at the office of the director of national intelligence on friday , obama reiterated that the white house will review what happened . we all bleed when we lose an american life , ' he said . we all grieve when any innocent life is taken . we do n't take this work lightly . ' obama made to sure to praise the intelligence community overall , noting that much of their accomplishments remain classified , while only their failures become public . the world does n't always see your successes -- the threats you prevent , or the terrorist attacks you thwart , or the lives that you save , ' obama said . it can be frustrating sometimes , but that 's part of the function of our democracy . but i know what you do . ' but delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , is revving up to push for more reforms that will make government agencies more effective at finding and freeing american hostages held abroad . delaney on thursday called on the government to streamline the efforts of various agencies and countries in the region that help the u.s. find american hostages -- an effort he 's been pushing in recent months . the tragedy of weinstein 's death could be just the momentum needed to spur those reforms . i think that every single american wants any american held hostage returned , ' delaney said . there 's tremendous support to do more . ' on friday , elaine weinstein said in a statement that the family has been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support from around the world . ' we appreciate the sympathy and condolences we have received from those who knew the warren we loved so much as well as those who did not , ' the statement said . our thoughts and prayers are with the families of others who have been taken hostage around the world as they endure these terrible ordeals . ' cnn 's sophia saifi reported from islamabad , pakistan ; jeremy diamond reported and wrote from washington ; saima mohsin reported from bangkok . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this report . | about a year after al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage , his family paid a ransom , a pakistani source says |
al qaeda <tsp> washington ( cnn ) in 2011 , al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage . then , about a year later , his family paid money to his captors , said a pakistani source who was in regular contact with the kidnappers . it did not lead to the american aid worker 's release , and he was inadvertently killed in an anti-terror strike in january , the white house announced thursday . after the transfer of funds in 2012 , the captors , who never referred to themselves as al qaeda , ' but instead as afghans , ' began demanding prisoners be released in exchange for weinstein , most prominently dr. aafia siddiqui of pakistan , the source said . she has been described as the poster girl ' for islamic jihad and is serving an 86-year sentence in the united states . the militants also wanted the release of local militants who hailed from the pakistani province of waziristan , along the afghan border , the source said . the men on the other end of the phone spoke pashto with an accent typical for the border region . and they were professional in their dealings , said the source , who noticed a marked change after the money was paid . the people who had originally talked to the source about weinstein vanished and were replaced by new voices on the phone . the militants also connected themselves with other terror events . after isis beheaded american james foley , weinstein 's afghan captors told the source that the iraqis ' were asking for the american and that they were preparing an orange suit ' for him -- a reference to the suits that victims have worn when isis militants murdered them . when the taliban released u.s. army sgt . bowe bergdahl , a militant on the phone bragged to the source that he had been one of bergdahl 's kidnappers . they had said , at one point , that if they did kill weinstein , they 'd announce it in a big way , because he was too big a catch not to publicly celebrate . the captors had called the source daily since sometime in 2012 , and the last time the source spoke with them , in early april , they said that weinstein was still alive . in spite of a request for proof of life , the militants did n't give one . after that , the calls stopped . the source never had a number for the militants ; they had always been the ones who called . the source declined to comment on the amount of money transferred to the captors , leaving the disclosure to weinstein 's family . could weinstein have been saved ? weinstein 's family in maryland was initially reluctant to take their case to congress . weinstein 's wife , elaine , and his two daughters worried that drawing attention to their loved one 's plight -- especially media attention -- would make weinstein , a government contractor working with usaid in pakistan , a more valuable hostage to his al qaeda captors . but the family switched course and went to their representatives in congress in late 2013 after a video of weinstein -- frail and apparently in declining health -- surfaced in which he said he felt totally abandoned and forgotten ' by his country . will the drone debate return ? more than a year later , that reluctance evolved into a close bond between the weinsteins and the maryland delegation of lawmakers and staff who pressed weinstein 's case with the obama administration as well as pakistan . the congressional offices helped the family navigate the maze of government agencies working to free their loved one , according to one of those lawmakers and a senate aide . we do n't get choked up too often at work , ' algene sajery said as she held back tears . but this is really hard . ' sajery is a foreign policy adviser to sen. ben cardin , d-maryland , who worked closely on the case . after the white house announced that weinstein had been accidentally killed in a january u.s. drone strike , the aide 's first call was to weinstein 's daughters . myself and my colleague worked really closely with them , talked to them all the time ... they 're just such good people , ' sajery said of the family . there 's a personal connection there . ' cardin and his staff had tracked the weinstein case since news of his abduction surfaced in august 2011 , but when the family reached out to get help pressing their case , cardin 's staff joined forces with rep. john delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , and began setting up meetings for the family . cardin 's staff set up meetings for the senator and weinstein 's family with everyone from the u.s. special representative to afghanistan and pakistan to the pakistani ambassador in washington . cardin and sen. barbara mikulski , d-maryland , wrote to president barack obama , calling on the u.s. to beef up efforts to secure weinstein 's release and dedicate more resources to the cause . and the staff and lawmakers helped the weinsteins weave through the network of agencies -- from the fbi to the state department and the white house -- working to bring weinstein home . we focused on making sure that the capabilities of the government was well coordinated , ' delaney told cnn on thursday . the government is a bureaucracy , and you have to make sure that it 's working . ' but for the weinsteins and the families of other american hostages held by terror groups abroad , the government has n't always worked well enough -- a frustration that was palpable to the staffers on capitol hill who worked to help them . al qaeda hostage warren weinstein killed ' unfortunately , the assistance we received from other elements of the u.s. government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of three and a half years , ' elaine weinstein said in a statement thursday . we hope that my husband 's death and the others who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt the u.s. government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families . ' it 's a criticism that has resurfaced as the families of american hostages were killed abroad spoke up and voiced their frustrations with what they characterized as insufficient u.s. government efforts to bring their loved ones home . delaney was saddened , disappointed and outraged that our government was not able to bring warren home , ' he said in a statement thursday . and in an interview with cnn later in the day , he strayed away from blaming the obama administration or people in various u.s. agencies , instead pointing the finger at a disjointed system . the weinstein family 's frustration with that system boiled over last summer when bergdahl , the u.s. army sergeant , was released by a taliban-affiliated group in exchange for five guantanamo bay prisoners . the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists appeared to have an exception . it 's one of those things where it 's both there 's some hope , but at the same time it caused them some great frustration , ' delaney recalled , saying the family asked : why not warren ? ' but as the state department called the bergdahl exchange a unique situation , ' the weinsteins'hopes were dashed . that 's when they asked us to really step up our efforts , ' sajery said . that 's when they decided to really go public . ' delaney introduced a resolution calling on the obama administration to use all tools necessary to bring weinstein home and make his return -- and that of other u.s. hostages abroad -- a top priority . mikulski , cardin and sens . dick durbin and mark kirk of illinois pushed a similar resolution in the senate . and the weinsteins took to the airwaves , with alisa weinstein appearing on cnn 's ac360 ' to make a public appeal for her father 's release -- and for the u.s. government to do more to secure his freedom . my father is just as deserving of freedom as sgt . bergdahl , as are all of the americans who are being held abroad , ' she said on cnn last june . you can not distinguish between these hostages . ... they ca n't just pick and choose , decide that it works to get one person out and then leave everybody else there . ' white house press secretary josh earnest on thursday said that significant resources ' were dedicated to try to free weinstein and that as painful as it is , ' the u.s policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , arguing that removing that policy could promote kidnappings abroad and put more americans at risk . and state department acting spokeswoman marie harf said many officials at the department were in touch with the weinsteins throughout the process . while the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , the state department is reviewing how it works to secure the release of american hostages held by terrorists abroad , she said . the white house announced the review last fall , which obama ordered last summer after terrorists killed or kidnapped americans abroad . speaking at the office of the director of national intelligence on friday , obama reiterated that the white house will review what happened . we all bleed when we lose an american life , ' he said . we all grieve when any innocent life is taken . we do n't take this work lightly . ' obama made to sure to praise the intelligence community overall , noting that much of their accomplishments remain classified , while only their failures become public . the world does n't always see your successes -- the threats you prevent , or the terrorist attacks you thwart , or the lives that you save , ' obama said . it can be frustrating sometimes , but that 's part of the function of our democracy . but i know what you do . ' but delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , is revving up to push for more reforms that will make government agencies more effective at finding and freeing american hostages held abroad . delaney on thursday called on the government to streamline the efforts of various agencies and countries in the region that help the u.s. find american hostages -- an effort he 's been pushing in recent months . the tragedy of weinstein 's death could be just the momentum needed to spur those reforms . i think that every single american wants any american held hostage returned , ' delaney said . there 's tremendous support to do more . ' on friday , elaine weinstein said in a statement that the family has been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support from around the world . ' we appreciate the sympathy and condolences we have received from those who knew the warren we loved so much as well as those who did not , ' the statement said . our thoughts and prayers are with the families of others who have been taken hostage around the world as they endure these terrible ordeals . ' cnn 's sophia saifi reported from islamabad , pakistan ; jeremy diamond reported and wrote from washington ; saima mohsin reported from bangkok . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this report . | about a year after al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage , his family paid a ransom , a pakistani source says |
weinstein <tsp> washington ( cnn ) in 2011 , al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage . then , about a year later , his family paid money to his captors , said a pakistani source who was in regular contact with the kidnappers . it did not lead to the american aid worker 's release , and he was inadvertently killed in an anti-terror strike in january , the white house announced thursday . after the transfer of funds in 2012 , the captors , who never referred to themselves as al qaeda , ' but instead as afghans , ' began demanding prisoners be released in exchange for weinstein , most prominently dr. aafia siddiqui of pakistan , the source said . she has been described as the poster girl ' for islamic jihad and is serving an 86-year sentence in the united states . the militants also wanted the release of local militants who hailed from the pakistani province of waziristan , along the afghan border , the source said . the men on the other end of the phone spoke pashto with an accent typical for the border region . and they were professional in their dealings , said the source , who noticed a marked change after the money was paid . the people who had originally talked to the source about weinstein vanished and were replaced by new voices on the phone . the militants also connected themselves with other terror events . after isis beheaded american james foley , weinstein 's afghan captors told the source that the iraqis ' were asking for the american and that they were preparing an orange suit ' for him -- a reference to the suits that victims have worn when isis militants murdered them . when the taliban released u.s. army sgt . bowe bergdahl , a militant on the phone bragged to the source that he had been one of bergdahl 's kidnappers . they had said , at one point , that if they did kill weinstein , they 'd announce it in a big way , because he was too big a catch not to publicly celebrate . the captors had called the source daily since sometime in 2012 , and the last time the source spoke with them , in early april , they said that weinstein was still alive . in spite of a request for proof of life , the militants did n't give one . after that , the calls stopped . the source never had a number for the militants ; they had always been the ones who called . the source declined to comment on the amount of money transferred to the captors , leaving the disclosure to weinstein 's family . could weinstein have been saved ? weinstein 's family in maryland was initially reluctant to take their case to congress . weinstein 's wife , elaine , and his two daughters worried that drawing attention to their loved one 's plight -- especially media attention -- would make weinstein , a government contractor working with usaid in pakistan , a more valuable hostage to his al qaeda captors . but the family switched course and went to their representatives in congress in late 2013 after a video of weinstein -- frail and apparently in declining health -- surfaced in which he said he felt totally abandoned and forgotten ' by his country . will the drone debate return ? more than a year later , that reluctance evolved into a close bond between the weinsteins and the maryland delegation of lawmakers and staff who pressed weinstein 's case with the obama administration as well as pakistan . the congressional offices helped the family navigate the maze of government agencies working to free their loved one , according to one of those lawmakers and a senate aide . we do n't get choked up too often at work , ' algene sajery said as she held back tears . but this is really hard . ' sajery is a foreign policy adviser to sen. ben cardin , d-maryland , who worked closely on the case . after the white house announced that weinstein had been accidentally killed in a january u.s. drone strike , the aide 's first call was to weinstein 's daughters . myself and my colleague worked really closely with them , talked to them all the time ... they 're just such good people , ' sajery said of the family . there 's a personal connection there . ' cardin and his staff had tracked the weinstein case since news of his abduction surfaced in august 2011 , but when the family reached out to get help pressing their case , cardin 's staff joined forces with rep. john delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , and began setting up meetings for the family . cardin 's staff set up meetings for the senator and weinstein 's family with everyone from the u.s. special representative to afghanistan and pakistan to the pakistani ambassador in washington . cardin and sen. barbara mikulski , d-maryland , wrote to president barack obama , calling on the u.s. to beef up efforts to secure weinstein 's release and dedicate more resources to the cause . and the staff and lawmakers helped the weinsteins weave through the network of agencies -- from the fbi to the state department and the white house -- working to bring weinstein home . we focused on making sure that the capabilities of the government was well coordinated , ' delaney told cnn on thursday . the government is a bureaucracy , and you have to make sure that it 's working . ' but for the weinsteins and the families of other american hostages held by terror groups abroad , the government has n't always worked well enough -- a frustration that was palpable to the staffers on capitol hill who worked to help them . al qaeda hostage warren weinstein killed ' unfortunately , the assistance we received from other elements of the u.s. government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of three and a half years , ' elaine weinstein said in a statement thursday . we hope that my husband 's death and the others who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt the u.s. government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families . ' it 's a criticism that has resurfaced as the families of american hostages were killed abroad spoke up and voiced their frustrations with what they characterized as insufficient u.s. government efforts to bring their loved ones home . delaney was saddened , disappointed and outraged that our government was not able to bring warren home , ' he said in a statement thursday . and in an interview with cnn later in the day , he strayed away from blaming the obama administration or people in various u.s. agencies , instead pointing the finger at a disjointed system . the weinstein family 's frustration with that system boiled over last summer when bergdahl , the u.s. army sergeant , was released by a taliban-affiliated group in exchange for five guantanamo bay prisoners . the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists appeared to have an exception . it 's one of those things where it 's both there 's some hope , but at the same time it caused them some great frustration , ' delaney recalled , saying the family asked : why not warren ? ' but as the state department called the bergdahl exchange a unique situation , ' the weinsteins'hopes were dashed . that 's when they asked us to really step up our efforts , ' sajery said . that 's when they decided to really go public . ' delaney introduced a resolution calling on the obama administration to use all tools necessary to bring weinstein home and make his return -- and that of other u.s. hostages abroad -- a top priority . mikulski , cardin and sens . dick durbin and mark kirk of illinois pushed a similar resolution in the senate . and the weinsteins took to the airwaves , with alisa weinstein appearing on cnn 's ac360 ' to make a public appeal for her father 's release -- and for the u.s. government to do more to secure his freedom . my father is just as deserving of freedom as sgt . bergdahl , as are all of the americans who are being held abroad , ' she said on cnn last june . you can not distinguish between these hostages . ... they ca n't just pick and choose , decide that it works to get one person out and then leave everybody else there . ' white house press secretary josh earnest on thursday said that significant resources ' were dedicated to try to free weinstein and that as painful as it is , ' the u.s policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , arguing that removing that policy could promote kidnappings abroad and put more americans at risk . and state department acting spokeswoman marie harf said many officials at the department were in touch with the weinsteins throughout the process . while the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , the state department is reviewing how it works to secure the release of american hostages held by terrorists abroad , she said . the white house announced the review last fall , which obama ordered last summer after terrorists killed or kidnapped americans abroad . speaking at the office of the director of national intelligence on friday , obama reiterated that the white house will review what happened . we all bleed when we lose an american life , ' he said . we all grieve when any innocent life is taken . we do n't take this work lightly . ' obama made to sure to praise the intelligence community overall , noting that much of their accomplishments remain classified , while only their failures become public . the world does n't always see your successes -- the threats you prevent , or the terrorist attacks you thwart , or the lives that you save , ' obama said . it can be frustrating sometimes , but that 's part of the function of our democracy . but i know what you do . ' but delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , is revving up to push for more reforms that will make government agencies more effective at finding and freeing american hostages held abroad . delaney on thursday called on the government to streamline the efforts of various agencies and countries in the region that help the u.s. find american hostages -- an effort he 's been pushing in recent months . the tragedy of weinstein 's death could be just the momentum needed to spur those reforms . i think that every single american wants any american held hostage returned , ' delaney said . there 's tremendous support to do more . ' on friday , elaine weinstein said in a statement that the family has been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support from around the world . ' we appreciate the sympathy and condolences we have received from those who knew the warren we loved so much as well as those who did not , ' the statement said . our thoughts and prayers are with the families of others who have been taken hostage around the world as they endure these terrible ordeals . ' cnn 's sophia saifi reported from islamabad , pakistan ; jeremy diamond reported and wrote from washington ; saima mohsin reported from bangkok . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this report . | weinstein , an american aid worker , was killed in a drone strike in january , the u.s. says |
weinstein <tsp> washington ( cnn ) in 2011 , al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage . then , about a year later , his family paid money to his captors , said a pakistani source who was in regular contact with the kidnappers . it did not lead to the american aid worker 's release , and he was inadvertently killed in an anti-terror strike in january , the white house announced thursday . after the transfer of funds in 2012 , the captors , who never referred to themselves as al qaeda , ' but instead as afghans , ' began demanding prisoners be released in exchange for weinstein , most prominently dr. aafia siddiqui of pakistan , the source said . she has been described as the poster girl ' for islamic jihad and is serving an 86-year sentence in the united states . the militants also wanted the release of local militants who hailed from the pakistani province of waziristan , along the afghan border , the source said . the men on the other end of the phone spoke pashto with an accent typical for the border region . and they were professional in their dealings , said the source , who noticed a marked change after the money was paid . the people who had originally talked to the source about weinstein vanished and were replaced by new voices on the phone . the militants also connected themselves with other terror events . after isis beheaded american james foley , weinstein 's afghan captors told the source that the iraqis ' were asking for the american and that they were preparing an orange suit ' for him -- a reference to the suits that victims have worn when isis militants murdered them . when the taliban released u.s. army sgt . bowe bergdahl , a militant on the phone bragged to the source that he had been one of bergdahl 's kidnappers . they had said , at one point , that if they did kill weinstein , they 'd announce it in a big way , because he was too big a catch not to publicly celebrate . the captors had called the source daily since sometime in 2012 , and the last time the source spoke with them , in early april , they said that weinstein was still alive . in spite of a request for proof of life , the militants did n't give one . after that , the calls stopped . the source never had a number for the militants ; they had always been the ones who called . the source declined to comment on the amount of money transferred to the captors , leaving the disclosure to weinstein 's family . could weinstein have been saved ? weinstein 's family in maryland was initially reluctant to take their case to congress . weinstein 's wife , elaine , and his two daughters worried that drawing attention to their loved one 's plight -- especially media attention -- would make weinstein , a government contractor working with usaid in pakistan , a more valuable hostage to his al qaeda captors . but the family switched course and went to their representatives in congress in late 2013 after a video of weinstein -- frail and apparently in declining health -- surfaced in which he said he felt totally abandoned and forgotten ' by his country . will the drone debate return ? more than a year later , that reluctance evolved into a close bond between the weinsteins and the maryland delegation of lawmakers and staff who pressed weinstein 's case with the obama administration as well as pakistan . the congressional offices helped the family navigate the maze of government agencies working to free their loved one , according to one of those lawmakers and a senate aide . we do n't get choked up too often at work , ' algene sajery said as she held back tears . but this is really hard . ' sajery is a foreign policy adviser to sen. ben cardin , d-maryland , who worked closely on the case . after the white house announced that weinstein had been accidentally killed in a january u.s. drone strike , the aide 's first call was to weinstein 's daughters . myself and my colleague worked really closely with them , talked to them all the time ... they 're just such good people , ' sajery said of the family . there 's a personal connection there . ' cardin and his staff had tracked the weinstein case since news of his abduction surfaced in august 2011 , but when the family reached out to get help pressing their case , cardin 's staff joined forces with rep. john delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , and began setting up meetings for the family . cardin 's staff set up meetings for the senator and weinstein 's family with everyone from the u.s. special representative to afghanistan and pakistan to the pakistani ambassador in washington . cardin and sen. barbara mikulski , d-maryland , wrote to president barack obama , calling on the u.s. to beef up efforts to secure weinstein 's release and dedicate more resources to the cause . and the staff and lawmakers helped the weinsteins weave through the network of agencies -- from the fbi to the state department and the white house -- working to bring weinstein home . we focused on making sure that the capabilities of the government was well coordinated , ' delaney told cnn on thursday . the government is a bureaucracy , and you have to make sure that it 's working . ' but for the weinsteins and the families of other american hostages held by terror groups abroad , the government has n't always worked well enough -- a frustration that was palpable to the staffers on capitol hill who worked to help them . al qaeda hostage warren weinstein killed ' unfortunately , the assistance we received from other elements of the u.s. government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of three and a half years , ' elaine weinstein said in a statement thursday . we hope that my husband 's death and the others who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt the u.s. government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their families . ' it 's a criticism that has resurfaced as the families of american hostages were killed abroad spoke up and voiced their frustrations with what they characterized as insufficient u.s. government efforts to bring their loved ones home . delaney was saddened , disappointed and outraged that our government was not able to bring warren home , ' he said in a statement thursday . and in an interview with cnn later in the day , he strayed away from blaming the obama administration or people in various u.s. agencies , instead pointing the finger at a disjointed system . the weinstein family 's frustration with that system boiled over last summer when bergdahl , the u.s. army sergeant , was released by a taliban-affiliated group in exchange for five guantanamo bay prisoners . the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists appeared to have an exception . it 's one of those things where it 's both there 's some hope , but at the same time it caused them some great frustration , ' delaney recalled , saying the family asked : why not warren ? ' but as the state department called the bergdahl exchange a unique situation , ' the weinsteins'hopes were dashed . that 's when they asked us to really step up our efforts , ' sajery said . that 's when they decided to really go public . ' delaney introduced a resolution calling on the obama administration to use all tools necessary to bring weinstein home and make his return -- and that of other u.s. hostages abroad -- a top priority . mikulski , cardin and sens . dick durbin and mark kirk of illinois pushed a similar resolution in the senate . and the weinsteins took to the airwaves , with alisa weinstein appearing on cnn 's ac360 ' to make a public appeal for her father 's release -- and for the u.s. government to do more to secure his freedom . my father is just as deserving of freedom as sgt . bergdahl , as are all of the americans who are being held abroad , ' she said on cnn last june . you can not distinguish between these hostages . ... they ca n't just pick and choose , decide that it works to get one person out and then leave everybody else there . ' white house press secretary josh earnest on thursday said that significant resources ' were dedicated to try to free weinstein and that as painful as it is , ' the u.s policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , arguing that removing that policy could promote kidnappings abroad and put more americans at risk . and state department acting spokeswoman marie harf said many officials at the department were in touch with the weinsteins throughout the process . while the u.s. policy of not negotiating with terrorists would remain in place , the state department is reviewing how it works to secure the release of american hostages held by terrorists abroad , she said . the white house announced the review last fall , which obama ordered last summer after terrorists killed or kidnapped americans abroad . speaking at the office of the director of national intelligence on friday , obama reiterated that the white house will review what happened . we all bleed when we lose an american life , ' he said . we all grieve when any innocent life is taken . we do n't take this work lightly . ' obama made to sure to praise the intelligence community overall , noting that much of their accomplishments remain classified , while only their failures become public . the world does n't always see your successes -- the threats you prevent , or the terrorist attacks you thwart , or the lives that you save , ' obama said . it can be frustrating sometimes , but that 's part of the function of our democracy . but i know what you do . ' but delaney , the weinsteins'congressman , is revving up to push for more reforms that will make government agencies more effective at finding and freeing american hostages held abroad . delaney on thursday called on the government to streamline the efforts of various agencies and countries in the region that help the u.s. find american hostages -- an effort he 's been pushing in recent months . the tragedy of weinstein 's death could be just the momentum needed to spur those reforms . i think that every single american wants any american held hostage returned , ' delaney said . there 's tremendous support to do more . ' on friday , elaine weinstein said in a statement that the family has been moved by the tremendous outpouring of support from around the world . ' we appreciate the sympathy and condolences we have received from those who knew the warren we loved so much as well as those who did not , ' the statement said . our thoughts and prayers are with the families of others who have been taken hostage around the world as they endure these terrible ordeals . ' cnn 's sophia saifi reported from islamabad , pakistan ; jeremy diamond reported and wrote from washington ; saima mohsin reported from bangkok . cnn 's ben brumfield contributed to this report . | about a year after al qaeda took warren weinstein hostage , his family paid a ransom , a pakistani source says |
brunei <tsp> brunei has become the first east asian country to adopt sharia law , despite widespread condemnation from international human rights groups . the islamic criminal law is set to include punishments such as flogging , dismemberment and death by stoning for crimes such as rape , adultery and sodomy . the religious laws will operate alongside the existing civil penal code . during a ceremony wednesday morning , the sultan of brunei , hassanal bolkiah , announced the commencement of the first phase of the sharia-based penal code , according to the government 's official website . the oil-rich kingdom , located on the island of borneo , has a population of just 412,000 people . the country already follows a more conservative islamic rule than neighboring muslim-dominated countries like indonesia and malaysia , and has implemented strict religiously-motivated laws , such as the banning of the sale of alcohol . stringent laws in response to the new set of laws , human rights group amnesty international said that it will take the country back to the dark ages . ' it ( the law ) makes a mockery of the country 's international human rights commitments and must be revoked immediately , ' amnesty 's regional deputy director rupert abbott said in a statement released after the announcement . most parts of the new islamic code will apply to both muslims and non-muslims , affecting people from the christian and buddhist communities . around 70 percent of people in brunei are malay muslims , while the remainder of the population are of chinese or other ethnic descent . the sultan , who is also the prime minister , first announced the law in october 2013 . as per its provisions , sexual offenses such as rape , adultery and sodomy will be considered punishable acts for muslims . consensual sex between homosexuals will also be criminalized , with death by stoning the prescribed punishment . in announcing the implementation of sharia law , the government website quoted the sultan as saying that his government does not expect other people to accept and agree with it , but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them . ' widespread condemnation lgbt advocacy groups in asia have voiced their opposition to brunei 's implementation of sharia law . it may open the floodgates for further human rights violations against women , children , and other people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity , ' officials from the asia pacific coalition on male sexual health ( apcom ) and islands of south east asian network on male and transgender sexual health ( isean ) , said in a joint statement released last week . the united nations has also publicly condemned the move . under international law , stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited , ' rupert colville , spokesperson for the u.n. high commissioner for human rights said in a press briefing in geneva last month . anti-women provisions he further expressed concerns about the implementation of sharia law 's impact on women . a number of un studies have revealed that women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning , due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotyping against them . ' more than 40,000 people have attended briefing sessions organized by the government in the last four months to understand the provisions under the new islamic criminal law , the country 's religious affairs minister said during a ceremony to mark the laws'implementation . | brunei has become the first east asian country to adopt sharia law |
eden <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- a former israeli soldier has posted photos of herself on facebook posing in front of blindfolded palestinian prisoners , prompting harsh reactions . the former soldier , identified online as eden from ashdod ' in israel , is seen smiling sitting on a blast barrier next to a blindfolded man . in another picture she is sitting in front of three blindfolded palestinians , one with his hands tied in front of him . the photos have since been taken down from her facebook site , but israeli media reports the photos were labeled idf -- best time of my life . ' these photos are disgraceful ; in no way does the idf condone this behaviour , ' said israel defense forces spokesman capt . barak raz in a written statement . in matters of information security aside , we are talking about a serious viloation of the idf ethical code , and i imagine that if she was on active duty today she would no doubt be court martialled . ' raz said eden left the military a year ago , but , nevertheless her commanders have been informed . ' however , because eden has left the idf it is not clear if the military will be able to take any action against her . jawad amawi , director of legal affairs for the palestinian government 's prisoners ministry , told cnn , she did this act while she was in military service , so in retrospect the israeli occupation is responsible for her acts . this is a breach of international law , clearly a breach of human rights . ' amawi says his department will try to take legal action against the former soldier . israeli media reports one of the comments posted by a friend of eden said , that looks really sexy for you . ' the photo shows eden smiling in front of blindfolded prisoners . she posted this response : i wonder if he is on facebook too -- i 'll have to tag him in the photo . ' | eden from ashdod ' is seen in photos with blindfolded prisoners |
tamaulipas <tsp> mexico city ( cnn ) -- mexican authorities announced saturday the arrest of a drug kingpin -- nicknamed el kilo ' -- based in the country 's northeast and suspected of having links to the mass graves recently found in the region . security forces have captured martin omar estrada luna , who is a presumed leader of the zetas drug cartel in san fernando , a town in the border state of tamaulipas , the government said in a statement . no information was immediately provided on how , when or where he was detained . mexico 's attorney general had previously identified estrada luna as one of three prime suspects behind the mass graves . authorities began finding the graves earlier this month during an investigation into a report of the kidnapping of passengers from a bus in late march . the investigation led them to san fernando -- the same place where in august of last year , the bodies of 72 migrants were found at a ranch . officials recovered 10 more bodies from the clandestine graves wednesday and thursday , bringing the total number of bodies found to 126 , state attorney general 's spokesman ruben dario rios lopez said . in the wake of the grisly discovery , the tamaulipas state governor appointed a new head of public security . tamaulipas is one of mexico 's most active states when it comes to drug trafficking . the gulf cartel and the zetas cartel operate in the state and have strongholds there . the zetas have been blamed for the mass graves and also for the deaths of the 72 migrants found last year . one of its presumed members , jose manuel garcia soto , was arrested earlier this month and is a suspect in the killing of u.s. immigration and customs enforcement agent jaime zapata . nationwide , the mexican government says there have been some 35,000 drug-related deaths since president felipe calderon began a crackdown on the cartels in december 2006 . cnn 's krupskaia alis contributed to this report . | new : the tamaulipas state governor appoints a new head of public security |
tamaulipas <tsp> mexico city ( cnn ) -- mexican authorities announced saturday the arrest of a drug kingpin -- nicknamed el kilo ' -- based in the country 's northeast and suspected of having links to the mass graves recently found in the region . security forces have captured martin omar estrada luna , who is a presumed leader of the zetas drug cartel in san fernando , a town in the border state of tamaulipas , the government said in a statement . no information was immediately provided on how , when or where he was detained . mexico 's attorney general had previously identified estrada luna as one of three prime suspects behind the mass graves . authorities began finding the graves earlier this month during an investigation into a report of the kidnapping of passengers from a bus in late march . the investigation led them to san fernando -- the same place where in august of last year , the bodies of 72 migrants were found at a ranch . officials recovered 10 more bodies from the clandestine graves wednesday and thursday , bringing the total number of bodies found to 126 , state attorney general 's spokesman ruben dario rios lopez said . in the wake of the grisly discovery , the tamaulipas state governor appointed a new head of public security . tamaulipas is one of mexico 's most active states when it comes to drug trafficking . the gulf cartel and the zetas cartel operate in the state and have strongholds there . the zetas have been blamed for the mass graves and also for the deaths of the 72 migrants found last year . one of its presumed members , jose manuel garcia soto , was arrested earlier this month and is a suspect in the killing of u.s. immigration and customs enforcement agent jaime zapata . nationwide , the mexican government says there have been some 35,000 drug-related deaths since president felipe calderon began a crackdown on the cartels in december 2006 . cnn 's krupskaia alis contributed to this report . | tamaulipas is one of mexico 's most active states when it comes to drug trafficking |
jmaal malik keyes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- authorities say they have made an arrest in the case of a georgia college student missing since last month . police at middle georgia state college arrested and charged robert kane rolison , 17 , with one count of murder in the disappearance and death of jmaal malik keyes , who was last seen on april 25 and reported missing on april 29 . rolison was arrested at his home thursday night . both were students at the school in cochran , georgia . campus police chief shawn douglas said friday that authorities were searching for the body of keyes , a 19-year-old freshman from atlanta . rolison is from hawkinsville , georgia , and police describe him as a dual-enrolled high school/middle georgia state student . the suspect is now in custody at a bleckley county , georgia , facility . rolison and keyes knew each other , and rolison gave keyes a ride to a convenience store the day keyes went missing , douglas said . the chief is not commenting on a motive and said he does n't know of any prior conflict between rolison and keyes . we are absolutely devastated by this news , ' said john black , the college 's interim president . there just are no words to describe how deeply hurt we are and how terrible we feel for jmaal 's family . i wish to convey my heartfelt condolences to everyone in his family , and everyone who knew jmaal . ' at-a-glance : still missing in the u.s . | authorities are still looking for the body of jmaal malik keyes , 19 |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the 2010 nobel peace prize was awarded friday to liu xiaobo , a leading chinese dissident who is serving an 11-year prison term after repeatedly calling for human rights and democratization , the norwegian nobel committee announced . liu was sentenced in 2009 for inciting subversion of state power . he is the co-author of charter 08 , a call for political reform and human rights , and was an adviser to the student protesters at tiananmen square in 1989 . liu 's wife , liu xia , told cnn she could not wait to visit him in prison in northern china and tell him the news . she said she was packing under the surveillance of police officers who promised to take her to visit her husband the next day . i am totally shocked and feel so happy , ' she said . i 've never dreamed about this . friends have asked me to prepare for a speech , but i 've only prepared one for xiaobo not winning the prize . ' liu xia said she regretted her husband could n't share the moment with her . she said he would be surprised and humbled ' to find out , but would also feel a greater sense of responsibilities ' because of the great honor . it 's an affirmation of what he has fought for , ' she said . liu xiaobo 's longtime friend pu zhiqiang said he was n't sure whether to be happy or cry when he heard the news . i doubt the nobel will help xiaobo right this moment , but in the long run it will leave a legacy that is sure to help bring democratic reform and freedom to china , that will far outlast liu 's life , ' pu told cnn outside the gates of liu 's apartment complex . liu 's lawyer , shang baojun , said the win may mean liu will have to be in prison longer . i hope that he 'd be released earlier because of the prize , but in reality , that will not happen , ' shang told cnn . a chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the awarding of the prize to liu was blasphemy against the peace prize ' that could harm relations between china and norway . liu xiaobo is a convicted criminal sentenced to jail by chinese justice . his acts are in complete contradiction to the purpose of the nobel peace prize , ' spokesman ma zhaoxu said . the human rights group amnesty international called on the chinese government to release all prisoners of conscience ' following the win . liu xiaobo is a worthy winner of the nobel peace prize . we hope it will keep the spotlight on the struggle for fundamental freedoms and concrete protection of human rights that liu xiaobo and many other activists in china are dedicated to , ' said catherine baber , the deputy asia-pacific director at amnesty international . u.s. president barack obama , who won the award last year , said liu had sacrificed his freedom for his beliefs . liu , he said , is an eloquent and courageous spokesman for the advance of universal values through peaceful and non-violent means , including his support for democracy , human rights , and the rule of law . ' obama also urged china to release liu as soon as possible . it was unclear whether liu had learned of his prize from prison , but he was the favorite of many around the world to win . the president of the norwegian nobel committee , thorbjoern jagland , said liu won for his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in china . ' in announcing the prize , he said , the norwegian nobel committee has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace . such rights are a prerequisite for the fraternity between nations of which [ prize founder ] alfred nobel wrote in his will . ' liu 's struggle has made him the foremost symbol ' of the struggle for human rights in his country , jagland said . despite the criticism from china , the committee stood by its choice and said it had expected china to react strongly . we have a very strong tradition of awarding the prize to human rights activists of many different kinds , ' geir lundestad , director of the nobel institute , told cnn . the institute assists the committee in selecting the prize each year . lundestad cited german pacifist and journalist carl von ossietsky in 1935 , holocaust survivor elie wiesel in 1986 , myanmar pro-democracy leader aung san suu kyi in 1991 , and iranian campaigner shirin ebadi in 2003 as examples of human rights activists who have won the prize . this is a tradition we are very proud of , and this is a tradition for which the norwegian nobel committee has received much applause , ' lundestad said . we felt that if we were serious about this tradition , we did have to come to terms with the question of china in this perspective , and this is what we then did this year . ' the winner of the nobel peace prize receives 10 million swedish kronor ( $ 1.5 million ) , to be picked up at the award ceremony in december . liu spoke of his work in 2007 , while he was between a series of house arrests . from my personal angle , i feel in a dictatory society if you want to be a person with dignity , if you want to be an honest person , fight for human-rights improvement , fight for free speech , being ... [ in prison ] is part of what you are undertaking , and there is nothing to complain , ' he told cnn . since you chose to do this , you must have a preparation for being in prison , ' he said . entering the prison you must face these things peacefully , not complain [ about ] others . i even do n't complain [ about those ] ... who arrested me , because this is their inevitable action . i can also not let them arrest me if i chose other way . ' twitter users in china were unable to discuss liu or the nobel prize on the micro-blogging site , but some still reacted to the award . i am so excited when i heard this news ! finally good people is recognized by the world ! ' wrote one twitter user . they censored what i 've just posted on micro blog ! can you really stop people in this internet age ! ' wrote another . at least two international television networks -- cnn and bbc -- were blacked out as the nobel committee announced the winner , and cnn remained blacked out for most of the day . pu , liu 's friend , was refused entry to the apartment complex by security guards when he went there friday night . a human rights lawyer and partner in the huayi law firm in beijing -- where he focuses on defamation , press freedom and other public interest law -- pu said the prize is a step forward for chinese development . liu 's nobel prize shows that he will have an impact beyond how far the eye can see . this will change the future long into the future , ' he told cnn , adding that liu is like an older brother to me . ' liu 's sentencing prompted a groundswell of support from former peace prize laureates and perennial contenders . vaclav havel , the hero of czechoslovakia 's 1989 velvet revolution ( who never won the nobel prize ) , retired south african archbishop desmond tutu ( who did , in 1984 ) , and the dalai lama ( 1989 ) were among a group of intellectuals who publicly urged the nobel committee to give the prize to liu shortly after he was sentenced . american writer kwame anthony appiah , the head of the american pen center , a literary and human rights organization , nominated liu in january , he said . liu xiaobo is a hero among heroes , ' said rep. chris smith , r-new jersey , who also nominated him . this award will be a shot of adrenaline for all chinese human rights advocates and prisoners of conscience . ' the wall street journal reported in february that foreign ministry spokesman ma said that it would be totally wrong ' for such a person ' to win the nobel peace prize , and that the comment was later scrubbed from the official transcript of the briefing . cnn 's jo ling kent and steven jiang , and journalist tomas etzler , contributed to this report . | cnn is blacked out in china as the winner is announced |
israeli <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) this much is certain : ziyad abu ein , a senior palestinian authority official , died after a confrontation with israeli troops . but a day after his death , the two sides continued to offer contrasting accounts of what killed him . palestinians say that autopsy results show that abu ein died from a harsh blow to his diaphragm and lungs -- that excessive use of force , in conjunction with the inhalation of tear gas , were contributing factors . palestinian minister of civil affairs hussein al-sheikh told the palestinian ma'an news agency on thursday that doctors from palestinian territories , jordan and israel participated in the autopsy . he said that while israeli doctors admitted the results , they did not sign the medical report . on the other hand , a preliminary autopsy report issued by the israeli government said abu ein 's death was caused by a blockage of the coronary artery because of hemorrhaging . stress could have caused the bleeding , the report said , suggesting the poor condition of abu ein 's heart caused him to be more sensitive to stress . cnn spoke to dr. ahmed bitawi , at the ramallah medical complex , who ruled out 99.99 % ' that abu ein 's death was brought on by a heart attack . bitawi , the director general of the hospital , said the cause of death was asphyxiation ; that abu ein choked to death on his own vomit brought on by gas inhalation . clashes with soldiers abu ein died after clashes with israeli soldiers midday wednesday in the palestinian village of turmusaya , which is northeast of the west bank city of ramallah . he was a minister in the fatah party and head of the committee to resist the wall and settlements , and he was participating in nonviolent demonstrations to mark international human rights day , longtime chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat said in a statement . pictures from various news agencies depict an israeli soldier with his hands to abu ein 's neck , followed by another showing him on the ground . the official palestinian news agency wafa , meanwhile , reported that the palestinian official lost consciousness after he inhaled tear gas and an israeli soldier hit him in the chest . the israeli soldiers called abu ein by name and seemed to be focused on him , ' witness kamal abu safaka told cnn . there was a lot of pushing , kicking and punching by the soldiers . ... when abu ein tried to intercede , they hit him on the chest with a rifle butt and grabbed him by the throat and pushed him back and then threw a large amount of tear gas and stun grenades . ' anger and mourning israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said israel will investigate the death . declaring three days of mourning , palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas slammed abu ein 's death as an intolerable barbaric act , ' according to wafa . what happened is a crime by all means , we can not sit idle and silent ( after ) this crime , ' he said later on palestinian television . for that , this leadership is meeting now to decide what it wants , and i say honestly all options are open for discussion and for implementation . ... we do n't have any other solutions . ' on thursday , thousands of palestinian mourners marched in abu ein 's funeral procession as he was taken from the presidential compound to a cemetery . | israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu vows to investigate |
african <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ghana captain stephen appiah says the west african side will be ready for war ' when they face australia at the world cup in rustenburg on saturday . germany 's shock defeat by serbia on friday means that another win for the black stars in group d would put them firmly on course for a place in the last 16 , following their 1-0 win over serbia in their opening match . australia were beaten 4-0 by germany in their first game but appiah and teammate john mensah said they would not be taking the socceroos lightly . every country has their own style of play and the australians are physically and mentally strong , ' appiah told cnn . it 's going to be a war , it 's not going to be a football game . it 's going to be really tough , but we 're ready -- it 's no problem . ' defender mensah said australia were a better team than their heavy defeat by germany suggested . just because they lost to germany , that does n't mean they 're not good , ' mensah told cnn . we do n't underrate this australian team . we will have to fight hard to get the three points . ' appiah said ghana had benefited from the support of the south african fans and said there was unity ' between all the african sides at the first world cup to be held on the continent . we are all excited to be in africa to participate in this world cup and we all hope to support african teams who are still playing , ' said mensah . ghana are without their best player and regular captain michael essien but appiah said the chelsea star was in touch with the squad every day . and he said the team could still do well , citing ghana 's run -- without essien -- to the final of the africa cup of nations in angola . he is one of our key players .... but it does n't mean that if one guy is not there the team is finished , ' appiah said . appiah admitted that the official jabulani tournament ball was proving difficult to get used to but he said it would be good for players , with goalkeepers being caught out by its unpredictable movement . this football is a little bit strange and it 's difficult when you get a long pass ... it 's kind of swerving , so you do n't know where the ball is going , ' he said . a lot of goalkeepers are complaining about this ball . ' despite beating serbia , appiah said the ghanaians would not be getting carried away . let 's enjoy this moment and we will see what happens in the future , ' he said . we proved to the world that we know how to play football . ' | appiah says there is unity ' between african sides at first african world cup |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ghana captain stephen appiah says the west african side will be ready for war ' when they face australia at the world cup in rustenburg on saturday . germany 's shock defeat by serbia on friday means that another win for the black stars in group d would put them firmly on course for a place in the last 16 , following their 1-0 win over serbia in their opening match . australia were beaten 4-0 by germany in their first game but appiah and teammate john mensah said they would not be taking the socceroos lightly . every country has their own style of play and the australians are physically and mentally strong , ' appiah told cnn . it 's going to be a war , it 's not going to be a football game . it 's going to be really tough , but we 're ready -- it 's no problem . ' defender mensah said australia were a better team than their heavy defeat by germany suggested . just because they lost to germany , that does n't mean they 're not good , ' mensah told cnn . we do n't underrate this australian team . we will have to fight hard to get the three points . ' appiah said ghana had benefited from the support of the south african fans and said there was unity ' between all the african sides at the first world cup to be held on the continent . we are all excited to be in africa to participate in this world cup and we all hope to support african teams who are still playing , ' said mensah . ghana are without their best player and regular captain michael essien but appiah said the chelsea star was in touch with the squad every day . and he said the team could still do well , citing ghana 's run -- without essien -- to the final of the africa cup of nations in angola . he is one of our key players .... but it does n't mean that if one guy is not there the team is finished , ' appiah said . appiah admitted that the official jabulani tournament ball was proving difficult to get used to but he said it would be good for players , with goalkeepers being caught out by its unpredictable movement . this football is a little bit strange and it 's difficult when you get a long pass ... it 's kind of swerving , so you do n't know where the ball is going , ' he said . a lot of goalkeepers are complaining about this ball . ' despite beating serbia , appiah said the ghanaians would not be getting carried away . let 's enjoy this moment and we will see what happens in the future , ' he said . we proved to the world that we know how to play football . ' | ghana captain appiah says team expecting tough match against australia |
dutch <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the fbi attained actionable intelligence ' from bombing suspect umar farouk abdulmutallab in the first hours after his arrest on christmas day , white house press secretary robert gibbs said tuesday . abdulmutallab spent a number of hours with fbi investigators in which we gleaned useable , actionable intelligence , ' gibbs told reporters . according to authorities , nigerian-born abdulmutallab tried to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear as a flight from amsterdam , netherlands , made its final approach to detroit , michigan , december 25 . the device failed to fully detonate , instead setting off a fire at the man 's seat . gibbs declined to elaborate on the nature of the intelligence . abdulmutallab , 23 , has been tied to the yemen-based group al qaeda in the arabian peninsula . in a statement to reporters after meeting with his national security team , president obama said u.s. officials had enough information in their possession before the failed bombing attack to have prevented the suspect from getting on the plane , but had been unable to connect the dots . ' obama said he could accept the imperfect nature of intelligence work , but it is increasingly clear that intelligence was not fully analyzed or fully leveraged , ' he said , adding : that 's not acceptable , and i will not tolerate it . ' time and again we 've learned that quickly piecing together information and taking swift action is critical to staying one step ahead of a nimble adversary , ' obama said . so we have to do better , and we will do better , and we have to do it quickly . american lives are on the line . ' in one step , senior state department officials told cnn on tuesday that new criteria for information collected on possible terrorists would make it easier to ban them from u.s.-bound flights . speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the material , the officials said the united states has lowered the threshold for information considered important enough to put suspicious individuals on a no-fly list or revoke their visas . if the new criteria had been in place before christmas , abdulmutallab would have been added to the no-fly list , the officials said . abdulmutallab is being held at the federal correctional institution in milan , michigan , where he 's still being treated for the burn injuries he received in the failed bombing . he faces charges of attempting to destroy an aircraft , and will face his first court hearings friday . the suspect apparently arrived in amsterdam already carrying the explosives he planned to use , dutch prosecutors said tuesday . the suspect traveled through ghana before he arrived via lagos [ nigeria ] at schiphol , ' prosecutors said , referring to the airport where abdulmutallab boarded the flight to detroit . so far , it seems he already had the explosives with him before he landed at schiphol . ' also tuesday , british officials announced that london 's heathrow airport will introduce more body scanners within weeks , and that all british airports must have equipment to detect explosives by the end of the year . british home secretary alan johnson said the british government had no evidence abdulmutallab had been planning an attack . johnson added that british authorities were directing airports to carry out more random searches of passengers because metal detectors can not spot explosives without metal parts . last week , obama blamed human error and security lapses for the failure by officials to act on information that abdulmutallab was a possible terrorist threat . he had a valid multiple-entry u.s. visa . his father , a leading banker in nigeria , had warned u.s. authorities before the attack that his son might be involved with islamic extremists , but the information failed to prompt a response such as canceling the visa . tuesday 's white house meetings were held just hours after the united states reopened its embassy in yemen . it 's believed that abdulmutallab may have received training in yemen from the group al qaeda in the arabian peninsula . the united states'decision to close the embassy came after intelligence suggested that four al qaeda operatives could have been planning an attack on the compound , a senior administration official said monday . a statement posted on the embassy 's web site said successful counter-terrorism operations ' conducted by yemeni security forces monday north of the yemeni capital , sanaa , addressed a specific area of concern and have contributed to the embassy 's decision to resume operations . ' yemen 's state-run news agency , saba , reported monday that two al qaeda suspects were killed and two others were injured in clashes with a yemeni anti-terrorism unit . cnn 's dan lothian and suzanne malveaux in washington , per nyberg in london , england , and christian purefoy in lagos , nigeria , contributed to this report . | dutch authorities : suspect apparently arrived already carrying explosives |
missouri <tsp> the rev . renita lamkin says she has experienced some of the worst kind of racism in her life , which might come as a surprise to folks when they meet her . lamkin is white . on august 9 , as temperatures soared outside , she heard about something heating up tensions a short drive away from the city where she preaches . the next day , something inside her told her to go there . so she headed to ferguson , not sure what she would encounter and with no real plan . i just got this feeling that there was a need for intercession , for prayer , and i needed to be there , ' lamkin says . when she got there , she found out just what was sending emotions sky-high -- something the world would come to know about in the hours , days and weeks ahead . an african-american teenager named michael brown had been shot and killed in the street by a white police officer . no one in the neighborhood where brown was killed knew the officer 's name at the time . what they did know was that brown 's body had been lying in the street for about four hours . some witnesses to the shooting said brown 's hands were up in surrender before he was killed . by the time lamkin arrived on august 10 , brown 's body was gone , but residents'anger remained high as she attended a prayer vigil on the street where the teen died . the protesting was peaceful at first . at some point i was told i should leave , and so i left , and by the time i got home i heard about the riots that had broken out , ' she says . a tale of two streets in ferguson a quiktrip convenience store had been burned , some businesses had been looted , and what looked like an army of police had descended on west florissant avenue . a few days later , lamkin went out to the street , too . on the night of august 13. she found herself in the middle of police and protesters when tear gas and rubber bullets began to fly . that is when she says she knew exactly why she was there and what she was called to do . in all fairness they ( the police ) did tell us to disperse many , many times , and they did say that failure to disperse would result in us being subject to arrest and or other actions . i had no idea what those other actions were , but i was n't going to high-tail it out of there with our young people still hanging out , ' she says . she told the protesters to get behind her . she stood there with her hands outstretched between police in riot gear and protesters screaming at officers from a distance . in all that noise , lamkin did the only thing she knew to do -- pray . it seems as if one minute there were police in shirts behind us , and when i turned around again there were tanks -- like i did n't even hear them approach , ' she says . what looked like tanks to some folks turned out to be armored vehicles . i just was praying , you know , just interceding , asking god to draw a line that could n't be crossed either way . i did n't want to see our young people charge the police , and i did n't want to see the police charge at our young folks , and there 's really no more to it than that , ' she says . but lamkin soon was injured . she says she was shot by a police projectile . she disputes it was a rubber bullet , but police say that is what they were using that night . west florissant looked like a battlefield , and lamkin began to be incensed by what was happening in the usually quiet town eight miles from st louis . it was then , lamkin says , she became a praying protester , not just a praying pastor . missouri governor declares state of emergency 100 days of protests for the most part , for more than 100 days now protesters have taken to the streets , chanting and leveling harsh words at police . since brown 's killing , police have been face to face with protesters screaming , cursing and sometimes throwing water bottles or even rocks at them . some demonstrators talk to police sometimes as if they are less than human . lamkin says she understands the anger spewed at police . they 're yelling at the system , and they are saying all the things that they were never able to say when they were in situations by themselves and they were in fear or when their family members were mistreated and ... they were powerless to speak up. lamkin has a problem with the way she says the justice system treats people of color , especially black men . i believe that there is a nation of exhausted people . and we are exhausted with the policing system having carte blanche opportunity to gun our children down without accountability , ' she says . plenty of folks argue a grand jury is there for the sole purpose of accountability . its job is to see if criminal action has taken place . lamkin and other protesters say they do n't necessarily trust the grand jury system , which they see as a rubber stamp for the prosecuting attorney 's office . the st. louis prosecuting attorney has defended himself time and again , saying the jurors are getting all the information , witnesses and evidence the office has gathered to investigate and make up their minds . ferguson awaits grand jury ruling prejudice hits home as the mother of two mixed-race children , lamkin says she does n't have to travel far to find a black person who has dealt with racial profiling by police . my son was like 11 when he was brought home by the police for riding his bike ,'fitting the description'( of a criminal ) , like what the hell ? ' she barks. ''you know he 's in his own neighborhood ?' lamkin says she told the officer . his reply , she says , well we did n't know any black families lived here . ' lamkin says she has experienced the deep prejudice that police and fellow white citizens have revealed to her often unconsciously . i have felt the disgrace when white people think that i adopted my children , then they say it 's the great white person you know that has rescued these little black kids . actually one time someone said ,'where did you get them from ?' lamkin says , letting out an exasperated laugh . when she explains they are her biological children , the demeanor of the people asking those kinds of questions changes , she says . there 's a shift ; you know people shift when they realize that they 're my children and that somehow i am no longer as quality of a being to them , ' lamkin says . police , protests and ominous predictions at first , lamkin was not welcomed by some of the protesters . initially some would say like ,'what are you doing here ? whose side are you on ? this is n't your fight . it 's not a white person 's fight ,' she says . that all ended on the night she was injured , but that same evening , she confronted another protester . i saw her give molotov cocktails to three of our boys , so i charged at her . fortunately , she took the cocktail back and took off running before i was able to get to her , ' she says . lamkin says worries that the announcement of the grand jury 's decision will bring more folks intending to use the cover of peaceful protesters for their violent deeds . i 've been pulled into secret meetings , i 've received anonymous messages . if all of that prediction holds true , it 's gon na to be very scary , ' she says . violence has no place , even when you are fighting for what you believe in , she says . she has been accused of inciting violence for the way she yells at police , and has once worn a scarf around her face covering everything but her eyes . it 's funny though -- all i 'm doing is praying , ' lamkin says . when a cnn crew saw her the first time , lamkin was yelling at officers , waving her hands between them and protesters and telling police , do n't hurt them . they are all somebody 's baby . do n't you hurt them ! ' lamkin says she does n't condemn every police officer for the actions of some , nor does she praise every protester for his or her behavior . ultimately she sees what 's happening in ferguson as a moment that turned into a movement . she is convinced it 's not only a worldly battle between people and the system but something much bigger than that . i 'm very aware of the presence of evil . i 'm seeing this as a spiritual warfare , ' she says . her take : the evil is an unfair system ; the war is an effort to change that so that all people finally have the chance to be treated equally . | the rev . renita lamkin has taken part in the protests in ferguson , missouri |
putin <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- top american officials harshly criticized russia on friday for its continued support of pro-russian rebels in ukraine following the downing of a malaysia airlines jetliner . president barack obama said friday that russian president vladimir putin has the most control ' over the situation in eastern ukraine as intelligence indicates that rebels most likely shot down flight 17 from an area they control with a surface-to-air missile . nearly 300 people were killed in thursday 's disaster , including one american . obama said the rebels'sophisticated weaponry and training needed to shoot down aircraft is coming from russia ' and said the united states could ratchet up sanctions on russia if it continues to support the rebels . but he stopped short of blaming russia or putin for the debacle in eastern ukraine . but senior republican lawmakers , most outspoken on foreign affairs and often critical of obama 's foreign policy , did n't hold back . they were quick and direct in blaming putin and called for additional , more stringent sanctions against russia . i think he is responsible , ' said sen. john mccain , a member of the foreign affairs and homeland security committees . i mean , it was n't vladimir putin that pushed the button to launch the missile , but the whole scenario , including the buildup of russian troops across the border ... i think that he gave them the material and wherewithal to do it -- or facilitated it . ' those calls come after republicans have criticized obama for months for not taking a harder line on russia or meeting ukrainian demands for more military assistance as it battled rebels . but now mccain said he sees no separation ' between putin and the ukrainian rebels , calling that movement clearly orchestrated ' by moscow . and u.s . ambassador to the united nations samantha power said investigators ca n't rule out the possibility that russia may have helped the separatists operate the complex missile system . power also emphasized the crucial role russia has played in the conflict in ukraine , as well as the role the country can play to bring peace to the region . russia can end this war . russia must end this war , ' she said . sen. mark kirk of illinois said he believes operating the missile system would need backup from a nation-state like russia . ' that would mean that russian armed forces are directly involved in this wrongful death of roughly 300 people , ' kirk asserted . russian officials rebutted even the suggestion of russian involvement and instead blamed ukraine for creating a volatile environment in eastern ukraine . and while there are conflicting reports over whether the plane 's flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been taken to russia , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said moscow would insist on the most objective , most open and independent investigation ' into the incident . still , kirk called for the justice department to file a wrongful death lawsuit against russian assets in the u.s. ' and said the united states should target those assets to show moscow that tens of millions of dollars will be lost . ' rep. peter king , a member of the house homeland security committee , drew similar conclusions . he called putin largely responsible ' for the downing of the passenger act , which ukrainian officials have labeled as a terrorist act . if you 're a world power and you give this type of sophisticated weaponry to insurrectionists , you 're responsible for what happens after that , ' king said . this violates to me all norms of international behavior by a world power . ' u.s. officials have not yet concluded whether separatists obtained the missile system used to down the malaysian airliner from russia , though obama confirmed that russia has supplied heavy weaponry to the separatists . king said russia 's arming of the rebels with sophisticated weaponry amounted to almost criminal negligence , ' even though he does not believe putin wanted the passenger plane to be downed . and though the tragedy came a day after additional u.s. and european union sanctions were leveled against russia , mccain , king and other republican lawmakers renewed calls for tougher sanctions . as retribution , king said the united states should consider further action such as preventing the russian airliner aeroflot from landing at u.s. and other western airports . and king claimed such a ban would have a devastating effect on the russian economy . ' king 's comments came after oklahoma republican rep. tom cole called for a stronger response ' during an interview with cnn because pinprick sanctions are n't going to get the job done . ' cole also called for direct military assistance to ukraine , which he said is fighting for its survival . ' that 's a request the kiev government has voiced to officials in washington , asking for armament and military advice . i think that 's an unmistakable sign that we 're going to support them , that we 're going to try to give them the wherewithal to defend their territorial integrity . ' even before u.s. officials confirmed the plane was shot down by pro-russian separatists , sen. lindsey graham , a south carolina republican , said russian or separatist involvement would be a game-changer . ' graham said that kind of information should trigger tougher sanctions from the united states and more support from other countries . malaysian plane shot down in ukraine : what happened ? alleged phone call :'we have just shot down a plane' mh17 : grief and mourning at amsterdam 's schiphol | president obama said putin has the most control ' over the situation in eastern ukraine |
putin <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- top american officials harshly criticized russia on friday for its continued support of pro-russian rebels in ukraine following the downing of a malaysia airlines jetliner . president barack obama said friday that russian president vladimir putin has the most control ' over the situation in eastern ukraine as intelligence indicates that rebels most likely shot down flight 17 from an area they control with a surface-to-air missile . nearly 300 people were killed in thursday 's disaster , including one american . obama said the rebels'sophisticated weaponry and training needed to shoot down aircraft is coming from russia ' and said the united states could ratchet up sanctions on russia if it continues to support the rebels . but he stopped short of blaming russia or putin for the debacle in eastern ukraine . but senior republican lawmakers , most outspoken on foreign affairs and often critical of obama 's foreign policy , did n't hold back . they were quick and direct in blaming putin and called for additional , more stringent sanctions against russia . i think he is responsible , ' said sen. john mccain , a member of the foreign affairs and homeland security committees . i mean , it was n't vladimir putin that pushed the button to launch the missile , but the whole scenario , including the buildup of russian troops across the border ... i think that he gave them the material and wherewithal to do it -- or facilitated it . ' those calls come after republicans have criticized obama for months for not taking a harder line on russia or meeting ukrainian demands for more military assistance as it battled rebels . but now mccain said he sees no separation ' between putin and the ukrainian rebels , calling that movement clearly orchestrated ' by moscow . and u.s . ambassador to the united nations samantha power said investigators ca n't rule out the possibility that russia may have helped the separatists operate the complex missile system . power also emphasized the crucial role russia has played in the conflict in ukraine , as well as the role the country can play to bring peace to the region . russia can end this war . russia must end this war , ' she said . sen. mark kirk of illinois said he believes operating the missile system would need backup from a nation-state like russia . ' that would mean that russian armed forces are directly involved in this wrongful death of roughly 300 people , ' kirk asserted . russian officials rebutted even the suggestion of russian involvement and instead blamed ukraine for creating a volatile environment in eastern ukraine . and while there are conflicting reports over whether the plane 's flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been taken to russia , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said moscow would insist on the most objective , most open and independent investigation ' into the incident . still , kirk called for the justice department to file a wrongful death lawsuit against russian assets in the u.s. ' and said the united states should target those assets to show moscow that tens of millions of dollars will be lost . ' rep. peter king , a member of the house homeland security committee , drew similar conclusions . he called putin largely responsible ' for the downing of the passenger act , which ukrainian officials have labeled as a terrorist act . if you 're a world power and you give this type of sophisticated weaponry to insurrectionists , you 're responsible for what happens after that , ' king said . this violates to me all norms of international behavior by a world power . ' u.s. officials have not yet concluded whether separatists obtained the missile system used to down the malaysian airliner from russia , though obama confirmed that russia has supplied heavy weaponry to the separatists . king said russia 's arming of the rebels with sophisticated weaponry amounted to almost criminal negligence , ' even though he does not believe putin wanted the passenger plane to be downed . and though the tragedy came a day after additional u.s. and european union sanctions were leveled against russia , mccain , king and other republican lawmakers renewed calls for tougher sanctions . as retribution , king said the united states should consider further action such as preventing the russian airliner aeroflot from landing at u.s. and other western airports . and king claimed such a ban would have a devastating effect on the russian economy . ' king 's comments came after oklahoma republican rep. tom cole called for a stronger response ' during an interview with cnn because pinprick sanctions are n't going to get the job done . ' cole also called for direct military assistance to ukraine , which he said is fighting for its survival . ' that 's a request the kiev government has voiced to officials in washington , asking for armament and military advice . i think that 's an unmistakable sign that we 're going to support them , that we 're going to try to give them the wherewithal to defend their territorial integrity . ' even before u.s. officials confirmed the plane was shot down by pro-russian separatists , sen. lindsey graham , a south carolina republican , said russian or separatist involvement would be a game-changer . ' graham said that kind of information should trigger tougher sanctions from the united states and more support from other countries . malaysian plane shot down in ukraine : what happened ? alleged phone call :'we have just shot down a plane' mh17 : grief and mourning at amsterdam 's schiphol | sen. john mccain and rep. peter king said outright that putin is responsible ' |
peter king <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- top american officials harshly criticized russia on friday for its continued support of pro-russian rebels in ukraine following the downing of a malaysia airlines jetliner . president barack obama said friday that russian president vladimir putin has the most control ' over the situation in eastern ukraine as intelligence indicates that rebels most likely shot down flight 17 from an area they control with a surface-to-air missile . nearly 300 people were killed in thursday 's disaster , including one american . obama said the rebels'sophisticated weaponry and training needed to shoot down aircraft is coming from russia ' and said the united states could ratchet up sanctions on russia if it continues to support the rebels . but he stopped short of blaming russia or putin for the debacle in eastern ukraine . but senior republican lawmakers , most outspoken on foreign affairs and often critical of obama 's foreign policy , did n't hold back . they were quick and direct in blaming putin and called for additional , more stringent sanctions against russia . i think he is responsible , ' said sen. john mccain , a member of the foreign affairs and homeland security committees . i mean , it was n't vladimir putin that pushed the button to launch the missile , but the whole scenario , including the buildup of russian troops across the border ... i think that he gave them the material and wherewithal to do it -- or facilitated it . ' those calls come after republicans have criticized obama for months for not taking a harder line on russia or meeting ukrainian demands for more military assistance as it battled rebels . but now mccain said he sees no separation ' between putin and the ukrainian rebels , calling that movement clearly orchestrated ' by moscow . and u.s . ambassador to the united nations samantha power said investigators ca n't rule out the possibility that russia may have helped the separatists operate the complex missile system . power also emphasized the crucial role russia has played in the conflict in ukraine , as well as the role the country can play to bring peace to the region . russia can end this war . russia must end this war , ' she said . sen. mark kirk of illinois said he believes operating the missile system would need backup from a nation-state like russia . ' that would mean that russian armed forces are directly involved in this wrongful death of roughly 300 people , ' kirk asserted . russian officials rebutted even the suggestion of russian involvement and instead blamed ukraine for creating a volatile environment in eastern ukraine . and while there are conflicting reports over whether the plane 's flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been taken to russia , russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said moscow would insist on the most objective , most open and independent investigation ' into the incident . still , kirk called for the justice department to file a wrongful death lawsuit against russian assets in the u.s. ' and said the united states should target those assets to show moscow that tens of millions of dollars will be lost . ' rep. peter king , a member of the house homeland security committee , drew similar conclusions . he called putin largely responsible ' for the downing of the passenger act , which ukrainian officials have labeled as a terrorist act . if you 're a world power and you give this type of sophisticated weaponry to insurrectionists , you 're responsible for what happens after that , ' king said . this violates to me all norms of international behavior by a world power . ' u.s. officials have not yet concluded whether separatists obtained the missile system used to down the malaysian airliner from russia , though obama confirmed that russia has supplied heavy weaponry to the separatists . king said russia 's arming of the rebels with sophisticated weaponry amounted to almost criminal negligence , ' even though he does not believe putin wanted the passenger plane to be downed . and though the tragedy came a day after additional u.s. and european union sanctions were leveled against russia , mccain , king and other republican lawmakers renewed calls for tougher sanctions . as retribution , king said the united states should consider further action such as preventing the russian airliner aeroflot from landing at u.s. and other western airports . and king claimed such a ban would have a devastating effect on the russian economy . ' king 's comments came after oklahoma republican rep. tom cole called for a stronger response ' during an interview with cnn because pinprick sanctions are n't going to get the job done . ' cole also called for direct military assistance to ukraine , which he said is fighting for its survival . ' that 's a request the kiev government has voiced to officials in washington , asking for armament and military advice . i think that 's an unmistakable sign that we 're going to support them , that we 're going to try to give them the wherewithal to defend their territorial integrity . ' even before u.s. officials confirmed the plane was shot down by pro-russian separatists , sen. lindsey graham , a south carolina republican , said russian or separatist involvement would be a game-changer . ' graham said that kind of information should trigger tougher sanctions from the united states and more support from other countries . malaysian plane shot down in ukraine : what happened ? alleged phone call :'we have just shot down a plane' mh17 : grief and mourning at amsterdam 's schiphol | sen. john mccain and rep. peter king said outright that putin is responsible ' |
croce <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- pat croce is a man on a mission -- a mission to find his all time favorite pirate . the highly successful businessman , who rose from being a trainer in the locker room to president of one of the most storied franchises of the nba , is on a quest to find the body of english explorer sir francis drake , who was buried out at sea more than 400 years ago . sir francis drake was an adventurer and a true pirate of the 16th century . drake is credited with being the first englishman to circumnavigate the globe . he led several voyages , many of them aimed at capturing spanish territories and taking their treasure . while he made enemies with spain , he enchanted queen elizabeth i , who is believed to have fondly called him my pirate ' . but the spanish got their revenge . drake 's voyage to the west indies was disastrous , with the spanish fleets prepared for the english . the adventure was to be his last and in 1596 he fell ill with dysentery . dressed in armor , drake 's body was placed in a lead casket and thrown overboard off the coast of panama . days later two ships in the fleet were scuttled nearby , ensuring they would n't get into the hands of drake 's enemy , the spanish . now , centuries after he was laid to rest , croce is on a quest to locate drake 's coffin . i 'm a businessman with a passion for pirates and i 'm all about taking action on your passion , ' croce enthuses . croce has invested a great deal of time and money -- somewhere in the region of hundreds of thousands of dollars according to some experts -- into finding drake 's final resting place . last month he had a major breakthrough . armed with high-tech equipment , a team of archeologists and divers and using the information given to him by a researcher he has hired -- croce set about combing the seabed in an area off the panama coast . what they came across croce describes as a tremendous find . they uncovered two ships that appeared to be burnt out , lying perpendicular to one another , in an area which croce now likes to call'drake 's alcove'. they did n't find a name on either ships , or the ships'bells , yet croce and experts are quite convinced the ships are the delight ' and elizabeth ' -- the two ships in drake 's final voyage that were scuttled . croce 's passion for pirates is colossal . what started as a hobby as a child has exploded into a business empire , with books and a hollywood movie project in the pipeline . the american businessman has even established'the st augustine pirate and treasure museum'to share all the treasures he 's collected over the years . but it is drake that he admires and relates to the most . he was an entrepreneur of his day , ' explains croce . he talked investors into investing into his adventures and then brought back a return on the investment . ' it 's not just drake 's business brain that croce has a high regard for , but also his rise from commoner to knighthood -- a journey not too distant from croce 's own . i was a trainer who eventually owned a basketball team . that 's unheard of ! ' croce , a physiotherapist by trade , made his fortune by building up , and eventually selling , a successful sports medicine business . his term as president of the philadelphia 76ers will go down in folklore , with the side going from last place to first in nba standings . it is croce 's dream to one day see drake 's body eventually returned to britain and buried in plymouth with drums sounding and overseen by queen elizabeth ii , the monarch who shares the same name as the royal who thought of drake as her own private . for the moment though , another mission will require a permit from the panama government to continue diving off its coast . however croce believes they ca n't be far off locating drake 's coffin . while drake would return to england with stolen spanish treasure , for croce he says his lost treasure is drake 's coffin and the history behind it . all i can say to my man sir francis drake is : i 'll be back , ' he says . | businessman pat croce is on a mission to find his coffin |
croce <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- pat croce is a man on a mission -- a mission to find his all time favorite pirate . the highly successful businessman , who rose from being a trainer in the locker room to president of one of the most storied franchises of the nba , is on a quest to find the body of english explorer sir francis drake , who was buried out at sea more than 400 years ago . sir francis drake was an adventurer and a true pirate of the 16th century . drake is credited with being the first englishman to circumnavigate the globe . he led several voyages , many of them aimed at capturing spanish territories and taking their treasure . while he made enemies with spain , he enchanted queen elizabeth i , who is believed to have fondly called him my pirate ' . but the spanish got their revenge . drake 's voyage to the west indies was disastrous , with the spanish fleets prepared for the english . the adventure was to be his last and in 1596 he fell ill with dysentery . dressed in armor , drake 's body was placed in a lead casket and thrown overboard off the coast of panama . days later two ships in the fleet were scuttled nearby , ensuring they would n't get into the hands of drake 's enemy , the spanish . now , centuries after he was laid to rest , croce is on a quest to locate drake 's coffin . i 'm a businessman with a passion for pirates and i 'm all about taking action on your passion , ' croce enthuses . croce has invested a great deal of time and money -- somewhere in the region of hundreds of thousands of dollars according to some experts -- into finding drake 's final resting place . last month he had a major breakthrough . armed with high-tech equipment , a team of archeologists and divers and using the information given to him by a researcher he has hired -- croce set about combing the seabed in an area off the panama coast . what they came across croce describes as a tremendous find . they uncovered two ships that appeared to be burnt out , lying perpendicular to one another , in an area which croce now likes to call'drake 's alcove'. they did n't find a name on either ships , or the ships'bells , yet croce and experts are quite convinced the ships are the delight ' and elizabeth ' -- the two ships in drake 's final voyage that were scuttled . croce 's passion for pirates is colossal . what started as a hobby as a child has exploded into a business empire , with books and a hollywood movie project in the pipeline . the american businessman has even established'the st augustine pirate and treasure museum'to share all the treasures he 's collected over the years . but it is drake that he admires and relates to the most . he was an entrepreneur of his day , ' explains croce . he talked investors into investing into his adventures and then brought back a return on the investment . ' it 's not just drake 's business brain that croce has a high regard for , but also his rise from commoner to knighthood -- a journey not too distant from croce 's own . i was a trainer who eventually owned a basketball team . that 's unheard of ! ' croce , a physiotherapist by trade , made his fortune by building up , and eventually selling , a successful sports medicine business . his term as president of the philadelphia 76ers will go down in folklore , with the side going from last place to first in nba standings . it is croce 's dream to one day see drake 's body eventually returned to britain and buried in plymouth with drums sounding and overseen by queen elizabeth ii , the monarch who shares the same name as the royal who thought of drake as her own private . for the moment though , another mission will require a permit from the panama government to continue diving off its coast . however croce believes they ca n't be far off locating drake 's coffin . while drake would return to england with stolen spanish treasure , for croce he says his lost treasure is drake 's coffin and the history behind it . all i can say to my man sir francis drake is : i 'll be back , ' he says . | croce says he 's found the wreckage of two ships scuttled near where drake was buried |
cairo <tsp> an hour or so drive from the chaotic and congested streets of downtown cairo is a very different world . thousands of pristine new buildings -- many only half-built -- often within gated compounds are surrounded by miles of barren desert . new cairo is one of a handful of satellite cities ' that are being developed in the desert about 40 kilometers from the city center . the landscape is far from conventionally beautiful , but attracted the attention of a british photographer jason larkin who spent two years chronicling the developments . cairo 's satellite cities have been developed on-and-off for 30 years , but a recent building boom has slowed since the fall of president hosni mubarak in february . larkin became interested after the american university of cairo moved to a new campus in new cairo in 2008 . i started to hear from students who were alarmed to find themselves in the middle of the desert , ' he said . i wanted to look for myself and was struck by the environment . they were pristine buildings but with completely barren surroundings . you ca n't get there by public transport . i realized it had so little of what a city needs . ' larkin spent two years photographing cairo 's satellite cities and their construction sites . he said : there were many projects i never saw any work on : half-finished construction sites where people with big ideas had run out of money . others have been halted because of disputes and allegations of corruption over the sale of the land . ' larkin added : of all the areas i photographed , i would say 80 % were not occupied . ' for centuries , the population of cairo -- now 10.9 million , according to the cia world factbook -- was confined to a narrow strip of fertile land along the river nile . in 1969 a development plan was launched to expand greater cairo into the surrounding deserts , according to a 2009 report by u.n. habitat , the united nations agency for human settlements mohamed elshahed , a doctoral student who started a blog , cairobserver , on the city 's architecture and urban planning , has also taken an interest in satellite cities . he said the gated compounds of villas for the wealthy currently being built were opposite to the initial intention of satellite cities . elshahed said : the development of satellite cities has gone through several false starts . the initial idea in the 1970s was to respond to the housing crisis and create budget or social housing projects . the problem was that the poorest ca n't afford to live so far away without transport to bring them to work . this initial phase was a complete failure and mostly remained vacant . there were further attempts in the 1990s . now we are seeing a reverse of the initial idea and they are exclusively high-end developments . ' ehshahed said the gated compounds were being developed at the expense of preserving the historic city center . there 's no recognition of cairo 's architectural heritage and history , ' he said . it 's as if we 're living in dubai , but this is n't dubai , it 's a city that 's been around for 1,000 years . ' elshahed added : the center of the city is deteriorating and the rich do n't want to be there anymore . they can afford to live outside the city and cut themselves off . ' however , elshahed said that despite having a combined population estimated at 1.5 million , the satellite cities had failed to ease the overcrowding of cairo . he said : the satellite cities are not working for many reasons . the main reason is that a housing bubble was created in the last five-to-eight years without the demand to fill them , leaving a lot of empty homes in the desert . plus a lot of people who can afford these types of houses , already have second or third homes , so they are empty most of the time and it does nothing to help the housing crisis . there has been a government policy that this type of development is a positive sign of progress and is to be encouraged , but that is very superficial because they are not really helping anyone . ' elshahed said the main cities with names such as 6 october and 15 may , as well as new cairo , were each made up of many individual developments , some a further 15 or 20 minutes drive into the desert . working with the cairo-based journalist jack shenker , larkin produced a 6,000-word photo essay on satellite cities , called cairo divided , in english and arabic , available for only the cost of postage and packing . we had 5,000 copies printed and have had phenomenal interest from people interested in urban development , cairo itself , or global cities generally . ' | cairo 's satellite cities were first conceived more than 30 years ago to ease overcrowding |
cairo <tsp> an hour or so drive from the chaotic and congested streets of downtown cairo is a very different world . thousands of pristine new buildings -- many only half-built -- often within gated compounds are surrounded by miles of barren desert . new cairo is one of a handful of satellite cities ' that are being developed in the desert about 40 kilometers from the city center . the landscape is far from conventionally beautiful , but attracted the attention of a british photographer jason larkin who spent two years chronicling the developments . cairo 's satellite cities have been developed on-and-off for 30 years , but a recent building boom has slowed since the fall of president hosni mubarak in february . larkin became interested after the american university of cairo moved to a new campus in new cairo in 2008 . i started to hear from students who were alarmed to find themselves in the middle of the desert , ' he said . i wanted to look for myself and was struck by the environment . they were pristine buildings but with completely barren surroundings . you ca n't get there by public transport . i realized it had so little of what a city needs . ' larkin spent two years photographing cairo 's satellite cities and their construction sites . he said : there were many projects i never saw any work on : half-finished construction sites where people with big ideas had run out of money . others have been halted because of disputes and allegations of corruption over the sale of the land . ' larkin added : of all the areas i photographed , i would say 80 % were not occupied . ' for centuries , the population of cairo -- now 10.9 million , according to the cia world factbook -- was confined to a narrow strip of fertile land along the river nile . in 1969 a development plan was launched to expand greater cairo into the surrounding deserts , according to a 2009 report by u.n. habitat , the united nations agency for human settlements mohamed elshahed , a doctoral student who started a blog , cairobserver , on the city 's architecture and urban planning , has also taken an interest in satellite cities . he said the gated compounds of villas for the wealthy currently being built were opposite to the initial intention of satellite cities . elshahed said : the development of satellite cities has gone through several false starts . the initial idea in the 1970s was to respond to the housing crisis and create budget or social housing projects . the problem was that the poorest ca n't afford to live so far away without transport to bring them to work . this initial phase was a complete failure and mostly remained vacant . there were further attempts in the 1990s . now we are seeing a reverse of the initial idea and they are exclusively high-end developments . ' ehshahed said the gated compounds were being developed at the expense of preserving the historic city center . there 's no recognition of cairo 's architectural heritage and history , ' he said . it 's as if we 're living in dubai , but this is n't dubai , it 's a city that 's been around for 1,000 years . ' elshahed added : the center of the city is deteriorating and the rich do n't want to be there anymore . they can afford to live outside the city and cut themselves off . ' however , elshahed said that despite having a combined population estimated at 1.5 million , the satellite cities had failed to ease the overcrowding of cairo . he said : the satellite cities are not working for many reasons . the main reason is that a housing bubble was created in the last five-to-eight years without the demand to fill them , leaving a lot of empty homes in the desert . plus a lot of people who can afford these types of houses , already have second or third homes , so they are empty most of the time and it does nothing to help the housing crisis . there has been a government policy that this type of development is a positive sign of progress and is to be encouraged , but that is very superficial because they are not really helping anyone . ' elshahed said the main cities with names such as 6 october and 15 may , as well as new cairo , were each made up of many individual developments , some a further 15 or 20 minutes drive into the desert . working with the cairo-based journalist jack shenker , larkin produced a 6,000-word photo essay on satellite cities , called cairo divided , in english and arabic , available for only the cost of postage and packing . we had 5,000 copies printed and have had phenomenal interest from people interested in urban development , cairo itself , or global cities generally . ' | photographer jason larkin spent two years documenting the developments in a project called cairo divided |
savannah <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | long 's renovations are available to rent for a vacation in savannah |
savannah <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | savannah , georgia 's italianate and victorian homes became tammy jo long 's obsession |
long <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | long researched floor plans and fixture resources to get a historically accurate renovation |
long <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | long 's renovations are available to rent for a vacation in savannah |
long <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | savannah , georgia 's italianate and victorian homes became tammy jo long 's obsession |
victorian <tsp> ( oprah.com ) -- when chicagoan tammy jo long visited savannah , georgia , ten years ago , she was delighted by its fountain-filled parks , corner cafã©s -- and grand architecture . long had always been a design aficionado , but the italianate and victorian homes she encountered in savannah became an obsession , ' she says . i saw a mansion with enormous cornices and cast-iron window surrounds , and i was hooked . ' so hooked , in fact , that she decided to buy a second home there , closing the deal on her next visit . oprah.com : what 's your design style ? her learning curve : long was determined to restore her new house to its original glory . though she 'd remodeled a few kitchens and bathrooms over the years , a historically accurate renovation that did justice to the savannah architecture she loved was daunting . oprah.com : 5 things a professional organizer wants you to know but the all-nighters spent poring over floor plans and scouring ebay for doorknobs paid off : every detail of the home -- from the crown moldings to the brass finger pulls -- is as it was in the 1800s . yearning to share her handiwork , long turned the home into a vacation rental . soon , enchanted out-of-towners were eagerly booking their stays . oprah.com : ingenious ways to decorate small spaces her business model : in 2003 long quit her job in sales and bought and restored four more homes , traveling between savannah and chicago ( where she and her ex-husband share custody of their 9-year-old son ) . some of the properties had been vacant for 20 years , ' long says . they had rats you could put a saddle on . ' oprah.com : 5 savvy storage solutions from stylish women they 're now certified landmarks -- with 14-foot ceilings , elaborate plaster medallions , and sweeping staircases -- and can be experienced firsthand through luxury living savannah , long 's vacation rental company . as much as she adores re-creating these relics , long loves sharing them even more . people get to stay in a piece of history , ' she says . women get to be scarlett o'hara for the weekend . i take great pleasure in that . ' oprah.com : 8 people who turned their dreams into reality subscribe to o , the oprah magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . that 's like getting 18 issues free . subscribe now ! tm & © 2011 harpo productions , inc. all rights reserved . | savannah , georgia 's italianate and victorian homes became tammy jo long 's obsession |
shipley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united nations is holding a summit this week in rio de janeiro on global sustainable development , but , incredibly , family planning is not on the agenda . how can the summit ignore this elephant in the room ? when the world 's population hit 7 billion in october , experts warned that if nothing is done , the global population could grow by another 3.5 billion by 2050 . still , many of the world 's women are without the resources to plan their families'growth effectively -- a major factor in stemming the tide of global population expansion . clearly , the world 's growing population and the significant challenges it poses must be central to any discussion of sustainable development at the u.n. earth summit , also called rio+20 , taking place wednesday , thursday and friday . negotiators hammering out the terms for discussion in rio failed to link the summit 's sustainable development goals to the concerns , needs and desires of women worldwide -- particularly to the role that family planning could play in easing the burdens posed by population growth . we know that when women have access to voluntary family planning services , supplies and information , society sees enormous gains in each of the three pillars of sustainable development -- human development , economic growth and environmental sustainability . without it , families , communities and natural resources are extraordinarily burdened . experts estimate that more than 215 million women around the world want to delay or space childbirth but are not using modern contraception . in fact , meeting this need would cost $ 3.6 billion per year , a small amount when you consider the enormous benefits . providing modern contraception also has the potential to stem population growth and relieve human pressure on the environment and natural resources . we urge governments and global agencies at rio to make this a priority . we are at a moment in history where we still have time to make a difference . it is essential that the global discussion in rio not be blind to the potential solutions that access to voluntary family planning could offer to many of the world 's problems . our goal is not to control the population : it is to empower women and families , giving them a say over when they will bring another child into this world . we know that when a woman can plan the size of her family , she is healthier , more likely to finish her education , join the labor force , become more economically productive and engage in politics , thus more effectively shaping the future of her family and her country . we also know that when governments invest simultaneously in voluntary family planning , public health and education , countries can benefit from the demographic dividend ' seen in the asian tiger countries . frustratingly , instead of recognizing these links , rio negotiators so far have sidelined them . every second , every day , every year we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services . lives are lost and girls'opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country 's development shrink . these are real people . we know that universal access to voluntary family planning services would prevent 150,000 maternal deaths and 25 million abortions every year . this is an issue all governments and negotiators should agree upon if we are serious about sustainable development . today , opposition to voluntary family planning can only be attributed at best to outdated thinking , and at worst to a desire to undermine women 's rights . if the motto of the rio conference is to be realized , that is , to build the future we want , ' leaders must step up and call for universal access to reproductive health and voluntary family planning for women everywhere who are denied this right . consider the wider benefits to our planet . providing women with the desired cost-effective , low-tech family planning services would not only dramatically reduce pressure on natural resources , increase supplies of food and water , decrease the risk of conflict over other scarce resources and improve ecological health , but scientists estimate such services would cut carbon emissions by up to one-quarter of what 's needed to slow climate change -- an outcome equal to ending deforestation around the world , or increasing 40-fold our reliance on wind power . my 15 colleagues and i on the global leaders council for reproductive health , most of us former national leaders , call on our fellow leaders and negotiators not to ignore the elephant in the room . they must find the political will to make reproductive health fundamental to implementing sustainable development as a major outcome at rio . at stake are the very goals the conference is meant to embrace . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jenny shipley . | shipley says 215 million women who want to plan families have no access to birth control |
shipley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united nations is holding a summit this week in rio de janeiro on global sustainable development , but , incredibly , family planning is not on the agenda . how can the summit ignore this elephant in the room ? when the world 's population hit 7 billion in october , experts warned that if nothing is done , the global population could grow by another 3.5 billion by 2050 . still , many of the world 's women are without the resources to plan their families'growth effectively -- a major factor in stemming the tide of global population expansion . clearly , the world 's growing population and the significant challenges it poses must be central to any discussion of sustainable development at the u.n. earth summit , also called rio+20 , taking place wednesday , thursday and friday . negotiators hammering out the terms for discussion in rio failed to link the summit 's sustainable development goals to the concerns , needs and desires of women worldwide -- particularly to the role that family planning could play in easing the burdens posed by population growth . we know that when women have access to voluntary family planning services , supplies and information , society sees enormous gains in each of the three pillars of sustainable development -- human development , economic growth and environmental sustainability . without it , families , communities and natural resources are extraordinarily burdened . experts estimate that more than 215 million women around the world want to delay or space childbirth but are not using modern contraception . in fact , meeting this need would cost $ 3.6 billion per year , a small amount when you consider the enormous benefits . providing modern contraception also has the potential to stem population growth and relieve human pressure on the environment and natural resources . we urge governments and global agencies at rio to make this a priority . we are at a moment in history where we still have time to make a difference . it is essential that the global discussion in rio not be blind to the potential solutions that access to voluntary family planning could offer to many of the world 's problems . our goal is not to control the population : it is to empower women and families , giving them a say over when they will bring another child into this world . we know that when a woman can plan the size of her family , she is healthier , more likely to finish her education , join the labor force , become more economically productive and engage in politics , thus more effectively shaping the future of her family and her country . we also know that when governments invest simultaneously in voluntary family planning , public health and education , countries can benefit from the demographic dividend ' seen in the asian tiger countries . frustratingly , instead of recognizing these links , rio negotiators so far have sidelined them . every second , every day , every year we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services . lives are lost and girls'opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country 's development shrink . these are real people . we know that universal access to voluntary family planning services would prevent 150,000 maternal deaths and 25 million abortions every year . this is an issue all governments and negotiators should agree upon if we are serious about sustainable development . today , opposition to voluntary family planning can only be attributed at best to outdated thinking , and at worst to a desire to undermine women 's rights . if the motto of the rio conference is to be realized , that is , to build the future we want , ' leaders must step up and call for universal access to reproductive health and voluntary family planning for women everywhere who are denied this right . consider the wider benefits to our planet . providing women with the desired cost-effective , low-tech family planning services would not only dramatically reduce pressure on natural resources , increase supplies of food and water , decrease the risk of conflict over other scarce resources and improve ecological health , but scientists estimate such services would cut carbon emissions by up to one-quarter of what 's needed to slow climate change -- an outcome equal to ending deforestation around the world , or increasing 40-fold our reliance on wind power . my 15 colleagues and i on the global leaders council for reproductive health , most of us former national leaders , call on our fellow leaders and negotiators not to ignore the elephant in the room . they must find the political will to make reproductive health fundamental to implementing sustainable development as a major outcome at rio . at stake are the very goals the conference is meant to embrace . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jenny shipley . | shipley : family planning enormously benefits women 's lives , the planet , economies |
shipley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united nations is holding a summit this week in rio de janeiro on global sustainable development , but , incredibly , family planning is not on the agenda . how can the summit ignore this elephant in the room ? when the world 's population hit 7 billion in october , experts warned that if nothing is done , the global population could grow by another 3.5 billion by 2050 . still , many of the world 's women are without the resources to plan their families'growth effectively -- a major factor in stemming the tide of global population expansion . clearly , the world 's growing population and the significant challenges it poses must be central to any discussion of sustainable development at the u.n. earth summit , also called rio+20 , taking place wednesday , thursday and friday . negotiators hammering out the terms for discussion in rio failed to link the summit 's sustainable development goals to the concerns , needs and desires of women worldwide -- particularly to the role that family planning could play in easing the burdens posed by population growth . we know that when women have access to voluntary family planning services , supplies and information , society sees enormous gains in each of the three pillars of sustainable development -- human development , economic growth and environmental sustainability . without it , families , communities and natural resources are extraordinarily burdened . experts estimate that more than 215 million women around the world want to delay or space childbirth but are not using modern contraception . in fact , meeting this need would cost $ 3.6 billion per year , a small amount when you consider the enormous benefits . providing modern contraception also has the potential to stem population growth and relieve human pressure on the environment and natural resources . we urge governments and global agencies at rio to make this a priority . we are at a moment in history where we still have time to make a difference . it is essential that the global discussion in rio not be blind to the potential solutions that access to voluntary family planning could offer to many of the world 's problems . our goal is not to control the population : it is to empower women and families , giving them a say over when they will bring another child into this world . we know that when a woman can plan the size of her family , she is healthier , more likely to finish her education , join the labor force , become more economically productive and engage in politics , thus more effectively shaping the future of her family and her country . we also know that when governments invest simultaneously in voluntary family planning , public health and education , countries can benefit from the demographic dividend ' seen in the asian tiger countries . frustratingly , instead of recognizing these links , rio negotiators so far have sidelined them . every second , every day , every year we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services . lives are lost and girls'opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country 's development shrink . these are real people . we know that universal access to voluntary family planning services would prevent 150,000 maternal deaths and 25 million abortions every year . this is an issue all governments and negotiators should agree upon if we are serious about sustainable development . today , opposition to voluntary family planning can only be attributed at best to outdated thinking , and at worst to a desire to undermine women 's rights . if the motto of the rio conference is to be realized , that is , to build the future we want , ' leaders must step up and call for universal access to reproductive health and voluntary family planning for women everywhere who are denied this right . consider the wider benefits to our planet . providing women with the desired cost-effective , low-tech family planning services would not only dramatically reduce pressure on natural resources , increase supplies of food and water , decrease the risk of conflict over other scarce resources and improve ecological health , but scientists estimate such services would cut carbon emissions by up to one-quarter of what 's needed to slow climate change -- an outcome equal to ending deforestation around the world , or increasing 40-fold our reliance on wind power . my 15 colleagues and i on the global leaders council for reproductive health , most of us former national leaders , call on our fellow leaders and negotiators not to ignore the elephant in the room . they must find the political will to make reproductive health fundamental to implementing sustainable development as a major outcome at rio . at stake are the very goals the conference is meant to embrace . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jenny shipley . | shipley : family planning is essential to summit 's goal , yet it 's not on agenda |
shipley <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united nations is holding a summit this week in rio de janeiro on global sustainable development , but , incredibly , family planning is not on the agenda . how can the summit ignore this elephant in the room ? when the world 's population hit 7 billion in october , experts warned that if nothing is done , the global population could grow by another 3.5 billion by 2050 . still , many of the world 's women are without the resources to plan their families'growth effectively -- a major factor in stemming the tide of global population expansion . clearly , the world 's growing population and the significant challenges it poses must be central to any discussion of sustainable development at the u.n. earth summit , also called rio+20 , taking place wednesday , thursday and friday . negotiators hammering out the terms for discussion in rio failed to link the summit 's sustainable development goals to the concerns , needs and desires of women worldwide -- particularly to the role that family planning could play in easing the burdens posed by population growth . we know that when women have access to voluntary family planning services , supplies and information , society sees enormous gains in each of the three pillars of sustainable development -- human development , economic growth and environmental sustainability . without it , families , communities and natural resources are extraordinarily burdened . experts estimate that more than 215 million women around the world want to delay or space childbirth but are not using modern contraception . in fact , meeting this need would cost $ 3.6 billion per year , a small amount when you consider the enormous benefits . providing modern contraception also has the potential to stem population growth and relieve human pressure on the environment and natural resources . we urge governments and global agencies at rio to make this a priority . we are at a moment in history where we still have time to make a difference . it is essential that the global discussion in rio not be blind to the potential solutions that access to voluntary family planning could offer to many of the world 's problems . our goal is not to control the population : it is to empower women and families , giving them a say over when they will bring another child into this world . we know that when a woman can plan the size of her family , she is healthier , more likely to finish her education , join the labor force , become more economically productive and engage in politics , thus more effectively shaping the future of her family and her country . we also know that when governments invest simultaneously in voluntary family planning , public health and education , countries can benefit from the demographic dividend ' seen in the asian tiger countries . frustratingly , instead of recognizing these links , rio negotiators so far have sidelined them . every second , every day , every year we fail to address demand for reproductive health and family planning services . lives are lost and girls'opportunities to thrive and contribute to their country 's development shrink . these are real people . we know that universal access to voluntary family planning services would prevent 150,000 maternal deaths and 25 million abortions every year . this is an issue all governments and negotiators should agree upon if we are serious about sustainable development . today , opposition to voluntary family planning can only be attributed at best to outdated thinking , and at worst to a desire to undermine women 's rights . if the motto of the rio conference is to be realized , that is , to build the future we want , ' leaders must step up and call for universal access to reproductive health and voluntary family planning for women everywhere who are denied this right . consider the wider benefits to our planet . providing women with the desired cost-effective , low-tech family planning services would not only dramatically reduce pressure on natural resources , increase supplies of food and water , decrease the risk of conflict over other scarce resources and improve ecological health , but scientists estimate such services would cut carbon emissions by up to one-quarter of what 's needed to slow climate change -- an outcome equal to ending deforestation around the world , or increasing 40-fold our reliance on wind power . my 15 colleagues and i on the global leaders council for reproductive health , most of us former national leaders , call on our fellow leaders and negotiators not to ignore the elephant in the room . they must find the political will to make reproductive health fundamental to implementing sustainable development as a major outcome at rio . at stake are the very goals the conference is meant to embrace . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jenny shipley . | jenny shipley : rio summit on sustainable development must address population growth |
kirby <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nickname was meant as a joke , a little needle from marvel comics mainstay stan lee to artist jack kirby . jack kirby drew himself surrounded by his creations , including captain america and the fantastic four . but more than a decade after kirby 's death , the name still fits : he is the king . ' consider some of the heroes kirby helped create , many of which now pervade pop culture : the fantastic four , the x-men , the hulk , iron man , captain america . his distinctive action-packed style became the model for many comic-book artists . when he died in 1994 , artist gary panter did a two-page spread in the new yorker as a tribute . michael chabon dedicated his pulitzer prize-winning novel about two comic book creators , the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay , ' to kirby . not bad for a guy whose chosen medium was looked down upon for decades . jack ... was a brilliant man and an incredibly hard-working man , ' said mark evanier , author of the new kirby : king of comics ' ( abrams ) , a lavishly illustrated biography of the artist . he produced an incredible volume of work . ' gallery : the work of jack kirby » it 's not surprising that marvel 's art -- and those it influenced -- would start to look distinctly kirby-esque , marvel artist herb trimpe said at a kirby panel in february . everyone was so influenced by him -- his work was so powerful and unique -- that it was inevitable . ' kirby was born jacob kurtzberg in new york and grew up on manhattan 's lower east side , where his adventures with gangs would later filter into many of his heroes . in particular , the rough-and-tumble ben grimm , also known as the thing of the fantastic four , was a self-caricature , evanier observes . after short stints at a newspaper syndicate and as an animator , he ended up at marvel 's predecessor , timely comics , where he and partner joe simon created captain america , a huge hit during world war ii . with captain america came some of kirby 's comic book innovations , evanier says . comic books , which had started as reprints of newspaper comic strips , had adhered to that form 's look of repetitious boxes . kirby and simon used different-sized panels , varying shapes , even full pages . they kind of invented things that made comic books different than strips , ' evanier said . they realized they had the whole page to play with . ... they 'd take three or four pages for a single action scene . ' simon and kirby went to timely rival dc and then formed their own studio after serving in world war ii . the popular genres then were crime and horror comics , and simon-kirby created a handful , including the dramatically named justice traps the guilty . ' they also pioneered the romance genre , juxtaposing kirby 's innately thrilling style with primly dressed women and men in neat suits and sweaters . but while competitors like e.c . comics dangled severed heads on their covers , kirby and simon opted for a lower key . they kept it tamer , deliberately , ' evanier said . jack did n't like the gory stuff . ' ironically , the one area in which kirby was willing to draw blood , so to speak , was with war comics : the cover of a 1954 title , the guys in the foxhole , ' pictures a heavily bandaged soldier writing a letter home , with the obvious aftermath of a battle behind him . the guys in the foxhole ' was n't the kind of comic to be approved by the comics code authority , the organization set up to placate authorities railing against the crime and horror comics , and soon it -- and dozens of other titles -- were out of business . kirby bounced around for a few years . then , back at the company soon to be named marvel , he and stan lee created the fantastic four in 1961 . as evanier writes , the heroic quartet had uncommon depth and personality ' for comic book personalities . that kind of humanity would become the mainstay of the lee-kirby work and what many still think of as a golden age of comics created by them and other marvel talents , including steve ditko and john romita . heroes were born one after another : thor ( 1962 ) , spider-man ( 1962 ) , iron man ( 1963 ) , the x-men ( 1963 ) , daredevil ( 1964 ) . in kirby : king of comics , ' evanier notes that from 1962 to 1964 alone , kirby drew more than 3,000 pages and 285 covers . he was a workhorse , and he was becoming famous , but he was n't becoming rich . jack was not a good businessman , ' evanier said . he did n't take a week off ; he was a depression-era kid . and he was terrified of not having a weekly paycheck . ' when evanier met kirby in 1970 -- he served as kirby 's assistant for two years -- he was as successful as you could be in comics , but he was n't particularly well-paid . ' kirby left marvel in 1970 , not long after the company was sold . ( the garrulous stan lee , who was assumed by the new owners to be the company 's creative genius , stayed on . ) kirby went to dc for a few years , but the company did n't give him much better terms , ' evanier said . but as new generations discovered comic books , they discovered jack kirby , defending him amid the corporate takeovers and boosting his spirits . he got some of his work back -- rights issues plagued him -- and he never lost his creative power . ( however , with great power comes great responsibility : kirby did n't drive a car , evanier said , because with his mind going , he 'd run off the road . most people 's minds go from a to b to c ; jack 's mind went from a to k to w. ' ) kirby was matter-of-fact about his talent ; he loved to draw , and he tried to treat his readers with respect . i do n't think the average reader believes in fairy tales , and i 've never given them fairy tales , ' kirby once said . yes , i 've given them fictionalized drama , but this is drama that is enacted by real people . ' fourteen years after his death , his power continues to radiate . when i go to comics conventions , i walk around , and there 's kirby everywhere , ' evanier said . and i 'm constantly encountering people who tell me what jack meant to them . ' though he did n't leave his widow with a fortune , as he had hoped , he left a reputation as a good man and a great artist . he may even , evanier says , have had a little bit of the superhero about him . he took the comic book to a different level , ' the author said . there was a very positive force of energy around him . ' e-mail to a friend | kirby 's energetic drawing style influenced generations of comic book artists |
kirby <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nickname was meant as a joke , a little needle from marvel comics mainstay stan lee to artist jack kirby . jack kirby drew himself surrounded by his creations , including captain america and the fantastic four . but more than a decade after kirby 's death , the name still fits : he is the king . ' consider some of the heroes kirby helped create , many of which now pervade pop culture : the fantastic four , the x-men , the hulk , iron man , captain america . his distinctive action-packed style became the model for many comic-book artists . when he died in 1994 , artist gary panter did a two-page spread in the new yorker as a tribute . michael chabon dedicated his pulitzer prize-winning novel about two comic book creators , the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay , ' to kirby . not bad for a guy whose chosen medium was looked down upon for decades . jack ... was a brilliant man and an incredibly hard-working man , ' said mark evanier , author of the new kirby : king of comics ' ( abrams ) , a lavishly illustrated biography of the artist . he produced an incredible volume of work . ' gallery : the work of jack kirby » it 's not surprising that marvel 's art -- and those it influenced -- would start to look distinctly kirby-esque , marvel artist herb trimpe said at a kirby panel in february . everyone was so influenced by him -- his work was so powerful and unique -- that it was inevitable . ' kirby was born jacob kurtzberg in new york and grew up on manhattan 's lower east side , where his adventures with gangs would later filter into many of his heroes . in particular , the rough-and-tumble ben grimm , also known as the thing of the fantastic four , was a self-caricature , evanier observes . after short stints at a newspaper syndicate and as an animator , he ended up at marvel 's predecessor , timely comics , where he and partner joe simon created captain america , a huge hit during world war ii . with captain america came some of kirby 's comic book innovations , evanier says . comic books , which had started as reprints of newspaper comic strips , had adhered to that form 's look of repetitious boxes . kirby and simon used different-sized panels , varying shapes , even full pages . they kind of invented things that made comic books different than strips , ' evanier said . they realized they had the whole page to play with . ... they 'd take three or four pages for a single action scene . ' simon and kirby went to timely rival dc and then formed their own studio after serving in world war ii . the popular genres then were crime and horror comics , and simon-kirby created a handful , including the dramatically named justice traps the guilty . ' they also pioneered the romance genre , juxtaposing kirby 's innately thrilling style with primly dressed women and men in neat suits and sweaters . but while competitors like e.c . comics dangled severed heads on their covers , kirby and simon opted for a lower key . they kept it tamer , deliberately , ' evanier said . jack did n't like the gory stuff . ' ironically , the one area in which kirby was willing to draw blood , so to speak , was with war comics : the cover of a 1954 title , the guys in the foxhole , ' pictures a heavily bandaged soldier writing a letter home , with the obvious aftermath of a battle behind him . the guys in the foxhole ' was n't the kind of comic to be approved by the comics code authority , the organization set up to placate authorities railing against the crime and horror comics , and soon it -- and dozens of other titles -- were out of business . kirby bounced around for a few years . then , back at the company soon to be named marvel , he and stan lee created the fantastic four in 1961 . as evanier writes , the heroic quartet had uncommon depth and personality ' for comic book personalities . that kind of humanity would become the mainstay of the lee-kirby work and what many still think of as a golden age of comics created by them and other marvel talents , including steve ditko and john romita . heroes were born one after another : thor ( 1962 ) , spider-man ( 1962 ) , iron man ( 1963 ) , the x-men ( 1963 ) , daredevil ( 1964 ) . in kirby : king of comics , ' evanier notes that from 1962 to 1964 alone , kirby drew more than 3,000 pages and 285 covers . he was a workhorse , and he was becoming famous , but he was n't becoming rich . jack was not a good businessman , ' evanier said . he did n't take a week off ; he was a depression-era kid . and he was terrified of not having a weekly paycheck . ' when evanier met kirby in 1970 -- he served as kirby 's assistant for two years -- he was as successful as you could be in comics , but he was n't particularly well-paid . ' kirby left marvel in 1970 , not long after the company was sold . ( the garrulous stan lee , who was assumed by the new owners to be the company 's creative genius , stayed on . ) kirby went to dc for a few years , but the company did n't give him much better terms , ' evanier said . but as new generations discovered comic books , they discovered jack kirby , defending him amid the corporate takeovers and boosting his spirits . he got some of his work back -- rights issues plagued him -- and he never lost his creative power . ( however , with great power comes great responsibility : kirby did n't drive a car , evanier said , because with his mind going , he 'd run off the road . most people 's minds go from a to b to c ; jack 's mind went from a to k to w. ' ) kirby was matter-of-fact about his talent ; he loved to draw , and he tried to treat his readers with respect . i do n't think the average reader believes in fairy tales , and i 've never given them fairy tales , ' kirby once said . yes , i 've given them fictionalized drama , but this is drama that is enacted by real people . ' fourteen years after his death , his power continues to radiate . when i go to comics conventions , i walk around , and there 's kirby everywhere , ' evanier said . and i 'm constantly encountering people who tell me what jack meant to them . ' though he did n't leave his widow with a fortune , as he had hoped , he left a reputation as a good man and a great artist . he may even , evanier says , have had a little bit of the superhero about him . he took the comic book to a different level , ' the author said . there was a very positive force of energy around him . ' e-mail to a friend | the incredibly prolific kirby is now considered a towering figure in comic books |
kirby <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the nickname was meant as a joke , a little needle from marvel comics mainstay stan lee to artist jack kirby . jack kirby drew himself surrounded by his creations , including captain america and the fantastic four . but more than a decade after kirby 's death , the name still fits : he is the king . ' consider some of the heroes kirby helped create , many of which now pervade pop culture : the fantastic four , the x-men , the hulk , iron man , captain america . his distinctive action-packed style became the model for many comic-book artists . when he died in 1994 , artist gary panter did a two-page spread in the new yorker as a tribute . michael chabon dedicated his pulitzer prize-winning novel about two comic book creators , the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay , ' to kirby . not bad for a guy whose chosen medium was looked down upon for decades . jack ... was a brilliant man and an incredibly hard-working man , ' said mark evanier , author of the new kirby : king of comics ' ( abrams ) , a lavishly illustrated biography of the artist . he produced an incredible volume of work . ' gallery : the work of jack kirby » it 's not surprising that marvel 's art -- and those it influenced -- would start to look distinctly kirby-esque , marvel artist herb trimpe said at a kirby panel in february . everyone was so influenced by him -- his work was so powerful and unique -- that it was inevitable . ' kirby was born jacob kurtzberg in new york and grew up on manhattan 's lower east side , where his adventures with gangs would later filter into many of his heroes . in particular , the rough-and-tumble ben grimm , also known as the thing of the fantastic four , was a self-caricature , evanier observes . after short stints at a newspaper syndicate and as an animator , he ended up at marvel 's predecessor , timely comics , where he and partner joe simon created captain america , a huge hit during world war ii . with captain america came some of kirby 's comic book innovations , evanier says . comic books , which had started as reprints of newspaper comic strips , had adhered to that form 's look of repetitious boxes . kirby and simon used different-sized panels , varying shapes , even full pages . they kind of invented things that made comic books different than strips , ' evanier said . they realized they had the whole page to play with . ... they 'd take three or four pages for a single action scene . ' simon and kirby went to timely rival dc and then formed their own studio after serving in world war ii . the popular genres then were crime and horror comics , and simon-kirby created a handful , including the dramatically named justice traps the guilty . ' they also pioneered the romance genre , juxtaposing kirby 's innately thrilling style with primly dressed women and men in neat suits and sweaters . but while competitors like e.c . comics dangled severed heads on their covers , kirby and simon opted for a lower key . they kept it tamer , deliberately , ' evanier said . jack did n't like the gory stuff . ' ironically , the one area in which kirby was willing to draw blood , so to speak , was with war comics : the cover of a 1954 title , the guys in the foxhole , ' pictures a heavily bandaged soldier writing a letter home , with the obvious aftermath of a battle behind him . the guys in the foxhole ' was n't the kind of comic to be approved by the comics code authority , the organization set up to placate authorities railing against the crime and horror comics , and soon it -- and dozens of other titles -- were out of business . kirby bounced around for a few years . then , back at the company soon to be named marvel , he and stan lee created the fantastic four in 1961 . as evanier writes , the heroic quartet had uncommon depth and personality ' for comic book personalities . that kind of humanity would become the mainstay of the lee-kirby work and what many still think of as a golden age of comics created by them and other marvel talents , including steve ditko and john romita . heroes were born one after another : thor ( 1962 ) , spider-man ( 1962 ) , iron man ( 1963 ) , the x-men ( 1963 ) , daredevil ( 1964 ) . in kirby : king of comics , ' evanier notes that from 1962 to 1964 alone , kirby drew more than 3,000 pages and 285 covers . he was a workhorse , and he was becoming famous , but he was n't becoming rich . jack was not a good businessman , ' evanier said . he did n't take a week off ; he was a depression-era kid . and he was terrified of not having a weekly paycheck . ' when evanier met kirby in 1970 -- he served as kirby 's assistant for two years -- he was as successful as you could be in comics , but he was n't particularly well-paid . ' kirby left marvel in 1970 , not long after the company was sold . ( the garrulous stan lee , who was assumed by the new owners to be the company 's creative genius , stayed on . ) kirby went to dc for a few years , but the company did n't give him much better terms , ' evanier said . but as new generations discovered comic books , they discovered jack kirby , defending him amid the corporate takeovers and boosting his spirits . he got some of his work back -- rights issues plagued him -- and he never lost his creative power . ( however , with great power comes great responsibility : kirby did n't drive a car , evanier said , because with his mind going , he 'd run off the road . most people 's minds go from a to b to c ; jack 's mind went from a to k to w. ' ) kirby was matter-of-fact about his talent ; he loved to draw , and he tried to treat his readers with respect . i do n't think the average reader believes in fairy tales , and i 've never given them fairy tales , ' kirby once said . yes , i 've given them fictionalized drama , but this is drama that is enacted by real people . ' fourteen years after his death , his power continues to radiate . when i go to comics conventions , i walk around , and there 's kirby everywhere , ' evanier said . and i 'm constantly encountering people who tell me what jack meant to them . ' though he did n't leave his widow with a fortune , as he had hoped , he left a reputation as a good man and a great artist . he may even , evanier says , have had a little bit of the superhero about him . he took the comic book to a different level , ' the author said . there was a very positive force of energy around him . ' e-mail to a friend | jack kirby helped create many famed superheroes |
swiss <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- martina hingis has been given a two-year ban after testing positive for cocaine , the international tennis federation announced on friday . hingis must forfeit $ 130,000 prize money and ranking points earned at wimbledon and subsequent events . the 27-year-old swiss player was found to have tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine while competing at wimbledon last year , the itf said in a statement published on its web site . at the time the allegations first surfaced last november , hingis dismissed the test results , calling the claims horrendous ' and monstrous . ' however , following a two-day hearing last month , an independent anti-doping tribunal confirmed the test results , the federation said . the tribunal rejected the suggestion made on hingis'behalf that there were doubts about the identity or integrity of the sample attributed to the tennis star , the statement said . the former world number one spent three years out of the sport before returning to the tour in 2006 , and won three titles in kolkata , roma and tokyo . the federation said hingis would have to repay $ 130,000 prize money and ranking points won since last year 's wimbledon . the federation said the ban would commence from october 1 , 2007 . hingis , a five-time grand slam champion and former wimbledon winner , announced her retirement from the sport at the time the allegations emerged . i have no desire to spend the next seven years fighting doping officials , ' she told a press conference in zurich at the time . i 'm frustrated and angry because i believe i 'm 100 percent innocent and accusations such as these do n't provide me with the motivation to continue , ' she added . wta chief executive larry scott said in a statement : we are saddened by this news as martina has meant so much to fans the world over and made many positive contributions to the sport . ' but he insisted that the wta tour fully supported the tribunal . we support and will enforce the ruling of this independent tribunal under the tennis anti-doping program , ' he added . hingis has three weeks to appeal the decision . e-mail to a friend | the swiss must forfeit prize money from wimbledon and later tournaments |
shayea <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the story of ahmad al-shayea is the story of all that has been wrong -- and continues to be wrong -- with the united states and our allies'campaign against islamist extremism . during 2004 , ahmad had fought for al qaeda in iraq against the united states . indeed , he became famous as the first suicide bomber in iraq to survive his attack . known as the living suicide , ' ahmad was rehabilitated , both physically and mentally , at a u.s. army hospital before being repatriated to his home country of saudi arabia . i met ahmad at the saudi government center also designed to rehabilitate jihadi militants . ahmad and i became friends . we spent several days together and continued a correspondence for years after i left saudi arabia , until ahmad went back to syria and iraq to join the islamic state ( isis ) . ahmad had been the poster child of the reformed ' jihadi . he told me of his fondness for the american doctors and medics who nursed him back to health after suffering extensive burns from his bomb attack . given ample funds and help finding a job by the saudi government , everything was seemingly taken care of ; ahmad was a terrorist no more . but what both the saudis and americans who tried to rehabilitate ' ahmad never addressed was the only thing that mattered to him . and that was his deep and abiding religious belief . above all else , ahmad wanted to be a good muslim , devout and steadfast to the principles of islam . many muslims consider being a martyr in holy war -- going to heaven to fight for the faithful -- the purest path to the truest faith . when the war in syria and now iraq began again , it was ahmad 's faith that drove him . he is not alone . among young muslims in the middle east , south asia and even the west , their faith has become a race to the fundamentalist finish line . whoever offers the purest islam -- the real and most devout faith these young men seek -- will win the race . no amount of jobs , money or friendship with americans matters . and no amount of american military force will ultimately matter either . take the story of ahmad again . the united states defeated him and his group al qaeda in iraq some seven years ago . ahmad was even the paragon of a successfully rehabilitated terrorist . and here we are fighting the same group again , for isis is largely al qaeda in iraq reconstituted and re-energized , with ahmad and many men like him their holy warriors once more . what can the united states do ? we must first recognize that this is not primarily a war between the united states and radical islam . it is a war within islam itself for the soul of the faith . until muslims and islamic religious authorities in saudi arabia and elsewhere can offer a true and convincing vision of islam to young men such as ahmad , we will lose the battle for their souls . this is not an american government battle . by making it so , the u.s. government will continue this fight for years , if not decades , as president obama concedes . an effective response against extremism can only come from muslims themselves . what can the u.s. do ? we are not powerless . whenever american national security is directly threatened , a limited use of american military power can be warranted , but only if is secondary and in support of effective local muslim governments and local forces in the region . we can not lead , as the president is undertaking now . we can , however , help to expose the feckless nature of the radicals . in 2011 , u.s. authorities killed the radical islamist cleric anwar al-awlaki with a drone strike in yemen . al-awlaki allegedly inspired the boston marathon bombers . if the united states had disseminated the facts about awlaki instead -- the cleric had been arrested for soliciting prostitutes in san diego , a violation of islamic precepts -- that may have accomplished more to discredit his religious standing among young men looking for an example of islam than turning him into a martyr . similarly , of the more than 100 islamist radicals i 've interviewed , the most prevalent reason they expressed for leaving the radical cause was its un-islamic ways . ' corruption being the key . exposing the illicit oil trade of the taliban , as well as its smuggling and narcotics trafficking could do more to defeat the group than all the drones in the world . but while the united states can help expose their corruption , it must be up to muslims themselves to expose how and why their ideas are not the true and purest islam . thirteen years after 9/11 , it 's time america wakes up . this is not our war . let 's stop fighting it . ahmad al-shayea tells us no less . | he says shayea rejected al qaeda , was rehabbed by west , but returned to fight with isis |
americans <tsp> boston , massachusetts ( cnn ) -- at one time in the stem cell program at children 's hospital in boston , we had two liquid nitrogen containers , one labeled p , the other np . these containers were used to store batches of stem cells . the p , or presidential container , held some of the 21 embryonic stem cell lines that researchers could study using federal funds under the terms of president george w. bush 's august 2001 executive order . the np , or nonpresidential , container held those embryonic stem cells derived from later lines , which researchers could not study using federal funding . we were required to purchase and store separately the pipettes and culture dishes , duplicating effort and costs . the separation included detailed record keeping , and i hired a grant manager to deal with these issues . from a logistical standpoint this was a nightmare . we offered courses on how to proceed in the lab while monitoring the funding source . this separation greatly inhibited progress in the study of many diseases , from blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia to parkinson 's to juvenile diabetes , and the development of potential therapies . fast forward to march 2009 , when president obama lifted the ban on using federal funds to study stem cell lines developed after the bush order went into effect . scientists were freed to work collaboratively within labs , across labs and across continents . single studies could now evaluate more embryonic stem cells and use different types of stem cells -- not only embryonic , but the newer induced pluripotent stem , or ips , cells . but now stem cell research -- a promising avenue in biomedical research for curing a host of deadly and debilitating diseases -- has been dealt an enormous setback by a u.s. district court 's injunction against the obama executive order . in ruling that federal monies can not be used for any research involving embryonic stem cells , judge royce lamberth 's decision creates significant uncertainty in the field . a stay was ordered this week , rescuing the funding of the research for a short time until the case is heard . the fact that research can be shut down and then started again in a matter of weeks has created confusion for proceeding with the work . with judge lamberth 's decision , american scientists have been put at a disadvantage against their counterparts all over the world . the u.s. is in danger of being surpassed as the leader in biomedical research by several countries , including south korea , singapore , and great britain . the loss of research competitiveness undermines our biotech and pharmaceutical companies'ability to bring new therapies to patients . judge lamberth 's decision places american researchers in a difficult position . promising avenues of research will need to be halted . nih grant decisions on major diseases were halted this month , even for studies including a small number of experiments on embryonic stem cells , and millions of dollars that have been committed to stem cell researchers is at risk . the economic impact of this injunction on the united states could surely be huge . scientists run increased risks of running afoul of the law and will be increasingly isolated from their colleagues overseas . while many will seek private and foundational funding for their research , this also comes with a price . before the obama order , many elite researchers were spending up to 20 percent of their time on fundraising . we risk that the u.s. will fall increasingly behind . this decision is driven both by ideology as well as continuing confusion over the science of stem cells . eighty percent of americans are in favor of stem cell research , and congress has twice passed a bill in favor of stem cell research . more education is necessary so that everyone understands these cells . at children 's hospital , we have created a website that provides basic information about stem cells , their biology and potential for therapies . despite the plaintiff 's allegations and the judge 's apparent concurrence , it makes no sense from either a research or therapeutic standpoint to pit adult stem cell against embryonic stem cell research . think about the chaos that would be created if a heart researcher could file an injunction saying they were harmed and poorly funded because they are in competition with diabetes research . giving artificial and unmerited research preference to one type of organs or cells over another would completely undermine the federal peer review process and funding strategy , and more important , would absolutely constrain ongoing searches for treatments and therapies . as a hematologist , i have used adult blood stem cells from bone marrow to treat patients with leukemia . i can not think that any scientist or patient would view blood stem cell research as in competition ' with embryonic stem cell research . embryonic stem cells were the essential key to discovering how to reprogram adult skin cells , and the ultimate therapeutic success of these new reprogrammed cells absolutely will require additional embryonic stem cell research . unlocking the potential of stem cells to cure disease requires comparisons of both adult and embryonic tissues . these are not two warring sciences ; they are both integral parts of the single field of stem cell research . as the founding president of the international society for stem cell research , i know that the most respected scientists and researchers who work on adult and embryonic tissues are working together . the position of embryonic stem cell and reprogrammed stem cell research now is similar to where we were in the mid-1970s with bone marrow transplantation . in 1975 , the science was still relatively young and no transplants had yet taken place . but over the next decade , bone marrow transplants moved from unknown and experimental to widely accepted and standard therapy . in issuing an injunction against president obama 's order , judge lamberth cited the potential harm to federal funding of adult stem cell research from the federal support of embryonic stem cell research . the irony is that this decision is a blow to all research , and with it to america 's economic competitiveness and to the hopes of countless families for a cure . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of leonard i. zon . | ideology , confusion behind ruling , he writes , 80 percent of americans support research |
pakistanis <tsp> ( cnn ) -- to some , she was a lifelong role model . others call pakistan 's former prime minister and the first female prime minister of any muslim nation a source of inspiration to women everywhere . one i-reporter acknowledges , i never was a political supporter of benazir bhutto but now after her death i feel that her loss is a loss for pakistan , not just her political supporters . ' anthony g. moore photographed benazir bhutto with her husband asif ali zardari in new york in 2006 . benazir bhutto was assassinated during a suicide bombing on december 27 , 2007 , and i-reporters from all over the world responded with their memories and condolences . below are selections , some of which have been edited for length and clarity . farhad sethi of lahore , pakistan breathing in the air of grief and sadness , the nation suffers the loss of our beloved leader benazir bhutto , an institution in herself withstanding pressures at times when suicide bombing has become an unstoppable enigma . a sniper pierced a bullet through her neck and our enthusiastic leader could n't even make it to the hospital , her last words god knows what were they but her face and inspirational personality will always be remembered . a woman who grew up with politics in her backyard is no longer with us , she was a graduate from harvard and oxford universities and seeing her go down in a wooden casket was a sight bringing down tears in every eye . we all have to go down the ground one day but being assassinated like this is not something we would want for even our worst enemies . she has left a space that will never be filled in the hearts and minds of the nation . she has enjoyed the position of being the first muslim woman to lead a country as prime minister , but this is over she 's gone , may allah ( swt ) have mercy on her soul and she rests in peace in a better place . ameen . al alston of philadelphia , pennsylvania benazir bhutto 's gifts to pakistan and the world far outweigh the charges made by her adversaries . i will never forget how she led pakistan in its unwavering support for the african national congress during the misery of the apartheid days . her presence at the inauguration of nelson mandela left an indelible impression on me . i remain an admirer of her nation because of this critical alliance . i will keep her family and nation in my prayers . mickin sahni of stone ridge , virginia as a first generation indian-american , i have heard from my parents the turmoil on the subcontinent as their parents were forced to india while their friends were forced to pakistan . bhutto 's effort to reconcile the differences between the two countries was one of her main missions . indians throughout the world remember her as a peaceful link between the two nuclear superpowers and could only sympathize with pakistanis grieving throughout the world . hopefully her efforts were not in vain . sandra rios of aberdeen , maryland benazir bhutto loved her country and people so much that despite an assassination attempt in oct and continuous death threats she remained unshaken . as a women and a former us soldier i admire her bravery . russ bonny of golden , colorado i have n't had the raw emotions i am feeling right now since september 11 , 2001 . the death of mrs. bhutto is a loss for the entire world and a grim reminder of how tirelessly we must fight extremists . whitney anderson of irving , texas i never really got the chance to know much about this woman . i 'm still a teen , trying to figure out this mess we call our own democracy . but i can say this . for anyone to be slaughtered is a shame . it 's crazy to think young adults like myself have had to grow up in a time where planes are flown into buildings , wars are dragging on and dragging us down , and now a revered and respected woman is dead , only because she was trying to better the world . i can only hope my future children do n't have to live like this , and that the only time they hear of things like this is in a history book . shima of tehran , iran all persians know what her name means ... her name means unique , and she was unique in all her life . god bless her . naureen haider of jensen beach , florida it 's a great loss to the country . ms. bhutto went to the same elementary school as mine , convent of jesus and mary school in karachi , and she was always an example to us , to motivate , thus that it is proud to be a female . benazir , not only earned the best of qualifications on merit , but also proved to the world , that this is what patriotism is . my family having met benazir personally several times , sends our deepest condolences to the family and prayers go out to the children . may allah be with them . ameen ! ! humnaa umar of great falls , virginia the death of benazir bhutto not only marked the end of a revolutionary political leader , but also the demise of a pioneer in terms of women 's rights . in a country with a strict gender hierarchy , bhutto inspired countless women with her ceaseless supply of fortitude . mwilu mwanachilenga of lusaka , zambia a martyr . a pity though that a life that i looked up to , for the whole 25 years of my existence , could ever end like this . condolences to the family and may her soul rest in peace sabina brauner of frankfurt , germany disbelief was my first reaction when i just read the news . and shock . at such violence . i do not remember her as an outstanding figure but when someone mentioned pakistan there was that immediate connection : pakistan-bhutto . so after such an act you just hope against hope that people there will find peace . i wish them all the best . ahsan khan of reading , united kingdom i never was a political supporter of benazir bhutto but now after her death i feel that her loss is a loss for pakistan and not just for her political followers . the present government setup has failed and should resign to stop further bloodshed . god bless benazir bhutto 's soul . erum qayyum of lahore , pakistan as the first female prime minister in the muslim world , i felt as if women are really going to get ahead and men would actually start taking their technical knowledge more seriously but of course men are men . her death was appalling and the way it happened . it has shocked me and everyone else in my family even though we are not really benazir 's supporters . it is a wonder that my land of pakistan is actually going to the dogs where no one is safe . i wish the bush administration opens its eyes to what 's happening because neither the civilian nor the military governments have done anything to make this land of mine more peaceful and secure to live in . moses quinion galabuzi of kampala , uganda it is too sad to hear of the assassination of this great lady . i was following her very closely and had a lot of respect for her . whoever did kill her will die the same way but will never be a hero just as she was . rest in peace honorable benazir bhutto . may the good lord reward you for the great things you did . carlo zappa of montreal , quebec when will the horror in pakistan end ? my heart goes out to her family and to the people of pakistan . her life was cut short and mankind will never see the additional good she could have done to resolve the endless political conflict in india . ahmed alian of cairo , egypt she was a brave woman in a coward world , may her soul rest in peace . i 'm not blaming musharraf for killing her , but i 'm blaming him for feeding the atmosphere of terrorism through his dictatorship , which is unfortunately , supported by the so-called free world . ' oyefeso temitope of lagos , nigeria you had a heart to help save pakistan from military dictatorship , and you have to pay with your life ! ! ! what a world ! ! ! we await the reaction of the west . sleep well , it was a just curse and rare fight from a woman . linda palumbo of boston , massachusetts a woman who was beautiful , brilliant and dedicated to bringing peace to her country . such a tragedy and such a loss for the people of pakistan . kartiq subramanian of charlotte , north carolina this is really sad ! my limited political knowledge told me that she was pakistan 's only hope toward democracy and peace and now her killing has proved that . i feel sad for her family and for the people of pakistan . may peace prevail . fariha waseem of spring valley , new york benazir bhutto is a woman of courage and conviction and we pakistani 's are proud to acknowledge her with all the dedication and deeds she made for her country . she stands for principal of democracy and corruptions and wants to remove it from roots . she not only received awards for her books but for her all dedications she did for her peoples . my condolence is with all the loved ones of bhutto 's family and her party workers . may god rest her soul in peace ! ( amen ) funmi omoniyi of lagos , nigeria we will miss you benazir bhutto because you are a strong woman , ready to fight for your country . as a woman of substance , you deserve to rest in perfect peace . may allah grant you aljanat amiin . kimberley brewer of ottawa , ontario although i have no ties , either familial or political , to benazir bhutto , i am deeply saddened and enraged by her murder . this noble leader , who championed women 's rights in a society rife with discrimination toward fully half the population , has been felled by cowards who seek to thwart progress and peace . my heart goes out to all who mourn her loss as i do , and my condemnation to those responsible for this horrific act of barbarism . mohammad khurram khan of cleveland , ohio it is a sad day for all pakistanis and the entire world . this is a direct result of the aftermath of september 11 and its ongoing consequences around the world . the blazes set forth by the terrorist continue to burn today in different cities . bhutto was a legend and a role model for all men and women alike . she was inspirational not just to pakistanis , but inspirational to us all through out the world . it is saddening ( with tears in my eyes and sorrow in my heart ) to see such a [ legend ] become a part of the blaze beset by the terrorists . terrorists have no religion or political affiliations . they only have motives driven by greed and power . i certainly hope that the terrorist behind this are brought to justice and i am sure that general musharraf will do his best to do so as he has always done in the interest of pakistan . e-mail to a friend | we pakistanis are proud to acknowledge her , ' says one i-reporter |
tehran <tsp> ( cnn ) -- bijan pakzad , an iranian-american fashion , fragrance and jewelry designer , died saturday , according to an outgoing message at his beverly hills , california , boutique . he was 67 . today , saturday april 16 , 2011 , at 8:05 a.m. , our dear dr. bijan pakzad passed away peacefully with his family members at his side , ' said the recording . the message offered no further details . bijan , as he was known , counted heads of states , presidents and kings among his clients and boasted on his company 's website that it was the most expensive in the world ! ' he was born in tehran on april 4 , 1944 , according to the website . he went to school in switzerland and italy and traveled throughout europe before settling in the united states and starting his business in beverly hills , it said . bijan is quoted on the website as saying : the world said to conform . the world said to settle for less . the world said compromise and no one will know ... so i made my own world ! ' | he was born in tehran , iran , and lived in beverly hills , california |
hazare <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's rahul gandhi warned lawmakers friday not to allow the nation 's democracy to be undermined , in an apparent criticism of anti-corruption campaigner anna hazare 's high-profile hunger strike . his remarks came after hazare 's public fast entered its 11th day , as the 74-year-old activist presses for the creation of a powerful lokpal , or citizen ombudsman , to tackle corruption . individuals have brought our country great gains . they have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development . however , we must not weaken the democratic process , ' gandhi , who is tipped by indian media as a future prime minister , told parliament in a speech . he thanked hazare for articulating what he called larger public disillusionment with a system plagued by massive corruption . but in his address to the national assembly , the 40-year-old general secretary of india 's governing congress party cautioned against pressuring elected institutions . this ( democratic ) process is often lengthy and lumbering . but it is so in order to be inclusive and fair . it provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws , ' said gandhi , whose italian-born mother sonia heads the congress party . a process divorced from the machinery of an elected government , or this house , that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy , ' he told the lower chamber of elected lawmakers . three of gandhi 's ancestors -- jawaharlal nehru , indira gandhi and his father rajiv gandhi -- have served as the country 's prime minister in the past . echoing current prime minister manmohan singh 's views that any institution alone can not eradicate deeply-entrenched corruption , gandhi described the proposed lokpal as just one tool in the fight against graft . witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the enactment of a single bill will usher in a corruption-free society . i have serious doubts about this belief , ' gandhi said . an effective lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption . the lokpal institution alone can not be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code . a set of effective laws is required , ' he added . activists and the indian government have been in talks for days , but there has been a deadlock primarily over three outstanding points to which campaigners want parliament and the government to agree . one of them relates to bringing indian officials under the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption legislation . | gandhi thanks fasting activist anna hazare for raising the issue of corruption |
hazare <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's rahul gandhi warned lawmakers friday not to allow the nation 's democracy to be undermined , in an apparent criticism of anti-corruption campaigner anna hazare 's high-profile hunger strike . his remarks came after hazare 's public fast entered its 11th day , as the 74-year-old activist presses for the creation of a powerful lokpal , or citizen ombudsman , to tackle corruption . individuals have brought our country great gains . they have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development . however , we must not weaken the democratic process , ' gandhi , who is tipped by indian media as a future prime minister , told parliament in a speech . he thanked hazare for articulating what he called larger public disillusionment with a system plagued by massive corruption . but in his address to the national assembly , the 40-year-old general secretary of india 's governing congress party cautioned against pressuring elected institutions . this ( democratic ) process is often lengthy and lumbering . but it is so in order to be inclusive and fair . it provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws , ' said gandhi , whose italian-born mother sonia heads the congress party . a process divorced from the machinery of an elected government , or this house , that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy , ' he told the lower chamber of elected lawmakers . three of gandhi 's ancestors -- jawaharlal nehru , indira gandhi and his father rajiv gandhi -- have served as the country 's prime minister in the past . echoing current prime minister manmohan singh 's views that any institution alone can not eradicate deeply-entrenched corruption , gandhi described the proposed lokpal as just one tool in the fight against graft . witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the enactment of a single bill will usher in a corruption-free society . i have serious doubts about this belief , ' gandhi said . an effective lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption . the lokpal institution alone can not be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code . a set of effective laws is required , ' he added . activists and the indian government have been in talks for days , but there has been a deadlock primarily over three outstanding points to which campaigners want parliament and the government to agree . one of them relates to bringing indian officials under the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption legislation . | hazare is into the 11th day of his hunger strike in new delhi |
gandhi <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's rahul gandhi warned lawmakers friday not to allow the nation 's democracy to be undermined , in an apparent criticism of anti-corruption campaigner anna hazare 's high-profile hunger strike . his remarks came after hazare 's public fast entered its 11th day , as the 74-year-old activist presses for the creation of a powerful lokpal , or citizen ombudsman , to tackle corruption . individuals have brought our country great gains . they have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development . however , we must not weaken the democratic process , ' gandhi , who is tipped by indian media as a future prime minister , told parliament in a speech . he thanked hazare for articulating what he called larger public disillusionment with a system plagued by massive corruption . but in his address to the national assembly , the 40-year-old general secretary of india 's governing congress party cautioned against pressuring elected institutions . this ( democratic ) process is often lengthy and lumbering . but it is so in order to be inclusive and fair . it provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws , ' said gandhi , whose italian-born mother sonia heads the congress party . a process divorced from the machinery of an elected government , or this house , that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy , ' he told the lower chamber of elected lawmakers . three of gandhi 's ancestors -- jawaharlal nehru , indira gandhi and his father rajiv gandhi -- have served as the country 's prime minister in the past . echoing current prime minister manmohan singh 's views that any institution alone can not eradicate deeply-entrenched corruption , gandhi described the proposed lokpal as just one tool in the fight against graft . witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the enactment of a single bill will usher in a corruption-free society . i have serious doubts about this belief , ' gandhi said . an effective lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption . the lokpal institution alone can not be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code . a set of effective laws is required , ' he added . activists and the indian government have been in talks for days , but there has been a deadlock primarily over three outstanding points to which campaigners want parliament and the government to agree . one of them relates to bringing indian officials under the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption legislation . | gandhi thanks fasting activist anna hazare for raising the issue of corruption |
gandhi <tsp> new delhi ( cnn ) -- india 's rahul gandhi warned lawmakers friday not to allow the nation 's democracy to be undermined , in an apparent criticism of anti-corruption campaigner anna hazare 's high-profile hunger strike . his remarks came after hazare 's public fast entered its 11th day , as the 74-year-old activist presses for the creation of a powerful lokpal , or citizen ombudsman , to tackle corruption . individuals have brought our country great gains . they have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development . however , we must not weaken the democratic process , ' gandhi , who is tipped by indian media as a future prime minister , told parliament in a speech . he thanked hazare for articulating what he called larger public disillusionment with a system plagued by massive corruption . but in his address to the national assembly , the 40-year-old general secretary of india 's governing congress party cautioned against pressuring elected institutions . this ( democratic ) process is often lengthy and lumbering . but it is so in order to be inclusive and fair . it provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws , ' said gandhi , whose italian-born mother sonia heads the congress party . a process divorced from the machinery of an elected government , or this house , that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy , ' he told the lower chamber of elected lawmakers . three of gandhi 's ancestors -- jawaharlal nehru , indira gandhi and his father rajiv gandhi -- have served as the country 's prime minister in the past . echoing current prime minister manmohan singh 's views that any institution alone can not eradicate deeply-entrenched corruption , gandhi described the proposed lokpal as just one tool in the fight against graft . witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the enactment of a single bill will usher in a corruption-free society . i have serious doubts about this belief , ' gandhi said . an effective lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption . the lokpal institution alone can not be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code . a set of effective laws is required , ' he added . activists and the indian government have been in talks for days , but there has been a deadlock primarily over three outstanding points to which campaigners want parliament and the government to agree . one of them relates to bringing indian officials under the jurisdiction of the anti-corruption legislation . | india 's rahul gandhi says a watchdog would not solve the problem of graft |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our labor day weekend trip around the inside politics ' table included gop jitters over kansas , the 2016 impact of president obama 's immigration deliberations , progressive worries about elizabeth warren 's hawkish foreign policy views , and republican angst about a research project that was designed to help but may have done more harm then good . 1 . as democrats look for 2014 steals , ' there 's no place like kansas ? we talked for months about how gop sen. pat roberts of kansas was hardly a top performer in his primary race against a tea party challenger . but roberts survived , and so the first reflex was to say , ok -- it 's kansas . lock that senate seat in for the gop . not so fast . a number of top republican strategists who have seen the latest research say it is now hardly a sure thing . these strategists are furious with roberts personally , and even more so with a campaign team they say has not risen to the challenge . so there is mounting pressure on the other kansas senator , jerry moran , who just happens to lead the national republican senatorial committee . i 'm told leading gop voices are pushing the nrsc to get more aggressive , including pushing for a shakeup in the roberts campaign team . and in the gop super pac community , there are conversations that it might become necessary to spend money in a state that no one thought would be -- or should be -- on a 2014 list of potential democratic pickups . it 's important because the gop needs a gain of six seats to win the senate majority ; if it lost a republican-held seat , it would have to win another democratic seat to net six . and while the gop super pacs are seemingly flush with money , the 65-day clock to election day will force choices -- and if there need to be sudden investments in kansas , a few gop challengers in other states could see their outside help shrink . 2 . maybe not all knowledge is good the gop has a gender problem . so the gop did some research on its gender problem . makes perfect sense , right ? well , politico 's maggie haberman took us inside a republican debate on that very question . maybe if this private research by crossroads gps and the american action network had stayed private , it would be viewed as helpful . but haberman 's politico colleagues got hold of it and outlined how some women view the gop as intolerant or stuck in the past . let the recriminations begin . this infuriated a number of republicans , who privately said -- and some of them less privately -- they thought this was completely undermining , they could n't understand the purpose of this , that this is at cross ends to what the gop is trying to do in the final couple of months of a very difficult midterm , ' said haberman . 3 . a waveless ' gop win ? amy walter of the cook political report says her analysis suggests republicans can not count on a big midterm wave this year -- like the one they enjoyed in 2010 or the one democrats rode to midterm gains in 2006 . but no wave does n't necessarily mean no wins ; walter says it is still more than within reason -- and reach -- that we 'll see the republicans get the net gain of six senate seats they need to capture the senate majority . what we have come to find , every election , is that you do n't see it coming until election day , but one side or the other , almost always , the races break disproportionately their way -- 55 , 60 , 65 % , ' said walter . so that 's more of the question than waiting for a big fat wave to hit us the day after labor day . ' 4 . immigration pressures on democrats and 2016 field the white house promises some executive actions on immigration , though there are now indications more controversial decisions might be pushed back until after the november election . as we await final word , bloomberg 's lisa lerer highlighted jitters among some democrats in tight races this year but also said any obama action this year would put pressure on the 2016 class of republican presidential contenders . last week , rand paul was in guatemala , ' said lerer . he said it was part of his annual medical mission trip , but he brought his political staff , reporters and a film crew with an aerial drone . ' lerer also pointed out that new jersey gov . chris christie is taking his second trip out of the country as governor next week and the destination is -- mexico . 5 . liberal worries about warren liberals love when elizabeth warren goes after big banks and pushes her populist economic views . but nia-malika henderson of the washington post reports that some progressives are now getting a bit wary -- coming to the conclusion that on some big foreign policy questions , the massachusetts senator sounds , disturbingly to them , a lot like hillary clinton . she essentially said that israelis have the right to defend themselves and in the question of sort of civilian casualties , she essentially says that , well , it 's hamas'fault because they have put rocket launchers next to schools and in hospitals , ' said henderson . so over these next weeks , democrats will watch to see what warren says about syria and isis and what she does on her trip to israel in november . | a number of top republican strategists say a gop win in kansas is now hardly a sure thing |
gop <tsp> ( cnn ) -- our labor day weekend trip around the inside politics ' table included gop jitters over kansas , the 2016 impact of president obama 's immigration deliberations , progressive worries about elizabeth warren 's hawkish foreign policy views , and republican angst about a research project that was designed to help but may have done more harm then good . 1 . as democrats look for 2014 steals , ' there 's no place like kansas ? we talked for months about how gop sen. pat roberts of kansas was hardly a top performer in his primary race against a tea party challenger . but roberts survived , and so the first reflex was to say , ok -- it 's kansas . lock that senate seat in for the gop . not so fast . a number of top republican strategists who have seen the latest research say it is now hardly a sure thing . these strategists are furious with roberts personally , and even more so with a campaign team they say has not risen to the challenge . so there is mounting pressure on the other kansas senator , jerry moran , who just happens to lead the national republican senatorial committee . i 'm told leading gop voices are pushing the nrsc to get more aggressive , including pushing for a shakeup in the roberts campaign team . and in the gop super pac community , there are conversations that it might become necessary to spend money in a state that no one thought would be -- or should be -- on a 2014 list of potential democratic pickups . it 's important because the gop needs a gain of six seats to win the senate majority ; if it lost a republican-held seat , it would have to win another democratic seat to net six . and while the gop super pacs are seemingly flush with money , the 65-day clock to election day will force choices -- and if there need to be sudden investments in kansas , a few gop challengers in other states could see their outside help shrink . 2 . maybe not all knowledge is good the gop has a gender problem . so the gop did some research on its gender problem . makes perfect sense , right ? well , politico 's maggie haberman took us inside a republican debate on that very question . maybe if this private research by crossroads gps and the american action network had stayed private , it would be viewed as helpful . but haberman 's politico colleagues got hold of it and outlined how some women view the gop as intolerant or stuck in the past . let the recriminations begin . this infuriated a number of republicans , who privately said -- and some of them less privately -- they thought this was completely undermining , they could n't understand the purpose of this , that this is at cross ends to what the gop is trying to do in the final couple of months of a very difficult midterm , ' said haberman . 3 . a waveless ' gop win ? amy walter of the cook political report says her analysis suggests republicans can not count on a big midterm wave this year -- like the one they enjoyed in 2010 or the one democrats rode to midterm gains in 2006 . but no wave does n't necessarily mean no wins ; walter says it is still more than within reason -- and reach -- that we 'll see the republicans get the net gain of six senate seats they need to capture the senate majority . what we have come to find , every election , is that you do n't see it coming until election day , but one side or the other , almost always , the races break disproportionately their way -- 55 , 60 , 65 % , ' said walter . so that 's more of the question than waiting for a big fat wave to hit us the day after labor day . ' 4 . immigration pressures on democrats and 2016 field the white house promises some executive actions on immigration , though there are now indications more controversial decisions might be pushed back until after the november election . as we await final word , bloomberg 's lisa lerer highlighted jitters among some democrats in tight races this year but also said any obama action this year would put pressure on the 2016 class of republican presidential contenders . last week , rand paul was in guatemala , ' said lerer . he said it was part of his annual medical mission trip , but he brought his political staff , reporters and a film crew with an aerial drone . ' lerer also pointed out that new jersey gov . chris christie is taking his second trip out of the country as governor next week and the destination is -- mexico . 5 . liberal worries about warren liberals love when elizabeth warren goes after big banks and pushes her populist economic views . but nia-malika henderson of the washington post reports that some progressives are now getting a bit wary -- coming to the conclusion that on some big foreign policy questions , the massachusetts senator sounds , disturbingly to them , a lot like hillary clinton . she essentially said that israelis have the right to defend themselves and in the question of sort of civilian casualties , she essentially says that , well , it 's hamas'fault because they have put rocket launchers next to schools and in hospitals , ' said henderson . so over these next weeks , democrats will watch to see what warren says about syria and isis and what she does on her trip to israel in november . | any action this year on immigration would put pressure on the 2016 class of gop presidential contenders |
cabinet <tsp> with six years and dozens of cabinet nominations under his belt , president barack obama has learned that first picks do n't always work out . that lesson , introduced before he even took office , is only made clearer by the process of replacing outgoing defense secretary chuck hagel . the top names on the white house shortlist ' -- which included former high-ranking pentagon official michele flournoy , homeland security secretary jeh johnson and rhode island democratic sen. jack reed -- all withdrew themselves from consideration . obama 's expected pick , former pentagon number two ashton carter , was on the shortlist too . but reports he 'd been selected for the job only emerged after the others dropped out . the letdown of going with second ( or third ) choices for cabinet positions is n't new for obama . here are other first picks who did n't make it : susan rice -- secretary of state when secretary of state hillary clinton left her post following obama 's re-election in 2012 , susan rice quickly emerged as the frontrunner to replace her . then the u.s. ambassador to the united nations , rice was seen as a close obama confidante who had earned the his trust beginning with her work as a policy adviser during the 2008 campaign . but her prospects of becoming the nation 's top diplomat faded amid uproar over her statements about the september 2012 attacks on the u.s. mission in benghazi , libya , which republicans claimed were misleading . obama consistently defended rice from the attacks , even saying that if republicans wanted to go after someone in the administration on benghazi , they should go after me . ' but anticipating a drawn-out and rancorous confirmation process on capitol hill , rice withdrew her name from consideration . in a letter to obama , she wrote the confirmation process would be lengthy , disruptive , and costly -- to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities . that trade-off is simply not worth it to our country . ' obama eventually picked then-sen. john kerry for the post , and rice moved into the white house as the president 's national security adviser . tom daschle -- health and human services secretary before he was even sworn into office , obama had felt the sting of a first-choice nominee being stymied by controversy . tom daschle , the former senate majority leader from south dakota , had been a staunch and important supporter of obama 's , endorsing him almost a year before early primaries and caucuses in 2008 . his name ( along with many others ) was even floated as a potential vice presidential pick . when it came time to name a nominee for health and human services secretary , daschle was a natural choice . obama announced his pick in december 2008 , after he had won the election but before he took office . two months later , the nomination was in shambles : daschle admitted failing to report $ 15,000 in charitable donations and conceded he had n't reported using a car service . that was after he was forced to pay $ 140,000 in back taxes . recognizing the political firestorm ahead , daschle withdrew his nomination . later , obama admitted he made a mistake in how he handled the process . i think i screwed up , ' he told cnn 's anderson cooper . and i take responsibility for it and we 're going to make sure we fix it so it does n't happen again . ' later that month , obama nominated kathleen sebelius , then the governor of kansas , to run his health agency . bill richardson and judd gregg -- commerce secretary commerce secretary is n't typically the highest profile post in a president 's administration . but in the early days of obama 's tenure the task of filling the job turned into multiple disappointments , as one candidate became embroiled in disclosure problems and another withdrew for ideological reasons . bill richardson , the former clinton administration official who in 2008 was serving as governor of new mexico , was obama 's first pick for commerce . former rivals during the democratic primaries , richardson endorsed obama during the extended battle with clinton . but the nomination process soured as federal investigators looked into richardson 's ties to a company that did business with his state . richardson denied any wrongdoing , but said the extended probe would force an untenable delay ' in his confirmation process . sen. judd gregg , a republican from new hampshire , was obama 's next pick . he was one of three republicans obama had asked to join his cabinet in an attempt to convene a team of rivals ' in washington . and while obama likely anticipated some disagreements , gregg eventually realized their differences would be impossible to overcome . he withdrew his nomination citing irresolvable conflicts ' with obama 's economic plans , and said it had obviously ' been a mistake to accept the nomination in the first place . gary locke , who had served as governor of washington state , was the third -- and final -- pick for the job . sanjay gupta -- surgeon general shortly after taking office , obama considered tapping neurosurgeon and cnn chief medical correspondent sanjay gupta as his surgeon general . aides said gupta was obama 's top choice for the post , which is the nation 's highest-ranking official for public health issues but is n't a cabinet-level position . but after speaking with senior members of obama 's administration , gupta withdrew his name , saying he would have been forced to give up practicing medicine to take the job . he told larry king he felt flattered to have been considered for the job , but that the timing was inconvenient . it was n't for another four months that obama named his eventual pick , alabama physician regina benjamin . | obama has had to make second choices for several cabinet positions |
farc <tsp> bogota , colombia ( cnn ) -- guerrillas in colombia tortured and killed 17 indians who they believed were helping the government , a governor and two human rights organizations said wednesday . marxist rebels with the revolutionary armed forces of colombia , known as farc , swept into a village in southwest colombia last week and abducted an undetermined number of awa indians , human rights watch said . the guerrillas tortured and killed 17 awas , including at least two minors , the human rights group said . another human rights group , the national indigenous organization of colombia , or onic , also reported the allegations . navarro wolff , the governor of narino province , where the awas live , decried the reported killings . the guerrillas took several families , recriminating them for their supposed collaboration with the army , ' wolff told el pais newspaper . a young man was able to escape and told how he had been tied . later , they tortured him , they beat him and they killed eight with with a knife . ' nine other villagers also were executed , unconfirmed reports said . the allegations are based partly on the information provided by the young man who said he escaped . human rights watch also said it received reports from reliable sources , ' whom the organization did not name . these cruel killings violate the most basic principles of human decency and dignity , ' said jose miguel vivanco , the americas director at human rights watch . there is no possible excuse or justification for these horrific actions . ' the remote village is a 12-hour trip away from the nearest large town , and no independent verification has been obtained . besides the unforgiving terrain , the presence of land mines and the existence of numerous armed groups virtually prevent outsiders from visiting the area . monsignor ruben salazar gomez , the president of the episcopal conference of colombia , joined the chorus of criticism , alleging a crime the whole country should condemn . ' another religious leader said the awa need protection . we are very worried about the awa community , ' said monsignor gustavo giron higuita , the bishop of the city of tumaco . it is a community that is pretty unprotected and that in the past five years has received a type of persecution by armed groups . ' the prelate said that although there were indications that the farc was behind the killings , we are not certain of that , ' el pais said . the awas , he said , are pacifist , want respect of their organization and want to regain their traditions . we have been accompanying them in this process , and that 's why this hurts so much . ' new york-based human rights watch said group members have made numerous visits to narino , which is one of colombia 's 32 departments , or states . narino is in southwest colombia , on the pacific ocean and the border with ecuador . the area has a heavy presence of various armed groups and colombian military forces , and has among the worst human rights conditions in colombia , the human rights group said . the awa territories have been particularly affected . the colombian government has issued a risk report , ' warning authorities that civilians in the region are at risk . the farc is said to have confined ' some villages , cutting them off from the outside world and not allowing anyone to enter or leave . in another report wednesday , onic , the indigenous human rights group in colombia , said the farc has abducted 120 awas since february 4 . onic said the farc kidnapped 20 awa men , women and children february 4 from the barbacoas area in narino . the rebels returned the next day and grabbed children who had remained behind , onic said , according to caracol radio . onic also reported that a number of awa had been knifed to death . the farc , the largest and oldest guerrilla group in colombia , has been waging war against the government since the 1960s . security analysts say the farc has 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters , mostly in rural areas . the guerrilla group operates mostly in colombia but has carried out extortion , kidnappings , bombings and other activities in venezuela , panama and ecuador . | farc guerillas killed the indians for helping the army , governor reportedly said |
farc <tsp> bogota , colombia ( cnn ) -- guerrillas in colombia tortured and killed 17 indians who they believed were helping the government , a governor and two human rights organizations said wednesday . marxist rebels with the revolutionary armed forces of colombia , known as farc , swept into a village in southwest colombia last week and abducted an undetermined number of awa indians , human rights watch said . the guerrillas tortured and killed 17 awas , including at least two minors , the human rights group said . another human rights group , the national indigenous organization of colombia , or onic , also reported the allegations . navarro wolff , the governor of narino province , where the awas live , decried the reported killings . the guerrillas took several families , recriminating them for their supposed collaboration with the army , ' wolff told el pais newspaper . a young man was able to escape and told how he had been tied . later , they tortured him , they beat him and they killed eight with with a knife . ' nine other villagers also were executed , unconfirmed reports said . the allegations are based partly on the information provided by the young man who said he escaped . human rights watch also said it received reports from reliable sources , ' whom the organization did not name . these cruel killings violate the most basic principles of human decency and dignity , ' said jose miguel vivanco , the americas director at human rights watch . there is no possible excuse or justification for these horrific actions . ' the remote village is a 12-hour trip away from the nearest large town , and no independent verification has been obtained . besides the unforgiving terrain , the presence of land mines and the existence of numerous armed groups virtually prevent outsiders from visiting the area . monsignor ruben salazar gomez , the president of the episcopal conference of colombia , joined the chorus of criticism , alleging a crime the whole country should condemn . ' another religious leader said the awa need protection . we are very worried about the awa community , ' said monsignor gustavo giron higuita , the bishop of the city of tumaco . it is a community that is pretty unprotected and that in the past five years has received a type of persecution by armed groups . ' the prelate said that although there were indications that the farc was behind the killings , we are not certain of that , ' el pais said . the awas , he said , are pacifist , want respect of their organization and want to regain their traditions . we have been accompanying them in this process , and that 's why this hurts so much . ' new york-based human rights watch said group members have made numerous visits to narino , which is one of colombia 's 32 departments , or states . narino is in southwest colombia , on the pacific ocean and the border with ecuador . the area has a heavy presence of various armed groups and colombian military forces , and has among the worst human rights conditions in colombia , the human rights group said . the awa territories have been particularly affected . the colombian government has issued a risk report , ' warning authorities that civilians in the region are at risk . the farc is said to have confined ' some villages , cutting them off from the outside world and not allowing anyone to enter or leave . in another report wednesday , onic , the indigenous human rights group in colombia , said the farc has abducted 120 awas since february 4 . onic said the farc kidnapped 20 awa men , women and children february 4 from the barbacoas area in narino . the rebels returned the next day and grabbed children who had remained behind , onic said , according to caracol radio . onic also reported that a number of awa had been knifed to death . the farc , the largest and oldest guerrilla group in colombia , has been waging war against the government since the 1960s . security analysts say the farc has 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters , mostly in rural areas . the guerrilla group operates mostly in colombia but has carried out extortion , kidnappings , bombings and other activities in venezuela , panama and ecuador . | human rights group in colombia says farc has abducted 120 awas since february |
pro-gadhafi <tsp> tripoli , libya ( cnn ) -- nato aircraft launched more than a dozen strikes on the libyan capital early tuesday , and smoke could be seen rising from the area near libyan leader moammar gadhafi 's bab-al-azizia compound in tripoli . the nato attack , one of the heaviest against tripoli since the nato mission began just over two months ago , started at about 1 a.m. and lasted more than 20 minutes , with alliance jets circling overhead and libyan loyalist forces responding with anti-aircraft fire . moussa ibrahim , a libyan government spokesman , said the attack targeted a guard compound for pro-gadhafi military volunteers that had been emptied in anticipation . at least three people were killed and 150 wounded , ibrahim said , calling the attack an escalation by nato . reporters felt and heard explosions from the airstrike that rocked the hotel housing members of the international media . outbursts of gunfire , as well as ambulance sirens , could be heard in the streets . a nato statement said the attack targeted a regime vehicle storage facility ' adjacent to the bab-al-azizia compound using precision-guided weapons . the facility resupplies government forces that have been attacking libyan civilians , according to the nato statement . gadhafi 's forces still represent a threat to civilians and we will continue to strike targets that carry out this violence , ' said lt. gen. charles bouchard of canada , who commands the libya operation . journalists later visited a hospital where they reported they saw the bodies of three men , at least two covered in dust , and a number of injured people . cnn did not go on the hospital visit because of safety concerns . on monday , forces loyal to gadhafi attacked a rebel-held border crossing into tunisia in a battle that resulted in nine deaths , according to the rebels'military commander in zintan , hajj osama . he said gadhafi infantry who attacked rebels controlling the border post suffered eight fatalities ; one rebel fighter was killed . food and fuel are shipped into libya and wounded rebels are taken out for medical treatment via the crossing , which is literally a lifeline to the rebels , the rebel commander said . since they were driven from the border checkposts by rebels more than two weeks ago , gadhafi 's troops have been shelling the rebels'nearby mountaintop holdouts to try to regain control of this vital artery . in the towns of yefren and algalaa , southwest of tripoli , only about 1,000 residents remained of the usual population of 22,000 , said a local person who is in touch with rebels there . the military commander in zintan , near the border with tunisia , corroborated those numbers . they contrast with figures issued by the libyan committee for humanitarian aid and relief , which said 22,000 to 25,000 people remained trapped in the two towns , and that about 40,000 others had been displaced to other towns in the nafusa mountains , tripoli and tunisia . for the past two months , the towns'dwindling numbers of residents have been enduring spartan living conditions -- without electricity or fuel and with only limited access to water , since gadhafi forces control the region 's water wells and have contaminated some of them with oil , the committee said . banks in yefren and algalaa have been closed since february 17 , which has led to a widespread shortage of cash , it added . the cities'main water tank has been out of commission since it was damaged six weeks ago by missiles and no food supplies have entered the area since march 1 , it said . snipers loyal to gadhafi control access to the hospital in yefren and most doctors have fled , it added . in other nato efforts against gadhafi forces monday , an airstrike hit a libyan army position outside the rebel town of jadu in the western mountains , rebels in zintan told cnn . the attack took place around noon ( 6 a.m . et ) , shortly after the gadhafi forces at that position had launched grad rockets into the rebel-held town , rebels said . nato reported monday that since its operation began on march 31 , it has flown 7,870 sorties , including 3,025 strike sorties , which are intended to identify and engage targets , but do not necessarily deploy munitions . on sunday , a command-and-control center was hit near tripoli and a missile support facility was struck near al khums , nato said in a news release . near sirte , an ammunition storage facility was struck and , near brega , a command-and-control facility was targeted , it said . a spokesman for france 's ministry of foreign affairs said france plans to add attack helicopters to the country 's arsenal in libya , saying the aircraft would make more precise ' strikes possible . media reports said britain also plans to use attack helicopters . a spokesman for britain 's ministry of defense said only that , as with any military campaign , we are constantly reviewing our options alongside allies to enhance the capabilities available to nato . ' nearly 600 migrants and wounded civilians arrived monday afternoon in the rebel stronghold of benghazi aboard a boat from the embattled city of misrata , said the international organization for migration , which chartered the vessel . the boat 's arrival marked the seventh such mission carried out by the group since mid-april . the boat 's passengers included nearly 400 people from niger as well as migrants from nigeria , chad , sudan , pakistan , egypt , bangladesh , tunisia and seven palestinians . the boat had arrived saturday in misrata carrying 280 tons of food aid and a field hospital . the developments came as the international committee of the red cross appealed to donors for an additional $ 53 million to help the organization meet the urgent needs of people affected by the fighting in libya . ' as long as the conflict in libya continues , the outlook for the coming months is dire , and living conditions may further deteriorate for a large percentage of the population , ' said boris michel , icrc head of operations for north and west africa . the council of the european union reiterated its call monday for the protection of civilians , a cease-fire and identifying gadhafi as a threat to the libyan people . ' catherine ashton , the european union 's foreign policy chief , was to detail on monday meetings with libya 's rebel leaders a day after opening an office in the rebel stronghold of benghazi . ashton was to brief the eu 's foreign ministers about weekend meetings where she pledged support from the 27-nation union to the chairman of libya 's transitional national council . i am here today to explain and be clear about the depth and breadth of our support in the european union for the people of libya , ' ashton said in a statement sunday by the eu shortly after her meeting with mustafa abdul jalil , the transitional council chairman . during the meeting , ashton said she and jalil discussed security reform , border management , the economy and civil society . arrest warrants have been issued by the international criminal court for gadhafi and two relatives , linking them to widespread and systematic ' attacks on civilians as they struggle to retain power in libya . the court 's chief prosecutor , luis moreno-ocampo , has said that the court in the hague will investigate allegations of institutionalized rape in the war-torn country . a libyan government official told cnn that gadhafi 's government welcomes the court 's investigation but said that prosecutors have not been to libya to do an investigation . ' siham sergewa , a libyan psychologist , has been collecting reports of women reportedly raped and beaten by gadhafi'sforces that she says she is sharing with the criminal court . sergewa told cnn 's sara sidner that she began collecting the reports after receiving a call from the mother of a patient in ajdabiya , a town in eastern libya that was the scene of some of the earliest fighting between rebels and government forces . the mother told sergewa that she had been abducted by three or four men and taken to the desert where she was raped . since then , sergewa told cnn she has collected surveys from more than 270 women at refugee camps along libya 's borders with egypt and tunisia who allege they were assaulted by gadhafi forces . cnn 's nima elbagir , amir ahmed , nic robertson and jomana karadsheh contributed to this report . | compound for pro-gadhafi volunteers was targeted |
seoul <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south korea 's new president has pledged to donate his salary to the underprivileged . south korean leader lee myung-bak says he would donate his salary to help the underprivileged . lee myung-bak made the pledge during an unscheduled meeting with reporters sunday in the press room of his presidential office , the state news agency reported . the president said he would donate his salary during his entire five-year term . lee is a former ceo of an engineering and construction company with a vast personal fortune . as mayor of seoul from 2002 to 2004 , lee donated his salary to the children of street cleaners and firefighters . i promised to spend my whole salary earned as a public official on public welfare , ' lee told reporters . my plan to donate the presidential salary to the underprivileged is an extension of that promise . ' the news agency did not say how much the president earns in a year . during the election campaign , lee , 66 , vowed to donate his entire personal fortune of more than 30 billion won ( $ 30.2 million ) to the poor . he said at the time he would keep only a retirement house in seoul . e-mail to a friend | while mayor of seoul , he donated salary to children of street cleaners and firefighters |
cliven bundy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- let 's get real . the republicans have a problem attracting african-american voters . and cliven bundy made it worse . period . not just because bundy turned out to express racist views , but because of what he initially , falsely symbolized for some conservative republicans : a humble , hard-working rancher who despises federal government overreach . the fact that armed militia turned up to protect bundy 's cattle only made it worse , because it fit ever more neatly into the kind of extremist narrative that frightens many people , including many african-americans . they do n't feel comfortable when conservatives , like sen. ted cruz of texas , call the nation 's first black president the most lawless president in the nation 's history . ' and they especially do n't care for the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that kind of characterization invites . example : these are dangerous times because this is a lawless presidency and a pliant congress . the president 's willingness to violate the constitution publicly calls into question his fitness for office . and that deafening silence from capitol hill manifests a spineless refusal to preserve constitutional government . ' that was written by andrew napolitano , who works for fox news . the same fox news that repeatedly validated bundy and the armed men who chased the feds from government-owned land . the republican national committee loves to blame the mainstream media ' for its woes , but if it actually criticized right-wing media when it is clearly in the wrong , it would have more credibility with the very constituents it strives to attract . the rev . tony minor , who heads people for the american way 's african american ministers in action , told me he does n't believe mainstream republicans buy what napolitano is selling , but says , what frightens me is when those republicans who know those kind of statements are absurd , when they do n't speak against it , their silence betrays us from thinking there 's any hope of any partnership with them . ' in fairness , many conservatives did criticize fox for its support of cliven bundy , but other republicans , like sen. dean heller of nevada , called bundy a patriot ' and only backed away from him when it became clear bundy was racist . but when the republican national committee 's sean spicer appeared on my show , cnn 's newsroom , ' on friday , he chose to attack me for not sufficiently covering democrats who make horribly offensive remarks . except we were n't talking about democrats , a party already backed by minority voters , but republicans and their worthy efforts to attract a broader base . the gop is fighting an uphill battle and it knows it . in 2012 , 93 % of african-americans voted for barack obama . as larry sabato , political scientist from the university of virginia says , republicans belong to a party that desperately needs to deliver good news and appealing personalities to all minority voters . ' he adds , every move that is viewed as an insult is going to make it difficult for the republican party to make up ground it needs to win . ' in other words , cliven bundy : bad , bad , bad . marc lamont hill of huffpost live agrees . he says if you take away bundy 's comments about slavery and focus on what he says about blacks and entitlements : in many ways what he 's saying is n't that different than mainstream republican ideology and policy . republicans in so many ways have codified those beliefs through policy or policy initiatives that are n't outliers -- that are part of the mainstream . ' crystal wright , a conservative republican who edits the blog conservativeblackchick.com , says she is disgusted by the bundy affair . she told me if the republican plan to widen the tent ' included more than community outreach , mr. bundy might never have become a folk hero . ' what they ( republicans ) need to do is stop looking at black people as this other kind of group , ' wright said . we ( african-americans ) need to be brought into the party at all levels . i think if they would include more minorities and women at the table for strategic discussions , you would n't have these kind of missteps because somebody would say , hey , guys , i do n't think we should embrace mr. bundy . let 's do our homework here . ' other black republicans disagree with wright . tara wall , who is a senior staff member for the rnc , took exception to wright 's assessment of the republican party and to my asking spicer to address wright 's concerns and name some african-american senior staff members . tara wall : media 's coverage of bundy , race and gop a disservice why is it beneath the dignity of the rnc to reveal the results of its much publicized autopsy ' of its defeat in 2012 or its subsequent plan to attract more african-americans ? one of its stated goals is to ... improve on promoting african-american staff and candidates within the party . the gop should utilize african-american elected officials as surrogates both in their communities and with the national media . at the staff level , the personnel should be visible and involved in senior political and budget decisions and not be limited to demographic outreach . ' hello ! this is politics , not the closed-door deliberations of the federal reserve board . visibility is part of the game , and transparency is an increasing necessity for the american voter . so , let 's get real . the republicans have a problem attracting african-american voters . and cliven bundy made it worse . period . | incidents like cliven bundy 's racist remarks set back the gop effort , she says |
my bonnie lies over the ocean <tsp> ( mental floss ) -- either i had a really short attention span as a kid and never made it past the first verse of a song -- which is entirely possible -- or there are some obscure lyrics to the songs we all know and love . 1 . the teapot song ' goes on to further explain this little teapot character : i 'm a clever teapot , yes it 's true here let me show you what i can do i can change my handle and my spout just tip me over and pour me out ! 2 . do your ears hang low ? ' i 'm impressed that a children 's song contains the word semaphore . ' do your ears hang high ? do they reach up to the sky ? do they droop when they are wet ? do they stiffen when they 're dry ? can you semaphore your neighbour with a minimum of labour ? do your ears hang high ? 3 . my bonnie lies over the ocean ' involves terrifying nightmares : last night as i lay on my pillow last night as i lay on my bed last night as i lay on my pillow i dreamed that my bonnie was dead . mental floss : 10 adult versions of children 's songs 4 . oh my darling clementine ' i did n't know anything beyond the oh my darling ' chorus , but there 's a whole little tale that goes along with the tragic clementine . there are a few variations . one of them goes like this : in a cavern , in a canyon , excavating for a mine dwelt a miner forty niner , and his daughter clementine light she was and like a fairy , and her shoes were number nine , wearing boxes , without topses , sandals were for clementine . drove she ducklings to the water ev'ry morning just at nine , hit her foot against a splinter , fell into the foaming brine . ruby lips above the water , blowing bubbles , soft and fine , but , alas , i was no swimmer , so i lost my clementine . how i missed her ! how i missed her , how i missed my clementine , but i kissed her little sister , i forgot my clementine . 5 . bingo ' the earliest recorded version from 1888 adds two verses after the one that spells out the famous farmer 's dog 's name . they went like this : thys franklyn , syrs , he brewed goode ayle , and he called it rare good styngo ! s , t , y , n , g , o ! he call 'd it rare goode styngo ! nowe is notte thys a prettie song ? i thinke it is , bye jyngo , j wythe a y -- n , g , o -- i sweare yt is , bye jyngo ! mental floss : look what the dog swallowed ! 6 . twinkle , twinkle , little star ' just keeps going : when the blazing sun is gone , when he nothing shines upon , then you show your little light , twinkle , twinkle , all the night . then the traveller in the dark , thanks you for your tiny spark , he could not see which way to go , if you did not twinkle so . in the dark blue sky you keep , and often through my curtains peep , for you never shut your eye , till the sun is in the sky . as your bright and tiny spark , lights the traveller in the dark , -- though i know not what you are , twinkle , twinkle , little star . 7 . baa baa black sheep ' if you feel the need to deplete the rest of the barnyard denizens of their precious goods after you 've taken the sheep 's wool , you certainly can : cluck , cluck , red hen , have you any eggs ? yes sir , yes sir , as many as your legs . one for your breakfast and one for your lunch ; come back tomorrow and i 'll have another bunch . moo , moo brown cow , have you milk for me ? yes sir , yes sir , as tasty as can be . churn it into butter , make it into cheese , freeze it into ice cream or drink it if you please . buzz , buzz busy bee , is your honey sweet ? yes sir , yes sir , sweet enough to eat . honey on your muffin , honey on your cake , honey by the spoonful , as much as i can make . 8 . a tisket , a tasket ' you probably know about the green and yellow basket , and you might remember that the person singing the song dropped it . after that , the sordid tale goes like this : i dropped it , i dropped it yes , on the way i dropped it a little girlie picked it up and put it in her pocket she was truckin'on down the avenue , without a single thing to do she was peck-peck-peckin all around when she spied it on the ground she took it she took it my little yellow basket and if she does n't bring it back i think that i shall die ( was it brown ? ) no , no , no , no , ( was it red ? ) no , no , no , no , ( was it blue ? ) no , no , no , no , just a little yellow basket mental floss : 10 highly decorated animals | my bonnie lies over the ocean ' involves terrifying nightmares |
iraq <tsp> the atrocious murder of david haines puts the united kingdom and in particular prime minister david cameron front and center in the evolving battle against isis . it 's not as though he is short of work , with a referendum in scotland this week and a problematic relationship with the european union among current elections next year dominating a crowded schedule . but the pm must now mobilize the british public for another campaign in iraq , mindful that the last one was widely opposed . revulsion at the beheading of three hostages will likely provide a bedrock of support . there are a wide variety of options including : surveillance and support operations , limited airstrikes against isis positions in iraq , extending those airstrikes to isis targets in syria or even inserting special forces in support of the syrian resistance , iraqi kurds or the iraqi military . cameron has been forthright about his government 's determination to take down isis , saying at the weekend : step by step we will drive back , dismantle and ultimately destroy isil [ also used as an acronym for the group ] and what it stands for . we will do so in a calm , deliberate way but with an iron determination . ' he added : we will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice , however long it takes . ' ultimately ' and however long it takes ' imply an indefinite campaign . implying the uk would join in air strikes , british defense minister michael fallon has told royal air force personnel involved in surveillance flights : there may well now be in the next few weeks and months other ways that we may need to help save life and protect people . ' and that 's just one element of this strategy . cameron has been expansive about prodding the iraqi government toward being more inclusive , saying it badly needs to get itself together so it can represent all of the country . ' he is in favor of arming the kurds , which in itself may be at odds with the aim of a unified iraq , about mobilizing arab states as part of a broad coalition to squeeze isis and about revitalizing moderate rebel groups in syria . the means and the goals of this multi-faceted campaign are yet to be fleshed out . in the words of his spokesman last week , in terms of specific decisions about participation in further action , we are not at the stage of taking those decisions . ' for example , cameron has been cautious about whether air strikes might be extended to syria . cameron maintains that president [ bashar al- ] assad has committed war crimes on his own people and is therefore illegitimate . ' but other parties in britain are wary of air strikes in syria , regarding them as dubious in international law . and many commentators believe some sort of understanding or accommodation with the assad regime is an essential condition of effective action against isis strongholds in raqqa and idlib provinces . even britain 's foreign secretary , philip hammond , was out of step with downing street last week . let me be clear , britain will not be taking part in air strikes in syria , ' he told a news conference in berlin . hours later the pm 's office said nothing had been ruled out . one conservative mp , john baron , who is a member of the house of commons foreign affairs committee , cautioned : air strikes into syria are fraught with risks . the legal , technical and military differences between strikes in iraq and syria are marked . the uk should be advising caution . ' but on sunday came the first hint that the u.s. would be looking to allies for the syrian part of the campaign . secretary of state john kerry told cbs face the nation : we are going to do what they [ the syrians ] have n't done , what they had plenty of opportunity to do , which is to take on isil and to degrade it and eliminate it as a threat . ' we will do that with allies , ' he added . but britain 's military is already stretched . units are still deployed in afghanistan and the armed forces are hurting from a squeeze on defense spending . the royal united services institute , a think-tank on military issues , concluded in a report this month that on current spending plans and growth projections .... uk defense spending is set to fall below the nato 2 per cent target for the first time next financial year , to an estimated 1.88 per cent of gdp in 2015/16 . ' british planes would probably have to operate from cyprus , flying a long circuitous route over turkey to targets in northern iraq . nato flew 14,000 sorties in libya to degrade the gadhafi regime . destroying isis may not be such a protracted effort , but it would be more than a commitment of a few weeks . and over syria , planes would face the risk of encountering the syrian air force and air defenses . a british pilot falling into the hands of isis or the syrian regime is the stuff of nightmares . there is the additional dilemma that any military action may hasten more beheadings of hostages , with another british citizen possibly the next victim . and the coalition being mobilized is -- at best -- disparate , including 10 members of nato and middle eastern states , including jordan and saudi arabia . the division of labor among these states is yet to be worked out , though american officials are suggesting arab states may provide air power and kerry pronounced himself extremely encouraged ' by the response from governments on his latest tour of the region . some british politicians are more skeptical . the veteran liberal democrat mp , menzies campbell , warned last month that a unified approach will be essential with no room for dissent or compromise between countries . the jihadists of is [ the islamic state , as it calls itself ] will most certainly test political resolve as well as security challenges . ' public support even before the murder of david haines , opinion in britain was moving toward air strikes . a comres poll for the independent newspaper at the end of august found that 35 % backing , with 50 % opposed . a week later that support had nearly doubled , according to a poll by opinium research for the daily telegraph . and 27 % said they would support special forces on the ground . cameron enjoys broad support for the domestic part of his anti-isis platform , which may include legislation to prevent suspected british extremists from traveling to iraq and syria and stopping those already there from coming home . polls suggest public support higher than 80 % for such moves . but identifying and tracking such people is a tall order -- and british military action could incite some of the several hundred british citizens thought to be fighting in syria and iraq to bring terror home . a successful campaign over several months that squeezed isis into insignificance could bring political rewards at home . cameron may be able to claim his decisive leadership was instrumental in facing down the world 's most dangerous terror group , incidentally deflecting attention from thorny issues like immigration and europe , where his conservative party is under pressure from the insurgent uk independence party . but with a general election due by may next year , taking on isis is fraught with peril for the british pm . | pm mobilizing british public for new campaign in iraq , mindful last one was widely opposed |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- a song michael jackson recorded 31 years ago is out , the first single from the upcoming xscape ' album . jackson wrote , recorded and produced love never felt so good ' with paul anka in 1983 , but it has been contemporized ' by anka and jackson estate co-executor john mcclain , according to an epic records news release . the song has a magic combination of the new and the original production that retains the track 's analog , early 80s feel , while also sounding right at home with the disco-soul inflected music of today , ' the label said . the track debuted during the iheartradio music awards on thursday night . online music services , including itunes , have it for downloading starting early friday morning , epic said . jackson and anka worked on the song at about the same time they wrote and recorded this is it , ' which eventually became the theme song to a documentary based on jackson 's preparations for a tour that never happened because of his death . jackson died at age 50 on june 25 , 2009 , while preparing for his this is it ' comeback tour . eight previously unheard michael jackson songs , originally recorded between 1983 and 1999 , will be released on the new album may 13 , epic records announced in march . epic chairman l.a. reid chose several producers with the gravitas , depth and range to creatively engage with jackson 's work ' to update the recordings for release , epic said . new michael jackson album coming in may :'xscape' timbaland is the lead producer , with contributions from rodney jerkins , stargate , jerome j-roc ' harmon and mcclain , the release said . a bonus version of love never felt so good ' features justin timberlake along with jackson . sony 's columbia epic records -- jackson 's record label for three decades -- signed a longterm deal with jackson 's estate to posthumously release music from the large archives of his recordings . reid was granted unlimited access to the treasures representing four decades of material on which jackson had completed his vocals , ' the announcement said . new ' music is not always met with a warm reception from fans and the jackson family . some questioned the authenticity of the vocals on a 2010 album , although the estate and the record company said sound experts verified jackson 's voice . | old jackson song is right at home with the disco-soul inflected music of today , ' epic says |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- a song michael jackson recorded 31 years ago is out , the first single from the upcoming xscape ' album . jackson wrote , recorded and produced love never felt so good ' with paul anka in 1983 , but it has been contemporized ' by anka and jackson estate co-executor john mcclain , according to an epic records news release . the song has a magic combination of the new and the original production that retains the track 's analog , early 80s feel , while also sounding right at home with the disco-soul inflected music of today , ' the label said . the track debuted during the iheartradio music awards on thursday night . online music services , including itunes , have it for downloading starting early friday morning , epic said . jackson and anka worked on the song at about the same time they wrote and recorded this is it , ' which eventually became the theme song to a documentary based on jackson 's preparations for a tour that never happened because of his death . jackson died at age 50 on june 25 , 2009 , while preparing for his this is it ' comeback tour . eight previously unheard michael jackson songs , originally recorded between 1983 and 1999 , will be released on the new album may 13 , epic records announced in march . epic chairman l.a. reid chose several producers with the gravitas , depth and range to creatively engage with jackson 's work ' to update the recordings for release , epic said . new michael jackson album coming in may :'xscape' timbaland is the lead producer , with contributions from rodney jerkins , stargate , jerome j-roc ' harmon and mcclain , the release said . a bonus version of love never felt so good ' features justin timberlake along with jackson . sony 's columbia epic records -- jackson 's record label for three decades -- signed a longterm deal with jackson 's estate to posthumously release music from the large archives of his recordings . reid was granted unlimited access to the treasures representing four decades of material on which jackson had completed his vocals , ' the announcement said . new ' music is not always met with a warm reception from fans and the jackson family . some questioned the authenticity of the vocals on a 2010 album , although the estate and the record company said sound experts verified jackson 's voice . | epic has a deal with jackson 's estate to mine his archives for new albums |
jackson <tsp> los angeles ( cnn ) -- a song michael jackson recorded 31 years ago is out , the first single from the upcoming xscape ' album . jackson wrote , recorded and produced love never felt so good ' with paul anka in 1983 , but it has been contemporized ' by anka and jackson estate co-executor john mcclain , according to an epic records news release . the song has a magic combination of the new and the original production that retains the track 's analog , early 80s feel , while also sounding right at home with the disco-soul inflected music of today , ' the label said . the track debuted during the iheartradio music awards on thursday night . online music services , including itunes , have it for downloading starting early friday morning , epic said . jackson and anka worked on the song at about the same time they wrote and recorded this is it , ' which eventually became the theme song to a documentary based on jackson 's preparations for a tour that never happened because of his death . jackson died at age 50 on june 25 , 2009 , while preparing for his this is it ' comeback tour . eight previously unheard michael jackson songs , originally recorded between 1983 and 1999 , will be released on the new album may 13 , epic records announced in march . epic chairman l.a. reid chose several producers with the gravitas , depth and range to creatively engage with jackson 's work ' to update the recordings for release , epic said . new michael jackson album coming in may :'xscape' timbaland is the lead producer , with contributions from rodney jerkins , stargate , jerome j-roc ' harmon and mcclain , the release said . a bonus version of love never felt so good ' features justin timberlake along with jackson . sony 's columbia epic records -- jackson 's record label for three decades -- signed a longterm deal with jackson 's estate to posthumously release music from the large archives of his recordings . reid was granted unlimited access to the treasures representing four decades of material on which jackson had completed his vocals , ' the announcement said . new ' music is not always met with a warm reception from fans and the jackson family . some questioned the authenticity of the vocals on a 2010 album , although the estate and the record company said sound experts verified jackson 's voice . | jackson wrote , recorded love never felt so good ' with paul anka in 1983 |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- opener tillakaratne dilshan scored a superb century as sri lanka forced their way back on the second day of the first test against india in ahmedabad . dilshan smashed 112 and featured in solid partnerships with fellow-opener tharanga paranavitana ( 35 ) and captain kumar sangakkara ( 31 ) as sri lanka completed a day of dominance . fast bowler zaheer khan opened a window of opportunity for the hosts by snaring dilshan and sangakkara in successive overs in the final session , but mahela jayawardene ( 36 not out ) and thilan samaraweera , five from a half-century , denied the home side further inroads as sri lanka ended on 275 for three , 151 in deficit . zaheer had looked menacing with the new ball , but with little assistance from the pitch , sri lanka were off to a good start and dilshan looked comfortable . together with left-handed paranavitana , dilshan added 74 for the opening wicket at a brisk pace , effectively putting the pressure back on the home side . ishant sharma eventually severed that stand , forcing paranavitana to fend at a delivery that moved away a touch and he edged to wicketkeeper mahendra singh dhoni who held an excellent catch in front of first slip . save for that burst from zaheer with the new ball , india 's attack had looked ordinary and it allowed sangakkara to hit his stride . with the sri lankan skipper holding up one end , dilshan continued to play freely and eventually reached his 10th test hundred -- his fifth this year -- by cutting leg-spinner ishant for a boundary . the two had added 115 for the second wicket when zaheer produced another fine burst to snare both batsmen . dilshan was tempted with a short ball , but mistimed his pull and ended up presenting rahul dravid a simple catch at gully . sangakkara was also done by a short ball , the captain top edging to sachin tendulkar at fine leg . the twin dismissal left sri lanka at 194 for three , but mahela and samaraweera put the visitors'pursuit back on track . both batsmen began cautiously until samaraweera , who has already scored 1083 runs in eight tests in this calendar year , shed the shackles by driving mishra for consecutive boundaries . the fourth-wicket pair have so far added 81 in an unbroken stand . in the morning , master spinner muttiah muralitharan finished with three wickets as the hosts were bowled out in the first session . muralitharan , who had snared yuvraj on monday , added the wickets of tailenders harbhajan singh and ishant to his tally , while fast bowler chanaka welegedara removed dravid , the batsman falling without adding to his overnight score of 177 . dravid fell in the third over of the morning , welegedara collecting his fourth wicket by bowling the batsman via an inside edge as he attempted to drive . harbhajan , two overnight , then added 25 for the eighth wicket with zaheer taking india 's total past the 400-run mark in the process . but sri lanka 's spinners made short work of the tail . left-arm spinner rangana herath trapped zaheer in front , while muralitharan claimed the wickets of harbhajan and last man ishant to finish with a three-wicket haul . | opener tillakaratne dilshan scores a superb century for sri lanka against india |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- opener tillakaratne dilshan scored a superb century as sri lanka forced their way back on the second day of the first test against india in ahmedabad . dilshan smashed 112 and featured in solid partnerships with fellow-opener tharanga paranavitana ( 35 ) and captain kumar sangakkara ( 31 ) as sri lanka completed a day of dominance . fast bowler zaheer khan opened a window of opportunity for the hosts by snaring dilshan and sangakkara in successive overs in the final session , but mahela jayawardene ( 36 not out ) and thilan samaraweera , five from a half-century , denied the home side further inroads as sri lanka ended on 275 for three , 151 in deficit . zaheer had looked menacing with the new ball , but with little assistance from the pitch , sri lanka were off to a good start and dilshan looked comfortable . together with left-handed paranavitana , dilshan added 74 for the opening wicket at a brisk pace , effectively putting the pressure back on the home side . ishant sharma eventually severed that stand , forcing paranavitana to fend at a delivery that moved away a touch and he edged to wicketkeeper mahendra singh dhoni who held an excellent catch in front of first slip . save for that burst from zaheer with the new ball , india 's attack had looked ordinary and it allowed sangakkara to hit his stride . with the sri lankan skipper holding up one end , dilshan continued to play freely and eventually reached his 10th test hundred -- his fifth this year -- by cutting leg-spinner ishant for a boundary . the two had added 115 for the second wicket when zaheer produced another fine burst to snare both batsmen . dilshan was tempted with a short ball , but mistimed his pull and ended up presenting rahul dravid a simple catch at gully . sangakkara was also done by a short ball , the captain top edging to sachin tendulkar at fine leg . the twin dismissal left sri lanka at 194 for three , but mahela and samaraweera put the visitors'pursuit back on track . both batsmen began cautiously until samaraweera , who has already scored 1083 runs in eight tests in this calendar year , shed the shackles by driving mishra for consecutive boundaries . the fourth-wicket pair have so far added 81 in an unbroken stand . in the morning , master spinner muttiah muralitharan finished with three wickets as the hosts were bowled out in the first session . muralitharan , who had snared yuvraj on monday , added the wickets of tailenders harbhajan singh and ishant to his tally , while fast bowler chanaka welegedara removed dravid , the batsman falling without adding to his overnight score of 177 . dravid fell in the third over of the morning , welegedara collecting his fourth wicket by bowling the batsman via an inside edge as he attempted to drive . harbhajan , two overnight , then added 25 for the eighth wicket with zaheer taking india 's total past the 400-run mark in the process . but sri lanka 's spinners made short work of the tail . left-arm spinner rangana herath trapped zaheer in front , while muralitharan claimed the wickets of harbhajan and last man ishant to finish with a three-wicket haul . | the ton helps sri lanka force their way back on the second day of the first test |
sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- opener tillakaratne dilshan scored a superb century as sri lanka forced their way back on the second day of the first test against india in ahmedabad . dilshan smashed 112 and featured in solid partnerships with fellow-opener tharanga paranavitana ( 35 ) and captain kumar sangakkara ( 31 ) as sri lanka completed a day of dominance . fast bowler zaheer khan opened a window of opportunity for the hosts by snaring dilshan and sangakkara in successive overs in the final session , but mahela jayawardene ( 36 not out ) and thilan samaraweera , five from a half-century , denied the home side further inroads as sri lanka ended on 275 for three , 151 in deficit . zaheer had looked menacing with the new ball , but with little assistance from the pitch , sri lanka were off to a good start and dilshan looked comfortable . together with left-handed paranavitana , dilshan added 74 for the opening wicket at a brisk pace , effectively putting the pressure back on the home side . ishant sharma eventually severed that stand , forcing paranavitana to fend at a delivery that moved away a touch and he edged to wicketkeeper mahendra singh dhoni who held an excellent catch in front of first slip . save for that burst from zaheer with the new ball , india 's attack had looked ordinary and it allowed sangakkara to hit his stride . with the sri lankan skipper holding up one end , dilshan continued to play freely and eventually reached his 10th test hundred -- his fifth this year -- by cutting leg-spinner ishant for a boundary . the two had added 115 for the second wicket when zaheer produced another fine burst to snare both batsmen . dilshan was tempted with a short ball , but mistimed his pull and ended up presenting rahul dravid a simple catch at gully . sangakkara was also done by a short ball , the captain top edging to sachin tendulkar at fine leg . the twin dismissal left sri lanka at 194 for three , but mahela and samaraweera put the visitors'pursuit back on track . both batsmen began cautiously until samaraweera , who has already scored 1083 runs in eight tests in this calendar year , shed the shackles by driving mishra for consecutive boundaries . the fourth-wicket pair have so far added 81 in an unbroken stand . in the morning , master spinner muttiah muralitharan finished with three wickets as the hosts were bowled out in the first session . muralitharan , who had snared yuvraj on monday , added the wickets of tailenders harbhajan singh and ishant to his tally , while fast bowler chanaka welegedara removed dravid , the batsman falling without adding to his overnight score of 177 . dravid fell in the third over of the morning , welegedara collecting his fourth wicket by bowling the batsman via an inside edge as he attempted to drive . harbhajan , two overnight , then added 25 for the eighth wicket with zaheer taking india 's total past the 400-run mark in the process . but sri lanka 's spinners made short work of the tail . left-arm spinner rangana herath trapped zaheer in front , while muralitharan claimed the wickets of harbhajan and last man ishant to finish with a three-wicket haul . | sri lanka end the day on 275 for three , 151 in deficit of india 's first innings total in ahmedabad |
india <tsp> ( cnn ) -- opener tillakaratne dilshan scored a superb century as sri lanka forced their way back on the second day of the first test against india in ahmedabad . dilshan smashed 112 and featured in solid partnerships with fellow-opener tharanga paranavitana ( 35 ) and captain kumar sangakkara ( 31 ) as sri lanka completed a day of dominance . fast bowler zaheer khan opened a window of opportunity for the hosts by snaring dilshan and sangakkara in successive overs in the final session , but mahela jayawardene ( 36 not out ) and thilan samaraweera , five from a half-century , denied the home side further inroads as sri lanka ended on 275 for three , 151 in deficit . zaheer had looked menacing with the new ball , but with little assistance from the pitch , sri lanka were off to a good start and dilshan looked comfortable . together with left-handed paranavitana , dilshan added 74 for the opening wicket at a brisk pace , effectively putting the pressure back on the home side . ishant sharma eventually severed that stand , forcing paranavitana to fend at a delivery that moved away a touch and he edged to wicketkeeper mahendra singh dhoni who held an excellent catch in front of first slip . save for that burst from zaheer with the new ball , india 's attack had looked ordinary and it allowed sangakkara to hit his stride . with the sri lankan skipper holding up one end , dilshan continued to play freely and eventually reached his 10th test hundred -- his fifth this year -- by cutting leg-spinner ishant for a boundary . the two had added 115 for the second wicket when zaheer produced another fine burst to snare both batsmen . dilshan was tempted with a short ball , but mistimed his pull and ended up presenting rahul dravid a simple catch at gully . sangakkara was also done by a short ball , the captain top edging to sachin tendulkar at fine leg . the twin dismissal left sri lanka at 194 for three , but mahela and samaraweera put the visitors'pursuit back on track . both batsmen began cautiously until samaraweera , who has already scored 1083 runs in eight tests in this calendar year , shed the shackles by driving mishra for consecutive boundaries . the fourth-wicket pair have so far added 81 in an unbroken stand . in the morning , master spinner muttiah muralitharan finished with three wickets as the hosts were bowled out in the first session . muralitharan , who had snared yuvraj on monday , added the wickets of tailenders harbhajan singh and ishant to his tally , while fast bowler chanaka welegedara removed dravid , the batsman falling without adding to his overnight score of 177 . dravid fell in the third over of the morning , welegedara collecting his fourth wicket by bowling the batsman via an inside edge as he attempted to drive . harbhajan , two overnight , then added 25 for the eighth wicket with zaheer taking india 's total past the 400-run mark in the process . but sri lanka 's spinners made short work of the tail . left-arm spinner rangana herath trapped zaheer in front , while muralitharan claimed the wickets of harbhajan and last man ishant to finish with a three-wicket haul . | opener tillakaratne dilshan scores a superb century for sri lanka against india |
india <tsp> ( cnn ) -- opener tillakaratne dilshan scored a superb century as sri lanka forced their way back on the second day of the first test against india in ahmedabad . dilshan smashed 112 and featured in solid partnerships with fellow-opener tharanga paranavitana ( 35 ) and captain kumar sangakkara ( 31 ) as sri lanka completed a day of dominance . fast bowler zaheer khan opened a window of opportunity for the hosts by snaring dilshan and sangakkara in successive overs in the final session , but mahela jayawardene ( 36 not out ) and thilan samaraweera , five from a half-century , denied the home side further inroads as sri lanka ended on 275 for three , 151 in deficit . zaheer had looked menacing with the new ball , but with little assistance from the pitch , sri lanka were off to a good start and dilshan looked comfortable . together with left-handed paranavitana , dilshan added 74 for the opening wicket at a brisk pace , effectively putting the pressure back on the home side . ishant sharma eventually severed that stand , forcing paranavitana to fend at a delivery that moved away a touch and he edged to wicketkeeper mahendra singh dhoni who held an excellent catch in front of first slip . save for that burst from zaheer with the new ball , india 's attack had looked ordinary and it allowed sangakkara to hit his stride . with the sri lankan skipper holding up one end , dilshan continued to play freely and eventually reached his 10th test hundred -- his fifth this year -- by cutting leg-spinner ishant for a boundary . the two had added 115 for the second wicket when zaheer produced another fine burst to snare both batsmen . dilshan was tempted with a short ball , but mistimed his pull and ended up presenting rahul dravid a simple catch at gully . sangakkara was also done by a short ball , the captain top edging to sachin tendulkar at fine leg . the twin dismissal left sri lanka at 194 for three , but mahela and samaraweera put the visitors'pursuit back on track . both batsmen began cautiously until samaraweera , who has already scored 1083 runs in eight tests in this calendar year , shed the shackles by driving mishra for consecutive boundaries . the fourth-wicket pair have so far added 81 in an unbroken stand . in the morning , master spinner muttiah muralitharan finished with three wickets as the hosts were bowled out in the first session . muralitharan , who had snared yuvraj on monday , added the wickets of tailenders harbhajan singh and ishant to his tally , while fast bowler chanaka welegedara removed dravid , the batsman falling without adding to his overnight score of 177 . dravid fell in the third over of the morning , welegedara collecting his fourth wicket by bowling the batsman via an inside edge as he attempted to drive . harbhajan , two overnight , then added 25 for the eighth wicket with zaheer taking india 's total past the 400-run mark in the process . but sri lanka 's spinners made short work of the tail . left-arm spinner rangana herath trapped zaheer in front , while muralitharan claimed the wickets of harbhajan and last man ishant to finish with a three-wicket haul . | sri lanka end the day on 275 for three , 151 in deficit of india 's first innings total in ahmedabad |
ani <tsp> a french hostage held in mali has been executed by al qaeda in the islamic maghreb , mauritania 's ani news agency reported late tuesday . the agency attributed the information to an aqim spokesman . six other french hostages are still being held in mali , ani said . the spokesman reportedly told the agency that the march 10 execution was in response to france 's military intervention in mali , and that french president francois hollande is responsible for the lives of the rest of the hostages . ' before the ani report on tuesday , the french foreign ministry released a statement quoting hollande as saying there are no financial discussions ' ongoing to gain the release of french hostages in various countries . the ministry said it is in constant contact with the families of those being held , and that everything is being done to gain the release of french hostages . french involvement in the malian conflict began on january 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of konna , east of diabaly in central mali , and were poised to advance south toward bamako , the capital . islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party mnla . the militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . they also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . | mauritania 's ani news agency attributes the information to an aqim spokesman |
joe biden <tsp> the obama administration has unveiled a plan to spend millions of dollars to stem the tide of undocumented children streaming across the u.s.-mexico border , announcing a coordinated government-wide response to the situation friday . the plan includes almost $ 100 million in aid to the central american governments of guatemala , honduras and el salvador to help reintegrate the illegal migrants whom the united states will send back , and to help keep them in their home countries , according to a white house statement . the administration also announced it will set aside $ 161.5 million this year for the central american regional security initiative ( carsi ) programs because the programs are critical to enabling central american countries to respond to the region 's most pressing security and governance challenges . ' our assistance will help stem migration flows as well as address the root cause of the migration , ' the statement said . the obama administration has accused syndicates in latin america of waging a deliberate campaign of misinformation that has caused people in poor central american countries and mexico to risk their lives to head for the united states , where they expect to stay . white house press secretary josh earnest said the administration is addressing the problem in several ways . we 're going to open up some additional detention facilities that can accommodate adults that show up on the border with their children . and we 're going to deploy some additional resources to work through their immigration cases more quickly , so they 're not held in that detention facility for a long time , and hopefully be quickly returned to their home country , ' earnest said . earnest said the administration is also working with central american countries to address the problem at its root . some of that is an information campaign and countering this intentional misinformation campaign that 's being propagated by criminal syndicates . but also working through a host of usaid programs and the host governments , or the governments in these countries to try to meet some of the citizens'security needs that are so acute in these countries right now . biden meets with central american leaders vice president joe biden traveled to guatemala on friday for talks with central american leaders as part of the white house strategy . a large number of the recent surge of undocumented children , 29 % , are from guatemala , honduras and el salvador , according to the government . biden 's objective in the meeting with leaders from guatemala , honduras , el salvador and mexico was to emphasize that children and adults arriving with their children ( in the u.s. ) are not eligible to benefit from the passage of immigration reform legislation or from the deferred action for childhood arrivals ( daca ) process . ' most of the children crossing the border would not qualify for amnesty ' under the federal daca program that defers deportation for children brought to the united states previously by their parents or guardians illegally . biden spoke with honduran president juan orlando hernandez during his flight to guatemala . he asked hernandez to work closely with the other leaders to help develop a plan to address the root causes of unlawful migration from central america , according to a statement from the office of the vice president . the vice president discussed the same topics in a meeting in guatemala later with guatemalan president otto pérez molina , president salvador sánchez cerén of el salvador , and representatives from the honduran and mexican governments . obama administration unveils new response biden 's visit to central america was part of the obama administration 's response to what it calls an urgent humanitarian situation . ' u.s. authorities estimate that between 60,000 and 80,000 children without parents will cross the border this year alone . the majority of the children apprehended by the u.s. border patrol along the southwest border this month have been concentrated in the rio grande valley sector of texas , according to a congressional advisory friday . as of june 18 , 3,103 unaccompanied children from 11 countries were in u.s. customs and border protection custody along that border , the majority being from honduras , el salvador , mexico and guatemala , the advisory said . the federal government does not have the processing capabilities to handle this kind of influx of illegal human traffic . but the obama administration has now coordinated a governmentwide response to the crisis . the new plan announced friday includes a big influx of spending to the usaid program , including $ 40 million dollars to guatemala to improve security , $ 25 million to el salvador to help with a crime and violence prevention program and at-risk youth , and $ 18.5 million to the central american regional security initiative in honduras for crime and gang prevention efforts . the department of justice and the department of homeland security are also taking additional steps to try and mitigate the still unfolding immigration crisis . the agencies are surging government enforcement resources to increase ( the ) capacity to detain individuals and adults who bring their children with them and to handle immigration court hearings as quickly and efficiently as possible while also while protecting those who are seeking asylum . ' this is an extraordinary interagency effort to deal with an urgent humanitarian situation , ' said cecilia muñoz , the white house director of domestic policy , in a conference call on the new administration plan . opponents of the obama administration remain skeptical of the immigration policies leading to the boarder crossings of minors . on friday , oklahoma gov . mary fallin toured a temporary shelter at fort sill housing about 600 unaccompanied minors -- ages 12 to 17 -- who crossed the united states'southern border illegally . fallin criticized president barack obama for the lax immigration policies that have lead to an illegal immigration crisis . ' this facility is designed for our soldiers to train and prepare to protect our nation , ' said fallin . instead , the federal government is using it as a cross between a boarding school and detention center for illegal immigrants . president obama should not be using our military facilities as a tool to cover up his failed immigration policies . ' the obama administration aims to close the fort sill housing facility for undocumented children in the next 120 days . crossroads of hope and fear : stories from a desert bus station texas touts'surge'at mexican border to confront illegal immigration | vp joe biden holds meeting in guatemala with regional leaders |
warriors of rock <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in an otherworldly landscape , with controllers in hand , players must conquer the beast in order to release a powerful demigod . no , this is n't world of warcraft . ' it 's guitar hero . ' and with a playlist steeped in monster riffs and a quest mode that winds through scenes populated with the dungeons and dragons of fantasy lore , it might just expose heavy metal 's darkest secret . the ultimate trick that musicians played on the world is that they were cool , ' said brendon small , whose band dethklok ( from his adult swim cartoon metalocalypse ' ) lent the song bloodlines ' to guitar hero : warriors of rock . ' they 're not cool . they 're all nerds . they all love monty python ,'star wars'and rush . everybody from cannibal corpse to metallica , they are all nerds . we are all nerds . ' the game , released september 28 and available on ps3 , wii and xbox360 , likes rush , too . it includes all seven parts of the canadian progressive rock band 's 2112 ' suite and even weaves the legendary rockers into the fabric of the game . the members of rush worked on the 2112 ' game sequence , helping create in-game venues based on scenes from the liner notes of their original album . the band gave suggestions for imagery and recorded voice-overs for the scenes , said brian bright , warriors of rock ' project leader for game creator neversoft . he said the story of 2112 ' parallels the story in the game . the songs tell the story of a man who discovers a guitar , something he has never been exposed to , as the world he lives in is very orwellian and controlling , ' bright said . in the game , the player is in search of the demi-god 's legendary guitar as it is the source of his power . ' small acknowledges that including 21 minutes worth of rush on a game known for mainstream appeal is a nod toward rock 's inner nerd . absolutely ! ' he said . without a doubt , yeah ! oh man , but they picked the right rush . that 's certainly my favorite , and it 's got amazing guitar moments , too . ' it also has what small calls the nerdiest thing of all in music : odd time signatures , which could mean difficult play in warriors of rock . when people start counting odd times like 7/4 instead of 4/4 , [ they 're trying to ] be different and make a new groove , and that is a nerdy , nerdy thing . but rush gets away with it because they 're good , ' said small . neversoft worked closely with other artists to create the ultimate metal quest mode . megadeth 's dave mustaine -- whom small considers one of the world 's best rhythm guitarists -- wrote and recorded sudden death ' for the finale of the game . the game ends with an epic battle between the demi-god of rock and the beast raging on an apocalyptic landscape , so we wanted a track that would completely shred , ' bright said . additionally , gene simmons , the demon ' bassist of iconic rock band kiss , is the narrator of the game 's quest mode and makes a cameo as the demi-god of rock . other musicians who metalheads and rock guitar enthusiasts are sure to geek out to include steve vai , slayer , metallica , ozzy osbourne and anthrax . bright said warriors of rock ' songs were selected chiefly on their playability . a good song for'guitar hero'would have a memorable riff but not feel repetitive . there would be a good amount of chord changes and , ideally , a fun guitar solo to add to the challenge , ' he said . but being a good guitar player does n't necessarily make you a good guitar hero ' player . mike keneally , small 's bandmate in the live , touring version of dethklok , said he thought dethklok songs were easier to play on an actual guitar . bloodlines ' is dethklok 's third song on a guitar hero ' game . small had to disagree with his friend . i said ,'nah , that 's not true . there 's 11-year-olds out there who can just shred through [ dethklok songs ] thunderhorse ' and laser-cannon death sentence . '' those 11-year olds who play warriors of rock ' are about to discover some of the music that helped build small 's career as a musician and cartoon producer . small 's current cartoon project , metalocalypse , ' follows a fictional metal band , dethklok , who have become so popular that they influence world economies . one of my favorite things about'guitar hero'is you 're turning a whole generation on to music that would n't , i think , have discovered it any other way , ' small said . because in order to know about metal , you 've either got to have a cool older sibling or a dude down the street who just knows what 's up . some people do n't have either of those things . some people have a really uncool older sibling who listens to brittney spears or some kind of dance or club or trance , and they 're never going to learn about cool guitar stuff or van halen or any of that stuff . but now that they have'guitar hero'in their life , they can learn about skynyrd . foghat . sabbath . soundgarden . ' a sad omission on guitar hero 's ' part from its sixth offering , said small , was that of lightening-fast guitarist yngwie malmsteen . malmsteen , a swedish guitarist , is known for his classical approach to metal music , as well as his fantasy-laden album covers and music videos . yngwie , of course is the king . i love him . that should be on'guitar hero ,'because it would just be unplayable , ' small said . he did [ a video ] with a wizard , a dragon and him in really high-waisted spandex pants and sgt . pepper 's jacket flipping his stratocaster around . pretty awesome -- what rock 'n'roll is built for . ' | warriors of rock ' sets a metal playlist to a fantasy-driven quest play mode |
rathgeb <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a former playboy playmate of the year remained in custody in los angeles , california , thursday after being arraigned in the alleged shooting of her husband . victoria rathgeb , 66 , entered a plea of not guilty when she was arraigned on a charge of attempted murder in a courtroom tuesday . rathgeb is charged with trying to kill her husband , bruce rathgeb , according to a shiara davila-morales , a spokeswoman for the los angeles county district attorney 's office . bruce rathgeb remains hospitalized at cedars sinai hospital . according to the entertainment website , tmz , the shooting happened at the couple 's west hollywood apartment , and when officers first arrived at the scene rathgeb allegedly told them that it was a drug dealer who shot her husband . morales told cnn that rathgeb is being held in lieu of a $ 1.5 million bond and has a preliminary hearing on november 1 . she was represented by a public defender at the arraignment . if convicted , rathgeb faces life in prison with the possibility of parole . los angeles police confirmed rathgeb was arrested on october 16 for allegedly shooting her husband , but said they would not comment further because of the ongoing investigation . according to the l.a. sheriff 's department , rathgeb is being held at the century regional detention facility . rathgeb was playboy 's 1968 playmate of the year , under the name angela dorian . she also went by the name victoria vetri and had a small part in the movie rosemary 's baby . ' rathgeb also had roles in popular television shows from the 1960s and 1970s such as hogan 's heroes , ' and star trek . ' author and film historian , tom lisanti profiled rathgeb for his book , glamour girls of sixties hollywood . ' her real name is victoria vetri and she went by the stage name , angela dorian , and she was actually considered a pretty good actress and got a lot of television roles . because of her italian heritage , she played mostly ethnic characters . ' according to lisanti , rathgeb 's popularity heightened when she played the part of mia farrow 's neighbor in roman polanski 's film , rosemary 's baby . ' it was polanski who told her to use her real name and actually had a line in the movie where mia farrow says ,'i thought you were victoria vetri , the actress ,'and it was sort of a joke because , of course she was victoria vetri . ' according to lisanti , the early '60s were a difficult time for actresses because by the middle of the decade studio contracts were collapsing and independent movies like bonnie and clyde ' and the graduate ' were starting . there was also this introduction of nudity in films that were becoming really popular and these were women , who were raised in the eisenhower '50s -- so , they lost a lot of roles because they would n't go topless . obviously victoria was n't one of those women -- and so she started as a serious actress and then switched to becoming a sex symbol . her biggest role was in a movie called ,'when dinosaurs ruled the earth ,'and she was , like a lot of actresses at that time , trying to emulate raquel welch in'one million years b.c .'but she never achieved that level of fame . ' rathgeb quietly left acting in late 1970s and went back to doing that age old job of out-of-work actresses -- waitressing , he said . | rathgeb , 66 , was playmate of the year in 1968 |
uae <tsp> abu dhabi , uae ( cnn ) -- during the summer months , in the arid , subtropical coastal plains of the united arab emirates , temperatures rise to 40 celsius plus -- while average rainfall is a desolate four inches a year . and yet , in the years since the discovery of vast oil reserves in the late 1950s , a forest of skyscrapers , luxury apartments , verdant green gardens and golf courses has risen from the sand . it 's been made possible only with recourse to unimaginably large amounts of water . indeed , at 550 liters a day , emiratis consume more per head of population than anyone else on earth . it just evaporates very , very quickly , ' explains ivano iannelli , ceo of the dubai carbon center of excellence . then when you add the lifestyle requirements -- the giant swimming pools ; the cooling systems ; the big gardens that need irrigating four times a day ... it goes some way to explain why the water consumption is so high . ' with scarce native freshwater supplies , iannelli says the oil-rich nation spends hundreds of million of dollars a year purifying coastal seawater . for a country that , according to opec , boasted over $ 74 billion crude-oil export revenue in 2010 , the financial burden may seem relatively light . but the cost to the climate , says iannelli , is certainly not . desalination requires a lot of power ... we estimate that about four tonnes of carbon are emitted per million gallons of freshwater produced here , ' he says , with reference to the energy-intensive process of removing salt from seawater ( see factbox ) . to put that figure in context , iannelli says that the energy required to pump freshwater from underground ( which , he says , is the most common source of drinking water in the west ) typically produces just over 1.5 tonnes of co2 per million gallons . read related : from polluter to protector : the uae 's'green sheikh' while large-scale desalination is not uncommon in those parts of the world where natural water resources are scarce -- such as texas and australia -- the uae is by some margin , according to iannelli , the industry 's most active player . in fact , 50 % of all the world 's desalination takes place in the gulf . the fujairah desalination plant in abu dhabi has a freshwater generation capacity of 492 million liters a day , making it the biggest single producer on the planet , according to iannelli , who notes that it totally dwarfs anything found in the west . ' for dr mohammad dawoud , of the abu dhabi environment agency , this spells trouble for the future . if we do n't conserve our water ... i fear about our resources in the future for the next generation , ' he says . however , standing in one of the country 's 30 solar plants -- overlooked by sand dunes on all sides , dawoud tells cnn that he hopes that solar technology may eventually offer a viable alternative energy source to power the uae 's huge desalination needs . there are no carbon emissions while using photovoltaic cells to produce electricity -- then ( we can ) use electricity to operate desalination plants to produce freshwater , ' he predicts . but on this point iannelli is not convinced : at the moment , solar panels are not fit for purpose in the uae ... the dust and the sand in the atmosphere prevent ( sun ) rays from hitting the panels efficiently ... and the high temperatures also reduce performance , ' he says . for me , solar is not the answer . ' instead , iannelli believes that the most practical solution is for the desalination process to become more energy efficient , in conjunction with an effort by the emiratis themselves to curb their lavish ' water consumption habits . there is almost no regulation concerning water or power use , no minimum standards for water-consuming appliances ... and very few energy requirements for buildings , ' he laments . whatever we do , from now on it has to be cost-effective , lean and clean . ' | uae consumes 550 liters of water per head each day -- more than any other country |
uae <tsp> abu dhabi , uae ( cnn ) -- during the summer months , in the arid , subtropical coastal plains of the united arab emirates , temperatures rise to 40 celsius plus -- while average rainfall is a desolate four inches a year . and yet , in the years since the discovery of vast oil reserves in the late 1950s , a forest of skyscrapers , luxury apartments , verdant green gardens and golf courses has risen from the sand . it 's been made possible only with recourse to unimaginably large amounts of water . indeed , at 550 liters a day , emiratis consume more per head of population than anyone else on earth . it just evaporates very , very quickly , ' explains ivano iannelli , ceo of the dubai carbon center of excellence . then when you add the lifestyle requirements -- the giant swimming pools ; the cooling systems ; the big gardens that need irrigating four times a day ... it goes some way to explain why the water consumption is so high . ' with scarce native freshwater supplies , iannelli says the oil-rich nation spends hundreds of million of dollars a year purifying coastal seawater . for a country that , according to opec , boasted over $ 74 billion crude-oil export revenue in 2010 , the financial burden may seem relatively light . but the cost to the climate , says iannelli , is certainly not . desalination requires a lot of power ... we estimate that about four tonnes of carbon are emitted per million gallons of freshwater produced here , ' he says , with reference to the energy-intensive process of removing salt from seawater ( see factbox ) . to put that figure in context , iannelli says that the energy required to pump freshwater from underground ( which , he says , is the most common source of drinking water in the west ) typically produces just over 1.5 tonnes of co2 per million gallons . read related : from polluter to protector : the uae 's'green sheikh' while large-scale desalination is not uncommon in those parts of the world where natural water resources are scarce -- such as texas and australia -- the uae is by some margin , according to iannelli , the industry 's most active player . in fact , 50 % of all the world 's desalination takes place in the gulf . the fujairah desalination plant in abu dhabi has a freshwater generation capacity of 492 million liters a day , making it the biggest single producer on the planet , according to iannelli , who notes that it totally dwarfs anything found in the west . ' for dr mohammad dawoud , of the abu dhabi environment agency , this spells trouble for the future . if we do n't conserve our water ... i fear about our resources in the future for the next generation , ' he says . however , standing in one of the country 's 30 solar plants -- overlooked by sand dunes on all sides , dawoud tells cnn that he hopes that solar technology may eventually offer a viable alternative energy source to power the uae 's huge desalination needs . there are no carbon emissions while using photovoltaic cells to produce electricity -- then ( we can ) use electricity to operate desalination plants to produce freshwater , ' he predicts . but on this point iannelli is not convinced : at the moment , solar panels are not fit for purpose in the uae ... the dust and the sand in the atmosphere prevent ( sun ) rays from hitting the panels efficiently ... and the high temperatures also reduce performance , ' he says . for me , solar is not the answer . ' instead , iannelli believes that the most practical solution is for the desalination process to become more energy efficient , in conjunction with an effort by the emiratis themselves to curb their lavish ' water consumption habits . there is almost no regulation concerning water or power use , no minimum standards for water-consuming appliances ... and very few energy requirements for buildings , ' he laments . whatever we do , from now on it has to be cost-effective , lean and clean . ' | resource experts talk to cnn about their concerns for uae 's future water security |
great depression <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i was owned by johnson bell and born in new orleans , in louisiana . ' those words were spoken by a man named frank bell . he said that according to the bill of sale , i 'm 86 years old . ' his words , and those of thousands of other american citizens , were transcribed in the 1930s , at the depth of the great depression . as part of president franklin d. roosevelt 's efforts to restart the economy , the works progress administration was founded , and one arm of the wpa was something called the federal writers'project . men and women were hired by the government to work on various assignments documenting american history and american life . one of those assignments , vast in scope , came to be known as the slave narratives . if a woman was a good breeder she brought a good price on the auction block , ' said hattie rogers , a north carolina resident , when she was interviewed in 1937 . the slave buyers would come around and jab them in the stomach and look them over and if they thought they would have children fast they brought a good price . ' we are in the midst of black history month . the slave years in the united states were not only black history , they were american history -- the ugliest and most indefensible chapter . i had long heard of the slave narratives , but had never read them . the original interviews comprised 17 bound volumes in the library of congress , filled with the firsthand accounts of more than 2,000 former slaves , and hundreds of photographs . the interviewers were sent to 17 states , and that is how the printed conversations are bound and arranged . i have been reading two volumes -- covering interviews done in north carolina and in texas . what is so shattering is the matter-of-fact tone of what the former slaves said . the united states was well into the 20th century by the time the interviews were conducted ; automobiles had come to the nation , as had radio and motion pictures and air travel . the country , in many ways , was beginning to resemble the nation we live in now . yet residing in america 's cities and towns were men and women who recalled being sold at auction , of seeing brothers and sisters led away in chains , of having -- in their words -- good owners ' or cruel masters . ' survivors of a time when , in many states , it was perfectly lawful for human beings to own other human beings , and to buy and sell them . mary armstrong , 91 and living in houston when she was interviewed , said the person who owned her family was so mean he never would sell the man and woman and ( children ) to the same one . he 'd sell the man here and the woman there and if ( there were children ) he 'd sell them someplace else . ' charity riddick , 80 , interviewed in north carolina , had a similar memory . i belonged to madison pace in slavery time , ' she said . she had a brother whose first name was washington , she said , but he was sold away . ' their mother cried a lot about it . ' the former slaves who were still alive in the 1930s were , of course , the youngest of those who were enslaved before emancipation . many of them were relating childhood or adolescent memories , while others were passing on what their parents related to them . there were many , however , who were old enough to have vivid firsthand recollections of specific instances . stearlin arnwine , who was 94 and living near jacksonville , texas , when he was interviewed , said he would see slaves on the auction block , stripped to the waist for inspection by potential buyers . women and their children , he said , would be crying and begging not to be separated , ' but it did no good : they had to go . ' as anguishing as are the stories recounted by the former slaves , troubling in a different way was the methodology many of the interviewers chose in committing the stories to written form . most of the writers were white ; in the 1930s , apparently it was still considered acceptable to use crudely rendered dialect in recreating on paper the speech patterns of african-americans . that is how some of the writers transcribed the interviews , and in many cases it comes off as something close to mockery , whether or not it was intended that way . the power of the stories overrides everything else . the quiet starkness of the telling : ' my father was a slave , a.h. stewart , belonging to james arch stewart , a slave owner , whose plantation was in wake county , ' said sam t. stewart , 84 , interviewed in north carolina in june 1937 . when i was two years old james arch stewart sold my father to speculators , and he was shipped to mississippi . i was too young to know my father . ' you can read from the volumes for hours at a time , and when you are finished for the evening you can look around you and try to comprehend that all of this was taking place in the same nation where we live today . alex woods , of raleigh , north carolina , born on may 15 , 1858 , said that as a boy he saw slaves being marched on their way to the auction block , each person chained to the one next to him , and , as he witnessed this , being afraid my mother and father would be sold away from me . ' story after story after story . henry h. buttler , 87 , living in fort worth in the 1930s but born a slave in virginia : ' the plantation consisted of about 30 acres , with about 30 slaves , though this number varied and sometimes reached 50 . mr. sullivan owned my mother and her children , but my father was owned by mr. john rector , whose place was adjacent to ours . ' and , when abraham lincoln proclaimed that this must no longer be permitted to go on , millions of americans said that he was dead wrong . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bob greene . | during great depression , writers project interviewed former slaves |
peterhansel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- stephane peterhansel reveled in the challenging sand dunes which marked the fifth stage of the dakar rally and stepped up his challenge for yet another triumph in the event with an emphatic victory . he covered he 423km from calama to iquique in chile in his bmw in four hours 33 minutes 19 seconds . it left him one minute 24 seconds ahead of qatar 's nasser al-attiyah with race leader carlos sainz over three minutes back . the 45-year-old frenchman has won the car section of the dakar rally three times and is a six-time motorcycle winner . sainz , who has seen his overall lead over peterhansel cut to two minutes 26 seconds , and volkwagen teammate al-attiyah , both had navigational problems in the dunes to lose time . al-attiyah , who won the third stage , is two minutes 33 seconds back in third in a tight battle for race honors . peterhansel is optimistic that he can secure his 10th dakar rally triumph . the first three places in the general standings are separated by three minutes , ' he told the official race website . that 's good . i hope it stays like that until the rest day , that way we 'll have a thrilling end to the race . everything is still possible for us . ' portugal 's paulo goncalves , riding a bmw , won the motorbike section with chile 's aprilia rider francisco lopez taking second . dutchman frans verhoeven , on another bmw , was third with overall leader marc coma of spain on a ktm . coma 's arch rival and defending champion cyril despres of france was fifth . despres stays second in the overall standings despite being handed a 10-minute penalty overnight for a technical infringement as he did not follow the official race route at the start . | stephane peterhansel wins the fifth stage of the dakar rally in his bmw |
peterhansel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- stephane peterhansel reveled in the challenging sand dunes which marked the fifth stage of the dakar rally and stepped up his challenge for yet another triumph in the event with an emphatic victory . he covered he 423km from calama to iquique in chile in his bmw in four hours 33 minutes 19 seconds . it left him one minute 24 seconds ahead of qatar 's nasser al-attiyah with race leader carlos sainz over three minutes back . the 45-year-old frenchman has won the car section of the dakar rally three times and is a six-time motorcycle winner . sainz , who has seen his overall lead over peterhansel cut to two minutes 26 seconds , and volkwagen teammate al-attiyah , both had navigational problems in the dunes to lose time . al-attiyah , who won the third stage , is two minutes 33 seconds back in third in a tight battle for race honors . peterhansel is optimistic that he can secure his 10th dakar rally triumph . the first three places in the general standings are separated by three minutes , ' he told the official race website . that 's good . i hope it stays like that until the rest day , that way we 'll have a thrilling end to the race . everything is still possible for us . ' portugal 's paulo goncalves , riding a bmw , won the motorbike section with chile 's aprilia rider francisco lopez taking second . dutchman frans verhoeven , on another bmw , was third with overall leader marc coma of spain on a ktm . coma 's arch rival and defending champion cyril despres of france was fifth . despres stays second in the overall standings despite being handed a 10-minute penalty overnight for a technical infringement as he did not follow the official race route at the start . | peterhansel closes up on overall race leader carlos sainz |
preakness stakes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- oxbow , after a sixth-place showing at the kentucky derby , led wire-to-wire to claim victory saturday at the 138th running of the preakness stakes . the horse , ridden by veteran gary stevens , dashed the triple crown hopes of orb , which finished fourth at pimlico race course in baltimore . itsmyluckday finished second and mylute was third . oxbow 's winning time was 1:57:54 over the 1 3/16-mile course , 4â½ seconds slower than the record set by triple crown winner secretariat in 1973 . oxbow came into the preakness as a 15-1 shot , and did n't get a lot of respect after the derby , ' stevens , who came out of retirement earlier this year , told nbc . preakness stakes : fun facts about'the middle sister' the 50-year-old stevens in january took a call from oxbow trainer d. wayne lukas , who he told him i 'm going to have a colt for you . ' that colt was oxbow . his mind was right ' on saturday , said stevens . he did n't expect his horse to go to the lead so early , but it did n't leave him gassed at the end . he exploded home coming off the turn , ' stevens said . orb , the derby winner and a 3-5 favorite at the preakness stakes , got a clean start from the inside post but soon became boxed in on the rail where he started . he was hemmed in among the other colts , unable to stake a position on the outside as he had in rallying to victory at churchill downs on may 4 . the third triple crown race , the belmont stakes , is set for june 8 in new york . stevens , a hall of fame jockey , said oxbow maintained a nice , easy pace . ' what you saw out there was the way we trained , ' stevens said . his ears were up so he was telling me he was comfortable and it was just like we worked out . ' former racehorses get a second chance at life it was the third preakness victory for stevens , who had settled into a second career as a race commentator before the call from lukas . he 's like a brother , a coach and a father figure to me , ' stevens said of lukas , who now claims six preakness winners . crowning glory : the artful hats of horse racing cnn 's chelsea j. carter contributed this report . | oxbow leads preakness stakes from start to finish |
mona lisa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the exhumation of three bodies from a florentine crypt may have brought italian researchers a step closer to confirming the identity of the woman believed to be the subject of leonardo da vinci 's famous mona lisa ' painting , also known as la gioconda . ' la gioconda ' refers to lisa gherardini , the second wife of a florentine silk merchant , francesco del giocondo . the remains of del giocondo , his son by gherardini -- piero -- and gherardini 's stepson bartolomeo have been uncovered in their family crypt , the authority of florence has announced . a team led by silvano vinceti accessed the remains beneath the chapel of the holy martyrs , in florence on august 6 , it said in a statement . last year , vinceti 's team exhumed the remains of eight women from the ruins of a franciscan convent in florence where old city records said gherardini had been buried . a laboratory at the university of bologna had established that three of the skeletons at the st. ursula convent were consistent with the age at which gherardini had died , the statement said . further carbon testing to establish which of those skeletons dated from the 16th century -- when gherardini died -- was being carried out at the university of salento , it quoted vinceti as saying . if dna taken from the del giocondo family remains matched one of the skeletons found in the convent ruins , the skeleton could be confirmed as gherardini 's , he said . scientists could then reconstruct gherardini 's face and compare it to da vinci 's mysterious portrait . talking to cnn 's ben wedeman when the convent skeletons were found last year , vinceti said the reconstruction would have a margin of error of just 2 to 8 % -- once researchers factored in that gherardini had probably been in her early 20s when she posed for da vinci . read more : researchers hope to uncover who 's behind'mona lisa'smile vinceti told wedeman he was certain that da vinci had been commissioned to paint a portrait of gherardini but could not be sure that the mona lisa ' was of her , or just contained some of her features . for starters , the famous smile was not gherardini 's , he said . analysis of the mona lisa ' had shown that when leonardo began painting the model in front of him , he did not draw that metaphysical , ironic , poignant , elusive smile , but rather he painted a person who was dark and depressed . ' a reconstruction would finally answer the question art historians had been unable to resolve , vinceti said : who was the model for leonardo ? ' read more : da vinci 's lost masterpiece may be found | remains of relatives of the woman believed to be the mona lisa ' model have been found |
olympic <tsp> bekoji , ethiopia ( cnn ) -- it might be many miles away from the usual sporting capitals of the world , but when it comes to long-distance running there 's one tiny place that 's setting the pace . nestled amidst rolling farmlands on the green hills of southern central ethiopia , bekoji is a sleepy town of less than 20,000 people , most of whom are farmers and herders . but apart from the wheat and maize growing on bekoji 's fertile soil , this small town a few hours south from capital addis ababa is also the breeding ground for some of the best track and field athletes in the world . set at about 2,800 meters above sea level , bekoji has produced a string of olympic champions and world-beating long-distance runners , including multiple olympic gold medal winners tirunesh dibaba and kenenisa bekele . sentayehu eshetu , the legendary coach who has so far trained four of bekoji 's olympic gold winners , says that a winning mix of thin air , lean diet and different terrains has helped the town 's rich crop of runners stand out in recent years . our training fields are very conducive for athletics , ' says eshetu , 56 , who is known in bekoji simply as coach . ' we have downhill , flat land , all of these here in bekoji . the food they eat also has an impact , the weather has an impact , the combination of these makes the kids successful . ' read this : senegalese teens shoot for u.s. glory eshetu is quick to add , however , that favorable weather and training conditions do not guarantee success . determination and dedication are key , he says . our runners are successful because they work hard , ' he explains . they work with the aim of reaching for success . this is what makes them different . ' and if there 's anyone who should know about success , that 's eshetu . for some 25 years he has been discovering and nurturing the talents of some the finest runners in ethiopia -- a global powerhouse in long-distance running , with 35 olympic medals in the last 20 years . apart from dibaba and bekele , eshetu has also trained derartu tulu , a two-time olympic champion , tiki gelana , the marathon winner at the 2012 london olympics , tirfi tsegaye , winner of the recent 2013 dubai marathon , and many others . read this : cameroon 's outspoken football star using a blue-walled mud hut as an office and bekoji 's fields as training grounds , eshetu spots , coaches and mentors scores of local youngsters who follow his rigorous routine in the hope of running their way from bekoji to international stardom . when i recruit athletes , i look at those who have a desire to put in the work , ' says eshetu . i look at their shape . kids who are too short wo n't have good results . those who are tall walk upright and those who complete their training with passion , i recruit them . they train here for three years after entering the camp . after three years , those with good results move on to other clubs . after that , based on their time , they compete in other races , even international ones . ' but for the majority of these young athletes , this is not an easy road . poverty is common , sporting equipment does not come cheap and most get by on no more than two meals a day . here athletes have difficulty with getting regular food , with owning shoes , they face a lot of problems , ' says eshetu . they have to sew their shoes , manage with little food , work long and hard , but i believe this allows them to become stronger and successful . ' read this : nba boss finding africa 's basketball stars eshetu 's golden girl is three-time olympic champion dibaba , a member of a sporting family dynasty that includes four successful long-distance athletes . last summer , as dibaba sprinted through the finish line to win gold in the 10,000 meters at the london olympics , eshetu was watching proudly on a screen thousands of miles away . sentayehu knew that my cousin derartu tulu ran , ' says dibaba . he knew that my sisters ran too , that 's why he encouraged me to start running . he used to tell me that i would be a great runner . he knew i would be a fast runner that 's why he started coaching me . ' for dibaba , representing a country with such a distinguished athletics history brings a feeling of great responsibility . our country is not like other countries , ' says dibaba . you should bring back gold when you compete for ethiopia . the people do n't accept anything less , the people wo n't be happy with anything less . silver and bronze in our country is no better than finishing fifth or sixth . i want to make people happy and therefore think of finishing first . my heart pounds when i think of this , and that why i train hard , to make the people happy . ' driven by a strong sense of duty and a strong desire to produce successful athletes , eshetu shows no signs of stopping . instead , he 's always keeping an eye out for the next rising star to come out of bekoji 's rich crop . running for ethiopia is a movement that has shown the world where we are , what we can do and who we are as a people , ' says eshetu . | ethiopian long-distance runners have won 35 olympic medals in the last 20 years |
florence <tsp> florence 's best buys tend to be leather goods , designer wear and food . roberto cavalli 's florence store , just one of the city 's many high-end boutiques if money is no object , head to via tornabuoni , florence 's answer to 5th avenue , and snap up prada , gucci , and local-born designers cavalli , ferragamo and pucci . if your budget does n't stretch that far , head south to the city outskirts by car or taxi to the designer outlets where you can pick up luxury goods from dolce and gabbana and more at bargain prices ( www.outlet-firenze.com . ) for hand-made cashmere or silk-lined leather gloves , try madora ( via guicciardini 1/r ; +39 055 239 6526 ) . some people travel all the way to florence just to shop here . if you have ever admired sting 's suits , you can buy one of your own from piero and franco cisternino ( via del purgatorio 22/r ; +39 055 280 118 ) who make men 's suits to measure . one of the most beautiful shops in florence is an ancient herbal pharmacy or apothecary , farmaceutica di santa maria novella ( via della scala 16 ; +39 055 216 276 ) , set in a 13th-century frescoed chapel . its world renowned products include pomegranate perfume , orange blossom water and carnation milk soap . italians have typically been late adopters of vintage fashion but elio ferraro ( via del parione 47/r ; +39 055 290 425 ; www.elioferraro.com ) was ahead of the game . a visit to his gallery/shop will unearth vintage yves saint laurent , dior and chanel from the 1930s onwards . ...................... florence city guide : where to stay | what to see | where to be seen | where to eat | where to shop ...................... do you agree with our florence picks ? send us your comments and suggestions in the sound off ' box below and we 'll print the best . | florence is famous for its quality leather goods , like silk-lined gloves |
florence <tsp> florence 's best buys tend to be leather goods , designer wear and food . roberto cavalli 's florence store , just one of the city 's many high-end boutiques if money is no object , head to via tornabuoni , florence 's answer to 5th avenue , and snap up prada , gucci , and local-born designers cavalli , ferragamo and pucci . if your budget does n't stretch that far , head south to the city outskirts by car or taxi to the designer outlets where you can pick up luxury goods from dolce and gabbana and more at bargain prices ( www.outlet-firenze.com . ) for hand-made cashmere or silk-lined leather gloves , try madora ( via guicciardini 1/r ; +39 055 239 6526 ) . some people travel all the way to florence just to shop here . if you have ever admired sting 's suits , you can buy one of your own from piero and franco cisternino ( via del purgatorio 22/r ; +39 055 280 118 ) who make men 's suits to measure . one of the most beautiful shops in florence is an ancient herbal pharmacy or apothecary , farmaceutica di santa maria novella ( via della scala 16 ; +39 055 216 276 ) , set in a 13th-century frescoed chapel . its world renowned products include pomegranate perfume , orange blossom water and carnation milk soap . italians have typically been late adopters of vintage fashion but elio ferraro ( via del parione 47/r ; +39 055 290 425 ; www.elioferraro.com ) was ahead of the game . a visit to his gallery/shop will unearth vintage yves saint laurent , dior and chanel from the 1930s onwards . ...................... florence city guide : where to stay | what to see | where to be seen | where to eat | where to shop ...................... do you agree with our florence picks ? send us your comments and suggestions in the sound off ' box below and we 'll print the best . | florence 's shopping is n't cheap : think high-end luxury goods |
via tornabuoni <tsp> florence 's best buys tend to be leather goods , designer wear and food . roberto cavalli 's florence store , just one of the city 's many high-end boutiques if money is no object , head to via tornabuoni , florence 's answer to 5th avenue , and snap up prada , gucci , and local-born designers cavalli , ferragamo and pucci . if your budget does n't stretch that far , head south to the city outskirts by car or taxi to the designer outlets where you can pick up luxury goods from dolce and gabbana and more at bargain prices ( www.outlet-firenze.com . ) for hand-made cashmere or silk-lined leather gloves , try madora ( via guicciardini 1/r ; +39 055 239 6526 ) . some people travel all the way to florence just to shop here . if you have ever admired sting 's suits , you can buy one of your own from piero and franco cisternino ( via del purgatorio 22/r ; +39 055 280 118 ) who make men 's suits to measure . one of the most beautiful shops in florence is an ancient herbal pharmacy or apothecary , farmaceutica di santa maria novella ( via della scala 16 ; +39 055 216 276 ) , set in a 13th-century frescoed chapel . its world renowned products include pomegranate perfume , orange blossom water and carnation milk soap . italians have typically been late adopters of vintage fashion but elio ferraro ( via del parione 47/r ; +39 055 290 425 ; www.elioferraro.com ) was ahead of the game . a visit to his gallery/shop will unearth vintage yves saint laurent , dior and chanel from the 1930s onwards . ...................... florence city guide : where to stay | what to see | where to be seen | where to eat | where to shop ...................... do you agree with our florence picks ? send us your comments and suggestions in the sound off ' box below and we 'll print the best . | italian designers can be found on via tornabuoni -- and also at the outlet mall |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australia 's prime minister tony abbott on tuesday refused to apologize over damaging allegations that australia 's intelligence services spied on indonesia 's president susilo bambang yudhoyono , tapping his personal mobile phone and those of his inner circle . australia should not be expected to apologize for the steps we take to protect our country now , or in the past , any more than other governments should be expected to apologize for the similar steps they have taken , ' abbott said in an address to parliament . importantly , in australia 's case , we use all our resources including information to help our friends and allies , not to harm them , ' abbott said , adding that australia should not be expected to detail what it does to protect its country any more than other countries do . i want to make it absolutely crystal clear , australia has deep respect for indonesia , for its government , and for its people , ' he said . i regard president yudhoyono as a good friend of australia , indeed as one of the very best friends that we have anywhere in the world , that 's why ... i sincerely regret any embarrassment that recent media reports have caused him . ' he said that it was in everyone 's interest that cool heads prevail ' over the spying scandal that has engulfed his new liberal government . on monday , the indonesian government took what it described as the serious step ' of withdrawing its ambassador from the australian capital canberra . jakarta also summoned australian ambassador greg moriarty to voice its anger at allegations that australia had been spying directly on the indonesian president . earlier on tuesday , president yudhoyono released a series of angry tweets -- translated from bahasa indonesia into english and signed sby ' to indicate they come straight from the president -- in which he attacked abbott over a perceived lack of remorse over the revelations . i also regret the statement of ( the ) australian prime minister that belittled this tapping matter in indonesia without any remorse . * sby * , ' the tweet read . these us & australian actions have certainly damaged the strategic partnership with indonesia , as fellow democracies . * sby * , ' an earlier tweet read . indonesia earlier this month expressed outrage over reports that australia 's jakarta embassy was used as part of a u.s.-led spying network in asia . in his series of tweets , yudhoyono called on the australian government to give us an official answer which can be understood by broader indonesian society about the tapping . ' while the direct attack on abbott is likely to be a blow for the new liberal government , which has made much of maintaining good relations with its populous northern neighbor -- a key ally and trading partner -- abbott has been consistently unrepentant about the revelations . speaking in parliament on monday , abbott had said : the australian government never comments on specific intelligence matters . all governments gather information and all governments know that every other government gathers information . i will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close co-operation that we have with indonesia , which is all in all our most important relationship . ' indonesia 's objections stem from reports in the australian broadcasting corporation ( abc ) and guardian australia that said australian intelligence tracked yudhoyono 's mobile phone for 15 days in august 2009 , monitoring the calls he made and received . the intelligence agency also tried to listen in on what was said on at least one occasion . but the call was less than a minute long and could not be successfully tapped , abc reported . the two media outlets cited documents provided by edward snowden , the u.s. national security contractor-turned-leaker . | he tells parliament that information is used by australia to help not harm ' its allies |
australia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- australia 's prime minister tony abbott on tuesday refused to apologize over damaging allegations that australia 's intelligence services spied on indonesia 's president susilo bambang yudhoyono , tapping his personal mobile phone and those of his inner circle . australia should not be expected to apologize for the steps we take to protect our country now , or in the past , any more than other governments should be expected to apologize for the similar steps they have taken , ' abbott said in an address to parliament . importantly , in australia 's case , we use all our resources including information to help our friends and allies , not to harm them , ' abbott said , adding that australia should not be expected to detail what it does to protect its country any more than other countries do . i want to make it absolutely crystal clear , australia has deep respect for indonesia , for its government , and for its people , ' he said . i regard president yudhoyono as a good friend of australia , indeed as one of the very best friends that we have anywhere in the world , that 's why ... i sincerely regret any embarrassment that recent media reports have caused him . ' he said that it was in everyone 's interest that cool heads prevail ' over the spying scandal that has engulfed his new liberal government . on monday , the indonesian government took what it described as the serious step ' of withdrawing its ambassador from the australian capital canberra . jakarta also summoned australian ambassador greg moriarty to voice its anger at allegations that australia had been spying directly on the indonesian president . earlier on tuesday , president yudhoyono released a series of angry tweets -- translated from bahasa indonesia into english and signed sby ' to indicate they come straight from the president -- in which he attacked abbott over a perceived lack of remorse over the revelations . i also regret the statement of ( the ) australian prime minister that belittled this tapping matter in indonesia without any remorse . * sby * , ' the tweet read . these us & australian actions have certainly damaged the strategic partnership with indonesia , as fellow democracies . * sby * , ' an earlier tweet read . indonesia earlier this month expressed outrage over reports that australia 's jakarta embassy was used as part of a u.s.-led spying network in asia . in his series of tweets , yudhoyono called on the australian government to give us an official answer which can be understood by broader indonesian society about the tapping . ' while the direct attack on abbott is likely to be a blow for the new liberal government , which has made much of maintaining good relations with its populous northern neighbor -- a key ally and trading partner -- abbott has been consistently unrepentant about the revelations . speaking in parliament on monday , abbott had said : the australian government never comments on specific intelligence matters . all governments gather information and all governments know that every other government gathers information . i will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close co-operation that we have with indonesia , which is all in all our most important relationship . ' indonesia 's objections stem from reports in the australian broadcasting corporation ( abc ) and guardian australia that said australian intelligence tracked yudhoyono 's mobile phone for 15 days in august 2009 , monitoring the calls he made and received . the intelligence agency also tried to listen in on what was said on at least one occasion . but the call was less than a minute long and could not be successfully tapped , abc reported . the two media outlets cited documents provided by edward snowden , the u.s. national security contractor-turned-leaker . | indonesia on monday withdrew its ambassador to australia in protest |
sandeep kapoor <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- anna nicole smith 's bizarre introduction of rapper kanye west at the 2004 american music awards took center stage on the first day of a preliminary hearing for three people facing charges stemming from her death . anna nicole smith 's death on february 8 , 2007 , was ruled to be from acute combined drug intoxication . ' prosecutors said they wanted judge robert perry to see how the former playboy model and reality tv star was affected by what they alleged was an illegal conspiracy to prescribe , administer and dispense controlled substances to an addict . howard k. stern , smith 's lawyer and companion , and co-defendants dr. khristine eroshevich and dr. sandeep kapoor each entered not guilty pleas in los angeles county superior court in september . the preliminary hearing , which lawyers said could last three weeks , is an opportunity for the defense to lock in ' the testimony of prosecution witnesses , one defense lawyer said . it is not expected to result in any charges being dropped , he said . the lawyer for stern , who faces 11 felony counts , said to prove a conspiracy , the prosecutor would have to show stern knew it was illegal to use fake names to obtain narcotics for smith , which he said was to protect her privacy . he has no reason to believe that there was anything improper in what was going on , ' defense lawyer steve sadow said . he honestly believed that if the doctor said he could do it this way and , in fact , did it , then it was legitimate and lawful . ' smith 's death in a hollywood , florida , hotel on february 8 , 2007 , was ruled to be from acute combined drug intoxication , ' the broward county , florida , medical examiner said . smith 's introduction of kanye west -- projected on a courtroom screen -- was a brief respite from a mostly tedious hearing spent shuffling through prescription records . like my body ? ' a slim and busty smith asked as she showed off her tight-fitting gown . smith slurred much of her speech as she tried to read from a teleprompter . make some noise for my boy , kanye west , ' smith finally yelled . sadow said the video should be viewed in the context of the medical problems smith was suffering at the time . we all have bad days , and she suffered from seizures and she had medical problems , ' sadow said . so , if she 's on medication for that , [ it ] would explain her activity . ' stern sat with his head in his hands at times while the government 's lead investigator described what happened the day smith died at the hard rock hotel . danny santiago , special agent for the california bureau of narcotics enforcement , said investigators found 12 types of prescription drugs , including dangerous opiates , in the hotel room . seven of them were prescribed using stern 's name , although spelled stearn , ' he said . two of the drugs apparently were for treatment of flu-like symptoms ' smith was suffering when she arrived at the hotel three days before her death , he said . a hotel employee who saw smith and stern arrive told investigators she was n't her normal vivacious self , ' santiago said . another hotel worker who had closely assisted smith during several earlier stays said she was not allowed contact with smith , which she said was very unusual , ' santiago testified . the workers said they were told smith was suffering from flu-like symptoms . ' the autopsy revealed smith had a bacterial infection , santiago said . when stern left the hotel on the morning of february 8 to shop for a new boat , he asked tasma brighthaupt , a registered nurse who is married to smith 's bodyguard , to watch over smith , who he said was sleeping , the investigator said . brighthaupt sat next to the bed , surfing the internet with a laptop and talking on her cell phone , believing smith was sleeping , he said . finally , brigette neben , described as a friend of smith 's , noticed her lips were turning blue and her skin was pale , he said . when the nurse was unable to find a pulse , she called her husband , maurice brighthaupt . he then called the hotel desk , where an employee called for paramedics . cpr efforts by the bodyguard and paramedics failed to revive smith , who was then taken to hollywood memorial hospital , where she was pronounced dead , the investigator said . a series of affidavits used by state investigators to obtain search warrants in their 2½-year investigation was unsealed last month , revealing many details , including an account of one witness who told investigators she saw stern inject smith with drugs . other affidavits included a medical expert 's conclusion that smith , whose real name was vickie lynn marshall , was given drugs in excessive amounts ' and a pharmacist who said he had refused to fill a prescription for a long list of strong narcotics . | howard stern , khristine eroshevich , sandeep kapoor have pleaded not guilty |
mikel <tsp> the kidnapped father of chelsea footballer john obi mikel has been released alive by his captors in the nigerian city of kano . michael obi went missing from jos -- the main city in plateau state in central nigeria -- on august 12 and had not been seen or heard of since . mikel was informed of the kidnap just hours before chelsea 's opening game of the english premier league season at stoke but decided to play . he also played the full 90 minutes in saturday 's 2-1 victory over west brom . a statement released by mikel 's management company , sport entertainment & media group , confirmed the news . sem are delighted to confirm , that earlier today michael obi called his family to advise them that he had been released by his abductors . sem have waited until now to release this information , to ensure that michael was safe . john obi mikel would like to thank everyone in nigeria , his family & friends , chelsea fc & their fans & his agents for their total support during this terrible time . a full statement of the situation will be released by sem tomorrow ( tuesday ) morning . ' according to afp , five men have been arrested in connection with michael 's kidnapping . they quoted michael explaining his abduction : i was taken right deep into the bush , in an isolated area in jos ( in central nigeria ) . i started begging them , yet they beat me mercilessly , kicking me with their boots . there are five of them and they were dressed in military uniforms . they pushed me into a vehicle painted in military colors and began to drive very fast . i never knew a vehicle can fly like that . ' chelsea released their own statement on monday , that read : all at chelsea football club are delighted that john mikel obi 's father , michael , has been found safe in nigeria . mikel has shown outstanding commitment and professionalism during this most difficult of times , and the club will continue to offer its full support to him and his family . ' | mikel has played in both of chelsea 's premier league games this season |
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