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obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama will no doubt attempt to use thursday 's meeting with pope francis as a platform to promote his political agenda at home , especially as it relates to poverty and income inequality . it 's no secret that pope francis has made these issues central components of the first year of his papacy -- nor that the president has already tried to exploit this . not long after the pontiff released his 47,000-word apostolic exhortation , evangelii gaudium , obama lifted language directly from the document in a partisan speech of his own . but the attempt to tether himself to pope francis is an awkward and ultimately doomed one . 5 things you did n't know about popes and presidents for one , the president is currently facing the largest religious liberty class action lawsuit in american history . of the 300 and counting plaintiffs suing the obama administration on religious freedom grounds , perhaps most famous are the little sisters of the poor , an order of nuns founded to care for the impoverished and dying elderly . another well-known plaintiff is notre dame , the university where the president loudly promised to keep conscience rights intact with the health care overhaul . it was the religious liberty version of the if you like your plan , you can keep it ' speech . in 2011 , the president stripped the u.s. conference of catholics bishops of its longstanding funding for human-trafficking work because of the bishops'conscientious objections to referring victims to abortions . in 2012 , he had his lawyers work to strike down the ministerial exception in federal workplace discrimination law , which assures houses of worship the right to employ religious leaders according to doctrine . throughout his presidency , he has come under repeated criticism for his numerous aggressions on people of faith , be they rhetorical or legal . not only is the president under fire for religious freedom violations on his own soil , he has held power during a period of significant unraveling of religious freedom internationally . egypt is in a state of crisis , with coptic christians experiencing the worst persecution they have known in centuries . countless other religious minorities have fallen into peril : catholics in vietnam and nigeria , vangelical christians in indonesia , buddhists and muslims in china , and baha'is in a number of middle east nations , to name just a few . anti-semitism is on the rise globally , most especially in parts of europe and certain latin american nations like venezuela . he left vacant , for years , the position of u.s. ambassador-at-large for international religious liberty . he stood by silently as the united states commission on international religious freedom ( uscirf ) was nearly defunded . he then appointed sen. john kerry -- who nearly let it perish in the senate foreign relations committee , even after 19 of his colleagues sent him a letter pleading with him to give the bill prompt consideration ' and to reauthorize uscirf without further delay ' -- as his secretary of state . under obama 's watch , the state department has stepped in to defend believers on death row for their faith -- heroes like pastor saeed abedini in iran -- only when the noise from nongovernmental organizations grew deafening . with regards to diplomacy with the vatican , the president has already shown his goodwill by relocating the vatican embassy , to the outrage of some american catholic groups , who considered it a major downgrade . and then there is his position on abortion . while pope francis has called on catholics to approach the church 's unchanging teachings on issues like abortion with greater mercy and sensitivity towards pregnant women in crisis , he has strongly affirmed the position that every human life is worthy of legal protection , from conception until natural death . the president has the most extreme views on abortion of any american president , even opposing life-saving support for babies born of botched abortions when he was a state senator in illinois . the most recent keynote speaker of planned parenthood 's annual gala ca n't have much common ground with the head of the world 's largest institution that opposes abortion . pope francis is not just the head of the largest religious institution in the world ; he is also the head of a sovereign nation-state . it is fitting and appropriate that he would sit down with the leader of the free world . it 's equally fitting and appropriate , however , that president obama show a little sobriety and public honesty about his relationship with a church that is collectively suing him at home . whether we can expect this from the recipient of the 2013 politifact lie of the year ' award , however , is a different story . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ashley e. mcguire . | ashley mcguire argues that obama 's meeting with the pope ignores his troubled policies |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama will no doubt attempt to use thursday 's meeting with pope francis as a platform to promote his political agenda at home , especially as it relates to poverty and income inequality . it 's no secret that pope francis has made these issues central components of the first year of his papacy -- nor that the president has already tried to exploit this . not long after the pontiff released his 47,000-word apostolic exhortation , evangelii gaudium , obama lifted language directly from the document in a partisan speech of his own . but the attempt to tether himself to pope francis is an awkward and ultimately doomed one . 5 things you did n't know about popes and presidents for one , the president is currently facing the largest religious liberty class action lawsuit in american history . of the 300 and counting plaintiffs suing the obama administration on religious freedom grounds , perhaps most famous are the little sisters of the poor , an order of nuns founded to care for the impoverished and dying elderly . another well-known plaintiff is notre dame , the university where the president loudly promised to keep conscience rights intact with the health care overhaul . it was the religious liberty version of the if you like your plan , you can keep it ' speech . in 2011 , the president stripped the u.s. conference of catholics bishops of its longstanding funding for human-trafficking work because of the bishops'conscientious objections to referring victims to abortions . in 2012 , he had his lawyers work to strike down the ministerial exception in federal workplace discrimination law , which assures houses of worship the right to employ religious leaders according to doctrine . throughout his presidency , he has come under repeated criticism for his numerous aggressions on people of faith , be they rhetorical or legal . not only is the president under fire for religious freedom violations on his own soil , he has held power during a period of significant unraveling of religious freedom internationally . egypt is in a state of crisis , with coptic christians experiencing the worst persecution they have known in centuries . countless other religious minorities have fallen into peril : catholics in vietnam and nigeria , vangelical christians in indonesia , buddhists and muslims in china , and baha'is in a number of middle east nations , to name just a few . anti-semitism is on the rise globally , most especially in parts of europe and certain latin american nations like venezuela . he left vacant , for years , the position of u.s. ambassador-at-large for international religious liberty . he stood by silently as the united states commission on international religious freedom ( uscirf ) was nearly defunded . he then appointed sen. john kerry -- who nearly let it perish in the senate foreign relations committee , even after 19 of his colleagues sent him a letter pleading with him to give the bill prompt consideration ' and to reauthorize uscirf without further delay ' -- as his secretary of state . under obama 's watch , the state department has stepped in to defend believers on death row for their faith -- heroes like pastor saeed abedini in iran -- only when the noise from nongovernmental organizations grew deafening . with regards to diplomacy with the vatican , the president has already shown his goodwill by relocating the vatican embassy , to the outrage of some american catholic groups , who considered it a major downgrade . and then there is his position on abortion . while pope francis has called on catholics to approach the church 's unchanging teachings on issues like abortion with greater mercy and sensitivity towards pregnant women in crisis , he has strongly affirmed the position that every human life is worthy of legal protection , from conception until natural death . the president has the most extreme views on abortion of any american president , even opposing life-saving support for babies born of botched abortions when he was a state senator in illinois . the most recent keynote speaker of planned parenthood 's annual gala ca n't have much common ground with the head of the world 's largest institution that opposes abortion . pope francis is not just the head of the largest religious institution in the world ; he is also the head of a sovereign nation-state . it is fitting and appropriate that he would sit down with the leader of the free world . it 's equally fitting and appropriate , however , that president obama show a little sobriety and public honesty about his relationship with a church that is collectively suing him at home . whether we can expect this from the recipient of the 2013 politifact lie of the year ' award , however , is a different story . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ashley e. mcguire . | president obama , she says , must show sobriety and honesty in dealing with the church |
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president barack obama will no doubt attempt to use thursday 's meeting with pope francis as a platform to promote his political agenda at home , especially as it relates to poverty and income inequality . it 's no secret that pope francis has made these issues central components of the first year of his papacy -- nor that the president has already tried to exploit this . not long after the pontiff released his 47,000-word apostolic exhortation , evangelii gaudium , obama lifted language directly from the document in a partisan speech of his own . but the attempt to tether himself to pope francis is an awkward and ultimately doomed one . 5 things you did n't know about popes and presidents for one , the president is currently facing the largest religious liberty class action lawsuit in american history . of the 300 and counting plaintiffs suing the obama administration on religious freedom grounds , perhaps most famous are the little sisters of the poor , an order of nuns founded to care for the impoverished and dying elderly . another well-known plaintiff is notre dame , the university where the president loudly promised to keep conscience rights intact with the health care overhaul . it was the religious liberty version of the if you like your plan , you can keep it ' speech . in 2011 , the president stripped the u.s. conference of catholics bishops of its longstanding funding for human-trafficking work because of the bishops'conscientious objections to referring victims to abortions . in 2012 , he had his lawyers work to strike down the ministerial exception in federal workplace discrimination law , which assures houses of worship the right to employ religious leaders according to doctrine . throughout his presidency , he has come under repeated criticism for his numerous aggressions on people of faith , be they rhetorical or legal . not only is the president under fire for religious freedom violations on his own soil , he has held power during a period of significant unraveling of religious freedom internationally . egypt is in a state of crisis , with coptic christians experiencing the worst persecution they have known in centuries . countless other religious minorities have fallen into peril : catholics in vietnam and nigeria , vangelical christians in indonesia , buddhists and muslims in china , and baha'is in a number of middle east nations , to name just a few . anti-semitism is on the rise globally , most especially in parts of europe and certain latin american nations like venezuela . he left vacant , for years , the position of u.s. ambassador-at-large for international religious liberty . he stood by silently as the united states commission on international religious freedom ( uscirf ) was nearly defunded . he then appointed sen. john kerry -- who nearly let it perish in the senate foreign relations committee , even after 19 of his colleagues sent him a letter pleading with him to give the bill prompt consideration ' and to reauthorize uscirf without further delay ' -- as his secretary of state . under obama 's watch , the state department has stepped in to defend believers on death row for their faith -- heroes like pastor saeed abedini in iran -- only when the noise from nongovernmental organizations grew deafening . with regards to diplomacy with the vatican , the president has already shown his goodwill by relocating the vatican embassy , to the outrage of some american catholic groups , who considered it a major downgrade . and then there is his position on abortion . while pope francis has called on catholics to approach the church 's unchanging teachings on issues like abortion with greater mercy and sensitivity towards pregnant women in crisis , he has strongly affirmed the position that every human life is worthy of legal protection , from conception until natural death . the president has the most extreme views on abortion of any american president , even opposing life-saving support for babies born of botched abortions when he was a state senator in illinois . the most recent keynote speaker of planned parenthood 's annual gala ca n't have much common ground with the head of the world 's largest institution that opposes abortion . pope francis is not just the head of the largest religious institution in the world ; he is also the head of a sovereign nation-state . it is fitting and appropriate that he would sit down with the leader of the free world . it 's equally fitting and appropriate , however , that president obama show a little sobriety and public honesty about his relationship with a church that is collectively suing him at home . whether we can expect this from the recipient of the 2013 politifact lie of the year ' award , however , is a different story . join us on facebook.com/cnnopinion . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ashley e. mcguire . | with lawsuits and a flawed abortion policy , obama disrespects catholics , she says |
israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- some of the bravest , noblest women and men i have met are members of the united states armed forces . to them , military intervention is not about winning a debate on television or sounding smart on twitter . with the united nations ruling out support for military options to stop the bloodbath in homs in syria , leading u.s. commentators are calling for nato and the arab league to intervene militarily . in reality , this would mean the united states would once again carry the heavy burden of war . in nato 's recent operation in libya , the united states provided 75 % of the reconnaissance data , surveillance , intelligence and refueling planes . syria is not libya , and nato without the united states is not up to the job . the arab league is no match for a brutal syrian regime backed by russia , china and iran . in essence , therefore , we must stop pretending about nato or the arab league intervening and accept that it is not international intervention , ' but u.s. military intervention that is being sought in yet another muslim-majority country . the muslim dimension is important because the lessons of lebanon , iraq , palestine and afghanistan are that , invariably , intervention leads to occupation , which leads to varying degrees of islamist radicalization . whatever the motivations to advance u.s. military intervention , we need to address the following questions before contemplating placing u.s. armed forces in harm 's way again , and demanding the u.s. taxpayer foot the bill . first , what does such u.s. military involvement look like ? in military terms , what is the ttp ? ' -- the envisaged tactics , techniques and procedures for u.s. armed forces ? is intervention designed to create a safe human corridor through which besieged syrian citizens in homs can escape , or are we talking about all-out regime change ? second , if assad were to be removed by force or arrested by u.s. soldiers for war crimes , who could rule syria without an ongoing , costly u.s. troop presence on the ground ? the u.s.-led , allied mistake in iraq -- to dismiss the ba'ath party from power -- led to years of chaos and killing . today , the syrian business sector , media , education , security , mosques and police forces are controlled by the ba'ath party . what happens to this embedded national infrastructure ? in other words , what is the day-after plan ? third , how does the united states propose to head off the hostilities of china and russia , who are syria 's allies ? additionally , hezbollah , iran and assorted jihadist groups will see u.s. forces as sitting targets in an arab country . al qaeda in iraq will be revived with renewed strategic depth and alliance with terrorists in syria . what is the potential military and strategic blowback in exposing u.s. forces to an array of enemies at one stroke ? fourth , intervening in syria sets a new precedent . the economist reports of unrest in china . if , buoyed by u.s. intervention in syria , chinese protesters were to take to the streets and beijing proceeded to unleash another tiananmen square-style massacre , would the united states consider military strikes on china ? why not ? put simply , what third and fourth tier effects , ' as they are known by military strategists , have not been thought about by interventionists ? i am convinced that military options in syria will do immeasurably more harm than good . my conviction stems from living in syria during the u.s. occupation of iraq and visiting syria regularly over the last decade . i learned that syria is a complex nation -- its ethnic , sectarian , tribal and religious composition is fragile . thankfully , the white house and state department have so far steered clear of pursuing military options . but the war drums are being beaten in the u.s. media and on the think-tank circuit . conventional thinking will not solve syria 's complex conflict . these are the questions that should be on the table : how can a face-saving exit route for assad be found ? will russia provide a home , or iran ? if protesters in syria are democracy activists , what stops them from working with their democratic neighbor , israel ? the answer to that question tells us much about anti-israeli , and by extension , anti-american sentiment in syria . how can turkey and arab nations persuade the opposition to return to nonviolent protest ? who can hold the country together after assad 's departure ? war is a costly , deadly last resort . diplomacy , sanctions , freezing assets , travel bans and international isolation will hasten assad 's demise . he is self-destructing , and we do not need to thump our chests in the midst of a fiscal crisis with the false glory of mission accomplished ' in a country that shares borders with israel , iraq , turkey , lebanon and jordan . follow cnn opinion on twitter . join the conversation on facebook . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of ed husain | husain : why do n't rebels ally with democracy like israel ? can assad find face-saving out ? |
kate middleton <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- many americans are planning to get a glimpse of prince william and his wife , kate middleton when they arrive in new york city next week -- and it seems that president barack obama wants in as well . the president has invited prince william to meet with him in the oval office on monday . before the duke of cambridge leaves the white house grounds , vice president joe biden and dr. biden are expected to host him in a separate event . kate will not join her husband on the d.c. leg of their three-day trip , opting to tour a child development center with new york city 's first lady chirlane mccray instead . while it is unknown exactly what the two global leaders will discuss , obama acknowledged william 's commitment to raising awareness against illegal wildlife trafficking , an issue he is scheduled to talk about at the world bank . the president welcomes the prince 's work in this global fight against what is both a national security threat and a devastating environmental problem ' the administration wrote in a press release . the trip will mark prince william 's first visit to the nation 's capitol . | william and his wife , kate middleton , will be in the u.s. for three days |
republicans <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- both sides agree that forced spending cuts set to take effect next week will harm the economy and national security . both sides have plans for averting the worst impacts . so why are there no formal negotiations taking place with congress on break this week as leaders from both parties accuse each other of intransigence ? once again , the answer is the washington blame game . the same pattern of politically inspired brinksmanship that dominated president barack obama 's first term is continuing in the early days of his second . now , the collective weight of obama 's re-election in november and the subsequent fiscal cliff deal in which republicans conceded on tax increases makes compromise seem distant , if not impossible , in the short term . the central issue is the same one that framed last year 's presidential campaign . republicans want to shrink the size of government and the spending needed to run it , while democrats want to strengthen the safety net of federal programs that help the poor , the elderly , the disabled and other vulnerable communities . obama and leaders of both parties warn the pending $ 85 billion in spending cuts set to kick in on march 1 bode ill for the nation , but the rhetoric so far has focused on blaming the other side . in an interview on thursday with the radio program keepin it real with al sharpton , ' obama said gop opposition to any further tax hikes or ending loopholes to raise more tax revenue was the thing that binds their party together at this point . ' unfortunately , i think republicans have been so dug-in on this notion of never raising taxes that it becomes difficult for them to see an obvious answer right in front of them , ' the president said . we continue to reach out to the republicans and say ,'this is not gon na be good for the economy , it 's not gon na be good for ordinary people'but i do n't know if they are going to move and that 's what we are going to have to try to keep pushing over the next seven , eight days , ' obama said . in an opinion piece published wednesday in the wall street journal , house speaker john boehner labeled the spending cuts ugly and dangerous , ' saying they would diminish resources for the military , law enforcement , border security , aviation safety and other programs . however , the de facto gop leader on the issue argued that his party 's agreement to raise tax rates on top income earners in january ended the discussion on further tax or revenue increases now . instead , boehner said he wanted other cuts to replace the across-the-board approach of sequestration , accusing obama and democrats of ignoring what he called the nation 's spending problem . the president got his higher taxes ' with no spending cuts in the january deal , he wrote in the op-ed , adding that no one should be talking about raising taxes ' with examples of rampant government spending such as paying people to play video games , giving folks free cell phones and buying $ 47,000 cigarette smoking machines . ' voters in november returned obama to office and gave democrats a stronger senate majority while reducing the republican majority in the house , leading to the january agreement on the fiscal cliff by the outgoing congress in its final hours . that deal raised tax rates on families earning more than $ 450,000 and individuals earning above $ 400,000 while maintaining lower rates for everyone else . it also put off until march 1 the mandated spending cuts from a 2011 agreement that increased how much money the treasury could borrow to meet financial obligations . known in washington jargon as sequestration , the forced spending cuts to the military and other government agencies -- but not entitlement programs that drive chronic federal deficits -- were intended to motivate congress to come up with a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan sought by both sides . obama more emotional on spending cuts however , such an agreement proved impossible in the hyper-political climate of an election year , and the government-wide cuts opposed by both sides now are set to take effect . that would mean $ 85 billion in cuts for the rest of fiscal year 2013 , which ends september 30 , as part of a 10-year total of about $ 1 trillion . obama and democrats are offering the same approach to the issue as a central theme of the election , calling for the wealthy to pay more as part of a package of spending cuts and increased revenue to replace the forced cuts of sequestration . ratcheting up pressure on republicans with congress in recess for presidents day week , white house spokesman jay carney announced thursday that obama had phoned boehner and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell . he provided no details beyond describing the calls as good conversations . ' both boehner and mcconnell have complained that obama refuses to address needed spending cuts and entitlement reforms to bring about substantive deficit reduction , and the timing of the phone calls appeared in response to questions about a lack of formal talks involving the president . a $ 110 billion proposal by senate democrats , which is similar to a plan by house democrats , would replace the forced spending cuts for a year by getting more tax revenue from millionaires , stopping some agriculture subsidies and cutting military spending after the end of combat operations in afghanistan in 2014 . you may not like what we 've proposed but at least let us have a vote in the house of representatives , ' rep. chris van hollen , d-maryland , said thursday in criticizing congressional republicans . come back here , call the congress into session in the next eight days and let 's have a vote . if you want to vote no and say you prefer the consequences of the sequester to the alternative ... that 's your right . ' on tuesday , obama held a campaign-style event at the white house to call for balancing the impact of deficit reduction so that the middle class and vulnerable citizens such as the elderly do n't get hit too hard . speaking in near apocalyptic terms , the president warned of criminals going free , longer security lines at airports , reduced military readiness , fewer border guards , pre-schoolers losing access to head start programs and other problems if the full brunt of the spending cuts occur . where you 'll feel forced spending cuts gop leaders , meanwhile , seek to blame obama for the forced spending cuts so that any hardships that result , such as predicted job losses and reductions in economic growth , get attributed to the president . the president 's sequester is the wrong way to reduce the deficit , but it is here to stay until washington democrats get serious about cutting spending , ' wrote boehner , r-ohio , in the op-ed . the government simply can not keep delaying the inevitable and spending money it does n't have . so , as the president 's outrage about the sequester grows in coming days , republicans have a simple response : mr. president , we agree that your sequester is bad policy . what spending are you willing to cut to replace it ? ' congress passive as spending cuts near by using language such as the president 's sequester , ' boehner and republicans want to implant a public perception that the plan was obama 's all along . the white house concedes that it raised the idea of forced budget cuts during the negotiations in 2011 on the debt ceiling deal , but argues republicans , including boehner and other house leaders , agreed to making it part of the deal and then voted for it . now , carney says , republicans acted like they never supported the idea . he insisted thursday that obama has offered the only legitimate compromise proposal for significant deficit reduction , noting the congressional budget office determined the president 's plan would bring deficits below 3 % of gross domestic product by 2015 , which he called an accepted target by economists . carney labeled any comparisons between what obama proposes and the republican stance as a false equivalence , ' arguing the president 's approach of spending cuts , entitlement reforms and new tax revenue is a compromise from a hard-line democratic position that rejects any benefit reductions in social security , medicare and medicaid . you come half way and your negotiating partner stays where he or she is , that makes it very difficult to reach a compromise , ' carney told reporters . you need compromise from the other side . ' in negotiations last december on the fiscal cliff agreement , obama was willing to include a less generous inflation index for benefits such as social security , despite vehement protests from his liberal base , carney noted . there 's some responsibility here on the republican side to do what the president has done , which is to hear what the american people are saying , which is please compromise , please be reasonable , please do not adopt positions that represent a'my way or the highway'approach , ' carney said . obama , republicans clash on forced spending cuts on wednesday , carney defended obama 's campaign-style approach to generating public support for his stance on the issue , saying such pressure worked in the spending and deficit agreements of the past two years . you know why they happened ? because the american people supported those positions that the president took , ' carney said . and , in the end , congress responded to the will of the american people . and we hope that 's what 's going to happen again this time . ' a new poll on thursday showed a strong majority of americans want the kind of comprehensive deficit reduction called for by obama , but support for a stop-gap measure on the forced spending cuts was less certain . seven of 10 respondents in the pew research and usa today survey called major legislation to reduce the deficit the most important priority for congress , and 76 % backed the combination of spending cuts and revenue increases favored by the president and democrats . at the same time , 73 % want more spending cuts than tax increases while only about 20 % say the solution should be spending cuts alone . if the forced spending cuts go into effect , 49 % of respondents would blame republicans in congress while 31 % would blame obama , the poll showed . however , 49 % said the cuts should be delayed while 40 % said they should go into effect . cnn 's gregory wallace contributed to this report . | president obama says republicans refuse to compromise |
iraq <tsp> baghdad ( cnn ) -- iraq 's prime minister nuri al-maliki will not run for a third term when his current one expires in 2014 , the nation 's state television reported sunday . al-maliki is also working to pass legislation that limits his successors to a maximum of two four-year terms in office , a senior parliamentary advisor told cnn . if al-maliki passes this constitutional amendment then that means he definitely wo n't be a prime minister for a third term , ' said ali hadi al-moussawi , an adviser to the prime minister . iraq 's constitution restricts the country 's president from seeking a third term but does not set term limits for the prime minister or members of parliament . the news comes two days after al-maliki said he would cut his salary in half amid growing unrest over poor public services and water shortages . protesters around iraq have said popular uprisings in both egypt and tunisia inspired their weeklong demonstrations for improvements in government services and their quality of life . thousands have rallied across the country in the past week , railing against rampant poverty , a 45 % national unemployment rate and shortages of food , electricity and water , including several hundred in three different parts of baghdad on friday . al-maliki said those concerns prompted his decision to axe his salary , which he said would help reduce the differences in the living standards for different classes . ' fifty percent of my monthly salary as prime minister will be reduced and returned to the government 's treasury starting from the current month , as a contribution from me to reduce the difference in the salaries of the state officials , ' al-maliki said in a statement on his official website . meanwhile , iraq 's government submitted a revised draft budget to members of parliament sunday , boosting projected public spending amid rising oil prices and slight decreases in the country 's expected oil exports , according to government spokesman ali al-dabbagh . the new plan would create projected deficits of up to 16 percent , he said . the budget is based on an average oil price of $ 76.5 per barrel and projected exports of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day , including 100,000 daily barrel exports from iraq 's autonomous kurdish region . cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report . | iraq 's constitution does not set term limits for the prime minister or lawmakers |
al-maliki <tsp> baghdad ( cnn ) -- iraq 's prime minister nuri al-maliki will not run for a third term when his current one expires in 2014 , the nation 's state television reported sunday . al-maliki is also working to pass legislation that limits his successors to a maximum of two four-year terms in office , a senior parliamentary advisor told cnn . if al-maliki passes this constitutional amendment then that means he definitely wo n't be a prime minister for a third term , ' said ali hadi al-moussawi , an adviser to the prime minister . iraq 's constitution restricts the country 's president from seeking a third term but does not set term limits for the prime minister or members of parliament . the news comes two days after al-maliki said he would cut his salary in half amid growing unrest over poor public services and water shortages . protesters around iraq have said popular uprisings in both egypt and tunisia inspired their weeklong demonstrations for improvements in government services and their quality of life . thousands have rallied across the country in the past week , railing against rampant poverty , a 45 % national unemployment rate and shortages of food , electricity and water , including several hundred in three different parts of baghdad on friday . al-maliki said those concerns prompted his decision to axe his salary , which he said would help reduce the differences in the living standards for different classes . ' fifty percent of my monthly salary as prime minister will be reduced and returned to the government 's treasury starting from the current month , as a contribution from me to reduce the difference in the salaries of the state officials , ' al-maliki said in a statement on his official website . meanwhile , iraq 's government submitted a revised draft budget to members of parliament sunday , boosting projected public spending amid rising oil prices and slight decreases in the country 's expected oil exports , according to government spokesman ali al-dabbagh . the new plan would create projected deficits of up to 16 percent , he said . the budget is based on an average oil price of $ 76.5 per barrel and projected exports of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day , including 100,000 daily barrel exports from iraq 's autonomous kurdish region . cnn 's mohammed tawfeeq contributed to this report . | al-maliki wants to pass legislation that limits successors to two four-year terms |
kerry <tsp> a new possibility for a diplomatic solution in the standoff between syria and the united states surfaced unexpectedly monday as the war-torn country said it supported a proposal to hand over control of its chemical weapons . but a key question loomed : is that a viable option or simply a stall tactic as president bashar al-assad 's government tries to stave off u.s. military action ? it 's certainly a positive development when the russians and syrians both make gestures towards dealing with these chemical weapons , ' president barack obama told cnn 's wolf blitzer monday . asked whether the proposed idea was enough to avert a military strike on syria , obama said , it 's possible if it 's real . ' the u.s. president spoke hours after syrian foreign minister walid moallem told reporters in moscow that his nation welcomes ' a proposal that russian foreign minister sergey lavrov made during talks on monday . the idea : put syria 's chemical weapons under international control to avert a u.s. military response over an alleged poison gas attack last month . i declare that the syrian arab republic welcomes russia 's initiative , on the basis that the syrian leadership cares about the lives of our citizens and the security in our country , ' moallem said . we are also confident in the wisdom of the russian government , which is trying to prevent an american aggression against our people . ' secretary of state john kerry discussed a similar scenario earlier monday , though the state department later said that al-assad could not be trusted to relinquish his country 's chemical stockpiles . white house spokesman jay carney said washington remained highly skeptical ' of the syrian regime . the only reason why we are seeing this proposal is because of the threat of u.s. military action , ' he said . taking a'hard look' obama said the united states will work with russia and the international community to see if we can arrive at something that is enforceable and serious . ' the united states will take a hard look ' at the plan , deputy state department spokeswoman marie harf said . but we ca n't have this be another stalling tactic , ' she said , adding that the syrian president 's track record does n't bode well . everything that assad has done over the past two years and before has been to refuse to put his chemical weapons under international control , ' she said . he has n't declared them . we 've repeatedly called on him to do so . and he 's ignored prohibitions against them . ' latest developments the new possibility of a diplomatic deal appeared to have started with comments from kerry earlier monday . asked whether there was anything al-assad 's government could do or offer that would stop an attack , kerry said that al-assad could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week . ' speaking at a news conference with british foreign secretary william hague , the u.s. secretary of state described that as an impossible scenario . he is n't about to do it , ' kerry said . and it ca n't be done , obviously . ' u.s. official : kerry clearly went off script ' but as russia and syria later suggested that it could be done , one u.s. official called kerry 's remarks a major goof , ' adding that america 's top diplomat clearly went off script . ' there is no one in the administration who is taking this syria proposal seriously , ' the official said . several state department representatives tried to clarify kerry 's remarks later in the day , calling them a rhetorical argument . ' his point was that this brutal dictator ( al-assad ) with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts can not be trusted to turn over chemical weapons , otherwise he would have done so long ago , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki said . that 's why the world faces this moment . ' kerry 's comments caught russia 's attention it was n't long before the remarks came up in a conversation between lavrov and kerry , who talked on the phone as the u.s. secretary of state flew back from london . i saw your comments this morning , ' lavrov said to kerry , according to a senior state department official . during a 14-minute conversation that had been previously scheduled , the russian foreign minister said he would speak out about the issue but played down the idea that a proposal was on the table , the official said . kerry told lavrov that the united states is not going to'play games ,'' the official said . if there is a serious proposal , we will take a look . ' hillary clinton weighs in could'goof'be solution ? the comments from kerry and counterparts in russia and syria are the latest twist in an international crisis that has also become a fierce political battle in the united states . the obama administration says the al-assad government was behind an august 21 chemical weapons attack outside damascus . and the u.s. president is seeking congressional approval for a military strike in response . so far he 's met resistance from lawmakers and the public who are concerned about the united states again intervening militarily in a foreign crisis . on monday , harf said looking at the russian proposal does n't mean the white house is backing down from its push to get authorization to strike syria . in fact , the opposite . .... we think this is why it 's even more important that congress votes to authorize the president to use military action against syrian regime targets , because we can be clear that if we do n't give authorization to do so and we do n't respond , then assad will see that as a green light to continue using these chemical weapons . ' but could kerry 's possible gaffe be the key to a diplomatic solution ? commentator andrew sullivan says he hopes so . we have the possibility of two things : that russia might actually act decisively to rein assad in , and also support the only viable policy to accomplish what obama wants -- protecting the world from these vile weapons , ' sullivan wrote monday . i have no idea whether this is a serious move by lavrov -- but it sure seems so , and it presents a fascinating non-binary option . ... sometimes , it seems , kerry 's incompetence strikes gold . here 's hoping . ' whatever happens , the prospect of a diplomatic deal is likely going to make the obama administration 's attempts to make a case before congress even more difficult , said michael o'hanlon , a senior fellow at the brookings institution . lawmakers who are already debating whether or not to pass resolutions authorizing military action now may want to rewrite them , he said . it 's going to obviously throw a monkey wrench in the gears on a number of things , ' he said . there 's already been at least one delay . senate majority leader harry reid is holding off on taking steps toward a first vote . an aide said that the russia proposal is serious and fluid enough that members do not want to lock themselves into a position on syria just yet . an initial senate vote on whether to authorize a military strike against syria had been expected on wednesday . reaction in the united states , beyond french foreign minister laurent fabius said the russian proposal deserves a thorough examination . ' it would be acceptable under several conditions , fabius said . al-assad should immediately hand over control of the weapons and allow their destruction , he said , calling for the u.n. security council to pass a binding resolution with firm consequences . ' since the beginning , france has set two goals : punishment and deterrence , ' he said . that is why we are now asking specific , rapid and verifiable commitments by the syrian regime . ' sen. dianne feinstein , chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee , said she would welcome ' lavrov 's call for syria to transfer control of its chemical weapons to prevent an international strike . ' i believe that russia can be most effective in encouraging the syrian president to stop any use of chemical weapons and place all his chemical munitions , as well as storage facilities , under united nations control until they can be destroyed , ' the california democrat said . former u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton said getting syria to surrender the stockpiles would be an important step . ' but this can not be another excuse for delay or obstruction , ' clinton said during an event at the white house monday . and russia has to support the international community 's efforts sincerely or be held to account . ' u.n. chief : chemical weapons in syria would be'abominable ' | kerry said syria 's president could prevent a strike by taking that step |
kerry <tsp> a new possibility for a diplomatic solution in the standoff between syria and the united states surfaced unexpectedly monday as the war-torn country said it supported a proposal to hand over control of its chemical weapons . but a key question loomed : is that a viable option or simply a stall tactic as president bashar al-assad 's government tries to stave off u.s. military action ? it 's certainly a positive development when the russians and syrians both make gestures towards dealing with these chemical weapons , ' president barack obama told cnn 's wolf blitzer monday . asked whether the proposed idea was enough to avert a military strike on syria , obama said , it 's possible if it 's real . ' the u.s. president spoke hours after syrian foreign minister walid moallem told reporters in moscow that his nation welcomes ' a proposal that russian foreign minister sergey lavrov made during talks on monday . the idea : put syria 's chemical weapons under international control to avert a u.s. military response over an alleged poison gas attack last month . i declare that the syrian arab republic welcomes russia 's initiative , on the basis that the syrian leadership cares about the lives of our citizens and the security in our country , ' moallem said . we are also confident in the wisdom of the russian government , which is trying to prevent an american aggression against our people . ' secretary of state john kerry discussed a similar scenario earlier monday , though the state department later said that al-assad could not be trusted to relinquish his country 's chemical stockpiles . white house spokesman jay carney said washington remained highly skeptical ' of the syrian regime . the only reason why we are seeing this proposal is because of the threat of u.s. military action , ' he said . taking a'hard look' obama said the united states will work with russia and the international community to see if we can arrive at something that is enforceable and serious . ' the united states will take a hard look ' at the plan , deputy state department spokeswoman marie harf said . but we ca n't have this be another stalling tactic , ' she said , adding that the syrian president 's track record does n't bode well . everything that assad has done over the past two years and before has been to refuse to put his chemical weapons under international control , ' she said . he has n't declared them . we 've repeatedly called on him to do so . and he 's ignored prohibitions against them . ' latest developments the new possibility of a diplomatic deal appeared to have started with comments from kerry earlier monday . asked whether there was anything al-assad 's government could do or offer that would stop an attack , kerry said that al-assad could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week . ' speaking at a news conference with british foreign secretary william hague , the u.s. secretary of state described that as an impossible scenario . he is n't about to do it , ' kerry said . and it ca n't be done , obviously . ' u.s. official : kerry clearly went off script ' but as russia and syria later suggested that it could be done , one u.s. official called kerry 's remarks a major goof , ' adding that america 's top diplomat clearly went off script . ' there is no one in the administration who is taking this syria proposal seriously , ' the official said . several state department representatives tried to clarify kerry 's remarks later in the day , calling them a rhetorical argument . ' his point was that this brutal dictator ( al-assad ) with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts can not be trusted to turn over chemical weapons , otherwise he would have done so long ago , ' state department spokeswoman jen psaki said . that 's why the world faces this moment . ' kerry 's comments caught russia 's attention it was n't long before the remarks came up in a conversation between lavrov and kerry , who talked on the phone as the u.s. secretary of state flew back from london . i saw your comments this morning , ' lavrov said to kerry , according to a senior state department official . during a 14-minute conversation that had been previously scheduled , the russian foreign minister said he would speak out about the issue but played down the idea that a proposal was on the table , the official said . kerry told lavrov that the united states is not going to'play games ,'' the official said . if there is a serious proposal , we will take a look . ' hillary clinton weighs in could'goof'be solution ? the comments from kerry and counterparts in russia and syria are the latest twist in an international crisis that has also become a fierce political battle in the united states . the obama administration says the al-assad government was behind an august 21 chemical weapons attack outside damascus . and the u.s. president is seeking congressional approval for a military strike in response . so far he 's met resistance from lawmakers and the public who are concerned about the united states again intervening militarily in a foreign crisis . on monday , harf said looking at the russian proposal does n't mean the white house is backing down from its push to get authorization to strike syria . in fact , the opposite . .... we think this is why it 's even more important that congress votes to authorize the president to use military action against syrian regime targets , because we can be clear that if we do n't give authorization to do so and we do n't respond , then assad will see that as a green light to continue using these chemical weapons . ' but could kerry 's possible gaffe be the key to a diplomatic solution ? commentator andrew sullivan says he hopes so . we have the possibility of two things : that russia might actually act decisively to rein assad in , and also support the only viable policy to accomplish what obama wants -- protecting the world from these vile weapons , ' sullivan wrote monday . i have no idea whether this is a serious move by lavrov -- but it sure seems so , and it presents a fascinating non-binary option . ... sometimes , it seems , kerry 's incompetence strikes gold . here 's hoping . ' whatever happens , the prospect of a diplomatic deal is likely going to make the obama administration 's attempts to make a case before congress even more difficult , said michael o'hanlon , a senior fellow at the brookings institution . lawmakers who are already debating whether or not to pass resolutions authorizing military action now may want to rewrite them , he said . it 's going to obviously throw a monkey wrench in the gears on a number of things , ' he said . there 's already been at least one delay . senate majority leader harry reid is holding off on taking steps toward a first vote . an aide said that the russia proposal is serious and fluid enough that members do not want to lock themselves into a position on syria just yet . an initial senate vote on whether to authorize a military strike against syria had been expected on wednesday . reaction in the united states , beyond french foreign minister laurent fabius said the russian proposal deserves a thorough examination . ' it would be acceptable under several conditions , fabius said . al-assad should immediately hand over control of the weapons and allow their destruction , he said , calling for the u.n. security council to pass a binding resolution with firm consequences . ' since the beginning , france has set two goals : punishment and deterrence , ' he said . that is why we are now asking specific , rapid and verifiable commitments by the syrian regime . ' sen. dianne feinstein , chairwoman of the senate intelligence committee , said she would welcome ' lavrov 's call for syria to transfer control of its chemical weapons to prevent an international strike . ' i believe that russia can be most effective in encouraging the syrian president to stop any use of chemical weapons and place all his chemical munitions , as well as storage facilities , under united nations control until they can be destroyed , ' the california democrat said . former u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton said getting syria to surrender the stockpiles would be an important step . ' but this can not be another excuse for delay or obstruction , ' clinton said during an event at the white house monday . and russia has to support the international community 's efforts sincerely or be held to account . ' u.n. chief : chemical weapons in syria would be'abominable ' | u.s. official : kerry 's comments on syria were a major goof ' |
eugene <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man whose face was chewed off by a naked man in a brutal assault in miami says he does n't know why his attacker singled him out , according to cnn affiliate wfor . he attacked me , ' ronald poppo said of his assailant in a police recording obtained by the affiliate and broadcast thursday . he just ripped me to ribbons . he chewed up my face . he plucked out my eyes . basically that 's all there is to say about it . ' poppo , who is now blind , said he initially thought rudy eugene , 31 , was a good guy . ' but he just went and turned berserk , ' he recalled of the may incident . he apparently did n't have a good day at the beach and he -- he was coming back . and i guess he took it out , took it out on me or something . i do n't know . ' poppo 's statements were made and recorded during a july 19 interview with miami police . eugene was killed by a police officer after the 18-minute attack , which was captured by on video by a surveillance camera . it shows eugene coming across 65-year-old poppo on a sidewalk along miami 's macarthur causeway , stripping clothes off him and eventually chewing on his face . police said poppo lost 75 % of his face in the attack . a police official initially theorized that eugene was under the influence of bath salts , ' a drug that contains synthetic stimulants that can cause chest pains , increased blood pressure , increased heart rate , agitation , hallucinations , extreme paranoia and delusions , ' according to the national institute of drug abuse . but an autopsy and lab tests showed the man had used marijuana , and had no alcohol , other street drugs or prescription drugs in his system . | eugene was killed by a police officer in may after the 18-minute attack |
eugene <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the man whose face was chewed off by a naked man in a brutal assault in miami says he does n't know why his attacker singled him out , according to cnn affiliate wfor . he attacked me , ' ronald poppo said of his assailant in a police recording obtained by the affiliate and broadcast thursday . he just ripped me to ribbons . he chewed up my face . he plucked out my eyes . basically that 's all there is to say about it . ' poppo , who is now blind , said he initially thought rudy eugene , 31 , was a good guy . ' but he just went and turned berserk , ' he recalled of the may incident . he apparently did n't have a good day at the beach and he -- he was coming back . and i guess he took it out , took it out on me or something . i do n't know . ' poppo 's statements were made and recorded during a july 19 interview with miami police . eugene was killed by a police officer after the 18-minute attack , which was captured by on video by a surveillance camera . it shows eugene coming across 65-year-old poppo on a sidewalk along miami 's macarthur causeway , stripping clothes off him and eventually chewing on his face . police said poppo lost 75 % of his face in the attack . a police official initially theorized that eugene was under the influence of bath salts , ' a drug that contains synthetic stimulants that can cause chest pains , increased blood pressure , increased heart rate , agitation , hallucinations , extreme paranoia and delusions , ' according to the national institute of drug abuse . but an autopsy and lab tests showed the man had used marijuana , and had no alcohol , other street drugs or prescription drugs in his system . | poppo said he initially thought rudy eugene , 31 , was a good guy ' |
welch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as any ex-jock can tell you , any time you try exercising a muscle that has gone unused for a decade or more , something predictable happens : it barks like hell . this is what we 're seeing in this last pathetic run-up to the forced spending cuts agreed to by congress and the president in july 2011 as a fail-safe in case the federal government could n't agree on a totally necessary but politically difficult settlement to address the country 's long-term fiscal unsustainability . hundreds of thousands of americans will lose access to primary care and preventive care like flu vaccinations and cancer screenings , ' president barack obama warned . ( politifact verdict : half true . there is no indication that americans will lose their insurance coverage or access to all primary care because of the sequester , ' said politifact , but added pretty close to'hundreds of thousands'' could lose flu vaccinations and cancer screenings . ) a trio of republican senators ( john mccain , lindsey graham and kelly ayotte ) jointly bemoaned the calamitous effects that budget sequestration would have on our nation 's economy and security . ' politicians have been trying to outdo each other in deploying what the neoliberal washington monthly founder charles peters coined in 1976 as the firemen first ' principle -- the notion that the public will support ( the clever bureaucrat 's ) valiant fight against the budget reduction only if essential services are endangered . thus , c.b . always picks on teachers , policemen , firemen first . ' so an already rattled nation is being spooked by horror stories of three-hour airport security lines , delayed background check for gun purchases and criminals running freely through the streets . all this for a spending cut that the congressional budget office estimates will be around $ 44 billion in 2013 , a tiny sliver of the federal budget . imagine the squeals if it included significant cuts . zelizer : gop will get blame for cuts no doubt there will be those who find such fear-mongering persuasive . but for the rest of us , it suggests a rather pressing and relevant question : just what , precisely , did we get from doubling the cost of the federal government between 2000 and 2010 ? if the bureaucrats ca n't produce an explanation for the price increase of government , then they should not expect their budgets to be rubber-stamped by an already suffering public . so the squawking you hear is from a government money-machine having difficulty adapting to a political universe that no longer accepts automatic annual increases . and we 'll keep hearing it until the moment politicians have the courage to align government expenditures within miles of revenue . the nobel prize-winning economist james buchanan , who died in january , warned us three decades ago about the permanent disconnect ' between revenue and spending , brought about by politicians scared of charging taxpayers full freight for government goodies . opinion : the fairy tale on spending cuts ' the attractiveness of financing spending by debt issue to the elected politicians should be obvious , ' he wrote . borrowing allows spending to be made that will yield immediate political payoffs without the incurring of any immediate political cost . ' we are living with the results : national debt greater than 100 % of annual gross domestic product and no end in sight , just as the baby boomers stop working and start sucking down expensive federal entitlements . even if borrowing costs remain at their historic lows in perpetuity , this kind of debt overhang is more dangerous than any mild bureaucratic shuffle necessitated by the 1 % trim . why ? in their controversial april 2012 national bureau for economic research working paper , economists carmen m. reinhart , vincent r. reinhart and kenneth s. rogoff concluded that when countries carry debt of more than 90 % of gdp for five or more consecutive years , economic growth gets chopped down by more than a whole percentage point each year for decades . what 's the best method for reversing a debt crisis ? in a 2009 paper ( pdf ) , harvard economists alberto alesina and silvia ardagna examined more than 100 debt-reduction efforts worldwide since 1970 , and asserted that spending cuts are much more effective than tax increases in stabilizing the debt and avoiding economic downturns . ' the authors found several episodes in which spending cuts adopted to reduce deficits have been associated with economic expansions rather than recessions . ' opinion : cuts will turn off voters gop is courting taxpayers should n't be fearing the forced spending cuts , they should be fearing that the cuts do n't go nearly far enough . and politicians should realize that short-term debt service and long-term entitlements are going to keep shrinking the money left over for doling out goodies . like other things that ca n't go on forever , fiscal irresponsibility wo n't . time to get those muscles in shape . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of matt welch . | matt welch : politicians have been squawking about dire fallout of forced spending cuts |
welch <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as any ex-jock can tell you , any time you try exercising a muscle that has gone unused for a decade or more , something predictable happens : it barks like hell . this is what we 're seeing in this last pathetic run-up to the forced spending cuts agreed to by congress and the president in july 2011 as a fail-safe in case the federal government could n't agree on a totally necessary but politically difficult settlement to address the country 's long-term fiscal unsustainability . hundreds of thousands of americans will lose access to primary care and preventive care like flu vaccinations and cancer screenings , ' president barack obama warned . ( politifact verdict : half true . there is no indication that americans will lose their insurance coverage or access to all primary care because of the sequester , ' said politifact , but added pretty close to'hundreds of thousands'' could lose flu vaccinations and cancer screenings . ) a trio of republican senators ( john mccain , lindsey graham and kelly ayotte ) jointly bemoaned the calamitous effects that budget sequestration would have on our nation 's economy and security . ' politicians have been trying to outdo each other in deploying what the neoliberal washington monthly founder charles peters coined in 1976 as the firemen first ' principle -- the notion that the public will support ( the clever bureaucrat 's ) valiant fight against the budget reduction only if essential services are endangered . thus , c.b . always picks on teachers , policemen , firemen first . ' so an already rattled nation is being spooked by horror stories of three-hour airport security lines , delayed background check for gun purchases and criminals running freely through the streets . all this for a spending cut that the congressional budget office estimates will be around $ 44 billion in 2013 , a tiny sliver of the federal budget . imagine the squeals if it included significant cuts . zelizer : gop will get blame for cuts no doubt there will be those who find such fear-mongering persuasive . but for the rest of us , it suggests a rather pressing and relevant question : just what , precisely , did we get from doubling the cost of the federal government between 2000 and 2010 ? if the bureaucrats ca n't produce an explanation for the price increase of government , then they should not expect their budgets to be rubber-stamped by an already suffering public . so the squawking you hear is from a government money-machine having difficulty adapting to a political universe that no longer accepts automatic annual increases . and we 'll keep hearing it until the moment politicians have the courage to align government expenditures within miles of revenue . the nobel prize-winning economist james buchanan , who died in january , warned us three decades ago about the permanent disconnect ' between revenue and spending , brought about by politicians scared of charging taxpayers full freight for government goodies . opinion : the fairy tale on spending cuts ' the attractiveness of financing spending by debt issue to the elected politicians should be obvious , ' he wrote . borrowing allows spending to be made that will yield immediate political payoffs without the incurring of any immediate political cost . ' we are living with the results : national debt greater than 100 % of annual gross domestic product and no end in sight , just as the baby boomers stop working and start sucking down expensive federal entitlements . even if borrowing costs remain at their historic lows in perpetuity , this kind of debt overhang is more dangerous than any mild bureaucratic shuffle necessitated by the 1 % trim . why ? in their controversial april 2012 national bureau for economic research working paper , economists carmen m. reinhart , vincent r. reinhart and kenneth s. rogoff concluded that when countries carry debt of more than 90 % of gdp for five or more consecutive years , economic growth gets chopped down by more than a whole percentage point each year for decades . what 's the best method for reversing a debt crisis ? in a 2009 paper ( pdf ) , harvard economists alberto alesina and silvia ardagna examined more than 100 debt-reduction efforts worldwide since 1970 , and asserted that spending cuts are much more effective than tax increases in stabilizing the debt and avoiding economic downturns . ' the authors found several episodes in which spending cuts adopted to reduce deficits have been associated with economic expansions rather than recessions . ' opinion : cuts will turn off voters gop is courting taxpayers should n't be fearing the forced spending cuts , they should be fearing that the cuts do n't go nearly far enough . and politicians should realize that short-term debt service and long-term entitlements are going to keep shrinking the money left over for doling out goodies . like other things that ca n't go on forever , fiscal irresponsibility wo n't . time to get those muscles in shape . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of matt welch . | welch : debt at 100 % of gdp , with boomers getting ready to queue up for benefits |
airport 1975 <tsp> sid caesar , whose clever , anarchic comedy on such programs as your show of shows ' and caesar 's hour ' helped define the 1950s golden age of television , ' has died . he was 91 . a friend of the family , actor rudy de luca , did not know the exact cause of death , but said caesar had respiratory problems and other health problems for several years . caesar became famous for your show of shows , ' which went on the air in 1950 . it lasted four years and was followed by caesar 's hour , ' which combined sketches , musical revues and situation comedy . both shows featured writers who became famous in their own right , including neil simon , carl reiner , mel brooks , mel tolkin , lucille kallen and larry gelbart . woody allen also contributed to caesar 's comedy as a writer for one of his specials . brooks visited caesar last night to say goodbye , de luca told cnn . sid caesar was a giant-maybe the best comedian who ever practiced the trade & i was privileged to be one of his writers & one of his friends , ' brooks tweeted wednesday . share your memories of caesar caesar also appeared in a number of films , including it 's a mad , mad , mad , mad world ' ( 1963 ) , airport 1975 ' ( 1974 ) and grease ' ( 1978 ) . he received a tony nomination for his performance in the 1962 show little me , ' with a book by simon . caesar , born isaac sidney caesar in 1922 , was part of a pioneering group of personalities who helped establish television in its early days . however , while comedians such as jack benny and fred allen more or less transferred their radio shows to the new medium and milton berle 's texaco star theater ' was essentially vaudeville on the small screen , caesar 's show of shows ' presented movie parodies , wordless pantomimes and brisk routines between the host and co-star imogene coca . sid caesar was a giant . if it were n't for sid caesar there might not be television as we know it . he and his co-stars and writers revolutionized television comedy , and really comedy in general , ' said biographer eddy friedfeld , a close friend of caesar . it was comedy pitched at a high ( or , just as often , low ) level -- and it was done live , every saturday night at 9 . the versatile caesar was game for whatever the writers came up with . caesar could take on many roles , ' wrote tim brooks and earle marsh in the reference the complete directory to prime-time network and cable tv shows , ' calling him a comic genius . ' he was the double-talking foreigner ( he was a master of dialects ) , the henpecked husband or the greasy-haired cad . ' the words and comedy of sid caesar among the regular routines were a skit with coca , the hickenloopers , ' and caesar as a gibberish-singing opera singer . reiner and howard morris -- later ernest t. bass on the andy griffith show ' -- were frequent supporting players . we 've lost the greatest , monologist , pantomimic , sketch comedian tv has ever known ! word genius is oft misused but not so here . hail caesar , ' tweeted reiner . the high-pressure hijinks of the writers'room inspired a number of other works , including the dick van dyke show , ' created by reiner ; the 1982 film my favorite year , ' produced by brooks ; and the 1993 play laughter on the 23rd floor , ' by simon . when we came in , we did n't have the slightest idea of what we were going to do . we christened the beginning of the week'bloody monday'because we walked into the room with no material . we had three days to pitch lines and ideas and create six complete sketches , ' caesar recalled in a 2011 interview . the high pressure also led to a drinking and drug problem for caesar . it took him years to kick the habit , until finally he went blank one day while performing on stage in 1977 . he checked into a hospital soon after and got clean . i could n't stand me , ' he said in 2011 . that 's why i drank and took pills . i could n't stand to be around me . ' your show of shows ' lasted just four years , but its impact was such that a best-of selection was turned into a 1973 movie , ten from your show of shows . ' caesar followed your show of shows ' with caesar 's hour , ' which included reiner and morris but not coca . among the show 's recurring sketches was one in which the trio played the three haircuts , ' a rock 'n'roll group . other regulars on caesar 's hour ' included nanette fabray and bea arthur . caesar 's hour ' left the air in 1957 . in the following decades , caesar appeared in a handful of films , most notably the comic extravaganza it 's a mad , mad , mad , mad world , ' in which he played dentist melville crump . he did a number of his own stunt gags and hurt his back in the process . he appeared in films by his former writer brooks , including 1976 's silent movie ' and 1981 's history of the world part i , ' and popped up in films such as grease ' and grease 2 ' ( as coach calhoun ) and cannonball run ii . ' he hosted saturday night live ' in 1983 and was named an honorary member of the not ready for prime time players ' at the conclusion of the show -- the only non- ' snl ' cast member to earn the tribute . among his honors were two emmys , a lifetime achievement award from the television critics association and a star on the hollywood walk of fame . he was married to florence levy for 67 years until her death in 2010 . the couple had three children . asked by the archive of american television how he 'd like to be remembered , he responded with six words . i brought laughter to the world , ' he said . people we 've lost in 2014 | movie credits include it 's a mad , mad , mad , mad world , ' airport 1975 , ' grease ' |
twitter <tsp> ( wired ) -- it appears that technology giant samsung is handing out free galaxy s smartphones to iphone 4 owners frustrated by reception problems . an account on twitter called @ samsungukmobile is contacting people who 've tweeted about their difficulties with the handset , asking them to submit their contact details to receive a free handset . one of those offered a handset was tiffany nieuwland , who told wired : my iphone and i have been inseparable for almost a month now , tomorrow being one month since the iphone os 4 launched . but the honeymoon period ended this week as repeated dropped calls , and a sudden unexplainable inability to make or receive calls or send texts left me disgruntled . so i did what anyone else would do : i vented my frustration on twitter . imagine my surprise , then , when this morning i am tweeted by samsung offering me a free galaxy s , their latest phone . too good to be true ? i decided to investigate . i called a friend at samsung , and though she was initially sceptical , it has now been confirmed : the campaign is legit . samsung is so confident about the superiority of the galaxy s that they 're sending free ones to existing iphone customers so they can decide for themselves . ' it 's an interesting and unconventional approach to marketing the device , which is powered by android 2.1 and features a whopping great big 4.0-inch amoled display . it 's entirely possible that samsung has taken a gamble that getting a few of the devices out in the wild , so that people can see and play with them , will be worth the initial outlay in terms of the effect they 'll have on sales . tiffany added : i 've been waiting for an excuse to try out an android for months , but it is yet to be seen if i can be persuaded to stray . ' would you convert to android if the phone was offered up free ? tell us in the comments . update : we 've got official word from samsung that this is legitimate . a spokesperson for the company told us : recently there has been a real increase in online activity from consumers dissatisfied with some of our competitors'products . we decided to contact a cross section of individuals to offer them a free samsung galaxy s as a replacement , as we 're confident that once people have the phone in their hands , they 'll see how impressive it is for themselves . ' subscribe to wired magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a free gift ! click here ! copyright 2011 wired.com . | a twitter account is contacting people who 've tweeted about difficulties with phone |
weekly newsquiz <tsp> april 3 , 2015 we 're starting with some international headlines today , covering events in switzerland , kenya and the pacific ocean . california 's historic drought is now hitting home for many residents and businesses , who 've been ordered to cut their water usage . we discuss two religious holidays being celebrated worldwide this weekend , and we take a look at a pair of subjects related to u.s. national parks . it 's all featured this friday on cnn student news . on this page you will find today 's show transcript and a place for you to request to be on the cnn student news roll call . transcript click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . weekly newsquiz click here for a printable version of the weekly newsquiz ( pdf ) . 1 . what nation voted to replace goodluck jonathan with muhammadu buhari as president ? 2 . name the u.s. astronaut who recently blasted off for a nearly year-long mission to the international space station . 3 . hydraulic fracturing , also known as fracking , and horizontal drilling are methods of extracting what substance ? 4 . despite his nickname the little corporal , ' what historic conqueror was likely taller than other men of his era ? 5 . what nation is leading airstrikes against yemen , following a governmental takeover there by houthi rebels ? 6 . though the spread of the ebola virus appears to have stopped in liberia and slowed down in sierra leone , new cases have increased in what west african nation ? 7 . during what period of european history was an eye ointment described that 's now showing effectiveness against a modern-day superbug ? 8 . scientists have fitted certain insects , members of the family blattidae , with tiny backpacks that manipulate their neural systems . name these insects . 9 . in what body of water is typhoon maysak , which is threatening to make landfall in an island nation this weekend ? 10 . what two religious holidays will be celebrated around the world this weekend ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show . roll call for a chance to be mentioned on the next cnn student news , comment on the bottom of this page with your school name , mascot , city and state . we will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call ! thank you for using cnn student news ! | the weekly newsquiz tests students'knowledge of events in the news |
cnn student news <tsp> april 3 , 2015 we 're starting with some international headlines today , covering events in switzerland , kenya and the pacific ocean . california 's historic drought is now hitting home for many residents and businesses , who 've been ordered to cut their water usage . we discuss two religious holidays being celebrated worldwide this weekend , and we take a look at a pair of subjects related to u.s. national parks . it 's all featured this friday on cnn student news . on this page you will find today 's show transcript and a place for you to request to be on the cnn student news roll call . transcript click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . weekly newsquiz click here for a printable version of the weekly newsquiz ( pdf ) . 1 . what nation voted to replace goodluck jonathan with muhammadu buhari as president ? 2 . name the u.s. astronaut who recently blasted off for a nearly year-long mission to the international space station . 3 . hydraulic fracturing , also known as fracking , and horizontal drilling are methods of extracting what substance ? 4 . despite his nickname the little corporal , ' what historic conqueror was likely taller than other men of his era ? 5 . what nation is leading airstrikes against yemen , following a governmental takeover there by houthi rebels ? 6 . though the spread of the ebola virus appears to have stopped in liberia and slowed down in sierra leone , new cases have increased in what west african nation ? 7 . during what period of european history was an eye ointment described that 's now showing effectiveness against a modern-day superbug ? 8 . scientists have fitted certain insects , members of the family blattidae , with tiny backpacks that manipulate their neural systems . name these insects . 9 . in what body of water is typhoon maysak , which is threatening to make landfall in an island nation this weekend ? 10 . what two religious holidays will be celebrated around the world this weekend ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show . roll call for a chance to be mentioned on the next cnn student news , comment on the bottom of this page with your school name , mascot , city and state . we will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call ! thank you for using cnn student news ! | at the bottom of the page , comment for a chance to be mentioned on cnn student news . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call . |
cnn student news roll call <tsp> april 3 , 2015 we 're starting with some international headlines today , covering events in switzerland , kenya and the pacific ocean . california 's historic drought is now hitting home for many residents and businesses , who 've been ordered to cut their water usage . we discuss two religious holidays being celebrated worldwide this weekend , and we take a look at a pair of subjects related to u.s. national parks . it 's all featured this friday on cnn student news . on this page you will find today 's show transcript and a place for you to request to be on the cnn student news roll call . transcript click here to access the transcript of today 's cnn student news program . please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published . weekly newsquiz click here for a printable version of the weekly newsquiz ( pdf ) . 1 . what nation voted to replace goodluck jonathan with muhammadu buhari as president ? 2 . name the u.s. astronaut who recently blasted off for a nearly year-long mission to the international space station . 3 . hydraulic fracturing , also known as fracking , and horizontal drilling are methods of extracting what substance ? 4 . despite his nickname the little corporal , ' what historic conqueror was likely taller than other men of his era ? 5 . what nation is leading airstrikes against yemen , following a governmental takeover there by houthi rebels ? 6 . though the spread of the ebola virus appears to have stopped in liberia and slowed down in sierra leone , new cases have increased in what west african nation ? 7 . during what period of european history was an eye ointment described that 's now showing effectiveness against a modern-day superbug ? 8 . scientists have fitted certain insects , members of the family blattidae , with tiny backpacks that manipulate their neural systems . name these insects . 9 . in what body of water is typhoon maysak , which is threatening to make landfall in an island nation this weekend ? 10 . what two religious holidays will be celebrated around the world this weekend ? cnn student news is created by a team of journalists who consider the common core state standards , national standards in different subject areas , and state standards when producing the show . roll call for a chance to be mentioned on the next cnn student news , comment on the bottom of this page with your school name , mascot , city and state . we will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call ! thank you for using cnn student news ! | at the bottom of the page , comment for a chance to be mentioned on cnn student news . you must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the cnn student news roll call . |
martin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in november 2010 , i watched hbo 's real sports with bryant gumbel ' and saw a piece on the hazing antics at several historically black colleges and fraternities . i took to twitter to share my thoughts on the issue . much of the report focused on southern university , and man , did the floodgates open as a number of students from the university angrily tweeted me back , cussing , yelling and screaming , with some defending hazing , while others were angry at the national attention focused on their university . for hours we went round and round , and were joined in the discussion by members of several black fraternities , including my own alpha phi alpha fraternity inc. a number of these individuals actually supported hazing , or pledging hard ' and not becoming a paper ' member who skated ' into the fraternity . despite the anger and vitriol , i refused to back down , making it clear that getting beaten for being in a band or fraternity was absolutely dumb . one year later , when news of the death of florida a & m university drum major robert champion became public , i immediately thought of that discussion and those folks who viewed hazing as a ritual worthy of continuing . here was a young man who went off to college , planning to earn a college degree while leading one of the nation 's most colorful and exciting bands , only to be returned home to his parents in georgia in a coffin . while hazing immediately was suspected , we could only speculate about the cause of the 26-year-old 's death . that is , until friday , when the medical examiner released details of his autopsy , concluding that champion collapsed and died within an hour of a hazing incident during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body . ' news of the death has rocked the florida a & m campus , angering its students and alumni , triggering multiple state investigations and leading gov . rick scott to call for the suspension of school president james ammons . that prompted famu students to march to the governor 's mansion on friday and camp out on his lawn , demanding he rescind the resignation call . champion 's death is n't the first time we have seen individuals in a band or fraternity die . it is incredible that some folks have given their lives -- literally -- for just being a part of a student group . state laws have been passed , organizations have been kicked off campuses and national fraternal and sorority groups have paid millions in settlements because of hazing , but we continue to see these stories . why ? ' is a consistent question that is asked , and at the end of the day , it boils down to power and a desire to demand others kowtow to someone else 's demands in order for them to be accepted . a decision not to follow through means you can be ostracized , ignored and marginalized . that 's the last thing any young person wants to experience when in an organization . every one of these organizations is overseen by adult leaders or advisers . but in truth , fellow students run the show . normally in a band , a drum major sits at the top of the food chain , but champion clearly had to bend to the band 's culture to be fully accepted as a member of famu 's marching 100 . ' so what you have is a bunch of students between the ages of 18 and 22 calling the shots and making it clear who is accepted and who is n't , who gets in and who does n't . you aim to please them and no one else . oftentimes they are leading based on how they were led , and it has been indoctrinated into them that this is the way of life , take it or leave it . these are powerful forces that can only be changed by peers . hazing will only be brought to a close when members of organizations make it clear the vile hazing traditions will not go forward . no one today can be hazed if the student leaders make it clear that it 's unacceptable . yet because of the natural turnover in student organizations , that mindset has to be created and passed on for it to succeed . when i was about to pledge alpha phi alpha fraternity inc. in spring 1989 , i met with my four other pledge brothers and made it clear : i 'm not getting hit , i will never use alcohol and i will not agree to be hazed . even though my older brother pledged the same fraternity at texas a & m two years earlier without any nonsense , i was making it clear that such shenanigans were idiotic . all five of us agreed and in the four weeks , two days , 16 hours , 38 minutes and 39 seconds i was on line ( yea , having to recite such specifics was a part of our process ) , the behavior that we often heard was associated with pledging did n't exist . yet because of that , we were n't always as accepted by other fraternity members at other campuses . our chapter was called soft ; we were criticized as not pledging the right way ' and had to constantly defend our manhood . me , i did n't give a damn . i would look others in the eye and say , in the history of our chapter , only one brother has failed to graduate , and we do nothing with him . are you guys on the six- or seven-year plan , and can you match our graduate rate ? ' from my perspective , we were supposed to be in college to graduate , not to pledge . and if my fraternity was founded as a study group at cornell university on december 4 , 1906 , why would we eschew academics ? even though we pledged the right way at texas a & m , that peer pressure was still unbearable for some . that summer at our national convention in san antonio , hazing was on the agenda , and i made it clear i was going to speak . some other brothers in my chapter pulled my coattails and said , do n't tell the brothers you did n't take any wood ( that 's being paddled ) . ' i yelled , if we pledged brothers the right way , why in the hell are we afraid to say it ? ' since those days , i 've never wavered from my anti-hazing position . it is deplorable and shameful to think that someone would beat another person for them to prove something . prove what ? they can take a punch ? no . i prefer to challenge his mind , his intellect . our goal as fraternity men is to take young men and mold and shape them to be better men . it is not our aim to take young men and train them to be collegiate mercenaries , hellbent on inflicting as much pain as they got onto the first person they have control over . is there tremendous value in fraternities , sororities , bands and student organizations ? absolutely . the leadership opportunities are tremendous , and the lifelong relationships are vital . but what has to be preached and preached and preached to every student , whether they are white , black , asian , latino , male or female , is that if they love that frat , sorority , drill team or band , they should n't do anything to jeopardize it for the next person . do we need tougher hazing laws ? yes . do we need universities to take punitive action , including kicking students out who break the rules ? yes . do we need national organizations to ban chapters for years for egregious behavior ? absolutely . should fellow student leaders turn in others who break the rules and haze ? of course . there must be a zero tolerance attitude from every state official , administrator , student leader and organization member . to hell with tradition , rituals and the way we do things . ' all that must end . now . but we also must raise a generation of young people who have enough confidence in themselves to say , i will not take a beating just to be accepted by you . i 'd rather not have your affection or support if it means putting my life on the line . ' and if that means other students calling you out or teasing you , fine . i 'd rather you talk about me like a dog today than be hazed and have my friends search to figure out what to say at my funeral . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin . | a zero tolerance policy on hazing is needed now , martin says |
martin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in november 2010 , i watched hbo 's real sports with bryant gumbel ' and saw a piece on the hazing antics at several historically black colleges and fraternities . i took to twitter to share my thoughts on the issue . much of the report focused on southern university , and man , did the floodgates open as a number of students from the university angrily tweeted me back , cussing , yelling and screaming , with some defending hazing , while others were angry at the national attention focused on their university . for hours we went round and round , and were joined in the discussion by members of several black fraternities , including my own alpha phi alpha fraternity inc. a number of these individuals actually supported hazing , or pledging hard ' and not becoming a paper ' member who skated ' into the fraternity . despite the anger and vitriol , i refused to back down , making it clear that getting beaten for being in a band or fraternity was absolutely dumb . one year later , when news of the death of florida a & m university drum major robert champion became public , i immediately thought of that discussion and those folks who viewed hazing as a ritual worthy of continuing . here was a young man who went off to college , planning to earn a college degree while leading one of the nation 's most colorful and exciting bands , only to be returned home to his parents in georgia in a coffin . while hazing immediately was suspected , we could only speculate about the cause of the 26-year-old 's death . that is , until friday , when the medical examiner released details of his autopsy , concluding that champion collapsed and died within an hour of a hazing incident during which he suffered multiple blunt trauma blows to his body . ' news of the death has rocked the florida a & m campus , angering its students and alumni , triggering multiple state investigations and leading gov . rick scott to call for the suspension of school president james ammons . that prompted famu students to march to the governor 's mansion on friday and camp out on his lawn , demanding he rescind the resignation call . champion 's death is n't the first time we have seen individuals in a band or fraternity die . it is incredible that some folks have given their lives -- literally -- for just being a part of a student group . state laws have been passed , organizations have been kicked off campuses and national fraternal and sorority groups have paid millions in settlements because of hazing , but we continue to see these stories . why ? ' is a consistent question that is asked , and at the end of the day , it boils down to power and a desire to demand others kowtow to someone else 's demands in order for them to be accepted . a decision not to follow through means you can be ostracized , ignored and marginalized . that 's the last thing any young person wants to experience when in an organization . every one of these organizations is overseen by adult leaders or advisers . but in truth , fellow students run the show . normally in a band , a drum major sits at the top of the food chain , but champion clearly had to bend to the band 's culture to be fully accepted as a member of famu 's marching 100 . ' so what you have is a bunch of students between the ages of 18 and 22 calling the shots and making it clear who is accepted and who is n't , who gets in and who does n't . you aim to please them and no one else . oftentimes they are leading based on how they were led , and it has been indoctrinated into them that this is the way of life , take it or leave it . these are powerful forces that can only be changed by peers . hazing will only be brought to a close when members of organizations make it clear the vile hazing traditions will not go forward . no one today can be hazed if the student leaders make it clear that it 's unacceptable . yet because of the natural turnover in student organizations , that mindset has to be created and passed on for it to succeed . when i was about to pledge alpha phi alpha fraternity inc. in spring 1989 , i met with my four other pledge brothers and made it clear : i 'm not getting hit , i will never use alcohol and i will not agree to be hazed . even though my older brother pledged the same fraternity at texas a & m two years earlier without any nonsense , i was making it clear that such shenanigans were idiotic . all five of us agreed and in the four weeks , two days , 16 hours , 38 minutes and 39 seconds i was on line ( yea , having to recite such specifics was a part of our process ) , the behavior that we often heard was associated with pledging did n't exist . yet because of that , we were n't always as accepted by other fraternity members at other campuses . our chapter was called soft ; we were criticized as not pledging the right way ' and had to constantly defend our manhood . me , i did n't give a damn . i would look others in the eye and say , in the history of our chapter , only one brother has failed to graduate , and we do nothing with him . are you guys on the six- or seven-year plan , and can you match our graduate rate ? ' from my perspective , we were supposed to be in college to graduate , not to pledge . and if my fraternity was founded as a study group at cornell university on december 4 , 1906 , why would we eschew academics ? even though we pledged the right way at texas a & m , that peer pressure was still unbearable for some . that summer at our national convention in san antonio , hazing was on the agenda , and i made it clear i was going to speak . some other brothers in my chapter pulled my coattails and said , do n't tell the brothers you did n't take any wood ( that 's being paddled ) . ' i yelled , if we pledged brothers the right way , why in the hell are we afraid to say it ? ' since those days , i 've never wavered from my anti-hazing position . it is deplorable and shameful to think that someone would beat another person for them to prove something . prove what ? they can take a punch ? no . i prefer to challenge his mind , his intellect . our goal as fraternity men is to take young men and mold and shape them to be better men . it is not our aim to take young men and train them to be collegiate mercenaries , hellbent on inflicting as much pain as they got onto the first person they have control over . is there tremendous value in fraternities , sororities , bands and student organizations ? absolutely . the leadership opportunities are tremendous , and the lifelong relationships are vital . but what has to be preached and preached and preached to every student , whether they are white , black , asian , latino , male or female , is that if they love that frat , sorority , drill team or band , they should n't do anything to jeopardize it for the next person . do we need tougher hazing laws ? yes . do we need universities to take punitive action , including kicking students out who break the rules ? yes . do we need national organizations to ban chapters for years for egregious behavior ? absolutely . should fellow student leaders turn in others who break the rules and haze ? of course . there must be a zero tolerance attitude from every state official , administrator , student leader and organization member . to hell with tradition , rituals and the way we do things . ' all that must end . now . but we also must raise a generation of young people who have enough confidence in themselves to say , i will not take a beating just to be accepted by you . i 'd rather not have your affection or support if it means putting my life on the line . ' and if that means other students calling you out or teasing you , fine . i 'd rather you talk about me like a dog today than be hazed and have my friends search to figure out what to say at my funeral . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of roland martin . | roland martin says he has long been opposed to hazing |
arrow <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- israel completed a successful test flight of its arrow 3 interceptor system on monday , the ministry of defense said in a statement . the system is designed to defend against medium-range missiles that could be fired from countries such as iran . the successful test is a major milestone in the development of the arrow 3 weapon system and provides further confidence in future israeli defense capabilities to defeat the developing ballistic missile threat , ' the statement said . the test of the joint american and israeli weapon system was held over the mediterranean sea on monday morning . israel and the united states have been jointly developing the multi-billion dollar arrow missile defense system since 1986 . the goal is to provide israel with a defense for medium range missiles fired toward it from the region . | arrow could protect israel from medium range missiles fired from countries like iran |
boston <tsp> massachusetts'highest court ruled friday that the pledge of allegiance does not discriminate against atheists , saying that the words under god ' represent a patriotic , not a religious , exercise . all previous attempts to eliminate the mention of god in the pledge recited in classrooms across the country have failed , but the supreme judicial court of massachusetts considered arguments seeking removal of the reference based on discrimination . the case was brought by an unidentified family of a student at a school in suburban boston , whose lawyers argued that the pledge violates the equal rights amendment of the state constitution . it was the first such case at the state level . roy speckhardt , the executive director of the american humanist association , an atheist group that provided legal services for the plaintiffs , called the decision a setback . but he said the group felt confident about a similar case filed in new jersey last week that seeks to show that the pledge engendered a climate of discrimination . in its ruling , the massachusetts court said the pledge was voluntary and a fundamentally patriotic exercise , not a religious one . ' the decision said the plaintiffs failed to prove that reciting the pledge resulted in negative treatment . the plaintiffs here did not successfully allege that their children receive negative treatment because they opt not to recite the words'under god ,'or that the inclusion of that phrase in the pledge has occasioned'the creation of second-class citizens ,' the decision said . but the ruling said that should future plaintiffs demonstrate that the distinction created by the pledge as currently written has engendered bullying or differential treatment , ' the court would leave open the possibility that the equal rights amendment might provide a remedy . ' speckhardt said that the recitation of the pledge resulted in some children being ostracized ' for being atheists and that the government was complicit in bullying and prejudice against those children . in 1954 , congress amended the pledge to include the words under god ' during the escalation of the cold war . the massachusetts supreme judicial court has high-profile and precedent-setting experience deciding cases hinging on the equal rights amendment of the massachusetts constitution . in 2003 , massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage with the supreme judicial court 's landmark goodridge decision . | case was brought by an unidentified family of a student at a school in suburban boston |
uk <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- king abdullah of saudi arabia has begun his visit to the uk as controversy continues over issues related to the middle eastern kingdom . king abdullah is greeted by britain 's prince charles at heathrow airport . queen elizabeth and british prime minister gordon brown met the king at london 's horseguards parade parade ground , ahead of a full state banquet at buckingham palace . brown will hold talks with king abdullah at downing street wednesday before the king 's departure thursday . the uk government regards the state visit , the first in two decades , as being of fundamental importance due to saudi arabia 's involvement in hot issues such as the war on terror , the situation in both iran and iraq and the attempt to broker peace between israel and the palestinians . but the visit has attracted controversy in the uk from activists on a number of issues . human rights groups have called on the uk government to react to allegations about the treatment of women and the gay community in the saudi kingdom , while other protesters have attacked the failure of the serious fraud office investigation into alleged bribes surrounding arms deals . the press association reported that around 100 demonstrators lined the mall , the approach to buckingham palace , shouting at the procession as it passed by . peter tatchell , a human rights campaigner , told the agency that the uk government was showing incredible hypocrisy ' for making no comment about alleged abuses in saudi arabia while condemning events in myanmar and zimbabwe . it just shows oil and arms sales seem to have bought the government 's silence , ' the agency reported him as saying . there have also been allegations by policy exchange , a think tank , that organizations linked to the saudi authorities have promoted islamic fundamentalist literature in uk mosques . watch how royal visit has stirred anger . » vince cable , acting leader of opposition party the liberal democrats , has already announced he will not attend events associated with the visit , while several ministers from brown 's ruling labour party are expected to join a human rights protest outside the saudi embassy wednesday . king abdullah stirred controversy ahead of his visit monday , accusing british authorities of ignoring intelligence that could have prevented the 2005 london bombings in an interview with the british broadcasting corporation , the saudi king said britain failed to act on information provided by saudi security services ahead of the suicide bombings on london 's transport network in july 2005 that killed 52 people and injured more than 770 . we sent information to great britain before the terrorist atrocities in britain , but unfortunately no action was taken and it may have been able to avert the tragedy , ' the monarch told the bbc . he refused to elaborate on the details of the intelligence , saying that disclosing specific information may cause sensitivities ' between the two countries'security services . a british home office spokesman strenuously denied that any intelligence from saudi arabia had been overlooked in the run-up to the atrocities and that information provided by the saudis was materially different from what actually occurred on 7 july and clearly not relevant to those acts . ' we have made it clear that if we had intelligence that could have prevented the attacks we would have acted upon it , ' the spokesman told cnn . he also cited a parliamentary investigation last year that found no evidence that intelligence , passed on by the saudis , could have prevented the bombings . british foreign secretary david miliband pulled out of a meeting with his saudi arabian counterpart in london monday , but the foreign office insisted it was for personal reasons and not a snub . miliband has just adopted a baby son and is taking time off to look after him , the british foreign office confirmed to cnn . miliband 's duties were being carried out by junior ministers in his absence . e-mail to a friend | controversy over human rights , literature in uk mosques , bae inquiry |
uk <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- king abdullah of saudi arabia has begun his visit to the uk as controversy continues over issues related to the middle eastern kingdom . king abdullah is greeted by britain 's prince charles at heathrow airport . queen elizabeth and british prime minister gordon brown met the king at london 's horseguards parade parade ground , ahead of a full state banquet at buckingham palace . brown will hold talks with king abdullah at downing street wednesday before the king 's departure thursday . the uk government regards the state visit , the first in two decades , as being of fundamental importance due to saudi arabia 's involvement in hot issues such as the war on terror , the situation in both iran and iraq and the attempt to broker peace between israel and the palestinians . but the visit has attracted controversy in the uk from activists on a number of issues . human rights groups have called on the uk government to react to allegations about the treatment of women and the gay community in the saudi kingdom , while other protesters have attacked the failure of the serious fraud office investigation into alleged bribes surrounding arms deals . the press association reported that around 100 demonstrators lined the mall , the approach to buckingham palace , shouting at the procession as it passed by . peter tatchell , a human rights campaigner , told the agency that the uk government was showing incredible hypocrisy ' for making no comment about alleged abuses in saudi arabia while condemning events in myanmar and zimbabwe . it just shows oil and arms sales seem to have bought the government 's silence , ' the agency reported him as saying . there have also been allegations by policy exchange , a think tank , that organizations linked to the saudi authorities have promoted islamic fundamentalist literature in uk mosques . watch how royal visit has stirred anger . » vince cable , acting leader of opposition party the liberal democrats , has already announced he will not attend events associated with the visit , while several ministers from brown 's ruling labour party are expected to join a human rights protest outside the saudi embassy wednesday . king abdullah stirred controversy ahead of his visit monday , accusing british authorities of ignoring intelligence that could have prevented the 2005 london bombings in an interview with the british broadcasting corporation , the saudi king said britain failed to act on information provided by saudi security services ahead of the suicide bombings on london 's transport network in july 2005 that killed 52 people and injured more than 770 . we sent information to great britain before the terrorist atrocities in britain , but unfortunately no action was taken and it may have been able to avert the tragedy , ' the monarch told the bbc . he refused to elaborate on the details of the intelligence , saying that disclosing specific information may cause sensitivities ' between the two countries'security services . a british home office spokesman strenuously denied that any intelligence from saudi arabia had been overlooked in the run-up to the atrocities and that information provided by the saudis was materially different from what actually occurred on 7 july and clearly not relevant to those acts . ' we have made it clear that if we had intelligence that could have prevented the attacks we would have acted upon it , ' the spokesman told cnn . he also cited a parliamentary investigation last year that found no evidence that intelligence , passed on by the saudis , could have prevented the bombings . british foreign secretary david miliband pulled out of a meeting with his saudi arabian counterpart in london monday , but the foreign office insisted it was for personal reasons and not a snub . miliband has just adopted a baby son and is taking time off to look after him , the british foreign office confirmed to cnn . miliband 's duties were being carried out by junior ministers in his absence . e-mail to a friend | the king monday accused uk authorities of not doing enough to fight terrorism |
uk <tsp> london , england ( cnn ) -- king abdullah of saudi arabia has begun his visit to the uk as controversy continues over issues related to the middle eastern kingdom . king abdullah is greeted by britain 's prince charles at heathrow airport . queen elizabeth and british prime minister gordon brown met the king at london 's horseguards parade parade ground , ahead of a full state banquet at buckingham palace . brown will hold talks with king abdullah at downing street wednesday before the king 's departure thursday . the uk government regards the state visit , the first in two decades , as being of fundamental importance due to saudi arabia 's involvement in hot issues such as the war on terror , the situation in both iran and iraq and the attempt to broker peace between israel and the palestinians . but the visit has attracted controversy in the uk from activists on a number of issues . human rights groups have called on the uk government to react to allegations about the treatment of women and the gay community in the saudi kingdom , while other protesters have attacked the failure of the serious fraud office investigation into alleged bribes surrounding arms deals . the press association reported that around 100 demonstrators lined the mall , the approach to buckingham palace , shouting at the procession as it passed by . peter tatchell , a human rights campaigner , told the agency that the uk government was showing incredible hypocrisy ' for making no comment about alleged abuses in saudi arabia while condemning events in myanmar and zimbabwe . it just shows oil and arms sales seem to have bought the government 's silence , ' the agency reported him as saying . there have also been allegations by policy exchange , a think tank , that organizations linked to the saudi authorities have promoted islamic fundamentalist literature in uk mosques . watch how royal visit has stirred anger . » vince cable , acting leader of opposition party the liberal democrats , has already announced he will not attend events associated with the visit , while several ministers from brown 's ruling labour party are expected to join a human rights protest outside the saudi embassy wednesday . king abdullah stirred controversy ahead of his visit monday , accusing british authorities of ignoring intelligence that could have prevented the 2005 london bombings in an interview with the british broadcasting corporation , the saudi king said britain failed to act on information provided by saudi security services ahead of the suicide bombings on london 's transport network in july 2005 that killed 52 people and injured more than 770 . we sent information to great britain before the terrorist atrocities in britain , but unfortunately no action was taken and it may have been able to avert the tragedy , ' the monarch told the bbc . he refused to elaborate on the details of the intelligence , saying that disclosing specific information may cause sensitivities ' between the two countries'security services . a british home office spokesman strenuously denied that any intelligence from saudi arabia had been overlooked in the run-up to the atrocities and that information provided by the saudis was materially different from what actually occurred on 7 july and clearly not relevant to those acts . ' we have made it clear that if we had intelligence that could have prevented the attacks we would have acted upon it , ' the spokesman told cnn . he also cited a parliamentary investigation last year that found no evidence that intelligence , passed on by the saudis , could have prevented the bombings . british foreign secretary david miliband pulled out of a meeting with his saudi arabian counterpart in london monday , but the foreign office insisted it was for personal reasons and not a snub . miliband has just adopted a baby son and is taking time off to look after him , the british foreign office confirmed to cnn . miliband 's duties were being carried out by junior ministers in his absence . e-mail to a friend | new saudi arabia 's king abdullah begins state visit to uk , meets queen , pm |
leon walker <tsp> ( cnn ) -- leon walker , a detroit , michigan , computer technician , faces a jury trial in february for allegedly hacking into his then-wife 's e-mail account . she 'd asked me to read her e-mails before , ' walker said in an interview this week . she gave me the password before . she did n't hide it . ' walker says the e-mails revealed that clara walker , who has been married three times , was having an affair with her second husband . walker , the third husband , shared the documents with his wife 's first husband , who then used them to file an emergency motion to obtain custody of his son with clara walker . leon walker said he and the first husband were both concerned because , according to walker , husband no . 2 had a prior arrest on a domestic violence charge . he took action with the courts to have himself protected and i took action with the court to have my daughter protected , ' walker said . when clara walker learned how the e-mails made their way into court , she complained to police . oakland county , michigan , prosecutor jessica cooper used a state anti-hacking law to charge leon walker with a felony . cooper did not immediately respond to cnn calls for comment , but the detroit free press published a voice-mail from her . the guy is a hacker , ' cooper told the newspaper . it was password protected , he had wonderful skills , and was highly trained . then he downloaded them and used them in a very contentious way . ' the michigan statute forbids someone from accessing a computer program , computer , computer system or computer network ' to acquire property without authorization . ' new york criminal defense lawyer paul callan said all 50 u.s. states have such laws , but he called this a highly unusual use of a criminal statute . ' the laws are typically used to prosecute some technological guy who 's broken into a company 's computer system and damaged it or stolen something , ' callan said . leon walker 's defense lawyer agreed . i find it so hard to believe that our legislature would enact a law and say'you know what , if husbands and wives are reading each others'e-mail , that 's a priority for us and we 've got to stop that ,'' attorney leon weiss said . walker said his decision to peek into his wife 's e-mail account was like someone kicking in a door to save someone from a burning house . do you kick the door open or do you let it burn ? ' walker said . i did what i felt was absolutely necessary . ' clara walker responded in a written statement submitted by her attorney , saying leon is not the saint portrayed in the media . ' if you believe news reports you would think he was the faithful husband looking to protect my children . nothing could be farther from the truth , ' she said . the couple 's divorce was finalized earlier this month . cnn 's julie cannold contributed to this report . | leon walker is charged under michigan 's anti-hacking law |
leon walker <tsp> ( cnn ) -- leon walker , a detroit , michigan , computer technician , faces a jury trial in february for allegedly hacking into his then-wife 's e-mail account . she 'd asked me to read her e-mails before , ' walker said in an interview this week . she gave me the password before . she did n't hide it . ' walker says the e-mails revealed that clara walker , who has been married three times , was having an affair with her second husband . walker , the third husband , shared the documents with his wife 's first husband , who then used them to file an emergency motion to obtain custody of his son with clara walker . leon walker said he and the first husband were both concerned because , according to walker , husband no . 2 had a prior arrest on a domestic violence charge . he took action with the courts to have himself protected and i took action with the court to have my daughter protected , ' walker said . when clara walker learned how the e-mails made their way into court , she complained to police . oakland county , michigan , prosecutor jessica cooper used a state anti-hacking law to charge leon walker with a felony . cooper did not immediately respond to cnn calls for comment , but the detroit free press published a voice-mail from her . the guy is a hacker , ' cooper told the newspaper . it was password protected , he had wonderful skills , and was highly trained . then he downloaded them and used them in a very contentious way . ' the michigan statute forbids someone from accessing a computer program , computer , computer system or computer network ' to acquire property without authorization . ' new york criminal defense lawyer paul callan said all 50 u.s. states have such laws , but he called this a highly unusual use of a criminal statute . ' the laws are typically used to prosecute some technological guy who 's broken into a company 's computer system and damaged it or stolen something , ' callan said . leon walker 's defense lawyer agreed . i find it so hard to believe that our legislature would enact a law and say'you know what , if husbands and wives are reading each others'e-mail , that 's a priority for us and we 've got to stop that ,'' attorney leon weiss said . walker said his decision to peek into his wife 's e-mail account was like someone kicking in a door to save someone from a burning house . do you kick the door open or do you let it burn ? ' walker said . i did what i felt was absolutely necessary . ' clara walker responded in a written statement submitted by her attorney , saying leon is not the saint portrayed in the media . ' if you believe news reports you would think he was the faithful husband looking to protect my children . nothing could be farther from the truth , ' she said . the couple 's divorce was finalized earlier this month . cnn 's julie cannold contributed to this report . | leon walker defends reading his then-wife 's e-mails to ensure his daughter 's safety |
zoe 's ark <tsp> adre , chad ( cnn ) -- nearly 100 children at the center of an international scandal that left them stranded at an orphanage in remote eastern chad returned home after nearly five months friday , and were being reunited with their families . some of the children who were nearly abducted by a french charity , pictured in abeche in november 2007 . it was a six-hour bus ride from abeche , in eastern chad , to adre , on the border with sudan , where mothers and fathers gathered at the post office waiting for their children . during the ride , the bus broke down when its radiator burst . those accompanying the children were concerned about rebels causing trouble along the way , but that concern turned out to be unfounded . the 97 children were taken from their homes in october by a then-obscure french charity , l'arche de zoe ( zoe 's ark ) , which claimed they were orphans from sudan 's war-torn darfur region . watch as children prepare for return home . » the group , which registered under the name children 's rescue ' in chad , planned to place the orphans with foster families in france . but chadian authorities stopped the group just before its first planeload of children departed abeche , after it was discovered that most of the children -- who range form age one to 10 -- were from chad and had at least one living parent . both chadian and french officials were quick to criticize the group 's actions . zoe 's ark head eric breteau and five others were convicted of attempted kidnapping . they were initially sentenced to eight years of hard labor in chad , but were taken to france and jailed there after french president nicolas sarkozy intervened by flying to chad and appealing directly to president idriss deby . although unicef and other agencies rapidly determined the children were chadian , finding their parents was an arduous process , as little paperwork on them could be found . social workers and officials literally went door-to-door in the chad-sudan border region , with photographs in some cases , asking parents whether the children were theirs . those efforts were hampered by a february offensive in the capital , n'djamena , by rebels attempting to oust deby . furthermore , the children could not be returned home until the criminal case involving them was complete . as the children left the orphanage for the last time on their trip home , red cross and unicef workers who have cared for them over the months were in tears . some of the children are too young to know what is going on , but others , who understand , were only told thursday they were going home , as officials did not want to raise false hopes . six of the children remained in the abeche orphanage after it was determined they were from darfur . their future is unclear . but the scene in adre was one of jubilation as families headed out of the post office in a steady stream , taking their children home . e-mail to a friend cnn 's david mckenzie contributed to this report . | six zoe 's ark workers were convicted on kidnapping charges in december |
chad <tsp> adre , chad ( cnn ) -- nearly 100 children at the center of an international scandal that left them stranded at an orphanage in remote eastern chad returned home after nearly five months friday , and were being reunited with their families . some of the children who were nearly abducted by a french charity , pictured in abeche in november 2007 . it was a six-hour bus ride from abeche , in eastern chad , to adre , on the border with sudan , where mothers and fathers gathered at the post office waiting for their children . during the ride , the bus broke down when its radiator burst . those accompanying the children were concerned about rebels causing trouble along the way , but that concern turned out to be unfounded . the 97 children were taken from their homes in october by a then-obscure french charity , l'arche de zoe ( zoe 's ark ) , which claimed they were orphans from sudan 's war-torn darfur region . watch as children prepare for return home . » the group , which registered under the name children 's rescue ' in chad , planned to place the orphans with foster families in france . but chadian authorities stopped the group just before its first planeload of children departed abeche , after it was discovered that most of the children -- who range form age one to 10 -- were from chad and had at least one living parent . both chadian and french officials were quick to criticize the group 's actions . zoe 's ark head eric breteau and five others were convicted of attempted kidnapping . they were initially sentenced to eight years of hard labor in chad , but were taken to france and jailed there after french president nicolas sarkozy intervened by flying to chad and appealing directly to president idriss deby . although unicef and other agencies rapidly determined the children were chadian , finding their parents was an arduous process , as little paperwork on them could be found . social workers and officials literally went door-to-door in the chad-sudan border region , with photographs in some cases , asking parents whether the children were theirs . those efforts were hampered by a february offensive in the capital , n'djamena , by rebels attempting to oust deby . furthermore , the children could not be returned home until the criminal case involving them was complete . as the children left the orphanage for the last time on their trip home , red cross and unicef workers who have cared for them over the months were in tears . some of the children are too young to know what is going on , but others , who understand , were only told thursday they were going home , as officials did not want to raise false hopes . six of the children remained in the abeche orphanage after it was determined they were from darfur . their future is unclear . but the scene in adre was one of jubilation as families headed out of the post office in a steady stream , taking their children home . e-mail to a friend cnn 's david mckenzie contributed to this report . | parents gathered at post office in adre , eastern chad to collect their children |
chad <tsp> adre , chad ( cnn ) -- nearly 100 children at the center of an international scandal that left them stranded at an orphanage in remote eastern chad returned home after nearly five months friday , and were being reunited with their families . some of the children who were nearly abducted by a french charity , pictured in abeche in november 2007 . it was a six-hour bus ride from abeche , in eastern chad , to adre , on the border with sudan , where mothers and fathers gathered at the post office waiting for their children . during the ride , the bus broke down when its radiator burst . those accompanying the children were concerned about rebels causing trouble along the way , but that concern turned out to be unfounded . the 97 children were taken from their homes in october by a then-obscure french charity , l'arche de zoe ( zoe 's ark ) , which claimed they were orphans from sudan 's war-torn darfur region . watch as children prepare for return home . » the group , which registered under the name children 's rescue ' in chad , planned to place the orphans with foster families in france . but chadian authorities stopped the group just before its first planeload of children departed abeche , after it was discovered that most of the children -- who range form age one to 10 -- were from chad and had at least one living parent . both chadian and french officials were quick to criticize the group 's actions . zoe 's ark head eric breteau and five others were convicted of attempted kidnapping . they were initially sentenced to eight years of hard labor in chad , but were taken to france and jailed there after french president nicolas sarkozy intervened by flying to chad and appealing directly to president idriss deby . although unicef and other agencies rapidly determined the children were chadian , finding their parents was an arduous process , as little paperwork on them could be found . social workers and officials literally went door-to-door in the chad-sudan border region , with photographs in some cases , asking parents whether the children were theirs . those efforts were hampered by a february offensive in the capital , n'djamena , by rebels attempting to oust deby . furthermore , the children could not be returned home until the criminal case involving them was complete . as the children left the orphanage for the last time on their trip home , red cross and unicef workers who have cared for them over the months were in tears . some of the children are too young to know what is going on , but others , who understand , were only told thursday they were going home , as officials did not want to raise false hopes . six of the children remained in the abeche orphanage after it was determined they were from darfur . their future is unclear . but the scene in adre was one of jubilation as families headed out of the post office in a steady stream , taking their children home . e-mail to a friend cnn 's david mckenzie contributed to this report . | remaining children from darfur to remain in abeche orphanage in chad |
al-assad <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there he goes again -- russian president vladimir putin , portraying himself as the world 's champion of peace and democracy . and , of course , doing it at america 's expense . this time , putin 's pr machine managed to get him an op-ed in the new york times , just in time for the start of talks in geneva , switzerland , over a plan to dismantle syria 's chemical weapons arsenal . the column is so filled with hypocrisy , inaccuracies and even veiled threats that it 's hard to know where to begin . putin chastises the united states , which has stumbled badly in syria , for considering an attack because a strike will result in more innocent victims and escalation . ' it could , he warns , unleash a new wave of terrorism . ' he forgets to mention that tens of thousands of innocent victims in syria have already died at the hands of president bashar al-assad 's forces , which are armed , supported and supplied by moscow . here 's just one recent arms order from a syrian army general , listing 20,000 kalashnikov rifles , 20 million rounds of ammunition , sniper rifles , machine guns , grenade launchers and more . when it comes to massacres of civilians , it is the russian ( and iranian ) -armed syrian government and its allies who have done most of the killing . some of the rebels also have blood on their hands , clearly a reason for concern . but putin 's one-sided portrayal is false . a report by a u.n. commission released wednesday showed eight massacres committed by al-assad supporters and one by rebels over the last year and a half . putin has provided al-assad with weapons , planeloads of cash and diplomatic cover to carry out his assaults against an uprising that started peacefully and was forced into violence by al-assad 's uncompromising response . and yet in his op-ed putin cynically describes the syrian war as conflict fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition . ' the russian president tries to come across as the great defender of international institutions , peace through compromise and global consensus . no one wants the united nations to suffer the fate of the league of nations , ' he warns , which would happen if the united states chooses to bypass the u.n. security council . the truth , whatever putin claims , is that the united states and other countries have tried desperately to go through the security council to stop the carnage in syria . no country has obstructed those efforts more persistently than russia . early last year , when al-assad 's forces carried out what was until then the worst massacre of the war , in the city of homs , the united states , france , britain -- in fact , 13 out of the security council 's 15 members -- voted in favor of a resolution backing an arab peace plan for syria . russia and china vetoed it . experts then said the outcome would be a license ( for al-assad ) to do more of the same and worse , ' predicting the syrian leader would become even more brutal in his tactics , exactly as he has . russia has obstructed even the most watered-down efforts to send a message from the international community , vetoing three separate resolutions . it 's no wonder samantha power , america 's ambassador to the united nations , said russia has held the security council hostage . ' in his column , putin disingenuously claims there is every reason to believe ' the rebels launched the august 21 chemical attack that killed hundreds of syrian civilians . precisely the opposite is true . analyses from the united states , france , the united kingdom , human rights watch and others have concluded that it was the regime that perpetrated that gross violation of international norms -- the norms that putin now claims to embrace with such fervor . a u.n. inspection team investigated the massacre in syria but was not tasked with assigning blame . still , leaked information says its report next week will show a wealth of evidence ' pointing strongly to the syrian regime as perpetrator of the attack , even if that does n't fit neatly with putin 's reality distortion objectives . nothing could be more deliciously absurd than putin accusing america of not being a model of democracy , ' except perhaps for his closing line in which he chastises president barack obama for speaking of american exceptionalism . obama should n't have said that , putin humbly explains , because we are all different , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' right . all equal . that coming from the man who has presided over the introduction of law after law turning gays and lesbians into second-class citizens in russia , with the latest allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of being pro-gay . ' putin would do well to avoid the topic of democracy and human rights altogether . just ask the nonpartisan freedom house what has happened to the country since putin came to dominate the political scene more than a decade ago . incidentally , putin rose to power by cracking down violently against chechnya . here 's an op-ed he published in the new york times in 1999 explaining why force was needed against brutality . in this latest newspaper column , putin extends to the united states his image-building campaign from russia , where he has appeared hunting tigers in siberia . in russia he is the hyper-macho president . in america and in the rest of the world , he wants the public to see him as the indispensable foil to an out-of-control america . putin wants to raise not only his own but also russia 's profile and prestige . it 's not so much that he dislikes american exceptionalism . he wants russia to share in the limelight and in the power . the former kgb man is trying to maximize the influence of a country that once shared the title of superpower only with the united states . to do that , he wants to save al-assad , the man who holds the key to russia 's foothold in the arab middle east . no , putin 's actions are not driven by a passion for peace and democracy . they are an example of cold calculation -- a quest for power and a bold display of hypocrisy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | on contrary , russia sold arms to al-assad regime , which has killed tens of thousands , she says |
putin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there he goes again -- russian president vladimir putin , portraying himself as the world 's champion of peace and democracy . and , of course , doing it at america 's expense . this time , putin 's pr machine managed to get him an op-ed in the new york times , just in time for the start of talks in geneva , switzerland , over a plan to dismantle syria 's chemical weapons arsenal . the column is so filled with hypocrisy , inaccuracies and even veiled threats that it 's hard to know where to begin . putin chastises the united states , which has stumbled badly in syria , for considering an attack because a strike will result in more innocent victims and escalation . ' it could , he warns , unleash a new wave of terrorism . ' he forgets to mention that tens of thousands of innocent victims in syria have already died at the hands of president bashar al-assad 's forces , which are armed , supported and supplied by moscow . here 's just one recent arms order from a syrian army general , listing 20,000 kalashnikov rifles , 20 million rounds of ammunition , sniper rifles , machine guns , grenade launchers and more . when it comes to massacres of civilians , it is the russian ( and iranian ) -armed syrian government and its allies who have done most of the killing . some of the rebels also have blood on their hands , clearly a reason for concern . but putin 's one-sided portrayal is false . a report by a u.n. commission released wednesday showed eight massacres committed by al-assad supporters and one by rebels over the last year and a half . putin has provided al-assad with weapons , planeloads of cash and diplomatic cover to carry out his assaults against an uprising that started peacefully and was forced into violence by al-assad 's uncompromising response . and yet in his op-ed putin cynically describes the syrian war as conflict fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition . ' the russian president tries to come across as the great defender of international institutions , peace through compromise and global consensus . no one wants the united nations to suffer the fate of the league of nations , ' he warns , which would happen if the united states chooses to bypass the u.n. security council . the truth , whatever putin claims , is that the united states and other countries have tried desperately to go through the security council to stop the carnage in syria . no country has obstructed those efforts more persistently than russia . early last year , when al-assad 's forces carried out what was until then the worst massacre of the war , in the city of homs , the united states , france , britain -- in fact , 13 out of the security council 's 15 members -- voted in favor of a resolution backing an arab peace plan for syria . russia and china vetoed it . experts then said the outcome would be a license ( for al-assad ) to do more of the same and worse , ' predicting the syrian leader would become even more brutal in his tactics , exactly as he has . russia has obstructed even the most watered-down efforts to send a message from the international community , vetoing three separate resolutions . it 's no wonder samantha power , america 's ambassador to the united nations , said russia has held the security council hostage . ' in his column , putin disingenuously claims there is every reason to believe ' the rebels launched the august 21 chemical attack that killed hundreds of syrian civilians . precisely the opposite is true . analyses from the united states , france , the united kingdom , human rights watch and others have concluded that it was the regime that perpetrated that gross violation of international norms -- the norms that putin now claims to embrace with such fervor . a u.n. inspection team investigated the massacre in syria but was not tasked with assigning blame . still , leaked information says its report next week will show a wealth of evidence ' pointing strongly to the syrian regime as perpetrator of the attack , even if that does n't fit neatly with putin 's reality distortion objectives . nothing could be more deliciously absurd than putin accusing america of not being a model of democracy , ' except perhaps for his closing line in which he chastises president barack obama for speaking of american exceptionalism . obama should n't have said that , putin humbly explains , because we are all different , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' right . all equal . that coming from the man who has presided over the introduction of law after law turning gays and lesbians into second-class citizens in russia , with the latest allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of being pro-gay . ' putin would do well to avoid the topic of democracy and human rights altogether . just ask the nonpartisan freedom house what has happened to the country since putin came to dominate the political scene more than a decade ago . incidentally , putin rose to power by cracking down violently against chechnya . here 's an op-ed he published in the new york times in 1999 explaining why force was needed against brutality . in this latest newspaper column , putin extends to the united states his image-building campaign from russia , where he has appeared hunting tigers in siberia . in russia he is the hyper-macho president . in america and in the rest of the world , he wants the public to see him as the indispensable foil to an out-of-control america . putin wants to raise not only his own but also russia 's profile and prestige . it 's not so much that he dislikes american exceptionalism . he wants russia to share in the limelight and in the power . the former kgb man is trying to maximize the influence of a country that once shared the title of superpower only with the united states . to do that , he wants to save al-assad , the man who holds the key to russia 's foothold in the arab middle east . no , putin 's actions are not driven by a passion for peace and democracy . they are an example of cold calculation -- a quest for power and a bold display of hypocrisy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | frida ghitis : in op-ed , putin poses as champion of peace and chastises u.s. on syria |
putin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there he goes again -- russian president vladimir putin , portraying himself as the world 's champion of peace and democracy . and , of course , doing it at america 's expense . this time , putin 's pr machine managed to get him an op-ed in the new york times , just in time for the start of talks in geneva , switzerland , over a plan to dismantle syria 's chemical weapons arsenal . the column is so filled with hypocrisy , inaccuracies and even veiled threats that it 's hard to know where to begin . putin chastises the united states , which has stumbled badly in syria , for considering an attack because a strike will result in more innocent victims and escalation . ' it could , he warns , unleash a new wave of terrorism . ' he forgets to mention that tens of thousands of innocent victims in syria have already died at the hands of president bashar al-assad 's forces , which are armed , supported and supplied by moscow . here 's just one recent arms order from a syrian army general , listing 20,000 kalashnikov rifles , 20 million rounds of ammunition , sniper rifles , machine guns , grenade launchers and more . when it comes to massacres of civilians , it is the russian ( and iranian ) -armed syrian government and its allies who have done most of the killing . some of the rebels also have blood on their hands , clearly a reason for concern . but putin 's one-sided portrayal is false . a report by a u.n. commission released wednesday showed eight massacres committed by al-assad supporters and one by rebels over the last year and a half . putin has provided al-assad with weapons , planeloads of cash and diplomatic cover to carry out his assaults against an uprising that started peacefully and was forced into violence by al-assad 's uncompromising response . and yet in his op-ed putin cynically describes the syrian war as conflict fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition . ' the russian president tries to come across as the great defender of international institutions , peace through compromise and global consensus . no one wants the united nations to suffer the fate of the league of nations , ' he warns , which would happen if the united states chooses to bypass the u.n. security council . the truth , whatever putin claims , is that the united states and other countries have tried desperately to go through the security council to stop the carnage in syria . no country has obstructed those efforts more persistently than russia . early last year , when al-assad 's forces carried out what was until then the worst massacre of the war , in the city of homs , the united states , france , britain -- in fact , 13 out of the security council 's 15 members -- voted in favor of a resolution backing an arab peace plan for syria . russia and china vetoed it . experts then said the outcome would be a license ( for al-assad ) to do more of the same and worse , ' predicting the syrian leader would become even more brutal in his tactics , exactly as he has . russia has obstructed even the most watered-down efforts to send a message from the international community , vetoing three separate resolutions . it 's no wonder samantha power , america 's ambassador to the united nations , said russia has held the security council hostage . ' in his column , putin disingenuously claims there is every reason to believe ' the rebels launched the august 21 chemical attack that killed hundreds of syrian civilians . precisely the opposite is true . analyses from the united states , france , the united kingdom , human rights watch and others have concluded that it was the regime that perpetrated that gross violation of international norms -- the norms that putin now claims to embrace with such fervor . a u.n. inspection team investigated the massacre in syria but was not tasked with assigning blame . still , leaked information says its report next week will show a wealth of evidence ' pointing strongly to the syrian regime as perpetrator of the attack , even if that does n't fit neatly with putin 's reality distortion objectives . nothing could be more deliciously absurd than putin accusing america of not being a model of democracy , ' except perhaps for his closing line in which he chastises president barack obama for speaking of american exceptionalism . obama should n't have said that , putin humbly explains , because we are all different , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' right . all equal . that coming from the man who has presided over the introduction of law after law turning gays and lesbians into second-class citizens in russia , with the latest allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of being pro-gay . ' putin would do well to avoid the topic of democracy and human rights altogether . just ask the nonpartisan freedom house what has happened to the country since putin came to dominate the political scene more than a decade ago . incidentally , putin rose to power by cracking down violently against chechnya . here 's an op-ed he published in the new york times in 1999 explaining why force was needed against brutality . in this latest newspaper column , putin extends to the united states his image-building campaign from russia , where he has appeared hunting tigers in siberia . in russia he is the hyper-macho president . in america and in the rest of the world , he wants the public to see him as the indispensable foil to an out-of-control america . putin wants to raise not only his own but also russia 's profile and prestige . it 's not so much that he dislikes american exceptionalism . he wants russia to share in the limelight and in the power . the former kgb man is trying to maximize the influence of a country that once shared the title of superpower only with the united states . to do that , he wants to save al-assad , the man who holds the key to russia 's foothold in the arab middle east . no , putin 's actions are not driven by a passion for peace and democracy . they are an example of cold calculation -- a quest for power and a bold display of hypocrisy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | ghitis : putin wants to raise stock ( not peace ) in world and keep russian foothold in mideast |
russian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- there he goes again -- russian president vladimir putin , portraying himself as the world 's champion of peace and democracy . and , of course , doing it at america 's expense . this time , putin 's pr machine managed to get him an op-ed in the new york times , just in time for the start of talks in geneva , switzerland , over a plan to dismantle syria 's chemical weapons arsenal . the column is so filled with hypocrisy , inaccuracies and even veiled threats that it 's hard to know where to begin . putin chastises the united states , which has stumbled badly in syria , for considering an attack because a strike will result in more innocent victims and escalation . ' it could , he warns , unleash a new wave of terrorism . ' he forgets to mention that tens of thousands of innocent victims in syria have already died at the hands of president bashar al-assad 's forces , which are armed , supported and supplied by moscow . here 's just one recent arms order from a syrian army general , listing 20,000 kalashnikov rifles , 20 million rounds of ammunition , sniper rifles , machine guns , grenade launchers and more . when it comes to massacres of civilians , it is the russian ( and iranian ) -armed syrian government and its allies who have done most of the killing . some of the rebels also have blood on their hands , clearly a reason for concern . but putin 's one-sided portrayal is false . a report by a u.n. commission released wednesday showed eight massacres committed by al-assad supporters and one by rebels over the last year and a half . putin has provided al-assad with weapons , planeloads of cash and diplomatic cover to carry out his assaults against an uprising that started peacefully and was forced into violence by al-assad 's uncompromising response . and yet in his op-ed putin cynically describes the syrian war as conflict fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition . ' the russian president tries to come across as the great defender of international institutions , peace through compromise and global consensus . no one wants the united nations to suffer the fate of the league of nations , ' he warns , which would happen if the united states chooses to bypass the u.n. security council . the truth , whatever putin claims , is that the united states and other countries have tried desperately to go through the security council to stop the carnage in syria . no country has obstructed those efforts more persistently than russia . early last year , when al-assad 's forces carried out what was until then the worst massacre of the war , in the city of homs , the united states , france , britain -- in fact , 13 out of the security council 's 15 members -- voted in favor of a resolution backing an arab peace plan for syria . russia and china vetoed it . experts then said the outcome would be a license ( for al-assad ) to do more of the same and worse , ' predicting the syrian leader would become even more brutal in his tactics , exactly as he has . russia has obstructed even the most watered-down efforts to send a message from the international community , vetoing three separate resolutions . it 's no wonder samantha power , america 's ambassador to the united nations , said russia has held the security council hostage . ' in his column , putin disingenuously claims there is every reason to believe ' the rebels launched the august 21 chemical attack that killed hundreds of syrian civilians . precisely the opposite is true . analyses from the united states , france , the united kingdom , human rights watch and others have concluded that it was the regime that perpetrated that gross violation of international norms -- the norms that putin now claims to embrace with such fervor . a u.n. inspection team investigated the massacre in syria but was not tasked with assigning blame . still , leaked information says its report next week will show a wealth of evidence ' pointing strongly to the syrian regime as perpetrator of the attack , even if that does n't fit neatly with putin 's reality distortion objectives . nothing could be more deliciously absurd than putin accusing america of not being a model of democracy , ' except perhaps for his closing line in which he chastises president barack obama for speaking of american exceptionalism . obama should n't have said that , putin humbly explains , because we are all different , but when we ask for the lord 's blessings , we must not forget that god created us equal . ' right . all equal . that coming from the man who has presided over the introduction of law after law turning gays and lesbians into second-class citizens in russia , with the latest allowing police to arrest anyone suspected of being pro-gay . ' putin would do well to avoid the topic of democracy and human rights altogether . just ask the nonpartisan freedom house what has happened to the country since putin came to dominate the political scene more than a decade ago . incidentally , putin rose to power by cracking down violently against chechnya . here 's an op-ed he published in the new york times in 1999 explaining why force was needed against brutality . in this latest newspaper column , putin extends to the united states his image-building campaign from russia , where he has appeared hunting tigers in siberia . in russia he is the hyper-macho president . in america and in the rest of the world , he wants the public to see him as the indispensable foil to an out-of-control america . putin wants to raise not only his own but also russia 's profile and prestige . it 's not so much that he dislikes american exceptionalism . he wants russia to share in the limelight and in the power . the former kgb man is trying to maximize the influence of a country that once shared the title of superpower only with the united states . to do that , he wants to save al-assad , the man who holds the key to russia 's foothold in the arab middle east . no , putin 's actions are not driven by a passion for peace and democracy . they are an example of cold calculation -- a quest for power and a bold display of hypocrisy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis . | ghitis : putin wants to raise stock ( not peace ) in world and keep russian foothold in mideast |
evan bayh <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as a spending bill loaded with pork makes its way through congress , president obama is getting pushback from members of his own party who are questioning his vow to end wasteful spending . the senate could vote on the spending bill as early as thursday . the president on wednesday pledged turn tide on an era of fiscal irresponsibility , ' reiterating his campaign promise that the days of pork ... as a strategy ' are over . and in a prime-time address before a joint session of congress , obama last week praised the $ 787 billion stimulus package signed into law , telling the nation , i 'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks , and i want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities . ' but some in the audience found that hard to swallow . there was just a roar of laughter -- because there were earmarks , ' said sen. claire mccaskill , d-missouri . earmarks , sometimes called pork , ' are unrelated pet projects that members of congress insert in spending bills . watch more on the earmarks in the bill » the scoffing continues as the president hammers away at reducing wasteful spending and saving taxpayers money while lawmakers on capitol hill load up a spending bill with more than 8,000 earmarks totaling nearly $ 8 billion . the legislation in question is a $ 410 billion omnibus bill that would keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year , which ends in september 2009 . according to taxpayers for common sense , a group that monitors government spending , the bill includes : about 60 percent of the earmarks are from democrats , and about 40 percent are from republicans , according to taxpayers for common sense . ryan alexander , the president of the taxpayers for common sense , pointed out that not all earmarks are bad . they 're not always good or bad . what 's bad is the process . we do n't know why certain projects get earmark funds and why other projects do n't . some of them may be good . but that could be just as well by accident as it is by design , because we have no idea why these projects are funded and why other projects are n't , ' he said . earlier this week , 14 democratic senators met to talk about their concerns with the spending . on wednesday , democratic sens . evan bayh and russ feingold called on obama to veto the bill . watch feingold talk about a'teary-eyed'defense of earmarks » ' but the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one , least of all the government . it only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning , ' bayh wrote in a wall street journal editorial published wednesday . democrats blocked amendments by sens . john mccain , r-arizona , and tom coburn , r-oklahoma , that would have narrowed the spending on earmarks . so much for the promise of change . this may be -- in all the years i have been coming to this floor to complain about the earmark pork barrel corruption that this system has bred , this may be probably the worst , probably the worst , ' mccain said tuesday . the spending bill made it through the house last week . a vote in the senate could come as early as thursday , but it 's unclear if there are the 60 votes necessary to sent it to the floor since some democrats are n't supporting it . obama is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk . but democrats speaking out against the pork could just be flexing their muscles , said cnn contributor roland martin . i would love to see these same democrats have the courage to actually stand up , look their fellow senators in the eye , democrats and republicans , and say , ok , let 's get rid of your particular project , ' he said . what often happens in congress is , they complain in terms of the general ... what i am saying is , call them out . put it on the table , ' he said . those defending the earmarks say they make up just a small portion -- less than 1 percent -- of the overall bill . house speaker nancy pelosi , d-california , on thursday defended congressional earmarks , despite calls from the white house earlier this week to reform the process . the legislatively initiated proposals in the appropriations bill , i think , are an appropriate function of congress of the united states , ' pelosi said . but pelosi said she does believe congress should cut back on the number of earmarks . pelosi said after congress finishes the $ 410 billion spending bill for this year , she planned to work with the obama administration to find ways to reduce the number of earmarks in future spending bills . the white house says this bill is just last year 's unfinished business -- and next time , it will be different . we 'll change the rules going forward , ' white house press secretary robert gibbs said wednesday when asked about the legislation . obama presented his budget summary to congress last week , but the full details of his 2010 budget wo n't be available until april . cnn 's jason carroll , joe johns , kristi keck and deirdre walsh contributed to this report . | democratic sens . evan bayh and russ feingold want obama to veto bill |
russ feingold <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as a spending bill loaded with pork makes its way through congress , president obama is getting pushback from members of his own party who are questioning his vow to end wasteful spending . the senate could vote on the spending bill as early as thursday . the president on wednesday pledged turn tide on an era of fiscal irresponsibility , ' reiterating his campaign promise that the days of pork ... as a strategy ' are over . and in a prime-time address before a joint session of congress , obama last week praised the $ 787 billion stimulus package signed into law , telling the nation , i 'm proud that we passed a recovery plan free of earmarks , and i want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities . ' but some in the audience found that hard to swallow . there was just a roar of laughter -- because there were earmarks , ' said sen. claire mccaskill , d-missouri . earmarks , sometimes called pork , ' are unrelated pet projects that members of congress insert in spending bills . watch more on the earmarks in the bill » the scoffing continues as the president hammers away at reducing wasteful spending and saving taxpayers money while lawmakers on capitol hill load up a spending bill with more than 8,000 earmarks totaling nearly $ 8 billion . the legislation in question is a $ 410 billion omnibus bill that would keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year , which ends in september 2009 . according to taxpayers for common sense , a group that monitors government spending , the bill includes : about 60 percent of the earmarks are from democrats , and about 40 percent are from republicans , according to taxpayers for common sense . ryan alexander , the president of the taxpayers for common sense , pointed out that not all earmarks are bad . they 're not always good or bad . what 's bad is the process . we do n't know why certain projects get earmark funds and why other projects do n't . some of them may be good . but that could be just as well by accident as it is by design , because we have no idea why these projects are funded and why other projects are n't , ' he said . earlier this week , 14 democratic senators met to talk about their concerns with the spending . on wednesday , democratic sens . evan bayh and russ feingold called on obama to veto the bill . watch feingold talk about a'teary-eyed'defense of earmarks » ' but the bloated omnibus requires sacrifice from no one , least of all the government . it only exacerbates the problem and hastens the day of reckoning , ' bayh wrote in a wall street journal editorial published wednesday . democrats blocked amendments by sens . john mccain , r-arizona , and tom coburn , r-oklahoma , that would have narrowed the spending on earmarks . so much for the promise of change . this may be -- in all the years i have been coming to this floor to complain about the earmark pork barrel corruption that this system has bred , this may be probably the worst , probably the worst , ' mccain said tuesday . the spending bill made it through the house last week . a vote in the senate could come as early as thursday , but it 's unclear if there are the 60 votes necessary to sent it to the floor since some democrats are n't supporting it . obama is expected to sign the bill when it reaches his desk . but democrats speaking out against the pork could just be flexing their muscles , said cnn contributor roland martin . i would love to see these same democrats have the courage to actually stand up , look their fellow senators in the eye , democrats and republicans , and say , ok , let 's get rid of your particular project , ' he said . what often happens in congress is , they complain in terms of the general ... what i am saying is , call them out . put it on the table , ' he said . those defending the earmarks say they make up just a small portion -- less than 1 percent -- of the overall bill . house speaker nancy pelosi , d-california , on thursday defended congressional earmarks , despite calls from the white house earlier this week to reform the process . the legislatively initiated proposals in the appropriations bill , i think , are an appropriate function of congress of the united states , ' pelosi said . but pelosi said she does believe congress should cut back on the number of earmarks . pelosi said after congress finishes the $ 410 billion spending bill for this year , she planned to work with the obama administration to find ways to reduce the number of earmarks in future spending bills . the white house says this bill is just last year 's unfinished business -- and next time , it will be different . we 'll change the rules going forward , ' white house press secretary robert gibbs said wednesday when asked about the legislation . obama presented his budget summary to congress last week , but the full details of his 2010 budget wo n't be available until april . cnn 's jason carroll , joe johns , kristi keck and deirdre walsh contributed to this report . | democratic sens . evan bayh and russ feingold want obama to veto bill |
jan tomaszewski <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the end it was the clown who had the last laugh . in 1973 , england prepared for a crucial world cup qualifier against poland , a team hidden behind the iron curtain of communism which had provided little footballing resistance in the recent past . the east europeans had n't qualified for an international tournament since before the world war two . their players were unknowns , presumed inferior . england , on the other hand , had won the world cup on the very same wembley pitch they were about to play on just seven years earlier . it was a team of stars coached by sir alf ramsay . it was to be a cake walk . such was the mismatch that the iconic english coach brian clough dismissed poland 's goalkeeper jan tomaszewski as a clown . ' would you want him in your team every week ? ' asked the man who led nottingham forest to successive european cup titles . it was a phrase that followed clough for the rest of his career . in front of 100,000 england fans , poland held on to a 1-1 draw . the clown ' had the game of his life and england failed to make it to west germany 1974 . in fact , they would n't reach another world cup for close to a decade . euro 2012 : by the numbers but for the poles , the draw was the beginning of a story that saw the national team strut on the international stage for another 13 years , taking them to two third-place world cup finishes with a group of one of the most talented , and unheralded , groups of players europe has ever produced . i remember everything of this match that opened for poland the door to the world 's football , ' recalls zbigniew boniek , the legendary poland and juventus forward who watched the match as a 17-year-old aspiring footballer back home . i remember every action of the goalkeeper , the anger of the england team that was n't able to win and the spectacular counterattacks . ' poland 's qualification for the 1974 world cup seemed to come from nowhere . poland had n't qualified for a world cup since 1938 ; they had no recent history , ' explains jonathan wilson , author of behind the curtain , ' a book about football in eastern europe . they were just another bunch of eastern europeans to be beaten . england did have 30 chances , but the draw gave them ( poland ) a boost of confidence . that momentum carried them on . ' when poland arrived at the 1974 world cup , it was loaded with symbolism . it was hosted in west germany just decades after poland had been decimated by its western neighbor during world war two . while many consider the 1974 world cup as the great coronation which announced the arrival of the dutch and rinus michel 's total football , ' poland excelled with equal creativity . racism overshadows euro 2012 while tomaszewski went from clown to being considered one of the best goalkeepers in europe , up front the poles had the legendary gzegorz lato . he would go on to score eight goals , winning the golden boot along the way . they went all the way to the semifinals against west germany . poland lost that game 1-0 in treacherous conditions before winning the third-place playoff against the holders brazil . i can remember one game where i 've always maintained we beat a team which was fundamentally better than us . in fact , it was definitely the best team in the competition and still did n't win the world cup . i mean poland in 1974 , ' the legendary real madrid and germany defender paul breitner told fifa 's website . they had a better team at that world cup than germany , holland , brazil , or anyone else for that matter . the poles had the best team in 1974 . ' it 's a way of kicking the dutch ! ' laughs wilson when asked about breitner 's comments , referencing the fierce footballing rivalry between the germans and the dutch . the germans were still worthy winners . but could poland have won the world cup ? definitely . the game against west germany could have gone either way . ' pulling the strings was legendary coach kazimirez gorski . heavily influenced by the tactical revolution taking place in the netherlands and the soviet union , he took poland to the 1972 olympics and won gold there , nurturing a fast , counterattacking team and bringing through players like lato , kazimierz deyna and wlodzimierz lubanski . he seems to have been a very avuncular figure , a real father figure , ' explains wilson . he actually involved them in the decision-making process . communism needed a vigorous hierarchy , you could n't questions things or speak spontaneously . but gorski encouraged that , the balance of authority and respecting views . ' one player who was brought into the poland team by gorski was boniek . it was one of his final acts as coach . he is the symbol of poland , ' boniek told cnn . he was the first coach that made us believe ( we coul ) ] rise to world levels . he was a hero and now that he 's gone he has become a legend . ' the 1978 world cup in argentina will always be tainted with the accusations of corruption leveled at the ruling junta . boniek too felt that poland 's cause was n't helped by having to play the hosts . the poland team of 1978 was the greatest polish team of all time , ' he believes . ( but ) we ended up politically in a very difficult ground . argentina played at home and for that reason it was very protected . ' after a strong start , topping a group ahead of west germany , poland headed into the second pool phase where argentina thrashed peru 6-0 . at the 1978 world cup , the two top teams in each group contested the final and that controversial result , coupled with losses against the hosts and later brazil , made it impossible for poland to qualify . yet the team bounced back for the 1982 world cup in spain where boniek made his name , scoring a hat-trick against belgium . poland again finished third at what is today regarded as one of the greatest world cups of all time . let 's say that the match against belgium is my business card , ' says boniek . we were compact , a great group . there were n't those champions of'74 and'78 but we played great football . ' it was more than just football that was changing in poland . the late 1970s and early 1980s saw the emergence of lech walesa , a polish dock worker whose solidarity trade union movement would rise from the gdansk shipyards on the baltic sea and strike the first nail into communism 's coffin . communism had a great impact on the football , ' explains michal zachodny , a polish football journalist and prominent blogger . look at each ( local ) club and every single one of them was supported by a factory , local branch ( of the communist party ) , police , army . it was very influential . it ( football ) was almost a fight between the authorities . ' the communist regime always wanted to put its face on every sporting success , ' recalls boniek . but we wanted to play football and so we were n't interested in this . ' as communism 's grip loosened in poland , the national football team began to fade . boniek 's poland did qualify fora fourth consecutive world cup at mexico in 1986 but lost heavily to england before being beaten convincingly by brazil 4-1 . they would not make another world cup for 16 years . but their grace on the international stage during two golden generations of players will never be forgotten in poland . in fact , for some like zachodny it is not forgotten too often . the heroes of past years are remembered well , ' he says . still the polish media are matching the current squad , club teams and individuals to the ones that have graced the pitch 30 , 40 years ago ... there is a spirit of the '70s and '80s that allows us to recall the glory and link to it at every occasion . poles do that very often , believe me ! ' but now poland is preparing to host its first major international tournament since the fall of communism . for the poles , euro 2012 is something of a coming of age party , a chance to show the world it has moved on from its communist past . poland is not becoming a leading european nation , ' says boniek . poland already is a ( leading ) european nation , 100 % . for some aspects it could be a model for other nations . ' all that has been missing has been a football team to match poland 's incredible political and economic growth of the past two decades . and maybe even the perpetually skeptical poles have reason to hope . whereas some of the last crop of top players decided to play for germany rather than poland -- such as miroslav klose and lukas podolski -- in borussia dortmund 's striker robert lewandowski and captain jakub kuba ' blaszczykowski the country has two players that would grace any team at the euros . in the past poland 's football team was stronger , maybe because life for children is different . and also because they do n't have the same tenacity that we had in the past , ' says boniek . but in the end ( to ) win against poland at home will be always very difficult . ' when the poland national team walk out on to the pitch at their stunning new national stadium in warsaw on friday , they will walk with the ghosts of the past in more ways than one . | players like striker zbigniew boniek and goalkeeper jan tomaszewski were instrumental |
obama <tsp> washington ( cnn ) he ousted egypt 's first democratically elected president in a coup , crushed political dissent , let foreign journalists languish in jail and just jabbed the u.s. by greeting vladimir putin as a hero . yet egypt 's president abdel fattah al-sisi is fast becoming the favorite middle east strongman of american conservatives and republican presidential hopefuls . jeb bush says he ca n't understand why the white house has told sisi you 're not on our team ' as jihadism spreads like wildfire through the middle east . ted cruz , another gop 2016 pretender has also praised him , and key conservative media figures are lionizing sisi . the rush of affection for the former army chief contrasts with the strained relationship between sisi and the white house , reflected in the obama administration 's decision not to publicly back air strikes by egypt on a common enemy -- isis -- in libya this week . it 's also the latest manifestation of the decades-long tussle between the u.s. and egypt , which pits a push for human rights and democracy against the yearning for a stable pro-u.s. partner in a chaotic region , whatever the character of its regime . the spur for the conservative infatuation for sisi was a speech in january in which the egyptian leader warned islam was being torn ' and destroyed ' by extremism . it 's inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire islamic world to be a source of anxiety , danger , killing and destruction for the rest of the world , ' said sisi . sisi spoke in a highly symbolic venue , the al azhar mosque in cairo , one of the most vaulted seats of learning in the muslim world . it 's antagonizing the entire world ! does this mean that 1.6 billion people ( muslims ) should want to kill the rest of the world 's inhabitants -- that is 7 billion -- so that they themselves may live ? impossible ! ' on the face of it , sisi 's speech was a call to cleanse islam of extremist thought and elements which groups like isis and al-qaeda have used to justify jihad . it continues to impress conservatives in the united states amid a fierce political debate about how to contain isis 's march across the region . he gave this incredible speech about muslim extremism , and saying it 's the responsibility of the arab world to step up to fight this ; that the first risks are for countries like egypt , ' bush said in chicago on wednesday . it 's no coincidence that republicans are praising the speech 's blunt message at the same time as they are accusing president barack obama of falling prey to political correctness in his unwillingness to state the u.s. is at war with radical islam . that comparison is also frequently being made on conservative talk radio . cruz also praised sisi on fox news on wednesday . what would be far better to see was the kind of courage that was demonstrated just a few weeks ago by president al-sisi in cairo , ' cruz said . why do n't we see the president of the united states demonstrating that same courage , just to speak the truth , about the face of evil we are facing right now ? ' cruz asked . mike huckabee , another potential republican presidential contender , said thank god for president al-sisi in egypt ' in an interview with newsmax tv . southern baptist leader richard land wrote in the christian post that the sisi speech could be as historically resonant as martin luther king 's i have a dream ' speech or president john kennedy 's declaration : ich bin ein berliner . ' conservative commentator george will said on fox news sunday last month that sisi may deserve the nobel peace prize . but are u.s. political figures ripping a speech redolent with egyptian political overtones out of context to back up their own positions ? professor nathan brown of george washington university said that sisi 's remarks were not that unusual and that a number of arab leaders have previously given similar speeches to limited effect . it is standard stuff , ' he said . and sisi 's record toward political opponents and extremists , especially the muslim brotherhood , which formed egypt 's first democratic government until it was ousted by his army amid mass protests in 2013 , paints a different picture of the egyptian leader . the way that sisi represents dealing with them is not through abstract theological arguments but through a severe security and political response , ' said brown , who is also with the carnegie endowment for international peace . that is what he represents . that part of the message gets lost . ' the state department and rights groups fault egypt for the removal of a civilian government , using lethal force to disburse mb protests , and for killing hundreds of protestors nationwide and say discrimination against christians and jews in egypt remains widespread . some analysts interpreted sisi 's speech as a way to justify the exclusion from politics of islamist elements from political life in egypt following his landslide win in an election last year in which the brotherhood was banned . since the election , the obama administration has tried to carefully restore ties with egypt on the grounds that it remains a vital strategic partner . secretary of state john kerry visited cairo in september and obama met sisi on the sidelines of the un general assembly in new york last year . close intelligence cooperation continues behind the scenes . but relations have remained strained . after the coup the u.s. temporarily held up a tranch of $ 500 million in military aid to egypt and an order of attack helicopters . reconciliation has been made more difficult by the detention in egypt of foreign journalists . the spectacle of putin getting a warm welcome from sisi in a visit last week did not go unnoticed in washington , and was an apparent sign from the cairo government that if the u.s. does not take better care of its friends , egypt will look elsewhere . the pentagon , meanwhile , said it was not even told in advance about egyptian air strikes this week on isis targets in libya in revenge for the beheadings of 21 egyptian coptic christian workers by an isis-affiliated group . it 's a complex relationship that we have with egypt , ' said pentagon spokesman john kirby . isis 's swift spread in the arab world has some realists in washington considering whether it 's time to re-emphasise the stability dimension of the u.s. relationship with cairo . bush suggested as much on wednesday , in remarks that were especially noteworthy because the second term administration of his brother , george w. bush , angered the government of then egyptian president hosni mubarak by issuing a call for democracy in the arab world as part of its freedom agenda . jeb bush asked wednesday : is ( sisi ) a little l ' liberal democrat that believes in freedom like we do ? ' no , he is n't . but i think we have to be practical , ' bush said in the first foreign policy speech of his putative presidential campaign which could augur another turn in the roller coaster us-egypt relationship . we have to balance our belief in liberty with a belief that security and engagement will create the possibilities for the egyptians to garner more freedom. | potential 2016 gop candidates use sisi comments as cudgel against obama |
nowsch <tsp> las vegas ( cnn ) the man police have accused of gunning down a las vegas woman after an apparent road rage incident confided in two friends hours after the shooting that he had shot someone , according to a police report released friday . the two friends told police that erich milton nowsch had texted one of them after the incident and asked if he could come over . he said he had important news , one of the witnesses told police . nowsch described two shootings to the friends and told them people in a green car were out to get him . one of the witnesses told investigators that the 19-year-old suspect said he got those kids . they were after me , and i got them . ' nowsch will be arraigned monday morning and faces a growing number of charges , including one count of murder . the other charges include one count of attempted murder , three counts of assault with a deadly weapon , and two counts of firing a gun from a car . police said he shot tammy meyers , a 44-year-old mother of four , in front of her home on the night of february 12 after there was a confrontation while meyers'was giving her daughter a driving lesson . the police report also says nowsch had been detained tuesday for an unrelated warrant that was issued while he was a juvenile . during questioning he told investigators he was with a friend at a recording studio and was n't involved in shooting meyers . but the friend told police the next day that he dropped nowsch off at a park about 9:30 p.m. and they never went to a studio . road rage suspect knew victim , husband says police found two shooting scenes : one near a junior high school and the other in front of the meyers'home less than a half mile away . six .45 caliber cartridge casings were picked up at the first scene . there were seven more .45 casings at the site of the killing , one .45 bullet with human blood on it , and three 9mm cartridge casings . brandon meyers , the 22 year-old son of tammy meyers , told police he had a beretta 9mm handgun and fired after the shooter aimed at him and his mother , the report says . according to nowsch 's friends , nowsch told them he was riding in a silver audi sedan when he was threatened so he put a magazine in his handgun and shot at the green car . the audi then followed the meyers back to their house . nowsch claimed that he fired his gun 22 times while in front of the home , the report says . nowsch showed the two friends his gun , some extra magazines and a box with more rounds , the witnesses told police . after the shooting the suspect and the person driving the audi switched cars and the friend dropped him off at santa fe station , a hotel and casino , the police report says . he then called and texted one of the witnesses and got a ride to their apartment . nowsch told his friends he was sitting in a park when he saw a green car . he thought the people were looking for him . apparently the car 's driver was kristal meyers . she was driving a green 1993 buick sedan around the adjacent parking lot at the junior high school , getting a driving lesson from her mother , the girl told police . kristal meyers also took a few loops around the block before switching seats with her mother . tammy meyers took an indirect route home and as she was on a six-lane road , a silver car pulled up next to them . kristal meyers told police she reached over and honked the horn . the driver of the other car then followed them as the meyers turned twice before the other car passed them in a bicycle lane and stopped sideways in front of them . kristal meyers told police that the driver got out and yelled : i 'm going to come back for you and your daughter . ' the man was 6-feet tall , the daughter told police . nowsch is much shorter . police said thursday they are looking for at least one more suspect in connection with the case . critics have said that tammy meyers should have then gone home and gone inside to call police . instead , when she arrived at the house she sent her daughter inside to get her son . told that someone was threatening his mother and sister , brandon meyers went into his grandmother 's room and grabbed his handgun . when he got to the car , brandon meyers told his mother to come in the house and call the police , ' he recounted to investigators . she insisted he come with her or she was going out alone , the police report says . the two drove around for a short time before encountering the gray car , the son said . they followed it and at some point the car stopped and the passenger shot at them . brandon meyers told police he ducked and did n't return fire . tammy meyers sped home and when she parked in front of the house , which is at the end of a cul-de-sac , brandon meyers got out and raced over to his mother . but before he could help her out , the silver car came down the street and the passenger shot at them . brandon meyers said he fired three times at the driver but did n't know if he hit anything . tammy meyers was struck in the head by the gunman in the audi , police said . she died two days later at a hospital . cnn 's ana cabrera reported from las vegas and steve almasy wrote this article in atlanta . cnn 's steve forrest , anneclaire stapleton and michael martinez contributed to this report . | erich milton nowsch told two friends that people were after him and he got them , police report says |
nowsch <tsp> las vegas ( cnn ) the man police have accused of gunning down a las vegas woman after an apparent road rage incident confided in two friends hours after the shooting that he had shot someone , according to a police report released friday . the two friends told police that erich milton nowsch had texted one of them after the incident and asked if he could come over . he said he had important news , one of the witnesses told police . nowsch described two shootings to the friends and told them people in a green car were out to get him . one of the witnesses told investigators that the 19-year-old suspect said he got those kids . they were after me , and i got them . ' nowsch will be arraigned monday morning and faces a growing number of charges , including one count of murder . the other charges include one count of attempted murder , three counts of assault with a deadly weapon , and two counts of firing a gun from a car . police said he shot tammy meyers , a 44-year-old mother of four , in front of her home on the night of february 12 after there was a confrontation while meyers'was giving her daughter a driving lesson . the police report also says nowsch had been detained tuesday for an unrelated warrant that was issued while he was a juvenile . during questioning he told investigators he was with a friend at a recording studio and was n't involved in shooting meyers . but the friend told police the next day that he dropped nowsch off at a park about 9:30 p.m. and they never went to a studio . road rage suspect knew victim , husband says police found two shooting scenes : one near a junior high school and the other in front of the meyers'home less than a half mile away . six .45 caliber cartridge casings were picked up at the first scene . there were seven more .45 casings at the site of the killing , one .45 bullet with human blood on it , and three 9mm cartridge casings . brandon meyers , the 22 year-old son of tammy meyers , told police he had a beretta 9mm handgun and fired after the shooter aimed at him and his mother , the report says . according to nowsch 's friends , nowsch told them he was riding in a silver audi sedan when he was threatened so he put a magazine in his handgun and shot at the green car . the audi then followed the meyers back to their house . nowsch claimed that he fired his gun 22 times while in front of the home , the report says . nowsch showed the two friends his gun , some extra magazines and a box with more rounds , the witnesses told police . after the shooting the suspect and the person driving the audi switched cars and the friend dropped him off at santa fe station , a hotel and casino , the police report says . he then called and texted one of the witnesses and got a ride to their apartment . nowsch told his friends he was sitting in a park when he saw a green car . he thought the people were looking for him . apparently the car 's driver was kristal meyers . she was driving a green 1993 buick sedan around the adjacent parking lot at the junior high school , getting a driving lesson from her mother , the girl told police . kristal meyers also took a few loops around the block before switching seats with her mother . tammy meyers took an indirect route home and as she was on a six-lane road , a silver car pulled up next to them . kristal meyers told police she reached over and honked the horn . the driver of the other car then followed them as the meyers turned twice before the other car passed them in a bicycle lane and stopped sideways in front of them . kristal meyers told police that the driver got out and yelled : i 'm going to come back for you and your daughter . ' the man was 6-feet tall , the daughter told police . nowsch is much shorter . police said thursday they are looking for at least one more suspect in connection with the case . critics have said that tammy meyers should have then gone home and gone inside to call police . instead , when she arrived at the house she sent her daughter inside to get her son . told that someone was threatening his mother and sister , brandon meyers went into his grandmother 's room and grabbed his handgun . when he got to the car , brandon meyers told his mother to come in the house and call the police , ' he recounted to investigators . she insisted he come with her or she was going out alone , the police report says . the two drove around for a short time before encountering the gray car , the son said . they followed it and at some point the car stopped and the passenger shot at them . brandon meyers told police he ducked and did n't return fire . tammy meyers sped home and when she parked in front of the house , which is at the end of a cul-de-sac , brandon meyers got out and raced over to his mother . but before he could help her out , the silver car came down the street and the passenger shot at them . brandon meyers said he fired three times at the driver but did n't know if he hit anything . tammy meyers was struck in the head by the gunman in the audi , police said . she died two days later at a hospital . cnn 's ana cabrera reported from las vegas and steve almasy wrote this article in atlanta . cnn 's steve forrest , anneclaire stapleton and michael martinez contributed to this report . | nowsch was interviewed by cops tuesday , said he was n't involved in shooting |
obamacare <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been said that a democratic republic such as ours is a do-it-yourself enterprise . people change the course of this country through conversation , debate and , eventually , consensus . as the 2012 elections near , these debates , particularly the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates , take center stage . in light of what has been a long and tumultuous political season , here are my strongest arguments for mitt romney , rep. paul ryan , and fellow conservatives to explain to their fellow americans why president barack obama does not deserve a second term . obama 's handling of the economy : the u.s. is mired in the midst of the worst recovery since the great depression : 43 straight months of unemployment over 8 % . the unemployment rate when barack obama took office was 7.8 % and today it is 8.1 % . worse , the labor force is shrinking to record lows . people are giving up looking for work . in august the labor force participation rate fell to 63.5 % , its lowest level since september 1981 . for men , the august participation rate in the labor force was 69.8 % . that 's the lowest ever on record . furthermore , half of all recent college graduates are underemployed or unemployed . since obama took office , median household income has declined more than $ 4,000 . more people are on food stamps than ever before -- 46.7 million . the poverty rate is around 15 % , the highest since 1993 . the average retail price of gasoline has more than doubled under obama , rising from $ 1.84 per gallon to more than $ 3.80 per gallon . in spite of this , he stopped the approval of the keystone pipeline for further review . opinion : obama on world stage -- more hope than change ? obama inherited a bad economy , but his policies have made it even worse . the $ 800 billion stimulus package failed , according to the standards promised by an obama administration economist . with democrats in control of congress , obama then spent the next two years of his political capital on health care reform . subsequently , the nation , mired in a debt crisis , underwent its first-ever credit downgrade . with our national debt exceeding $ 16 trillion , he has offered no credible plan for the nation 's long term fiscal health . our country is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff in january 2013 . foreign policy : obama ascended to the presidency promising a new era of american foreign policy . apart from the killing of osama bin laden , the death of moammar gaddafi and and the successful expansion of drone strikes , the foreign policy record of this administration has largely been one of capitulation , indecision and weakness . in the first true foreign policy test of his presidency , obama failed to back the pro-democracy green revolution in iran , saying he did n't want to be seen as meddling . ' the uprising was crushed . tell us : do you know who 's getting your vote ? when the arab spring erupted , the president then decided to meddle in egypt , calling for hosni mubarak to step down . today , a country that was once a valuable middle east ally is under the majority control of the muslim brotherhood . but when the arab spring spread to syria , a longtime proxy of iran , he did n't intervene , even when bashar al-assad began massacring his own people . the president has given some of our enemies a pass and some of our allies the back of the hand . he was caught on open mic badmouthing benjamin netanyahu and has n't visited israel once in his presidency . he left our ally poland out to dry by canceling the missile defense system in europe , but was heard on an open mic assuring russian president dmitry medvedev that he will have more flexibility ' after the election to deal with missile defense . america 's two most important investments in the middle east -- iraq and afghanistan -- are hanging by a thread . ignoring the recommendations of his generals , obama pulled troops out of iraq and afghanistan prematurely . most recently , an american ambassador and three other americans were killed in libya . yet , for nearly two weeks the administration blamed their deaths on a movie before finally admitting it was a terrorist attack , and took too long to make a forceful defense of the first amendment . obamacare : president obama 's crowning legislative achievement , whether he likes to admit it or not , is obamacare . mitt romney has promised to repeal the affordable care act and he should make his argument with these reasons : first , obamacare is not romneycare . romneycare was a state mandate ; obamacare was a federal mandate . second , obamacare is terrible federal policy . it is a massive tax increase over the next 10 years that will fall largely on middle-class families ; it steals more than $ 700 billion from medicare to pay for the expanded coverage under obamacare ; the unelected independent payment advisory board will ration and control medicare costs and services without the say of doctors and patients ; the department of health and human services is granted virtually unfettered powers , like the contraception mandate . obamacare is bad policy . it was over 2,700 pages of complex rules and regulations passed behind closed doors with backroom deals -- exactly the opposite of what obama promised when he campaigned in 2008 . opinion : can romney get back on track ? the imperial presidency : throughout his first term in office , the president has repeatedly ignored or gone around congress and arrogated his own agenda through executive fiat . he instituted his own version of the dream act ; his administration granted waivers to welfare reform without the approval of congress ; he refused to help arizona enforce its immigration laws ; he ordered his justice department to stop defending the defense of marriage act in court ; he gave states waivers to avoid no child left behind requirements ; he claimed executive privilege on operation fast and furious to protect the faults of his justice department and the bureau of alcohol , tobbaco , firearms and explosives ( atf ) ; and when the senate refused to confirm his nominations to the national labor relations board , he proclaimed the senate was in recess and appointed them on his own . his own runaway epa has waged regulatory war on coal plants resulting in the closure of six plants and possible closures of many more . broken promises : if you think i 'm being too hard on the president , let 's hold him to his own words and promises . he promised to cut the deficit in half in his first term . he sought in cairo in 2009 a new beginning between the united states and muslims around the world . ' he promised to change the tone ' of washington . his economic team promised that his $ 800 billion stimulus package would keep the unemployment rate under 8 percent . in 2008 , he promised to tackle entitlement reform in his first term . before obamacare was passed obama promised to cut the cost of a typical family 's premium by up to $ 2,500 a year ' and that if you like your health care plan , you will be able to keep your health care plan . ' americans realize the president has over-promised and under-delivered . the objective record , the multiple failures , and the unkept promises make a profound and fair case against the reelection of barack obama . the opinions in this commentary are solely those of william j. bennett . | bennett : obamacare is a costly federal mandate that amounts to huge tax increase |
plastiki <tsp> ( cnn ) -- having lived and breathed plastiki for the last two and a half years , i finally stepped aboard her for the final leg to australia . my first day was thankfully uneventful ; some steering , a game of bananagrams , plenty of dozing and just a little hide and seek with some nausea . but at sea it is the night that ushers in the sublime ; a sky ablaze with burning bright stars , twenty or more tumbling gracefully into oblivion . a small slither of a smiley moon , barely concealing the bright promise that lies beneath . a huge billowing turret of a cloud , host to a lightning show so brilliant that it casts momentary shadows across deck . what is ridiculous is that any of this ever happened at all . this boat ; conceived , designed and built out of plastic bottles , which has sailed over 4000 miles to be here today beneath this unbelievable sky . it 's a boat , made from plastic bottles , ' david de rothschild said to me in december 2007 . we 've got this amazing sustainability architect , michael pawlyn , on board . he 's done some dope drawings and we 're interviewing for a naval engineer . the plan is to sail through this thing called the great eastern garbage patch , doing science along the way and inspiring people to look at waste as a resource . we 'll build it in san fran , set sail in december ( 2008 ) and arrive into sydney march 09 . ' i 'm paraphrasing massively , but you get the gist . cool , ' was what i remember thinking . i was working for a firm building emergency bridges in africa and was ready for something different . this seemed different and i was in . the early days of the project revolved around meetings , phone calls and a staggering inbox of emails . we were rich in big ideas and exceptional consultants but poor in concrete ideas and real boating knowledge . the brief was very strict and has always remained so ; the bottles must be the primary element of the boat ideally performing both structure and flotation . we were to use no glues , minimal fixings , minimal new components or materials . in addition it was to sustainably support a crew of six using innovative off grid ' life support systems . it was a hugely creative period with amazing sausage-type bottle structures and invertebrate raft ideas all on the table . the wackier most bottle-centric minimal structure designs were favored . we had a major coup early on which was the gassing ' of the bottles . of great concern was stabilizing the bottles into mini structures themselves . the obvious solution seemed to be pressurizing them , but how ? we variously talked about fitting bicycle valves to the caps and pumping them up , building a hyperbaric chamber to fill the bottles under pressure and finally liquid nitrogen . knowing very little about liquid nitrogen i set off happily to boc gases intent on gettin'me some . the guy looked at me like i was crazy , which was something i was to get used to over the next few years . er , i do n't think so , ' he said . not such a good idea . dry ice on the other hand , ' he said grinning sheepishly , would be an excellent alternative . ' and before i knew it he was shoveling crystalline , smoky powder into an evian bottle . watch this , ' he said , screwing on the cap and ejecting it into the empty parking lot . it was a saturday morning deep in the bowels of covent garden market in london , but the bang when the bottle spectacularly exploded i thought was sure to bring swat troops parachuting down on us . not wishing to stick around to find out i bought all the dry ice he had and made my exit . i could hear a faint call after me : make sure you keep a window open in the car ... ' ' kaboom , ' i thought as i careered out of there , windows down in the freezing february air . i was in search of somewhere quiet and secluded to do some experimenting of my own . so despite this early success with the bottles we were still a very un-boaty ' collection of boat designers . we were in for a rude awakening .... andy dovell , of dovell naval architects based in sydney came highly recommended and joined us in london in early march 2008 . he came complete with a first draft design -- of a boat . it 's a bit boat-like , ' we conferred out of earshot . too much structure , ' was another comment . but a good starting point nevertheless , ' someone else chimed in . what andy knew and we did n't was that boats typically look like boats and require structure . so began the taming of the shrew . | joined the plastiki as a crew member in samoa on june 14 heading for australia |
plastiki <tsp> ( cnn ) -- having lived and breathed plastiki for the last two and a half years , i finally stepped aboard her for the final leg to australia . my first day was thankfully uneventful ; some steering , a game of bananagrams , plenty of dozing and just a little hide and seek with some nausea . but at sea it is the night that ushers in the sublime ; a sky ablaze with burning bright stars , twenty or more tumbling gracefully into oblivion . a small slither of a smiley moon , barely concealing the bright promise that lies beneath . a huge billowing turret of a cloud , host to a lightning show so brilliant that it casts momentary shadows across deck . what is ridiculous is that any of this ever happened at all . this boat ; conceived , designed and built out of plastic bottles , which has sailed over 4000 miles to be here today beneath this unbelievable sky . it 's a boat , made from plastic bottles , ' david de rothschild said to me in december 2007 . we 've got this amazing sustainability architect , michael pawlyn , on board . he 's done some dope drawings and we 're interviewing for a naval engineer . the plan is to sail through this thing called the great eastern garbage patch , doing science along the way and inspiring people to look at waste as a resource . we 'll build it in san fran , set sail in december ( 2008 ) and arrive into sydney march 09 . ' i 'm paraphrasing massively , but you get the gist . cool , ' was what i remember thinking . i was working for a firm building emergency bridges in africa and was ready for something different . this seemed different and i was in . the early days of the project revolved around meetings , phone calls and a staggering inbox of emails . we were rich in big ideas and exceptional consultants but poor in concrete ideas and real boating knowledge . the brief was very strict and has always remained so ; the bottles must be the primary element of the boat ideally performing both structure and flotation . we were to use no glues , minimal fixings , minimal new components or materials . in addition it was to sustainably support a crew of six using innovative off grid ' life support systems . it was a hugely creative period with amazing sausage-type bottle structures and invertebrate raft ideas all on the table . the wackier most bottle-centric minimal structure designs were favored . we had a major coup early on which was the gassing ' of the bottles . of great concern was stabilizing the bottles into mini structures themselves . the obvious solution seemed to be pressurizing them , but how ? we variously talked about fitting bicycle valves to the caps and pumping them up , building a hyperbaric chamber to fill the bottles under pressure and finally liquid nitrogen . knowing very little about liquid nitrogen i set off happily to boc gases intent on gettin'me some . the guy looked at me like i was crazy , which was something i was to get used to over the next few years . er , i do n't think so , ' he said . not such a good idea . dry ice on the other hand , ' he said grinning sheepishly , would be an excellent alternative . ' and before i knew it he was shoveling crystalline , smoky powder into an evian bottle . watch this , ' he said , screwing on the cap and ejecting it into the empty parking lot . it was a saturday morning deep in the bowels of covent garden market in london , but the bang when the bottle spectacularly exploded i thought was sure to bring swat troops parachuting down on us . not wishing to stick around to find out i bought all the dry ice he had and made my exit . i could hear a faint call after me : make sure you keep a window open in the car ... ' ' kaboom , ' i thought as i careered out of there , windows down in the freezing february air . i was in search of somewhere quiet and secluded to do some experimenting of my own . so despite this early success with the bottles we were still a very un-boaty ' collection of boat designers . we were in for a rude awakening .... andy dovell , of dovell naval architects based in sydney came highly recommended and joined us in london in early march 2008 . he came complete with a first draft design -- of a boat . it 's a bit boat-like , ' we conferred out of earshot . too much structure , ' was another comment . but a good starting point nevertheless , ' someone else chimed in . what andy knew and we did n't was that boats typically look like boats and require structure . so began the taming of the shrew . | plastiki expedition co-ordinator matthew grey recalls early days of the project |
rove <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would click on the link , and there you 'd find the tea party patriots'mailer , calling for liberty and asking for money , decrying big-government republicans ' and leftist obama democrats ' alike . but the real target of this particular pitch was none other than karl rove himself , the architect ' of george w. bush 's two white house wins , accused in the ad of trying to crush the tea party movement . ' and he was depicted as a nazi . photoshopped into the uniformed visage of vicious ss commandant heinrich himmler , no less -- the architect of the holocaust . it 's hard to imagine a more offensive piece of political e-mail . not surprisingly , within hours , the e-mail was retracted and apologies offered all around . it was a terrible case of mistaken identity , an inexplicable bit of human error , the tea party patriots said through a high-priced pr agent when called by politico 's ken vogel , who broke the story . the virginia-based political fundraising firm , active engagement , promptly fell on its sword , which is the decent thing to do when you 've been paid $ 1.5 million and screw up this definitively . the tea party 's impulse to attack rove personally -- so deeply felt that putting an ss uniform on him seemed like a good idea to somebody in the chain of command -- is a sign of just how bitter this gop civil war is becoming . rove 's alleged sin is the formation of a group dedicated to nominating electable congressional candidates for the gop . it seems that some folks in the establishment ' do n't like losing senate races every year because the partisan primary system keeps kicking up extreme candidates who are beloved by the hyperpartisan base but ca n't win in a general election . cases in point : senate candidates sharron angle , ken buck and christine ( i am not a witch ' ) o'donnell in 2010 ; the no-abortion-even-in-cases-of-rape duo richard mourdock and todd aiken in 2012 . if those five tea party favorites had n't imploded in spectacular fashion , republicans could be in control of the senate right now . so rove & co. are backing more centrist republican candidates who they think have a chance . borger : obama ca n't kick his legacy down the road the midterms are 18 months away , but the fault lines are already forming . two states -- georgia and iowa -- appear primed to put forward the next angle and aiken in the form of two right-wing congressmen : paul broun and steve king . it turns out that broun has a bit of a nazi-calling problem himself . days after barack obama 's first election in 2008 , broun was first out of the gate on this ugly front , comparing the president-elect to hitler . in his apology , broun tortuously explained that i 'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may -- may not , i hope not -- but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or marxism . ' in recent years , broun has become best known for proclaiming evolution and the big-bang theory lies from the pit of hell ' and asserting his belief that the earth is 9,000 years old . despite these and many other slips into the fringe , broun was uncontested in his most recent election and serves on the house science committee . if he is the gop nominee , democrats could have a chance at winning the georgia senate seat for the first time since max cleland . likewise , iowa congressman steve king is the proud father of a steady stream of hyperpartisan howlers , beginning in the 2008 election , when he predicted that if obama were elected , the radical islamists , the al qaeda ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on september 11 , because they would declare victory in this war on terror . ' when the mccain campaign sensibly disavowed his statements , king pushed back and said terrorists would view obama as their savior ' and that 's why you will see them supporting him , encouraging him . ' tell that to osama bin laden . in recent years , king has been the lone no ' vote on a congressional resolution apologizing for the use of slaves in building the u.s. capitol , supported deporting anchor babies ' and , yes , defended akin 's campaign comments by saying he had n't heard of any young woman getting pregnant from rape or incest . you see pretty quickly where this campaign is likely to go in a swing state that voted for obama twice . lz granderson : rubio missed the year of the woman nonetheless , broun has thrown his hat in the ring , and polls show king a favorite among rank-and-file conservatives in iowa . hence rove 's group , getting ready to do some reverse rino-hunting of its own with a spinoff of the crossroads super pac . it 's called the conservative victory project . ' i appreciate how tea party groups might howl when the outside money is directed against them , but a taste of your own medicine is sometimes morally clarifying . in a larger sense , this family feud is fascinating for several reasons . it represents a realization by rove -- the father of the red state vs. blue state , ' play to the base ' strategy -- that there is such a thing as too extreme . some of the forces that the republican establishment encouraged when its self-righteous hate was directed against obama have found that venom can be directed at them . in this same vein , house speaker john boehner has found that 50 or so tea party radicals are his biggest problem in governing ; they are quick to undercut him and eager to gamble with the full faith and credit of the united state . golem always turns on its creator . in the end , the republican party does need to reform . it needs to rebuild the big tent and reach out beyond its base . it needs to stop coddling the angry and unhinged in its ranks . and it needs to become more philosophically consistent when it comes to advancing individual freedom as well as fiscal responsibility . count me with karl rove and co. -- in at least this one case . the tea party patriots'misfired e-mail was an ugly tell , a reminder that angry conservative populist passions can transform into a mob mentality . extremes are always ultimately their own side 's worst enemy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of john avlon . | john avlon : a tea party e-mail depicting karl rove as nazi is telling of gop 's civil war ' |
rove <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you would click on the link , and there you 'd find the tea party patriots'mailer , calling for liberty and asking for money , decrying big-government republicans ' and leftist obama democrats ' alike . but the real target of this particular pitch was none other than karl rove himself , the architect ' of george w. bush 's two white house wins , accused in the ad of trying to crush the tea party movement . ' and he was depicted as a nazi . photoshopped into the uniformed visage of vicious ss commandant heinrich himmler , no less -- the architect of the holocaust . it 's hard to imagine a more offensive piece of political e-mail . not surprisingly , within hours , the e-mail was retracted and apologies offered all around . it was a terrible case of mistaken identity , an inexplicable bit of human error , the tea party patriots said through a high-priced pr agent when called by politico 's ken vogel , who broke the story . the virginia-based political fundraising firm , active engagement , promptly fell on its sword , which is the decent thing to do when you 've been paid $ 1.5 million and screw up this definitively . the tea party 's impulse to attack rove personally -- so deeply felt that putting an ss uniform on him seemed like a good idea to somebody in the chain of command -- is a sign of just how bitter this gop civil war is becoming . rove 's alleged sin is the formation of a group dedicated to nominating electable congressional candidates for the gop . it seems that some folks in the establishment ' do n't like losing senate races every year because the partisan primary system keeps kicking up extreme candidates who are beloved by the hyperpartisan base but ca n't win in a general election . cases in point : senate candidates sharron angle , ken buck and christine ( i am not a witch ' ) o'donnell in 2010 ; the no-abortion-even-in-cases-of-rape duo richard mourdock and todd aiken in 2012 . if those five tea party favorites had n't imploded in spectacular fashion , republicans could be in control of the senate right now . so rove & co. are backing more centrist republican candidates who they think have a chance . borger : obama ca n't kick his legacy down the road the midterms are 18 months away , but the fault lines are already forming . two states -- georgia and iowa -- appear primed to put forward the next angle and aiken in the form of two right-wing congressmen : paul broun and steve king . it turns out that broun has a bit of a nazi-calling problem himself . days after barack obama 's first election in 2008 , broun was first out of the gate on this ugly front , comparing the president-elect to hitler . in his apology , broun tortuously explained that i 'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may -- may not , i hope not -- but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or marxism . ' in recent years , broun has become best known for proclaiming evolution and the big-bang theory lies from the pit of hell ' and asserting his belief that the earth is 9,000 years old . despite these and many other slips into the fringe , broun was uncontested in his most recent election and serves on the house science committee . if he is the gop nominee , democrats could have a chance at winning the georgia senate seat for the first time since max cleland . likewise , iowa congressman steve king is the proud father of a steady stream of hyperpartisan howlers , beginning in the 2008 election , when he predicted that if obama were elected , the radical islamists , the al qaeda ... would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on september 11 , because they would declare victory in this war on terror . ' when the mccain campaign sensibly disavowed his statements , king pushed back and said terrorists would view obama as their savior ' and that 's why you will see them supporting him , encouraging him . ' tell that to osama bin laden . in recent years , king has been the lone no ' vote on a congressional resolution apologizing for the use of slaves in building the u.s. capitol , supported deporting anchor babies ' and , yes , defended akin 's campaign comments by saying he had n't heard of any young woman getting pregnant from rape or incest . you see pretty quickly where this campaign is likely to go in a swing state that voted for obama twice . lz granderson : rubio missed the year of the woman nonetheless , broun has thrown his hat in the ring , and polls show king a favorite among rank-and-file conservatives in iowa . hence rove 's group , getting ready to do some reverse rino-hunting of its own with a spinoff of the crossroads super pac . it 's called the conservative victory project . ' i appreciate how tea party groups might howl when the outside money is directed against them , but a taste of your own medicine is sometimes morally clarifying . in a larger sense , this family feud is fascinating for several reasons . it represents a realization by rove -- the father of the red state vs. blue state , ' play to the base ' strategy -- that there is such a thing as too extreme . some of the forces that the republican establishment encouraged when its self-righteous hate was directed against obama have found that venom can be directed at them . in this same vein , house speaker john boehner has found that 50 or so tea party radicals are his biggest problem in governing ; they are quick to undercut him and eager to gamble with the full faith and credit of the united state . golem always turns on its creator . in the end , the republican party does need to reform . it needs to rebuild the big tent and reach out beyond its base . it needs to stop coddling the angry and unhinged in its ranks . and it needs to become more philosophically consistent when it comes to advancing individual freedom as well as fiscal responsibility . count me with karl rove and co. -- in at least this one case . the tea party patriots'misfired e-mail was an ugly tell , a reminder that angry conservative populist passions can transform into a mob mentality . extremes are always ultimately their own side 's worst enemy . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of john avlon . | he says rove 's new group aims to put up more centrist candidates who can win |
karzai <tsp> ( cnn ) -- despite rousing approval by the vast majority of afghan elders , afghanistan 's security deal with the united states still hangs in the balance . president hamid karzai says he wo n't sign it until some conditions are met . u.s. national security advisor susan rice says what the afghan leader is asking for are new demands added to a deal that has already been worked out . karzai wants a promise from the united states that there will be no more raids on afghan homes , and that afghan prisoners will be released from the guantanamo bay detention center . he says the demands come not from him but from the 2,500 elders , who convened for four days last week at a loya jirga , a consultative assembly , to consider the agreement , karzai said . what 's missing ? karzai 's signature rice , who met karzai over dinner monday night to talk about the bilateral security agreement , dug in her heels . she told him to sign the bilateral security agreement soon , or the united states will be forced to plan for a complete pull-out . that would include nato 's troops , depriving afghanistan off all security coverage from western forces , she said in a statement . during the loya jirga , karzai told the crowd that the deal would not be signed until after the next presidential election in april 2014 . the elders and rice both said they would like to see it be signed more promptly . along with their demands toward the united states , the loya jirga attendees requested that karzai pass the agreement before the end of this year . in his speech at the jirga , karzai had already threatened not to sign , if the sensitive issue of house raids was not addressed . if u.s. military forces conduct military operations on afghan homes even one more time , then there will be no bsa and we wo n't sign it , ' karzai said sunday . they should give assurance about this to us before i sign it . ' the raids have been one of the main sore spots between afghans and western military presence led by the united states . other nato countries , including germany , have said they will be unable to remain in afghanistan if the united states and afghanistan do not reach a deal . a total withdrawal would also put at risk billions of dollars in international aid . opinion : hopes are dim for afghanistan cnn 's masoud popolzai contributed to this report . | president hamid karzai says he wo n't sign a security deal until after elections |
karzai <tsp> ( cnn ) -- despite rousing approval by the vast majority of afghan elders , afghanistan 's security deal with the united states still hangs in the balance . president hamid karzai says he wo n't sign it until some conditions are met . u.s. national security advisor susan rice says what the afghan leader is asking for are new demands added to a deal that has already been worked out . karzai wants a promise from the united states that there will be no more raids on afghan homes , and that afghan prisoners will be released from the guantanamo bay detention center . he says the demands come not from him but from the 2,500 elders , who convened for four days last week at a loya jirga , a consultative assembly , to consider the agreement , karzai said . what 's missing ? karzai 's signature rice , who met karzai over dinner monday night to talk about the bilateral security agreement , dug in her heels . she told him to sign the bilateral security agreement soon , or the united states will be forced to plan for a complete pull-out . that would include nato 's troops , depriving afghanistan off all security coverage from western forces , she said in a statement . during the loya jirga , karzai told the crowd that the deal would not be signed until after the next presidential election in april 2014 . the elders and rice both said they would like to see it be signed more promptly . along with their demands toward the united states , the loya jirga attendees requested that karzai pass the agreement before the end of this year . in his speech at the jirga , karzai had already threatened not to sign , if the sensitive issue of house raids was not addressed . if u.s. military forces conduct military operations on afghan homes even one more time , then there will be no bsa and we wo n't sign it , ' karzai said sunday . they should give assurance about this to us before i sign it . ' the raids have been one of the main sore spots between afghans and western military presence led by the united states . other nato countries , including germany , have said they will be unable to remain in afghanistan if the united states and afghanistan do not reach a deal . a total withdrawal would also put at risk billions of dollars in international aid . opinion : hopes are dim for afghanistan cnn 's masoud popolzai contributed to this report . | afghan elders have demands that karzai wants washington to meet |
afghan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- despite rousing approval by the vast majority of afghan elders , afghanistan 's security deal with the united states still hangs in the balance . president hamid karzai says he wo n't sign it until some conditions are met . u.s. national security advisor susan rice says what the afghan leader is asking for are new demands added to a deal that has already been worked out . karzai wants a promise from the united states that there will be no more raids on afghan homes , and that afghan prisoners will be released from the guantanamo bay detention center . he says the demands come not from him but from the 2,500 elders , who convened for four days last week at a loya jirga , a consultative assembly , to consider the agreement , karzai said . what 's missing ? karzai 's signature rice , who met karzai over dinner monday night to talk about the bilateral security agreement , dug in her heels . she told him to sign the bilateral security agreement soon , or the united states will be forced to plan for a complete pull-out . that would include nato 's troops , depriving afghanistan off all security coverage from western forces , she said in a statement . during the loya jirga , karzai told the crowd that the deal would not be signed until after the next presidential election in april 2014 . the elders and rice both said they would like to see it be signed more promptly . along with their demands toward the united states , the loya jirga attendees requested that karzai pass the agreement before the end of this year . in his speech at the jirga , karzai had already threatened not to sign , if the sensitive issue of house raids was not addressed . if u.s. military forces conduct military operations on afghan homes even one more time , then there will be no bsa and we wo n't sign it , ' karzai said sunday . they should give assurance about this to us before i sign it . ' the raids have been one of the main sore spots between afghans and western military presence led by the united states . other nato countries , including germany , have said they will be unable to remain in afghanistan if the united states and afghanistan do not reach a deal . a total withdrawal would also put at risk billions of dollars in international aid . opinion : hopes are dim for afghanistan cnn 's masoud popolzai contributed to this report . | afghan elders have demands that karzai wants washington to meet |
susan rice <tsp> ( cnn ) -- despite rousing approval by the vast majority of afghan elders , afghanistan 's security deal with the united states still hangs in the balance . president hamid karzai says he wo n't sign it until some conditions are met . u.s. national security advisor susan rice says what the afghan leader is asking for are new demands added to a deal that has already been worked out . karzai wants a promise from the united states that there will be no more raids on afghan homes , and that afghan prisoners will be released from the guantanamo bay detention center . he says the demands come not from him but from the 2,500 elders , who convened for four days last week at a loya jirga , a consultative assembly , to consider the agreement , karzai said . what 's missing ? karzai 's signature rice , who met karzai over dinner monday night to talk about the bilateral security agreement , dug in her heels . she told him to sign the bilateral security agreement soon , or the united states will be forced to plan for a complete pull-out . that would include nato 's troops , depriving afghanistan off all security coverage from western forces , she said in a statement . during the loya jirga , karzai told the crowd that the deal would not be signed until after the next presidential election in april 2014 . the elders and rice both said they would like to see it be signed more promptly . along with their demands toward the united states , the loya jirga attendees requested that karzai pass the agreement before the end of this year . in his speech at the jirga , karzai had already threatened not to sign , if the sensitive issue of house raids was not addressed . if u.s. military forces conduct military operations on afghan homes even one more time , then there will be no bsa and we wo n't sign it , ' karzai said sunday . they should give assurance about this to us before i sign it . ' the raids have been one of the main sore spots between afghans and western military presence led by the united states . other nato countries , including germany , have said they will be unable to remain in afghanistan if the united states and afghanistan do not reach a deal . a total withdrawal would also put at risk billions of dollars in international aid . opinion : hopes are dim for afghanistan cnn 's masoud popolzai contributed to this report . | that 's not viable , ' u.s. national security adviser susan rice says |
cyrus the great <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the saber-rattling between iran and israel conjures fears of mass casualties and a nuclear arms race in the middle east . israel has threatened to attack iran to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons . iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has threatened to strike first against enemies who threaten its national interests . the tough talk makes it easy to forget that israel and iran have not always been enemies . the jews of israel and persians of iran have had a rich and nuanced relationship dating back thousands of years . they have enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive connection ' for centuries , said trita parsi , president of the national iranian american council and author of treacherous alliance : the secret dealings of israel , iran , and the united states . ' in fact , israeli jews grow up reading a bible story about the persian leader cyrus the great , who is said to have liberated jews and allowed them to return from exile to rebuild the temple in jerusalem , said david menashri , an israeli expert on israeli-iranian relations . in the back of the historical memory of the israelis , when you speak about iran , iran is considered to be a good friend of israel , ' he said . after the birth of the nation of israel in 1948 , the countries enjoyed a honeymoon ' that lasted until just before the 1979 islamic revolution , said menashri , professor emeritus of tel aviv university and president of the academic center of law and business in the israeli city of ramat gan . before the revolution , when the shah-led monarchy governed iran , israel and iran shared a pro-western bent . they cooperated overtly and covertly on economic , political and security issues . israel viewed iran as part of its strategy to develop ties with non-arab states on the region 's periphery , such as turkey and ethiopia . it also saw iran as an important way station for jews fleeing persecution in iraq , said uri bialer , a professor at hebrew university of jerusalem . israel 's ties with iran were chiefly motivated by a single word with three letters -- o-i-l , ' he said . iran earned money selling oil to the jewish state . the shah also saw in israel another pro-american ally with influence in the united states . under the shah , israeli-iranian ties were multilayered and complex , ' said haim malka , a middle east expert at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . the shah had a similar interest in building strategic ties with a growing military power that had a record of defeating arab armies , though he was careful not to publicly embrace israel too warmly , ' malka said . it was a love affair without marriage , ' menashri said , quoting an iranian diplomat . you do n't need to have a formal contract to have a happy marriage . you are happy together . ' even though iran never formally recognized israel , israel operated a permanent delegation in iran until the overthrow of the shah in 1979 . that event ushered in an islamic republic led by the ayatollah khomeini and marked a turning point in ties between israel and iran . the islamic republic , led by shiite clerics in the predominantly shiite nation , saw israel as an illegitimate state with no right to exist , certainly not amid muslim nations . despite harsh rhetoric , though , khomeini did n't want to get into a confrontation with israel , ' said ervand abrahamian , a professor of iranian and middle eastern history at baruch college of the city university of new york . one reason relations were n't worse in the 1980s : israel and iran had a common enemy in iraq , a country that fought an eight-year war with iran . israel even supplied weapons to iran to help it fight iraq , abrahamian and other analysts say . and israeli warplanes bombed a nuclear reactor in iraq in 1981 , an act seen as beneficial to both israel and iran . even as khomeini called israel a'cancerous tumor ,'the israelis lobbied washington to boost iran 's defenses and bring tehran'back into the western fold ,' parsi said . in the years after the iran-iraq war , however , israel began to regard iran and its support of global terror as a chief threat . the islamic republic supported anti-israeli movements such as hezbollah in lebanon and hamas in gaza -- groups that israel and the united states classify as terrorist organizations . iran also stirred anxiety in israel by revving up its nuclear program . iran harbored ambitions to lead the muslim world in the fight to liberate palestinians and wrest jerusalem , one of islam 's holy cities and judaism 's holiest city , from israel , said vali nasr , the author of the shia revival . ' yet iran maintained a pragmatic instinct , said parsi , who cited a 2003 iranian idea to lower the political temperatures and stave off iran 's isolation . much like malaysia , iran would be an islamic state that did not formally recognize israel and would occasionally criticize israeli policies , but would refrain from directly confronting israel . iran would get out of israel 's hair in return for an end to israeli pressure on the united states to isolate and contain iran , ' parsi said . the concept did n't get off the ground . after he was elected in 2005 , iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad began spouting anti-israeli and anti-western rhetoric . he enraged jews by denying the holocaust and alarmed them with virulent attacks on israel . his rhetoric stoked fears in israel and elsewhere that a major world leader would want to destroy the jewish state . yet it has been iran 's nuclear program that has raised the prospects of armed conflict . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said israel will act to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . u.s. president barack obama pledged support for israel this week but also urged more time for diplomacy and harsh sanctions to have an effect . as the possibility looms of an israeli military strike on iranian nuclear sites , the two countries appear to already be engaged in what many have called a shadow war . after iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated in tehran , iran blamed israel . when attackers targeted israeli diplomats this year in india , thailand , georgia and azerbaijan , israel blamed iran . underneath the political tensions , though , some measure of goodwill persists for some . despite three decades of animosity , tens of thousands of iranian jews in the united states and israel still have a strong cultural attachment to iran , ' said malka , the middle east expert in washington . many iranian jews maintain contact with friends and relatives who are among the roughly 20,000 jews in iran , malka said , and israeli radio beams programming in farsi inside iran . connections between the two peoples are underscored by the jewish holiday of purim , which began wednesday night . it commemorates a bible story in which haman , an adviser to the persian king , plots unsuccessfully to kill jews , the story resonates with israelis worried about the iranian president . many of them compare him to a figure far worse than haman . they speak about him as hitler , ' menashri said . | israelis fondly think about cyrus the great , the ancient persian king |
persian <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the saber-rattling between iran and israel conjures fears of mass casualties and a nuclear arms race in the middle east . israel has threatened to attack iran to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons . iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and has threatened to strike first against enemies who threaten its national interests . the tough talk makes it easy to forget that israel and iran have not always been enemies . the jews of israel and persians of iran have had a rich and nuanced relationship dating back thousands of years . they have enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive connection ' for centuries , said trita parsi , president of the national iranian american council and author of treacherous alliance : the secret dealings of israel , iran , and the united states . ' in fact , israeli jews grow up reading a bible story about the persian leader cyrus the great , who is said to have liberated jews and allowed them to return from exile to rebuild the temple in jerusalem , said david menashri , an israeli expert on israeli-iranian relations . in the back of the historical memory of the israelis , when you speak about iran , iran is considered to be a good friend of israel , ' he said . after the birth of the nation of israel in 1948 , the countries enjoyed a honeymoon ' that lasted until just before the 1979 islamic revolution , said menashri , professor emeritus of tel aviv university and president of the academic center of law and business in the israeli city of ramat gan . before the revolution , when the shah-led monarchy governed iran , israel and iran shared a pro-western bent . they cooperated overtly and covertly on economic , political and security issues . israel viewed iran as part of its strategy to develop ties with non-arab states on the region 's periphery , such as turkey and ethiopia . it also saw iran as an important way station for jews fleeing persecution in iraq , said uri bialer , a professor at hebrew university of jerusalem . israel 's ties with iran were chiefly motivated by a single word with three letters -- o-i-l , ' he said . iran earned money selling oil to the jewish state . the shah also saw in israel another pro-american ally with influence in the united states . under the shah , israeli-iranian ties were multilayered and complex , ' said haim malka , a middle east expert at the center for strategic and international studies in washington . the shah had a similar interest in building strategic ties with a growing military power that had a record of defeating arab armies , though he was careful not to publicly embrace israel too warmly , ' malka said . it was a love affair without marriage , ' menashri said , quoting an iranian diplomat . you do n't need to have a formal contract to have a happy marriage . you are happy together . ' even though iran never formally recognized israel , israel operated a permanent delegation in iran until the overthrow of the shah in 1979 . that event ushered in an islamic republic led by the ayatollah khomeini and marked a turning point in ties between israel and iran . the islamic republic , led by shiite clerics in the predominantly shiite nation , saw israel as an illegitimate state with no right to exist , certainly not amid muslim nations . despite harsh rhetoric , though , khomeini did n't want to get into a confrontation with israel , ' said ervand abrahamian , a professor of iranian and middle eastern history at baruch college of the city university of new york . one reason relations were n't worse in the 1980s : israel and iran had a common enemy in iraq , a country that fought an eight-year war with iran . israel even supplied weapons to iran to help it fight iraq , abrahamian and other analysts say . and israeli warplanes bombed a nuclear reactor in iraq in 1981 , an act seen as beneficial to both israel and iran . even as khomeini called israel a'cancerous tumor ,'the israelis lobbied washington to boost iran 's defenses and bring tehran'back into the western fold ,' parsi said . in the years after the iran-iraq war , however , israel began to regard iran and its support of global terror as a chief threat . the islamic republic supported anti-israeli movements such as hezbollah in lebanon and hamas in gaza -- groups that israel and the united states classify as terrorist organizations . iran also stirred anxiety in israel by revving up its nuclear program . iran harbored ambitions to lead the muslim world in the fight to liberate palestinians and wrest jerusalem , one of islam 's holy cities and judaism 's holiest city , from israel , said vali nasr , the author of the shia revival . ' yet iran maintained a pragmatic instinct , said parsi , who cited a 2003 iranian idea to lower the political temperatures and stave off iran 's isolation . much like malaysia , iran would be an islamic state that did not formally recognize israel and would occasionally criticize israeli policies , but would refrain from directly confronting israel . iran would get out of israel 's hair in return for an end to israeli pressure on the united states to isolate and contain iran , ' parsi said . the concept did n't get off the ground . after he was elected in 2005 , iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad began spouting anti-israeli and anti-western rhetoric . he enraged jews by denying the holocaust and alarmed them with virulent attacks on israel . his rhetoric stoked fears in israel and elsewhere that a major world leader would want to destroy the jewish state . yet it has been iran 's nuclear program that has raised the prospects of armed conflict . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu has said israel will act to prevent iran from obtaining nuclear weapons . u.s. president barack obama pledged support for israel this week but also urged more time for diplomacy and harsh sanctions to have an effect . as the possibility looms of an israeli military strike on iranian nuclear sites , the two countries appear to already be engaged in what many have called a shadow war . after iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated in tehran , iran blamed israel . when attackers targeted israeli diplomats this year in india , thailand , georgia and azerbaijan , israel blamed iran . underneath the political tensions , though , some measure of goodwill persists for some . despite three decades of animosity , tens of thousands of iranian jews in the united states and israel still have a strong cultural attachment to iran , ' said malka , the middle east expert in washington . many iranian jews maintain contact with friends and relatives who are among the roughly 20,000 jews in iran , malka said , and israeli radio beams programming in farsi inside iran . connections between the two peoples are underscored by the jewish holiday of purim , which began wednesday night . it commemorates a bible story in which haman , an adviser to the persian king , plots unsuccessfully to kill jews , the story resonates with israelis worried about the iranian president . many of them compare him to a figure far worse than haman . they speak about him as hitler , ' menashri said . | israelis fondly think about cyrus the great , the ancient persian king |
tazhayakov <tsp> a federal jury on monday found a friend of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 attack . the jury found azamat tazhayakov guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice , in connection with the removal of a backpack with potential evidence from tsarnaev 's dorm room after the bombings . jurors indicated in a verdict questionnaire that they did n't believe a separate allegation -- involving the removal of a laptop computer from the same dorm room -- amounted to obstruction or conspiracy . but his attorneys said they 'll appeal the verdict , maintaining that a different defendant was the one who removed the backpack and put it into a garbage bin , and that the jury was under pressure by a community upset by the bombings to find tazhayakov guilty . he never took a backpack out of the dormitory . ... we will certainly push that the evidence , and my client 's intent did not match up with the actions of the case , ' tazhayakov attorney mathew myers told reporters monday . sentencing for tazhayakov , who could get up to 25 years in prison , is scheduled for october . the verdict came in the first trial related to the april 15 , 2013 , bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200 others . tazhayakov 's mother wept loudly in court when the verdict was read . tazhayakov spoke briefly to his parents before he was escorted out of the courtroom . prosecutors accused tazhayakov and his roommate , fellow kazakh national dias kadyrbayev , of trying to protect tsarnaev three days after the bombings by removing a backpack and a laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts dartmouth , which tazhayakov also attended . prosecutors alleged that kadyrbayev and tazhayakov took the laptop to their apartment , and that kadyrbayev , with tazhayakov 's knowledge , tossed the backpack in a trash bin . authorities eventually found the backpack -- containing vaseline , a thumb drive and fireworks -- in a landfill . kadyrbayev is awaiting trial on the same charges and has pleaded not guilty . another friend , robel phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . none of tsarnaev 's friends is accused in the bomb plot itself . prosecutors : friends knew suspects'identities before public prosecutors told jurors tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting kadyrbayev , i think they got his brother , ' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . the friends recognized the tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men , prosecutors said . kadyrbayev told his friends that he believed dzhokhar tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' an indictment against him reads . the government said tsarnaev texted kadyrbayev after the bombings and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what he wanted . kadyrbayev showed that text to tazhayakov , the government alleged . authorities alleged that the friends picked up the backpack and the laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room on april 18 , 2013 , shortly before tsarnaev was taken into custody . the fbi interviewed the friends as part of the bombing investigation , and lawyers for tazhayakov said he did everything he could to help the probe when he spoke with investigators . based on that information , authorities found tsarnaev 's backpack in the landfill , his attorneys said . juror : friends were'getting rid of evidence' daniel antonino , one of the jurors in tazhayakov 's case , said the panel found him guilty of obstruction because the backpack was simply taken and discarded like they were getting rid of evidence . ' they just threw it in the trash , so that 's obstructing justice . just taking it from the dorm room , we felt , was obstructing justice , ' antonino said . antonino said the jury did n't feel the same way about the laptop , because they did n't destroy it , ' and because jurors felt the friends saw the laptop as something they should take for its potential monetary value . antonino cited tsarnaev 's alleged text to kadyrbayev , inviting him to take what he wanted . myers , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client was being unfairly punished for what kadyrbayev is alleged to have done . the only thing tazhayakov took from tsarnaev 's room , myers said , was a pair of headphones that rightfully belonged to him . i understand we 've spoken about pronouns in this case :'they did this , they did that .'( but ) my client did not leave that dorm room with a backpack , ' myers said . he can only control what people do to a certain extent . ...'they'did not do anything . dias kadyrbayev went and took that backpack to a dumpster . my client was n't part of that . how a jury claims that my client had intent to do that with dias , i guess , is a misconstruing of the plain evidence . ' myers said his team also would object to the court 's verdict questionnaire , which asked for both charges whether tazhayakov should be found guilty because of the backpack , the laptop or both . myers said the jurors might have thought that saying no to the laptop was significant -- perhaps thinking they were giving tazhayakov a break -- when in fact it did no such thing . we knew that could be misleading to the jury , ' myers said . dzhokhar tsarnaev awaits trial , having pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges tied to the bombing and the subsequent pursuit of him and his brother , tamerlan . tamerlan tsarnaev died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . boston bombing suspect 's lawyers : we want trial moved away , to washington prosecutors : tsarnaevs used christmas lights to make bomb fuses | defense attorney : different friend , not tazhayakov , took items |
tazhayakov <tsp> a federal jury on monday found a friend of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 attack . the jury found azamat tazhayakov guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice , in connection with the removal of a backpack with potential evidence from tsarnaev 's dorm room after the bombings . jurors indicated in a verdict questionnaire that they did n't believe a separate allegation -- involving the removal of a laptop computer from the same dorm room -- amounted to obstruction or conspiracy . but his attorneys said they 'll appeal the verdict , maintaining that a different defendant was the one who removed the backpack and put it into a garbage bin , and that the jury was under pressure by a community upset by the bombings to find tazhayakov guilty . he never took a backpack out of the dormitory . ... we will certainly push that the evidence , and my client 's intent did not match up with the actions of the case , ' tazhayakov attorney mathew myers told reporters monday . sentencing for tazhayakov , who could get up to 25 years in prison , is scheduled for october . the verdict came in the first trial related to the april 15 , 2013 , bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200 others . tazhayakov 's mother wept loudly in court when the verdict was read . tazhayakov spoke briefly to his parents before he was escorted out of the courtroom . prosecutors accused tazhayakov and his roommate , fellow kazakh national dias kadyrbayev , of trying to protect tsarnaev three days after the bombings by removing a backpack and a laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts dartmouth , which tazhayakov also attended . prosecutors alleged that kadyrbayev and tazhayakov took the laptop to their apartment , and that kadyrbayev , with tazhayakov 's knowledge , tossed the backpack in a trash bin . authorities eventually found the backpack -- containing vaseline , a thumb drive and fireworks -- in a landfill . kadyrbayev is awaiting trial on the same charges and has pleaded not guilty . another friend , robel phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . none of tsarnaev 's friends is accused in the bomb plot itself . prosecutors : friends knew suspects'identities before public prosecutors told jurors tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting kadyrbayev , i think they got his brother , ' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . the friends recognized the tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men , prosecutors said . kadyrbayev told his friends that he believed dzhokhar tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' an indictment against him reads . the government said tsarnaev texted kadyrbayev after the bombings and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what he wanted . kadyrbayev showed that text to tazhayakov , the government alleged . authorities alleged that the friends picked up the backpack and the laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room on april 18 , 2013 , shortly before tsarnaev was taken into custody . the fbi interviewed the friends as part of the bombing investigation , and lawyers for tazhayakov said he did everything he could to help the probe when he spoke with investigators . based on that information , authorities found tsarnaev 's backpack in the landfill , his attorneys said . juror : friends were'getting rid of evidence' daniel antonino , one of the jurors in tazhayakov 's case , said the panel found him guilty of obstruction because the backpack was simply taken and discarded like they were getting rid of evidence . ' they just threw it in the trash , so that 's obstructing justice . just taking it from the dorm room , we felt , was obstructing justice , ' antonino said . antonino said the jury did n't feel the same way about the laptop , because they did n't destroy it , ' and because jurors felt the friends saw the laptop as something they should take for its potential monetary value . antonino cited tsarnaev 's alleged text to kadyrbayev , inviting him to take what he wanted . myers , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client was being unfairly punished for what kadyrbayev is alleged to have done . the only thing tazhayakov took from tsarnaev 's room , myers said , was a pair of headphones that rightfully belonged to him . i understand we 've spoken about pronouns in this case :'they did this , they did that .'( but ) my client did not leave that dorm room with a backpack , ' myers said . he can only control what people do to a certain extent . ...'they'did not do anything . dias kadyrbayev went and took that backpack to a dumpster . my client was n't part of that . how a jury claims that my client had intent to do that with dias , i guess , is a misconstruing of the plain evidence . ' myers said his team also would object to the court 's verdict questionnaire , which asked for both charges whether tazhayakov should be found guilty because of the backpack , the laptop or both . myers said the jurors might have thought that saying no to the laptop was significant -- perhaps thinking they were giving tazhayakov a break -- when in fact it did no such thing . we knew that could be misleading to the jury , ' myers said . dzhokhar tsarnaev awaits trial , having pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges tied to the bombing and the subsequent pursuit of him and his brother , tamerlan . tamerlan tsarnaev died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . boston bombing suspect 's lawyers : we want trial moved away , to washington prosecutors : tsarnaevs used christmas lights to make bomb fuses | his lawyers said tazhayakov did everything he could to assist the fbi |
tazhayakov <tsp> a federal jury on monday found a friend of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 attack . the jury found azamat tazhayakov guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice , in connection with the removal of a backpack with potential evidence from tsarnaev 's dorm room after the bombings . jurors indicated in a verdict questionnaire that they did n't believe a separate allegation -- involving the removal of a laptop computer from the same dorm room -- amounted to obstruction or conspiracy . but his attorneys said they 'll appeal the verdict , maintaining that a different defendant was the one who removed the backpack and put it into a garbage bin , and that the jury was under pressure by a community upset by the bombings to find tazhayakov guilty . he never took a backpack out of the dormitory . ... we will certainly push that the evidence , and my client 's intent did not match up with the actions of the case , ' tazhayakov attorney mathew myers told reporters monday . sentencing for tazhayakov , who could get up to 25 years in prison , is scheduled for october . the verdict came in the first trial related to the april 15 , 2013 , bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200 others . tazhayakov 's mother wept loudly in court when the verdict was read . tazhayakov spoke briefly to his parents before he was escorted out of the courtroom . prosecutors accused tazhayakov and his roommate , fellow kazakh national dias kadyrbayev , of trying to protect tsarnaev three days after the bombings by removing a backpack and a laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts dartmouth , which tazhayakov also attended . prosecutors alleged that kadyrbayev and tazhayakov took the laptop to their apartment , and that kadyrbayev , with tazhayakov 's knowledge , tossed the backpack in a trash bin . authorities eventually found the backpack -- containing vaseline , a thumb drive and fireworks -- in a landfill . kadyrbayev is awaiting trial on the same charges and has pleaded not guilty . another friend , robel phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . none of tsarnaev 's friends is accused in the bomb plot itself . prosecutors : friends knew suspects'identities before public prosecutors told jurors tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting kadyrbayev , i think they got his brother , ' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . the friends recognized the tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men , prosecutors said . kadyrbayev told his friends that he believed dzhokhar tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' an indictment against him reads . the government said tsarnaev texted kadyrbayev after the bombings and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what he wanted . kadyrbayev showed that text to tazhayakov , the government alleged . authorities alleged that the friends picked up the backpack and the laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room on april 18 , 2013 , shortly before tsarnaev was taken into custody . the fbi interviewed the friends as part of the bombing investigation , and lawyers for tazhayakov said he did everything he could to help the probe when he spoke with investigators . based on that information , authorities found tsarnaev 's backpack in the landfill , his attorneys said . juror : friends were'getting rid of evidence' daniel antonino , one of the jurors in tazhayakov 's case , said the panel found him guilty of obstruction because the backpack was simply taken and discarded like they were getting rid of evidence . ' they just threw it in the trash , so that 's obstructing justice . just taking it from the dorm room , we felt , was obstructing justice , ' antonino said . antonino said the jury did n't feel the same way about the laptop , because they did n't destroy it , ' and because jurors felt the friends saw the laptop as something they should take for its potential monetary value . antonino cited tsarnaev 's alleged text to kadyrbayev , inviting him to take what he wanted . myers , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client was being unfairly punished for what kadyrbayev is alleged to have done . the only thing tazhayakov took from tsarnaev 's room , myers said , was a pair of headphones that rightfully belonged to him . i understand we 've spoken about pronouns in this case :'they did this , they did that .'( but ) my client did not leave that dorm room with a backpack , ' myers said . he can only control what people do to a certain extent . ...'they'did not do anything . dias kadyrbayev went and took that backpack to a dumpster . my client was n't part of that . how a jury claims that my client had intent to do that with dias , i guess , is a misconstruing of the plain evidence . ' myers said his team also would object to the court 's verdict questionnaire , which asked for both charges whether tazhayakov should be found guilty because of the backpack , the laptop or both . myers said the jurors might have thought that saying no to the laptop was significant -- perhaps thinking they were giving tazhayakov a break -- when in fact it did no such thing . we knew that could be misleading to the jury , ' myers said . dzhokhar tsarnaev awaits trial , having pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges tied to the bombing and the subsequent pursuit of him and his brother , tamerlan . tamerlan tsarnaev died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . boston bombing suspect 's lawyers : we want trial moved away , to washington prosecutors : tsarnaevs used christmas lights to make bomb fuses | prosecutors alleged tazhayakov helped dispose of dzhokhar tsarnaev 's items |
tazhayakov <tsp> a federal jury on monday found a friend of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 attack . the jury found azamat tazhayakov guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice , in connection with the removal of a backpack with potential evidence from tsarnaev 's dorm room after the bombings . jurors indicated in a verdict questionnaire that they did n't believe a separate allegation -- involving the removal of a laptop computer from the same dorm room -- amounted to obstruction or conspiracy . but his attorneys said they 'll appeal the verdict , maintaining that a different defendant was the one who removed the backpack and put it into a garbage bin , and that the jury was under pressure by a community upset by the bombings to find tazhayakov guilty . he never took a backpack out of the dormitory . ... we will certainly push that the evidence , and my client 's intent did not match up with the actions of the case , ' tazhayakov attorney mathew myers told reporters monday . sentencing for tazhayakov , who could get up to 25 years in prison , is scheduled for october . the verdict came in the first trial related to the april 15 , 2013 , bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200 others . tazhayakov 's mother wept loudly in court when the verdict was read . tazhayakov spoke briefly to his parents before he was escorted out of the courtroom . prosecutors accused tazhayakov and his roommate , fellow kazakh national dias kadyrbayev , of trying to protect tsarnaev three days after the bombings by removing a backpack and a laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts dartmouth , which tazhayakov also attended . prosecutors alleged that kadyrbayev and tazhayakov took the laptop to their apartment , and that kadyrbayev , with tazhayakov 's knowledge , tossed the backpack in a trash bin . authorities eventually found the backpack -- containing vaseline , a thumb drive and fireworks -- in a landfill . kadyrbayev is awaiting trial on the same charges and has pleaded not guilty . another friend , robel phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . none of tsarnaev 's friends is accused in the bomb plot itself . prosecutors : friends knew suspects'identities before public prosecutors told jurors tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting kadyrbayev , i think they got his brother , ' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . the friends recognized the tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men , prosecutors said . kadyrbayev told his friends that he believed dzhokhar tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' an indictment against him reads . the government said tsarnaev texted kadyrbayev after the bombings and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what he wanted . kadyrbayev showed that text to tazhayakov , the government alleged . authorities alleged that the friends picked up the backpack and the laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room on april 18 , 2013 , shortly before tsarnaev was taken into custody . the fbi interviewed the friends as part of the bombing investigation , and lawyers for tazhayakov said he did everything he could to help the probe when he spoke with investigators . based on that information , authorities found tsarnaev 's backpack in the landfill , his attorneys said . juror : friends were'getting rid of evidence' daniel antonino , one of the jurors in tazhayakov 's case , said the panel found him guilty of obstruction because the backpack was simply taken and discarded like they were getting rid of evidence . ' they just threw it in the trash , so that 's obstructing justice . just taking it from the dorm room , we felt , was obstructing justice , ' antonino said . antonino said the jury did n't feel the same way about the laptop , because they did n't destroy it , ' and because jurors felt the friends saw the laptop as something they should take for its potential monetary value . antonino cited tsarnaev 's alleged text to kadyrbayev , inviting him to take what he wanted . myers , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client was being unfairly punished for what kadyrbayev is alleged to have done . the only thing tazhayakov took from tsarnaev 's room , myers said , was a pair of headphones that rightfully belonged to him . i understand we 've spoken about pronouns in this case :'they did this , they did that .'( but ) my client did not leave that dorm room with a backpack , ' myers said . he can only control what people do to a certain extent . ...'they'did not do anything . dias kadyrbayev went and took that backpack to a dumpster . my client was n't part of that . how a jury claims that my client had intent to do that with dias , i guess , is a misconstruing of the plain evidence . ' myers said his team also would object to the court 's verdict questionnaire , which asked for both charges whether tazhayakov should be found guilty because of the backpack , the laptop or both . myers said the jurors might have thought that saying no to the laptop was significant -- perhaps thinking they were giving tazhayakov a break -- when in fact it did no such thing . we knew that could be misleading to the jury , ' myers said . dzhokhar tsarnaev awaits trial , having pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges tied to the bombing and the subsequent pursuit of him and his brother , tamerlan . tamerlan tsarnaev died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . boston bombing suspect 's lawyers : we want trial moved away , to washington prosecutors : tsarnaevs used christmas lights to make bomb fuses | jury : azamat tazhayakov guilty of charges relating to backpack |
dzhokhar tsarnaev <tsp> a federal jury on monday found a friend of boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev guilty of obstructing the investigation into the 2013 attack . the jury found azamat tazhayakov guilty of obstructing justice and conspiring to obstruct justice , in connection with the removal of a backpack with potential evidence from tsarnaev 's dorm room after the bombings . jurors indicated in a verdict questionnaire that they did n't believe a separate allegation -- involving the removal of a laptop computer from the same dorm room -- amounted to obstruction or conspiracy . but his attorneys said they 'll appeal the verdict , maintaining that a different defendant was the one who removed the backpack and put it into a garbage bin , and that the jury was under pressure by a community upset by the bombings to find tazhayakov guilty . he never took a backpack out of the dormitory . ... we will certainly push that the evidence , and my client 's intent did not match up with the actions of the case , ' tazhayakov attorney mathew myers told reporters monday . sentencing for tazhayakov , who could get up to 25 years in prison , is scheduled for october . the verdict came in the first trial related to the april 15 , 2013 , bombings that killed three people and injured more than 200 others . tazhayakov 's mother wept loudly in court when the verdict was read . tazhayakov spoke briefly to his parents before he was escorted out of the courtroom . prosecutors accused tazhayakov and his roommate , fellow kazakh national dias kadyrbayev , of trying to protect tsarnaev three days after the bombings by removing a backpack and a laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room at the university of massachusetts dartmouth , which tazhayakov also attended . prosecutors alleged that kadyrbayev and tazhayakov took the laptop to their apartment , and that kadyrbayev , with tazhayakov 's knowledge , tossed the backpack in a trash bin . authorities eventually found the backpack -- containing vaseline , a thumb drive and fireworks -- in a landfill . kadyrbayev is awaiting trial on the same charges and has pleaded not guilty . another friend , robel phillipos , pleaded not guilty to making false statements . none of tsarnaev 's friends is accused in the bomb plot itself . prosecutors : friends knew suspects'identities before public prosecutors told jurors tazhayakov knew the identity of the suspected bombers -- tsarnaev and his older brother tamerlan tsarnaev -- before the public found out , allegedly texting kadyrbayev , i think they got his brother , ' hours before the public knew their names or their relationship to one another . the friends recognized the tsarnaev brothers after authorities released video and still photos asking for the public 's helping finding the two men , prosecutors said . kadyrbayev told his friends that he believed dzhokhar tsarnaev used the vaseline'to make bombs ,'or words to that effect , ' an indictment against him reads . the government said tsarnaev texted kadyrbayev after the bombings and told him he could go to his dorm room and take what he wanted . kadyrbayev showed that text to tazhayakov , the government alleged . authorities alleged that the friends picked up the backpack and the laptop from tsarnaev 's dorm room on april 18 , 2013 , shortly before tsarnaev was taken into custody . the fbi interviewed the friends as part of the bombing investigation , and lawyers for tazhayakov said he did everything he could to help the probe when he spoke with investigators . based on that information , authorities found tsarnaev 's backpack in the landfill , his attorneys said . juror : friends were'getting rid of evidence' daniel antonino , one of the jurors in tazhayakov 's case , said the panel found him guilty of obstruction because the backpack was simply taken and discarded like they were getting rid of evidence . ' they just threw it in the trash , so that 's obstructing justice . just taking it from the dorm room , we felt , was obstructing justice , ' antonino said . antonino said the jury did n't feel the same way about the laptop , because they did n't destroy it , ' and because jurors felt the friends saw the laptop as something they should take for its potential monetary value . antonino cited tsarnaev 's alleged text to kadyrbayev , inviting him to take what he wanted . myers , tazhayakov 's attorney , said his client was being unfairly punished for what kadyrbayev is alleged to have done . the only thing tazhayakov took from tsarnaev 's room , myers said , was a pair of headphones that rightfully belonged to him . i understand we 've spoken about pronouns in this case :'they did this , they did that .'( but ) my client did not leave that dorm room with a backpack , ' myers said . he can only control what people do to a certain extent . ...'they'did not do anything . dias kadyrbayev went and took that backpack to a dumpster . my client was n't part of that . how a jury claims that my client had intent to do that with dias , i guess , is a misconstruing of the plain evidence . ' myers said his team also would object to the court 's verdict questionnaire , which asked for both charges whether tazhayakov should be found guilty because of the backpack , the laptop or both . myers said the jurors might have thought that saying no to the laptop was significant -- perhaps thinking they were giving tazhayakov a break -- when in fact it did no such thing . we knew that could be misleading to the jury , ' myers said . dzhokhar tsarnaev awaits trial , having pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges tied to the bombing and the subsequent pursuit of him and his brother , tamerlan . tamerlan tsarnaev died in a shootout with police days after the bombing . boston bombing suspect 's lawyers : we want trial moved away , to washington prosecutors : tsarnaevs used christmas lights to make bomb fuses | prosecutors alleged tazhayakov helped dispose of dzhokhar tsarnaev 's items |
word <tsp> ( cnn ) -- microsoft office , the suite of productivity tools used by millions , has finally come to the iphone . the move is a significant one for microsoft and its users . before , the popular set of tools , including word , excel , powerpoint and outlook , was available only on windows phones , which have captured a sliver of the smartphone market . the feature is available free in apple 's app store for subscribers to office 365 , the cloud-based version of office 's business-like tools for home users . subscribers pay a monthly fee . office for iphone is intended for people who need to edit powerpoints or excel spreadsheets on the go , not create them from their phones . the company said users can work with documents on their phones , and the updates will be transferred to those documents on pc versions . they 'll also be able to share documents from their phones . when we launched office 365 earlier this year , we committed to delivering regular updates and new capabilities to office 365 subscribers , ' julia white , general manager of microsoft 's office division , said in a blog post . office mobile for iphone is another great example of the value of subscribing to office 365 . ' the announcement comes just days after apple announced that its own iwork productivity suite will for the first time work with windows systems . the microsoft announcement serves as a counter , allowing the same kind of back-and-forth for the larger number of users who are already familiar with office , considered by many the gold standard of productivity software . there is no similar version of office optimized for the ipad , which has its own more fully developed web browser . microsoft also did not mention whether it 's developing a version for google 's android mobile devices . office for iphone is available now for users in the united states and will soon rolled out internationally , the company said . | office tools include word , excel , powerpoint and outlook |
belarus <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the united nations on monday accused belarus of defying an arms embargo against ivory coast by delivering three attack helicopters to the disputed president of the west african nation . a spokesman for u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said that the helicopters and other related materiel are reportedly being delivered at yamoussoukro , ' the nation 's capital , for laurent gbagbo 's forces . ban is pushing for an urgent meeting of the u.n. security council on the matter , the spokesman said . the first delivery arrived reportedly on a flight which landed this ( sunday ) evening and additional flights are scheduled for monday , ' the spokesman said in a statement . u.n. spokesman martin nesirky said monday afternoon that u.n. officials on the ground in ivory coast were unable to confirm whether the delivery was made , saying they were forced to withdraw from the airport before they were able to verify the report . u.n. officials later said that the team sent to investigate the possible breach of sanctions was fired upon monday by local security forces in the ivory coast . gbagbo , the nation 's incumbent leader , is clinging to the presidency despite an international call for him to step down after an electoral commission declared challenger alassane ouattara the winner of a november election . the deliveries violate an arms embargo that has been in place since 2004 , ban 's spokesman said . andrei savinykh , a spokesman for the belarusian foreign ministry , vehemently denied the allegation , calling it part of a campaign of lies and slander ' against belarus . a destructive information attack is being carried out ' against belarus , said savinykh , according to the belarus state-run belta news agency . violence in ivory coast escalated sharply over the past week , after four african heads of state left abidjan . they had been given a mandate by the african union to find a binding solution ' to the post-election crisis in ivory coast . gbagbo and ouattara supporters have clashed in the central cities , yamoussoukro and daoukro , in addition to ongoing fighting in abidjan . ouattara is holed up in the golf hotel in abidjan under the protection of u.n. peacekeepers . cnn 's maxim tkachenko and joe vaccarello contributed to this report | a spokesman for the government of belarus denies breaking the embargo |
san diego <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a federal appeals court ruled tuesday that a cross displayed on public property for nearly a century is unconstitutional . three versions of the christian symbol have been erected atop 822-foot mount soledad in the posh la jolla neighborhood of san diego , california , since 1913 . the current 43-foot cross was erected in 1954 in honor of korean war veterans and has been the subject of near constant judicial back and forth since 1989 , when two vietnam war veterans filed suit against the city , saying it violated the california constitution 's no preference ' clause . the 9th circuit court of appeals rejected the notion that the cross -- since the late 1990s surrounded by plaques and paving stones honoring veterans and war dead -- was solely a memorial . the use of such a distinctively christian symbol to honor all veterans sends a strong message of endorsement and exclusion , ' the court said in its ruling . it suggests that the government is so connected to a particular religion that it treats that religion 's symbolism as its own , as universal . to many non-christian veterans , this claim of universality is alienating . ' the court also noted that the site had , for most of history , been used for easter services -- marked on maps until the late 1980s as the mount soledad easter cross ' -- and was designated a war memorial with a plaque only after the legal controversy began in the late 1980s . ' it was not until the late 1990s that veterans'organizations began holding regular memorial services at the site , ' the court said . and the court rejected arguments that the cross at a war memorial was no different than any other memorial that includes a cross . this war memorial -- with its imposing cross -- stands as an outlier among war memorials , even those incorporating crosses , ' the ruling says . contrary to any popular notion , war memorials in the united states have not traditionally included or centered on the cross and , according to the parties'evidence , there is no comparable memorial on public land in which the cross holds such a pivotal and imposing stature , dwarfing by every measure the secular plaques and other symbols commemorating veterans . ' the ruling will almost certainly be appealed to the u.s. supreme court . since the first lawsuit in 1989 , the city of san diego twice tried selling the property beneath the cross to the mount soledad memorial association , only to be stopped by the courts : once for failing to solicit bids and once for violating california 's no preference ' clause for giving substantial financial advantage to bidders ' who intended to leave the cross in place . by the late 1990s , with the association maintaining the property , the cross became a more extensive war memorial , with stone plaques and paving stones honoring veterans and other accoutrements of a memorial . in 2004 , the city , the plaintiffs and the association reached an agreement that would move the cross to a nearby church , but two republican congressmen intervened and inserted a rider into the 2005 omnibus budget bill that designated the property as a national veterans memorial and authorized the federal government to accept the donation of the property . but the san diego city council refused to donate the property after the city attorney wrote that the transfer likely would violate both the federal and state constitutions . facing pressure from a new association formed to save the mount soledad cross , ' the city reversed its decision and instead put the matter to a vote , which passed handily . more court filings followed , and in june 2006 , three republican congressmen pushed through a bill calling for the government to seize the property by eminent domain -- calling it a historically significant war memorial . ' the federal government took possession in august . two lawsuits were filed challenging the transfer almost immediately : one by steve trunk and philip paulson and the other by jewish war veterans of the united states . the district court consolidated the cases and eventually ruled in favor of the government . trunk , paulson and the jewish war veterans appealed , leading to friday 's ruling . | a cross has been atop san diego 's mount soledad since 1913 |
fred winters <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the baptist minister who was fatally shot sunday as he led services at a church in suburban saint louis , missouri , was carrying out work he believed in fervently , a church official said monday . the web site for first baptist church of maryville includes a photo of slain pastor fred winters . i believe that he would want us to know that he died doing exactly what he believed passionately about , ' worship and music pastor mark jones told reporters outside first baptist church in maryville , illinois , about pastor fred winters , who was killed the day before . jones expressed gratitude for an overwhelming response from the public that has included more than 1,000 e-mails of support . they will be compiled into a huge book of love ' to be given to winters'widow , he said . investigators have charged terry j. sedlacek , 27 , with first-degree murder in the killing . sedlacek was further charged with two counts of aggravated battery related to the stabbing of parishioners terry bullard and keith melton . their wounds were not life-threatening , said illinois state police spokesman ralph timmins . sedlacek himself was seriously wounded in the melee , timmins said sunday . asked what led sedlacek to the church , jones said , we 're scratching our heads on that one . ' watch response of grieving church » jones said another church official visited sedlacek 's family on monday . we wanted them to know that we 're praying for them , we 're praying for the attacker , ' jones said . speaking of sedlacek , jones added , maybe he , too , needs to go back to the bible and read the book and ask the question ,'is this really god 's word ? do i need to reconsider some things ?' watch aftermath of shooting in church » winters and the gunman exchanged words before the gunman fired four shots during sunday morning services , hitting the minister 's bible and then hitting winters himself , said illinois state police director larry trent . the only thing we know is that the suspect said something to the pastor , and the pastor said something back to him -- we do n't know what that was , ' trent told reporters sunday . it was almost as if the pastor may have recognized him , but we 're not sure about that at all . ' trent said the gunman 's .45-caliber pistol jammed after he shot winters . the man then pulled out a knife before being subdued by some of the approximately 150 worshippers attending the church in southern illinois . when he was tackled by two of the members , we do n't know whether he fell on the knife , injuring himself at the time , or whether [ his injury ] was self-inflicted during the struggle , ' trent said . watch police describe heroic action ' of parishioners » trent said police were trying to determine a motive in the shooting , noting that church members did not recognize the gunman . last august , the st. louis post-dispatch profiled sedlacek in a story it did about lyme disease . his mother , ruth abernathy , told the newspaper he began acting strangely during his junior year in high school ; he seemed confused and stopped participating in activities that had interested him . the newspaper identified him as a resident of the troy , illinois , in suburban st. louis . abernathy told the paper her son was initially diagnosed with mental illness and then later diagnosed with lyme disease . lyme disease diagnosis , effects and treatment has caused disagreement in the medical community . a spokesman for the centers for disease control and prevention said monday that mental illness associated with lyme disease is highly unusual , and the infectious diseases society of america said lyme disease is not known to cause violent behavior . ' but a study published in 2002 in the american journal of psychiatry and carried out in the czech republic found that 36 percent of 900 psychiatric subjects had antibodies to the bacterium linked to lyme disease , versus 18 percent of 900 healthy control subjects . the illinois shooting is believed to be the nation 's first in a church since july , when a 58-year-old man opened fire in a knoxville , tennessee , church during a children 's play . two people were killed and six wounded in the shooting at tennessee valley unitarian universalist church . jim adkisson told police he targeted the church because of its liberal teachings , ' according to court papers . adkisson pleaded guilty last month in a deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without parole , court officials said . cnn 's miriam falco contributed to this story . | new : fred winters died doing exactly what he believed passionately about ' |
royal ascot <tsp> ( cnn ) -- death , taxes and black caviar . some things in life are just certain . for the bookmakers , it was not a question of if black caviar could win saturday 's diamond jubilee stakes at royal ascot , it was by how much . so popular was the mighty mare with punters , a one dollar investment might have earned you 20 cents , providing the bookie was feeling generous . the peter moody-trained sprinter came to england with 21 wins from 21 starts . race number 22 was black caviar 's first outside australia , and thousands traveled with her , invading the typically-british race course . royal regulations for ascot 's fashionistas black caviar 's colors of black and salmon pink were worn with pride in frocks , fascinators and ties . green and gold are australia 's sporting colors of choice but this was the exception , reserved only for an exceptional performer . australian journalist nat wallace traveled from newcastle , new south wales , to watch black caviar sprint to racing royalty . wallace , who moonlights as a race-caller and is a thoroughbred owner himself , has followed this story from the time she was a filly and knew exactly what to expect , even if the british did not . i 've been overhearing people in london streets , in bars , saying how'the aussies think they 've got this amazing horse'and so i told them ,'we do n't think we 've got an amazing horse , we know we 've got an amazing horse', ' said wallace . over confident ? perhaps . accurate ? definitely . on the back of fantastic form , few surprises were expected but no one anticipated a photo finish . it silenced an otherwise raucous record crowd and , for the moment , history was on hold . it was a disappointing finish for black caviar , ' wallace said after the result was decided by a photo . she should have won by much more . ' it has been revealed a back injury could have slowed the champion mare , but as debate rages over how black caviar won , the fact that she did was reward enough for the thousands of ex-pats who had been hearing nothing but great things . claire falconer , a lawyer from adelaide was among the london-based aussies watching in the grandstand . this is a huge moment ... that 's what makes black caviar a champion . i 'm really glad i 'm here to experience it all first hand . ' stephen pittman , a teacher from the new south wales central coast , says the whole experience was a source of great national pride . ' now , more than ever before , there is speculation about her future . will she race again ? will there be another overseas campaign ? questions only the trainer peter moody can answer . the sprinter is now in quarantine , ahead of a marathon trip home , where she returns an internationally-recognized champion . for the thousands of australians who watched the wonder from down under ' go round at royal ascot , it was not about a financial return . black caviar 's crowning glory would be a story to tell the grandchildren , or anyone who will listen . and the bookies can not put a price on that . | the australian supermare ' won the diamond jubilee stakes at royal ascot |
english <tsp> abc 's bachelor ' juan pablo galavis says he did not intend to slur homosexuals by saying they are more pervert . ' the venezuelan former soccer star blames his lack of english vocabulary for the misunderstanding when he was trying to explain why a gay or bisexual man should not be cast as a bachelor on the reality competition . galavis , in an apology posted on his facebook page saturday , said he meant to say that gay and bisexuals are too affectionate and intense ' for television . thetv network called his comments careless , thoughtless and insensitive , ' saying the opinions in no way reflect the views of the network , the show 's producers or studio . ' galavis made the comments in response to thetvpage.com writer sean daly 's question at a network party : do you think it would be good at some point to have a gay or bisexual bachelor ? ' he began by saying i respect them , but honestly i do n't think it 's a good example for kids to watch that on tv . ' i respect that 100 % , ' he said , before launching into a rambling response about how now there 's fathers having kids and all that , and it is hard for me to understand that , too , in the sense of a household having peoples . two parents sleeping in the same bed and the kid going into bed , and you know it 's confusing in a sense . but i respect them because they want to have kids . they want to be parents . so it is a scale . where do you put it on the scale ? where 's the thin line to cross or not ? you have to respect everybody 's desires , opinions and way of living . but it would be too hard for tv . ' but the comment that caused the most uproar was : there 's this thing about gay people . it seems to me , you know , and i do n't know if i 'm mistaken or not . i have a lot of friends like that , but they 're more pervert in a sense and to me the show will be too strong , too hard to watch on tv . ' in his apology to all the people i may have offended , ' galavis said he would never disrespect anyone ' and he has nothing but respect for gay people and their families . ' in fact , he said , one of my closest friends ' who is gay is like a brother . ' the word pervert was not what i meant to say and i am very sorry about it , ' he said . everyone knows english is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in spanish and , because of this , sometimes i use the wrong words to express myself . what i meant to say was that gay people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the tv audience this would be too racy to accept . ' his own show is very racy ' and he does not allow his 5-year-old daughter to watch , he said . glaad ( formerly the gay & lesbian alliance against defamation ) announced that galavis will meet with gay and lesbian latino families this week in los angeles . monica trasandes , glaad 's director of spanish language and latino media and a lesbian mom , who will attend the meeting , said she hopes this will be an opportunity for bachelor ' fans to learn more about gay families . at a time when latino support for gay and lesbian people and our families is growing , we look forward to continuing the conversation with juan pablo and working with him to help educate his fans about who gay and lesbian parents are , ' she said . study after study shows that young people raised by gay parents are as happy and healthy as other young people . ' does hollywood have a latino problem ?'duck dynasty'resuming after anti-gay remarks | english is his second language and his vocabulary is limited , the venezuelan says |
abc <tsp> abc 's bachelor ' juan pablo galavis says he did not intend to slur homosexuals by saying they are more pervert . ' the venezuelan former soccer star blames his lack of english vocabulary for the misunderstanding when he was trying to explain why a gay or bisexual man should not be cast as a bachelor on the reality competition . galavis , in an apology posted on his facebook page saturday , said he meant to say that gay and bisexuals are too affectionate and intense ' for television . thetv network called his comments careless , thoughtless and insensitive , ' saying the opinions in no way reflect the views of the network , the show 's producers or studio . ' galavis made the comments in response to thetvpage.com writer sean daly 's question at a network party : do you think it would be good at some point to have a gay or bisexual bachelor ? ' he began by saying i respect them , but honestly i do n't think it 's a good example for kids to watch that on tv . ' i respect that 100 % , ' he said , before launching into a rambling response about how now there 's fathers having kids and all that , and it is hard for me to understand that , too , in the sense of a household having peoples . two parents sleeping in the same bed and the kid going into bed , and you know it 's confusing in a sense . but i respect them because they want to have kids . they want to be parents . so it is a scale . where do you put it on the scale ? where 's the thin line to cross or not ? you have to respect everybody 's desires , opinions and way of living . but it would be too hard for tv . ' but the comment that caused the most uproar was : there 's this thing about gay people . it seems to me , you know , and i do n't know if i 'm mistaken or not . i have a lot of friends like that , but they 're more pervert in a sense and to me the show will be too strong , too hard to watch on tv . ' in his apology to all the people i may have offended , ' galavis said he would never disrespect anyone ' and he has nothing but respect for gay people and their families . ' in fact , he said , one of my closest friends ' who is gay is like a brother . ' the word pervert was not what i meant to say and i am very sorry about it , ' he said . everyone knows english is my second language and my vocabulary is not as broad as it is in spanish and , because of this , sometimes i use the wrong words to express myself . what i meant to say was that gay people are more affectionate and intense and for a segment of the tv audience this would be too racy to accept . ' his own show is very racy ' and he does not allow his 5-year-old daughter to watch , he said . glaad ( formerly the gay & lesbian alliance against defamation ) announced that galavis will meet with gay and lesbian latino families this week in los angeles . monica trasandes , glaad 's director of spanish language and latino media and a lesbian mom , who will attend the meeting , said she hopes this will be an opportunity for bachelor ' fans to learn more about gay families . at a time when latino support for gay and lesbian people and our families is growing , we look forward to continuing the conversation with juan pablo and working with him to help educate his fans about who gay and lesbian parents are , ' she said . study after study shows that young people raised by gay parents are as happy and healthy as other young people . ' does hollywood have a latino problem ?'duck dynasty'resuming after anti-gay remarks | abc calls his comments careless , thoughtless and insensitive ' |
orlando <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seaworld says its dine with shamu ' killer whale show is reopening , nearly a year after it closed following the death of a trainer . the show opens february 26 at seaworld 's san antonio , texas , park , followed by its parks in san diego , california , and orlando , florida , in the spring , the company said . in february 2010 , tilikum , a 12,000-pound killer whale , pulled senior trainer dawn brancheau , 40 , underwater and killed her as horrified visitors watched at seaworld of orlando 's shamu stadium . after brancheau 's death , the occupational safety and health administration fined seaworld $ 75,000 for three safety violations , including one classified as willful . in a statement , seaworld said that its internal review reached a different conclusion . without providing details , the statement said the conclusions were drawn from decades of experience caring for marine mammals . ' in the past , seaworld 's parks in orlando , san antonio and san diego gave customers the opportunity to eat a meal next to the killer whale tank while interacting with the trainers . seaworld 's nick gollattscheck with said the reopened show in orlando would receive a new look and surface around the pool and new glass in the guest viewing area . ' | spokesman : orlando park show will get a new look ' |
orlando <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seaworld says its dine with shamu ' killer whale show is reopening , nearly a year after it closed following the death of a trainer . the show opens february 26 at seaworld 's san antonio , texas , park , followed by its parks in san diego , california , and orlando , florida , in the spring , the company said . in february 2010 , tilikum , a 12,000-pound killer whale , pulled senior trainer dawn brancheau , 40 , underwater and killed her as horrified visitors watched at seaworld of orlando 's shamu stadium . after brancheau 's death , the occupational safety and health administration fined seaworld $ 75,000 for three safety violations , including one classified as willful . in a statement , seaworld said that its internal review reached a different conclusion . without providing details , the statement said the conclusions were drawn from decades of experience caring for marine mammals . ' in the past , seaworld 's parks in orlando , san antonio and san diego gave customers the opportunity to eat a meal next to the killer whale tank while interacting with the trainers . seaworld 's nick gollattscheck with said the reopened show in orlando would receive a new look and surface around the pool and new glass in the guest viewing area . ' | san antonio park 's show to open first , followed by those in orlando and san diego |
orlando <tsp> ( cnn ) -- seaworld says its dine with shamu ' killer whale show is reopening , nearly a year after it closed following the death of a trainer . the show opens february 26 at seaworld 's san antonio , texas , park , followed by its parks in san diego , california , and orlando , florida , in the spring , the company said . in february 2010 , tilikum , a 12,000-pound killer whale , pulled senior trainer dawn brancheau , 40 , underwater and killed her as horrified visitors watched at seaworld of orlando 's shamu stadium . after brancheau 's death , the occupational safety and health administration fined seaworld $ 75,000 for three safety violations , including one classified as willful . in a statement , seaworld said that its internal review reached a different conclusion . without providing details , the statement said the conclusions were drawn from decades of experience caring for marine mammals . ' in the past , seaworld 's parks in orlando , san antonio and san diego gave customers the opportunity to eat a meal next to the killer whale tank while interacting with the trainers . seaworld 's nick gollattscheck with said the reopened show in orlando would receive a new look and surface around the pool and new glass in the guest viewing area . ' | action comes almost a year after whale killed trainer at orlando park |
common <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rapper common wants to take hip-hop in a new direction , he says , and he has an unsuspecting ally -- president-elect barack obama . common says he was looking for a new sound on his eighth album , universal mind control . ' obama is going to change hip-hop for the better , ' predicted the rapper , whose eighth album , universal mind control ' ( g.o.o.d . music/geffen ) , hits shelves tuesday . i really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what 's going on in the world and try to reflect that , ' he told cnn , outlining his belief that mainstream as well as so-called conscious ' rappers -- the more socially aware -- will pick up on what he sees as the more optimistic prospects of an obama presidency . i think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things , and try to bring a brighter side to that because , even before barack , i think people had been tired of hearing the same thing , ' he said . likewise , universal mind control , ' with its hook-heavy , synthed-out tracks , represents a broadening ' of hip-hop 's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than hackneyed revamps of old beats , rhythms and rhymes , common said . listen to clips from the album and common 's interview with cnn.com » not that common , born lonnie rashid lynn jr. , is altogether removed from the temptations of his hip-hop brethren . he serves as a spokesman for lincoln navigator and purports on his new album to rebel in ysl , ' a reference to designer yves saint laurent . money is also a weakness , as common -- no . 14 on forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest rappers -- regularly invokes the greenbacks he makes and spends . ireport.com : talk grammy awards and more showbiz with todd still , common has come at hip-hop from a different angle from many of his colleagues . he was generally considered underground ' until he linked up with kanye west , who produced his albums be ' ( 2005 ) and finding forever ' ( 2007 ) . even now , while paying homage at mainstream hip-hop 's altar , the chicago-born lyricist also enters parishes where most rappers would n't be seen . he 's helped front movements for hiv/aids awareness and vegetarianism , and he 's written two children 's books emphasizing the importance of self-esteem . lyrically , violence has never been his thing ; soft-drug use has been mentioned but rarely glamorized ; he removed homophobic references from his lyrics years ago ; and while there have been hints of misogyny and the occasional n-word in his verses , neither has been a staple of his rhymes . i 've always been conscious , honestly , ' he said . i made a choice on this album ,'universal mind control ,'to really make some music that was bright , that would be a little more lighthearted , just because of what was going on in the world . ' read more from the interview with a few exceptions , his latest lyrics are consummate common . in his beat poet 's cadence , the 36-year-old rhymesmith aggressively courts the ladies , personifies hip-hop , aggrandizes himself and his hometown ( lovingly , the chi ' ) , and respectfully doles out props to hip-hop 's forefathers -- most notably to afrika bambaataa on the album 's title track . hear the title track » the album 's sound , however , is atypical , moving -- sometimes jerkily -- from club-banger to anthem to ballad to top 40 . the latter even runs counter to the opening verse of everywhere ' : no pop , no pop , no pop , no pop/we gon na do this thing till the sky just drop . ' but the sound is part of a whole new sound and a new movement ' in hip-hop , something he explored out of disdain for repetition and predictability , he said . that might explain kanye west 's relative absence on universal mind control . ' the louis vuitton don appears on only one track , the pop-drenched punch drunk love . ' but west has long been credited , even by common , with bringing his fellow chicagoan to the mainstream after be ' and finding forever ' went gold and leapt up the billboard 200 . of course , it 's not all kanye , said common . i 'm a true believer that it all boils down to the music , because kanye can endorse something , and if people do n't like it they ai n't gon na get with it -- regardless of whoever endorses it , ' he said . he compared his working relationship with west to the collaboration he enjoyed with the neptunes'pharrell williams on universal mind control . ' williams , whom common casually likened to quincy jones , pushed him lyrically , much like west did , he said . between williams and mr. dj -- who composed backbeats for some of outkast 's biggest hits -- common arrived at the evolution he sought , he added . common also is plotting a change , or at least a detour , in his career path . though his past cinematic endeavors have been primarily gangster flicks , common has landed a role in the upcoming terminator salvation ' and could play green lantern in justice league : mortal ' should the derailed movie get back on track . i would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction , ' he said . my goal is to be a movie star . i want to be at will smith 's level . i want to be co-leading with leonardo dicaprio . ' fear not , common fans . the aspiring thespian is confident he can pull off both , though hip-hop might ride sidecar to the silver screen . acting , he said , seems to improve his music . i do n't take as much time overthinking it . actually , since'be'i 've been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing , so i feel like i would still make music , but it would n't be the main gig , ' he said . selling albums , common said , is about more than good music , and though he stands proudly by the music he made pre-west , he concedes he did n't do enough to claw his way up from the underground . after you make good , quality music , then it 's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people . i feel like i was n't doing that early on , ' he said . now i am , and i feel like i 'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible , so i feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that i 'm getting . ' | producers pharrell williams , kanye west pushed common lyrically , he says |
common <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rapper common wants to take hip-hop in a new direction , he says , and he has an unsuspecting ally -- president-elect barack obama . common says he was looking for a new sound on his eighth album , universal mind control . ' obama is going to change hip-hop for the better , ' predicted the rapper , whose eighth album , universal mind control ' ( g.o.o.d . music/geffen ) , hits shelves tuesday . i really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what 's going on in the world and try to reflect that , ' he told cnn , outlining his belief that mainstream as well as so-called conscious ' rappers -- the more socially aware -- will pick up on what he sees as the more optimistic prospects of an obama presidency . i think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things , and try to bring a brighter side to that because , even before barack , i think people had been tired of hearing the same thing , ' he said . likewise , universal mind control , ' with its hook-heavy , synthed-out tracks , represents a broadening ' of hip-hop 's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than hackneyed revamps of old beats , rhythms and rhymes , common said . listen to clips from the album and common 's interview with cnn.com » not that common , born lonnie rashid lynn jr. , is altogether removed from the temptations of his hip-hop brethren . he serves as a spokesman for lincoln navigator and purports on his new album to rebel in ysl , ' a reference to designer yves saint laurent . money is also a weakness , as common -- no . 14 on forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest rappers -- regularly invokes the greenbacks he makes and spends . ireport.com : talk grammy awards and more showbiz with todd still , common has come at hip-hop from a different angle from many of his colleagues . he was generally considered underground ' until he linked up with kanye west , who produced his albums be ' ( 2005 ) and finding forever ' ( 2007 ) . even now , while paying homage at mainstream hip-hop 's altar , the chicago-born lyricist also enters parishes where most rappers would n't be seen . he 's helped front movements for hiv/aids awareness and vegetarianism , and he 's written two children 's books emphasizing the importance of self-esteem . lyrically , violence has never been his thing ; soft-drug use has been mentioned but rarely glamorized ; he removed homophobic references from his lyrics years ago ; and while there have been hints of misogyny and the occasional n-word in his verses , neither has been a staple of his rhymes . i 've always been conscious , honestly , ' he said . i made a choice on this album ,'universal mind control ,'to really make some music that was bright , that would be a little more lighthearted , just because of what was going on in the world . ' read more from the interview with a few exceptions , his latest lyrics are consummate common . in his beat poet 's cadence , the 36-year-old rhymesmith aggressively courts the ladies , personifies hip-hop , aggrandizes himself and his hometown ( lovingly , the chi ' ) , and respectfully doles out props to hip-hop 's forefathers -- most notably to afrika bambaataa on the album 's title track . hear the title track » the album 's sound , however , is atypical , moving -- sometimes jerkily -- from club-banger to anthem to ballad to top 40 . the latter even runs counter to the opening verse of everywhere ' : no pop , no pop , no pop , no pop/we gon na do this thing till the sky just drop . ' but the sound is part of a whole new sound and a new movement ' in hip-hop , something he explored out of disdain for repetition and predictability , he said . that might explain kanye west 's relative absence on universal mind control . ' the louis vuitton don appears on only one track , the pop-drenched punch drunk love . ' but west has long been credited , even by common , with bringing his fellow chicagoan to the mainstream after be ' and finding forever ' went gold and leapt up the billboard 200 . of course , it 's not all kanye , said common . i 'm a true believer that it all boils down to the music , because kanye can endorse something , and if people do n't like it they ai n't gon na get with it -- regardless of whoever endorses it , ' he said . he compared his working relationship with west to the collaboration he enjoyed with the neptunes'pharrell williams on universal mind control . ' williams , whom common casually likened to quincy jones , pushed him lyrically , much like west did , he said . between williams and mr. dj -- who composed backbeats for some of outkast 's biggest hits -- common arrived at the evolution he sought , he added . common also is plotting a change , or at least a detour , in his career path . though his past cinematic endeavors have been primarily gangster flicks , common has landed a role in the upcoming terminator salvation ' and could play green lantern in justice league : mortal ' should the derailed movie get back on track . i would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction , ' he said . my goal is to be a movie star . i want to be at will smith 's level . i want to be co-leading with leonardo dicaprio . ' fear not , common fans . the aspiring thespian is confident he can pull off both , though hip-hop might ride sidecar to the silver screen . acting , he said , seems to improve his music . i do n't take as much time overthinking it . actually , since'be'i 've been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing , so i feel like i would still make music , but it would n't be the main gig , ' he said . selling albums , common said , is about more than good music , and though he stands proudly by the music he made pre-west , he concedes he did n't do enough to claw his way up from the underground . after you make good , quality music , then it 's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people . i feel like i was n't doing that early on , ' he said . now i am , and i feel like i 'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible , so i feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that i 'm getting . ' | common sat down with cnn to discuss universal mind control , ' his movie career |
common <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rapper common wants to take hip-hop in a new direction , he says , and he has an unsuspecting ally -- president-elect barack obama . common says he was looking for a new sound on his eighth album , universal mind control . ' obama is going to change hip-hop for the better , ' predicted the rapper , whose eighth album , universal mind control ' ( g.o.o.d . music/geffen ) , hits shelves tuesday . i really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what 's going on in the world and try to reflect that , ' he told cnn , outlining his belief that mainstream as well as so-called conscious ' rappers -- the more socially aware -- will pick up on what he sees as the more optimistic prospects of an obama presidency . i think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things , and try to bring a brighter side to that because , even before barack , i think people had been tired of hearing the same thing , ' he said . likewise , universal mind control , ' with its hook-heavy , synthed-out tracks , represents a broadening ' of hip-hop 's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than hackneyed revamps of old beats , rhythms and rhymes , common said . listen to clips from the album and common 's interview with cnn.com » not that common , born lonnie rashid lynn jr. , is altogether removed from the temptations of his hip-hop brethren . he serves as a spokesman for lincoln navigator and purports on his new album to rebel in ysl , ' a reference to designer yves saint laurent . money is also a weakness , as common -- no . 14 on forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest rappers -- regularly invokes the greenbacks he makes and spends . ireport.com : talk grammy awards and more showbiz with todd still , common has come at hip-hop from a different angle from many of his colleagues . he was generally considered underground ' until he linked up with kanye west , who produced his albums be ' ( 2005 ) and finding forever ' ( 2007 ) . even now , while paying homage at mainstream hip-hop 's altar , the chicago-born lyricist also enters parishes where most rappers would n't be seen . he 's helped front movements for hiv/aids awareness and vegetarianism , and he 's written two children 's books emphasizing the importance of self-esteem . lyrically , violence has never been his thing ; soft-drug use has been mentioned but rarely glamorized ; he removed homophobic references from his lyrics years ago ; and while there have been hints of misogyny and the occasional n-word in his verses , neither has been a staple of his rhymes . i 've always been conscious , honestly , ' he said . i made a choice on this album ,'universal mind control ,'to really make some music that was bright , that would be a little more lighthearted , just because of what was going on in the world . ' read more from the interview with a few exceptions , his latest lyrics are consummate common . in his beat poet 's cadence , the 36-year-old rhymesmith aggressively courts the ladies , personifies hip-hop , aggrandizes himself and his hometown ( lovingly , the chi ' ) , and respectfully doles out props to hip-hop 's forefathers -- most notably to afrika bambaataa on the album 's title track . hear the title track » the album 's sound , however , is atypical , moving -- sometimes jerkily -- from club-banger to anthem to ballad to top 40 . the latter even runs counter to the opening verse of everywhere ' : no pop , no pop , no pop , no pop/we gon na do this thing till the sky just drop . ' but the sound is part of a whole new sound and a new movement ' in hip-hop , something he explored out of disdain for repetition and predictability , he said . that might explain kanye west 's relative absence on universal mind control . ' the louis vuitton don appears on only one track , the pop-drenched punch drunk love . ' but west has long been credited , even by common , with bringing his fellow chicagoan to the mainstream after be ' and finding forever ' went gold and leapt up the billboard 200 . of course , it 's not all kanye , said common . i 'm a true believer that it all boils down to the music , because kanye can endorse something , and if people do n't like it they ai n't gon na get with it -- regardless of whoever endorses it , ' he said . he compared his working relationship with west to the collaboration he enjoyed with the neptunes'pharrell williams on universal mind control . ' williams , whom common casually likened to quincy jones , pushed him lyrically , much like west did , he said . between williams and mr. dj -- who composed backbeats for some of outkast 's biggest hits -- common arrived at the evolution he sought , he added . common also is plotting a change , or at least a detour , in his career path . though his past cinematic endeavors have been primarily gangster flicks , common has landed a role in the upcoming terminator salvation ' and could play green lantern in justice league : mortal ' should the derailed movie get back on track . i would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction , ' he said . my goal is to be a movie star . i want to be at will smith 's level . i want to be co-leading with leonardo dicaprio . ' fear not , common fans . the aspiring thespian is confident he can pull off both , though hip-hop might ride sidecar to the silver screen . acting , he said , seems to improve his music . i do n't take as much time overthinking it . actually , since'be'i 've been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing , so i feel like i would still make music , but it would n't be the main gig , ' he said . selling albums , common said , is about more than good music , and though he stands proudly by the music he made pre-west , he concedes he did n't do enough to claw his way up from the underground . after you make good , quality music , then it 's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people . i feel like i was n't doing that early on , ' he said . now i am , and i feel like i 'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible , so i feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that i 'm getting . ' | barack obama should inspire a more positive ' message in hip-hop , common says |
common <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rapper common wants to take hip-hop in a new direction , he says , and he has an unsuspecting ally -- president-elect barack obama . common says he was looking for a new sound on his eighth album , universal mind control . ' obama is going to change hip-hop for the better , ' predicted the rapper , whose eighth album , universal mind control ' ( g.o.o.d . music/geffen ) , hits shelves tuesday . i really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what 's going on in the world and try to reflect that , ' he told cnn , outlining his belief that mainstream as well as so-called conscious ' rappers -- the more socially aware -- will pick up on what he sees as the more optimistic prospects of an obama presidency . i think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things , and try to bring a brighter side to that because , even before barack , i think people had been tired of hearing the same thing , ' he said . likewise , universal mind control , ' with its hook-heavy , synthed-out tracks , represents a broadening ' of hip-hop 's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than hackneyed revamps of old beats , rhythms and rhymes , common said . listen to clips from the album and common 's interview with cnn.com » not that common , born lonnie rashid lynn jr. , is altogether removed from the temptations of his hip-hop brethren . he serves as a spokesman for lincoln navigator and purports on his new album to rebel in ysl , ' a reference to designer yves saint laurent . money is also a weakness , as common -- no . 14 on forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest rappers -- regularly invokes the greenbacks he makes and spends . ireport.com : talk grammy awards and more showbiz with todd still , common has come at hip-hop from a different angle from many of his colleagues . he was generally considered underground ' until he linked up with kanye west , who produced his albums be ' ( 2005 ) and finding forever ' ( 2007 ) . even now , while paying homage at mainstream hip-hop 's altar , the chicago-born lyricist also enters parishes where most rappers would n't be seen . he 's helped front movements for hiv/aids awareness and vegetarianism , and he 's written two children 's books emphasizing the importance of self-esteem . lyrically , violence has never been his thing ; soft-drug use has been mentioned but rarely glamorized ; he removed homophobic references from his lyrics years ago ; and while there have been hints of misogyny and the occasional n-word in his verses , neither has been a staple of his rhymes . i 've always been conscious , honestly , ' he said . i made a choice on this album ,'universal mind control ,'to really make some music that was bright , that would be a little more lighthearted , just because of what was going on in the world . ' read more from the interview with a few exceptions , his latest lyrics are consummate common . in his beat poet 's cadence , the 36-year-old rhymesmith aggressively courts the ladies , personifies hip-hop , aggrandizes himself and his hometown ( lovingly , the chi ' ) , and respectfully doles out props to hip-hop 's forefathers -- most notably to afrika bambaataa on the album 's title track . hear the title track » the album 's sound , however , is atypical , moving -- sometimes jerkily -- from club-banger to anthem to ballad to top 40 . the latter even runs counter to the opening verse of everywhere ' : no pop , no pop , no pop , no pop/we gon na do this thing till the sky just drop . ' but the sound is part of a whole new sound and a new movement ' in hip-hop , something he explored out of disdain for repetition and predictability , he said . that might explain kanye west 's relative absence on universal mind control . ' the louis vuitton don appears on only one track , the pop-drenched punch drunk love . ' but west has long been credited , even by common , with bringing his fellow chicagoan to the mainstream after be ' and finding forever ' went gold and leapt up the billboard 200 . of course , it 's not all kanye , said common . i 'm a true believer that it all boils down to the music , because kanye can endorse something , and if people do n't like it they ai n't gon na get with it -- regardless of whoever endorses it , ' he said . he compared his working relationship with west to the collaboration he enjoyed with the neptunes'pharrell williams on universal mind control . ' williams , whom common casually likened to quincy jones , pushed him lyrically , much like west did , he said . between williams and mr. dj -- who composed backbeats for some of outkast 's biggest hits -- common arrived at the evolution he sought , he added . common also is plotting a change , or at least a detour , in his career path . though his past cinematic endeavors have been primarily gangster flicks , common has landed a role in the upcoming terminator salvation ' and could play green lantern in justice league : mortal ' should the derailed movie get back on track . i would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction , ' he said . my goal is to be a movie star . i want to be at will smith 's level . i want to be co-leading with leonardo dicaprio . ' fear not , common fans . the aspiring thespian is confident he can pull off both , though hip-hop might ride sidecar to the silver screen . acting , he said , seems to improve his music . i do n't take as much time overthinking it . actually , since'be'i 've been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing , so i feel like i would still make music , but it would n't be the main gig , ' he said . selling albums , common said , is about more than good music , and though he stands proudly by the music he made pre-west , he concedes he did n't do enough to claw his way up from the underground . after you make good , quality music , then it 's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people . i feel like i was n't doing that early on , ' he said . now i am , and i feel like i 'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible , so i feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that i 'm getting . ' | common concedes he did n't do enough to promote his music in his early years |
cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the rapper common wants to take hip-hop in a new direction , he says , and he has an unsuspecting ally -- president-elect barack obama . common says he was looking for a new sound on his eighth album , universal mind control . ' obama is going to change hip-hop for the better , ' predicted the rapper , whose eighth album , universal mind control ' ( g.o.o.d . music/geffen ) , hits shelves tuesday . i really do believe we as hip-hop artists pick up what 's going on in the world and try to reflect that , ' he told cnn , outlining his belief that mainstream as well as so-called conscious ' rappers -- the more socially aware -- will pick up on what he sees as the more optimistic prospects of an obama presidency . i think hip-hop artists will have no choice but to talk about different things and more positive things , and try to bring a brighter side to that because , even before barack , i think people had been tired of hearing the same thing , ' he said . likewise , universal mind control , ' with its hook-heavy , synthed-out tracks , represents a broadening ' of hip-hop 's audience -- one that demands evolution rather than hackneyed revamps of old beats , rhythms and rhymes , common said . listen to clips from the album and common 's interview with cnn.com » not that common , born lonnie rashid lynn jr. , is altogether removed from the temptations of his hip-hop brethren . he serves as a spokesman for lincoln navigator and purports on his new album to rebel in ysl , ' a reference to designer yves saint laurent . money is also a weakness , as common -- no . 14 on forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest rappers -- regularly invokes the greenbacks he makes and spends . ireport.com : talk grammy awards and more showbiz with todd still , common has come at hip-hop from a different angle from many of his colleagues . he was generally considered underground ' until he linked up with kanye west , who produced his albums be ' ( 2005 ) and finding forever ' ( 2007 ) . even now , while paying homage at mainstream hip-hop 's altar , the chicago-born lyricist also enters parishes where most rappers would n't be seen . he 's helped front movements for hiv/aids awareness and vegetarianism , and he 's written two children 's books emphasizing the importance of self-esteem . lyrically , violence has never been his thing ; soft-drug use has been mentioned but rarely glamorized ; he removed homophobic references from his lyrics years ago ; and while there have been hints of misogyny and the occasional n-word in his verses , neither has been a staple of his rhymes . i 've always been conscious , honestly , ' he said . i made a choice on this album ,'universal mind control ,'to really make some music that was bright , that would be a little more lighthearted , just because of what was going on in the world . ' read more from the interview with a few exceptions , his latest lyrics are consummate common . in his beat poet 's cadence , the 36-year-old rhymesmith aggressively courts the ladies , personifies hip-hop , aggrandizes himself and his hometown ( lovingly , the chi ' ) , and respectfully doles out props to hip-hop 's forefathers -- most notably to afrika bambaataa on the album 's title track . hear the title track » the album 's sound , however , is atypical , moving -- sometimes jerkily -- from club-banger to anthem to ballad to top 40 . the latter even runs counter to the opening verse of everywhere ' : no pop , no pop , no pop , no pop/we gon na do this thing till the sky just drop . ' but the sound is part of a whole new sound and a new movement ' in hip-hop , something he explored out of disdain for repetition and predictability , he said . that might explain kanye west 's relative absence on universal mind control . ' the louis vuitton don appears on only one track , the pop-drenched punch drunk love . ' but west has long been credited , even by common , with bringing his fellow chicagoan to the mainstream after be ' and finding forever ' went gold and leapt up the billboard 200 . of course , it 's not all kanye , said common . i 'm a true believer that it all boils down to the music , because kanye can endorse something , and if people do n't like it they ai n't gon na get with it -- regardless of whoever endorses it , ' he said . he compared his working relationship with west to the collaboration he enjoyed with the neptunes'pharrell williams on universal mind control . ' williams , whom common casually likened to quincy jones , pushed him lyrically , much like west did , he said . between williams and mr. dj -- who composed backbeats for some of outkast 's biggest hits -- common arrived at the evolution he sought , he added . common also is plotting a change , or at least a detour , in his career path . though his past cinematic endeavors have been primarily gangster flicks , common has landed a role in the upcoming terminator salvation ' and could play green lantern in justice league : mortal ' should the derailed movie get back on track . i would truly love to go increasingly in the acting direction , ' he said . my goal is to be a movie star . i want to be at will smith 's level . i want to be co-leading with leonardo dicaprio . ' fear not , common fans . the aspiring thespian is confident he can pull off both , though hip-hop might ride sidecar to the silver screen . acting , he said , seems to improve his music . i do n't take as much time overthinking it . actually , since'be'i 've been working on films and each album has been expanding and increasing , so i feel like i would still make music , but it would n't be the main gig , ' he said . selling albums , common said , is about more than good music , and though he stands proudly by the music he made pre-west , he concedes he did n't do enough to claw his way up from the underground . after you make good , quality music , then it 's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people . i feel like i was n't doing that early on , ' he said . now i am , and i feel like i 'm growing as a songwriter and working with producers that are very incredible , so i feel all that is contributing to me getting the recognition that i 'm getting . ' | common sat down with cnn to discuss universal mind control , ' his movie career |
white <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dana white loves a good fight . but the ultimate fighting championship president may have second thoughts about mixing it up with members of the hacker collective anonymous on thursday night on twitter , where he was on the receiving end of a brutal punch . white 's personal information , including his social security number , cellphone number and address , was published online just moments after the exchange , in which he defended his company 's support of the controversial -- and now-shelved -- stop online piracy act . the ufc 's website was also hacked for the second time in a week . the mixed-martial-arts promoter 's parent company was a supporter of sopa , which was intended to crack down on digital piracy . the company , zuffa , says many of its fights are posted illegally online , either for free or with the pirate sites selling advertising on them . the back-and-forth kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. when one of the more popular twitter accounts associated with anonymous called out white -- an avid twitter user -- for comments he made in a recent interview . after ufc 's site was briefly hacked last weekend ( traffic was redirected to a site associated with anonymous ) white called the internet a place where cowards live ' and compared hackers to terrorists . the way this whole thing has gone down , them hacking our site is the best thing they ever could have done for us . because what that does is , now , you look like terrorists and now a lot of people who were afraid of you now hate you , ' white told ariel helwani of mma fighting . is this bill perfect ? no . no bill is perfect . i think this thing started off with the right idea . stealing is stealing ... . it 's not right and there 's something that needs to be worked out . ' he wrapped up with a ufc-style challenge . i 'm not afraid of you , ' white said . you do n't scare me . do it again . i do n't care . ' of course , they did . ahoy @ danawhite - what do you have against the internet ? we 're just curious , as we were quite surprised at the harsh tone of your comments , ' wrote the people behind the twitter feed @ youranonnews . white responded : i love the internet . it helped us grow our biz . stealing is stealing ! and hacking into people 's s -- - is terrorism . ' what followed was a sometimes profane back and forth with white defending his company 's stance and anonymous members or sympathizers either lobbing attacks or defending their own group 's efforts , which have included attacking mexican drug cartels and oppressive governments . if you guys want to change the world good for you ! ' white wrote . just do n't steal my s -- - . ' he argued that his fighters suffer financially when ufc money is siphoned away and cited the company 's own outsider ' pedigree , noting that mixed martial arts were banned in many states before gaining widespread recognition . between live bouts , pay-per-view sales , video games and other products , the ufc is now a billion-dollar industry . for a brief moment thursday , it looked like everyone would walk away happy . why do n't you read thru our dialogue with him . it was actually quite pleasant and civil ... no s -- - talking that we can see ! ' the youranonnews account tweeted to another twitter user . but minutes later , someone posted a document on the site pastebin showing what appears to be white 's social security number , cellphone number , address , legal cases and other information -- including his wife 's name . ( a later , edited version removed family information ) . the ufc site also was hacked again , with anonymous logos briefly appearing on its main page . white did not mention either hack on his twitter feed friday morning , having moved on to promoting a fight card set for saturday night . anonymous , of course , was n't so quiet . we wonder if @ danawhite will ask # anonymous to hack him again tomorrow , ' youranonnews wrote . | ufc 's dana white hacked , info published after twitter fight with anonymous |
white <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dana white loves a good fight . but the ultimate fighting championship president may have second thoughts about mixing it up with members of the hacker collective anonymous on thursday night on twitter , where he was on the receiving end of a brutal punch . white 's personal information , including his social security number , cellphone number and address , was published online just moments after the exchange , in which he defended his company 's support of the controversial -- and now-shelved -- stop online piracy act . the ufc 's website was also hacked for the second time in a week . the mixed-martial-arts promoter 's parent company was a supporter of sopa , which was intended to crack down on digital piracy . the company , zuffa , says many of its fights are posted illegally online , either for free or with the pirate sites selling advertising on them . the back-and-forth kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. when one of the more popular twitter accounts associated with anonymous called out white -- an avid twitter user -- for comments he made in a recent interview . after ufc 's site was briefly hacked last weekend ( traffic was redirected to a site associated with anonymous ) white called the internet a place where cowards live ' and compared hackers to terrorists . the way this whole thing has gone down , them hacking our site is the best thing they ever could have done for us . because what that does is , now , you look like terrorists and now a lot of people who were afraid of you now hate you , ' white told ariel helwani of mma fighting . is this bill perfect ? no . no bill is perfect . i think this thing started off with the right idea . stealing is stealing ... . it 's not right and there 's something that needs to be worked out . ' he wrapped up with a ufc-style challenge . i 'm not afraid of you , ' white said . you do n't scare me . do it again . i do n't care . ' of course , they did . ahoy @ danawhite - what do you have against the internet ? we 're just curious , as we were quite surprised at the harsh tone of your comments , ' wrote the people behind the twitter feed @ youranonnews . white responded : i love the internet . it helped us grow our biz . stealing is stealing ! and hacking into people 's s -- - is terrorism . ' what followed was a sometimes profane back and forth with white defending his company 's stance and anonymous members or sympathizers either lobbing attacks or defending their own group 's efforts , which have included attacking mexican drug cartels and oppressive governments . if you guys want to change the world good for you ! ' white wrote . just do n't steal my s -- - . ' he argued that his fighters suffer financially when ufc money is siphoned away and cited the company 's own outsider ' pedigree , noting that mixed martial arts were banned in many states before gaining widespread recognition . between live bouts , pay-per-view sales , video games and other products , the ufc is now a billion-dollar industry . for a brief moment thursday , it looked like everyone would walk away happy . why do n't you read thru our dialogue with him . it was actually quite pleasant and civil ... no s -- - talking that we can see ! ' the youranonnews account tweeted to another twitter user . but minutes later , someone posted a document on the site pastebin showing what appears to be white 's social security number , cellphone number , address , legal cases and other information -- including his wife 's name . ( a later , edited version removed family information ) . the ufc site also was hacked again , with anonymous logos briefly appearing on its main page . white did not mention either hack on his twitter feed friday morning , having moved on to promoting a fight card set for saturday night . anonymous , of course , was n't so quiet . we wonder if @ danawhite will ask # anonymous to hack him again tomorrow , ' youranonnews wrote . | white 's social security and cellphone numbers appear to have been posted online |
white <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dana white loves a good fight . but the ultimate fighting championship president may have second thoughts about mixing it up with members of the hacker collective anonymous on thursday night on twitter , where he was on the receiving end of a brutal punch . white 's personal information , including his social security number , cellphone number and address , was published online just moments after the exchange , in which he defended his company 's support of the controversial -- and now-shelved -- stop online piracy act . the ufc 's website was also hacked for the second time in a week . the mixed-martial-arts promoter 's parent company was a supporter of sopa , which was intended to crack down on digital piracy . the company , zuffa , says many of its fights are posted illegally online , either for free or with the pirate sites selling advertising on them . the back-and-forth kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. when one of the more popular twitter accounts associated with anonymous called out white -- an avid twitter user -- for comments he made in a recent interview . after ufc 's site was briefly hacked last weekend ( traffic was redirected to a site associated with anonymous ) white called the internet a place where cowards live ' and compared hackers to terrorists . the way this whole thing has gone down , them hacking our site is the best thing they ever could have done for us . because what that does is , now , you look like terrorists and now a lot of people who were afraid of you now hate you , ' white told ariel helwani of mma fighting . is this bill perfect ? no . no bill is perfect . i think this thing started off with the right idea . stealing is stealing ... . it 's not right and there 's something that needs to be worked out . ' he wrapped up with a ufc-style challenge . i 'm not afraid of you , ' white said . you do n't scare me . do it again . i do n't care . ' of course , they did . ahoy @ danawhite - what do you have against the internet ? we 're just curious , as we were quite surprised at the harsh tone of your comments , ' wrote the people behind the twitter feed @ youranonnews . white responded : i love the internet . it helped us grow our biz . stealing is stealing ! and hacking into people 's s -- - is terrorism . ' what followed was a sometimes profane back and forth with white defending his company 's stance and anonymous members or sympathizers either lobbing attacks or defending their own group 's efforts , which have included attacking mexican drug cartels and oppressive governments . if you guys want to change the world good for you ! ' white wrote . just do n't steal my s -- - . ' he argued that his fighters suffer financially when ufc money is siphoned away and cited the company 's own outsider ' pedigree , noting that mixed martial arts were banned in many states before gaining widespread recognition . between live bouts , pay-per-view sales , video games and other products , the ufc is now a billion-dollar industry . for a brief moment thursday , it looked like everyone would walk away happy . why do n't you read thru our dialogue with him . it was actually quite pleasant and civil ... no s -- - talking that we can see ! ' the youranonnews account tweeted to another twitter user . but minutes later , someone posted a document on the site pastebin showing what appears to be white 's social security number , cellphone number , address , legal cases and other information -- including his wife 's name . ( a later , edited version removed family information ) . the ufc site also was hacked again , with anonymous logos briefly appearing on its main page . white did not mention either hack on his twitter feed friday morning , having moved on to promoting a fight card set for saturday night . anonymous , of course , was n't so quiet . we wonder if @ danawhite will ask # anonymous to hack him again tomorrow , ' youranonnews wrote . | white supported web piracy bills that anonymous opposed |
social security <tsp> ( cnn ) -- dana white loves a good fight . but the ultimate fighting championship president may have second thoughts about mixing it up with members of the hacker collective anonymous on thursday night on twitter , where he was on the receiving end of a brutal punch . white 's personal information , including his social security number , cellphone number and address , was published online just moments after the exchange , in which he defended his company 's support of the controversial -- and now-shelved -- stop online piracy act . the ufc 's website was also hacked for the second time in a week . the mixed-martial-arts promoter 's parent company was a supporter of sopa , which was intended to crack down on digital piracy . the company , zuffa , says many of its fights are posted illegally online , either for free or with the pirate sites selling advertising on them . the back-and-forth kicked off shortly after 9 p.m. when one of the more popular twitter accounts associated with anonymous called out white -- an avid twitter user -- for comments he made in a recent interview . after ufc 's site was briefly hacked last weekend ( traffic was redirected to a site associated with anonymous ) white called the internet a place where cowards live ' and compared hackers to terrorists . the way this whole thing has gone down , them hacking our site is the best thing they ever could have done for us . because what that does is , now , you look like terrorists and now a lot of people who were afraid of you now hate you , ' white told ariel helwani of mma fighting . is this bill perfect ? no . no bill is perfect . i think this thing started off with the right idea . stealing is stealing ... . it 's not right and there 's something that needs to be worked out . ' he wrapped up with a ufc-style challenge . i 'm not afraid of you , ' white said . you do n't scare me . do it again . i do n't care . ' of course , they did . ahoy @ danawhite - what do you have against the internet ? we 're just curious , as we were quite surprised at the harsh tone of your comments , ' wrote the people behind the twitter feed @ youranonnews . white responded : i love the internet . it helped us grow our biz . stealing is stealing ! and hacking into people 's s -- - is terrorism . ' what followed was a sometimes profane back and forth with white defending his company 's stance and anonymous members or sympathizers either lobbing attacks or defending their own group 's efforts , which have included attacking mexican drug cartels and oppressive governments . if you guys want to change the world good for you ! ' white wrote . just do n't steal my s -- - . ' he argued that his fighters suffer financially when ufc money is siphoned away and cited the company 's own outsider ' pedigree , noting that mixed martial arts were banned in many states before gaining widespread recognition . between live bouts , pay-per-view sales , video games and other products , the ufc is now a billion-dollar industry . for a brief moment thursday , it looked like everyone would walk away happy . why do n't you read thru our dialogue with him . it was actually quite pleasant and civil ... no s -- - talking that we can see ! ' the youranonnews account tweeted to another twitter user . but minutes later , someone posted a document on the site pastebin showing what appears to be white 's social security number , cellphone number , address , legal cases and other information -- including his wife 's name . ( a later , edited version removed family information ) . the ufc site also was hacked again , with anonymous logos briefly appearing on its main page . white did not mention either hack on his twitter feed friday morning , having moved on to promoting a fight card set for saturday night . anonymous , of course , was n't so quiet . we wonder if @ danawhite will ask # anonymous to hack him again tomorrow , ' youranonnews wrote . | white 's social security and cellphone numbers appear to have been posted online |
raf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- after more than seven and a half years of military service , prince william is leaving the armed forces to focus on royal duties and charity work , kensington palace said thursday . william was a pilot with the royal air force search and rescue force . known to his raf comrades as flight lt. wales , he had been stationed at a search-and-rescue base on the remote welsh island of anglesey since 2010 , and lived there with catherine , the duchess of cambridge . prince william : i dream of africa in the next few weeks , the pair will move into their official residence at kensington palace . the palace statement said that william is considering a number of options ' for public service . for now , he will focus on his royal duties . he will also expand on his conservation work , dealing particularly with endangered species . kensington palace announced he will become president of a new collaboration among seven environmental groups . the group , united for wildlife , will focus on fighting the illegal wildlife trade . william will also focus on charities that deal with children , veterans and service members . cnn 's max foster : tired , elated prince william could be any new dad william 's final search and rescue duty was tuesday . he and his crew had an uneventful 24 hour shift , ' the defense ministry said . throughout his tour his airmanship , often in the most demanding of conditions , has contributed directly to saving lives in the mountains of north wales and from the ravages of the irish sea . he has earned the respect of all who have worked with him as a highly professional and competent pilot , ' the ministry said . last year , he helped save a teenage girl who was in danger of drowning off the coast of wales . the 16-year-old girl was caught in a rip current and rapidly losing strength . william , the grandson of queen elizabeth ii , had just landed a sea king helicopter nearby , after going out on a routine exercise , when the alert was radioed through . in less than a minute , he and the crew had reached the scene and a paramedic was winched down into the sea to assist the exhausted girl , who had just gone under water . royal baby photos : cozy or just bad ? there 's no suggestion that william , 31 , would ever drop out of public life , but he does crave normality . the prince gets some of that from his role in the military where he 's treated as one of the guys , ' but he also gets it from africa . dreaming of africa is one way that william escapes from the stresses he faces , he said . i regularly daydream , ' the duke of cambridge reveals in the cnn documentary , prince william 's passion : new hope , new father , ' which airs later this month . africa is definitely one of the places i go to ... i have hundreds of animals on my iphone . so if i am ever having quite a stressful day ... you can put a buffalo on in the background or a cricket , ' he says . | he was known to his raf comrades as flight lt. wales |
sandy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- federal prosecutors in new jersey have subpoenaed documents from political groups linked to gov . chris christie over an unfolding scandal involving suggestions senior state government appointees abused their authority to punish a local mayor politically , according to a law firm involved in the case . the office of u.s. attorney paul fishman has sought documents from christie 's reelection campaign and the new jersey state committee , which is controlled by the governor , relating to the alleged scheme that has rocked christie 's administration , mark sheridan of patton boggs said in a statement . the firm is representing both groups in investigations by the justice department and a special state committee , which has also sought materials from them , he said . the campaign and the state party intend to cooperate with the u.s. attorney 's office and the state legislative committee and will respond to the subpoenas accordingly , ' sheridan said . rebekah carmichael , a spokeswoman for fishman , said that we can neither confirm nor deny any specific investigative actions . ' sheridan said the subpoenas involve investigations of whether top christie appointees orchestrated traffic gridlock around the george washington bridge in fort lee over several days last september in an apparent bid to punish that town 's mayor , mark sokolich , for not endorsing their boss for reelection . christie denies any knowledge of the alleged scheme , but he fired one aide at the center of it and three others whose names have surfaced in e-mails around the scandal have also left their jobs . the scandal has heated up with christie taking the oath of office for a second term this week . it has also raised questions about his brash governing style that has propelled him to the top of polls of potential republican presidential candidates in 2016 . the u.s. attorney 's office and state legislative investigators are also looking at allegations top new jersey government officials pressured another local mayor , dawn zimmer of hoboken , to back a redevelopment project favored by christie as a condition of receiving superstorm sandy relief funds for her city . the officials , including lt. gov . kim guadagno , denied the accusation . representatives from fishman 's office and the fbi interviewed two of zimmer 's staffers this week , according to a source close to the investigation . chief of staff dan bryan and communications manager juan melli told federal investigators zimmer had told them guadagno linked sandy relief to her support for the development project . zimmer has met with fishman 's office as well . cnn 's chris frates contributed to this story . | new : fbi interviews staffers of hoboken mayor over her allegations around sandy funds |
morocco <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this month , inside the middle east travels to morocco , a north african kingdom located on the western edge of the arab world . host leone lakhani visits the bustling commercial hub of casablanca , which for many recalls the film classic starring humphrey bogart and ingrid bergman . but modern-day casablanca , like the rest of morocco , is much different than the movies . in a nation where nearly half of those between the ages of 15 and 29 are either unemployed or out of school , frustration at the lack of opportunities is mounting . some young moroccans took to the streets over the past year to protest these realities while others took to the recording studio to speak out - both of which come with risk . one moroccan rapper , el haqed , was imprisoned earlier this year because of his lyrics . the program meets several young rappers - from casablanca to tangiers - to hear some of the sounds of morocco 's urban rage . the program also journeys to the southern stretches of morocco 's atlantic coastline , to the traditional berber city of agadir . berbers were the first inhabitants of north africa , and many still follow older customs and practice ancestral crafts . one of these - a beauty oil made from argan tree seeds - is quickly becoming all the rage among celebrities and high-end shoppers in the west . lakhani sat down with one moroccan who is helping to produce the oil - and jobs for women in the country . and what trip to morocco would be complete without tasting the nation 's world-famous cuisine ? the team heads north to fes , morocco 's culinary capital , to receive cooking lessons from lahcen beqqi , a top chef who has figured out how to blend traditional cooking with modern techniques . watch the october show at the following times ( all gmt ) : wednesday , october 3 : 1030 , 1730 saturday , october 6 : 0530 , 1930 sunday , october 7 : 1230 saturday , october 13 : 1230 sunday , october 14 : 0530 , 1930 | this month , inside the middle east journeys to morocco |
morocco <tsp> ( cnn ) -- this month , inside the middle east travels to morocco , a north african kingdom located on the western edge of the arab world . host leone lakhani visits the bustling commercial hub of casablanca , which for many recalls the film classic starring humphrey bogart and ingrid bergman . but modern-day casablanca , like the rest of morocco , is much different than the movies . in a nation where nearly half of those between the ages of 15 and 29 are either unemployed or out of school , frustration at the lack of opportunities is mounting . some young moroccans took to the streets over the past year to protest these realities while others took to the recording studio to speak out - both of which come with risk . one moroccan rapper , el haqed , was imprisoned earlier this year because of his lyrics . the program meets several young rappers - from casablanca to tangiers - to hear some of the sounds of morocco 's urban rage . the program also journeys to the southern stretches of morocco 's atlantic coastline , to the traditional berber city of agadir . berbers were the first inhabitants of north africa , and many still follow older customs and practice ancestral crafts . one of these - a beauty oil made from argan tree seeds - is quickly becoming all the rage among celebrities and high-end shoppers in the west . lakhani sat down with one moroccan who is helping to produce the oil - and jobs for women in the country . and what trip to morocco would be complete without tasting the nation 's world-famous cuisine ? the team heads north to fes , morocco 's culinary capital , to receive cooking lessons from lahcen beqqi , a top chef who has figured out how to blend traditional cooking with modern techniques . watch the october show at the following times ( all gmt ) : wednesday , october 3 : 1030 , 1730 saturday , october 6 : 0530 , 1930 sunday , october 7 : 1230 saturday , october 13 : 1230 sunday , october 14 : 0530 , 1930 | the program meets several young rappers to hear some of the sounds of morocco 's urban rage . |
germany <tsp> united nations ( cnn ) -- the united nations security council voted unanimously thursday to end military operations in libya . the council adopted a resolution that rescinded its march mandate for military intervention in libya , effectively ending the nato mission there as of monday . meanwhile , u.s. officials said that 24 seriously wounded libyan fighters will be taken saturday to spaulding hospital in boston , and six critically wounded fighters will be taken to germany for u.s. medical care there . their wounds ca n't be treated in libya , officials said . the u.s. medical treatment was requested by libya 's national transitional council and is being offered as a humanitarian gesture and support for libya 's democratic aspirations , u.s. officials said . libya 's interim leaders declared their nation liberated last sunday after the capture and killing of deposed dictator moammar gadhafi . susan rice , the u.s. ambassador to the united nations , commended the nato mission as putting libya on a path to freedom but tempered her remarks with a word of caution . we 're very concerned that , as we move forward , that the authorities make maximum effort to swiftly form an inclusive government that incorporates all aspects of libyan society , and in which the rights of all libyan people are fully and thoroughly respected , regardless of their gender , their religion , their region of origin , ' rice said . but for the united states , and , i think , for the united nations security council , this closes what i think history will judge to be a proud chapter in the security council 's history . ' british foreign secretary william hague described the security council passage of resolution 2016 as another significant milestone towards a peaceful , democratic future for libya . ending the no-fly zone and the civilian protection provisions demonstrates that libya has entered a new era . ' the french ambassador called it a completion of a mission to prevent gadhafi from slaughtering his own people . during the seven months that have followed , we have seen dramatic events where the libyan people have succeeded to free themselves with the support of nato , ' said gerard araud . meanwhile , gadhafi 's family will file a war crimes complaint with the international criminal court against nato , a lawyer representing the family said thursday . members of the family believe nato 's actions led to gadhafi 's death last week , said marcel ceccaldi . all of the events that have taken place since february 2011 and the murder of gadhafi , all of this means we are totally in our right to call upon the international criminal court , ' ceccaldi said . the icc had previously issued a warrant for gadhafi 's arrest , accusing him of crimes against humanity . it still has warrants out for the arrest of gadhafi 's son , saif al-islam gadhafi , and his brother-in-law and intelligence chief , abdullah al-sanussi . questions have been raised about how gadhafi was killed . amateur videos showed him alive when captured by the opposition . he died from a shot in the head , officials said , but the circumstances surrounding the shot remain unclear . ceccaldi said the gadhafi family 's complaint will be filed in the coming days . now we will wait and see if the icc is a judicial system which is independent and impartial , ' he added . nato 's libya campaign began in march , after the security council adopted resolution 1973 , which imposed a no-fly zone in the country 's airspace and authorized member states to take all necessary measures to protect civilians under threat of attack in the country ... while excluding a foreign occupation force of any form on any part of libyan territory . ' there were no opposing votes on the 15-member council , but china , russia , germany , india and brazil abstained . germany said it was concerned about a protracted military conflict . the resolution became the basis for nato 's airstrikes in the north african nation . in ending the mandate thursday , the security council expressed concern at the proliferation of arms in libya and said it intends to address that issue further . the resolution also expressed grave concern about continuing reports of reprisals , arbitrary detentions , wrongful imprisonment and extrajudicial executions . ' last week , u.s. admiral james stavridis , commander of nato 's military forces , recommended that nato wrap up its mission in libya by october 31 . nato ministers gave preliminary approval to that plan . but u.s. defense secretary leon panetta said this week that libya 's national transitional council wanted nato to stick around until it could establish governance . however , libyan deputy ambassador ibrahim dabbashi told the 15-member council wednesday that the libyan people were looking forward to ending the nato mission . while libyans were grateful for the international community 's support , he said , such measures felt like an infringement on libya 's sovereignty . | 24 injured libyan fighters will be treated in boston ; 6 more , in germany |
hollywood <tsp> ( cnn ) -- gary oldman is doubling down on his apology for his recent playboy interview . the british actor appeared on jimmy kimmel live ! ' on wednesday to say in person what he 's already said to the anti-defamation league in a letter : he very much regrets the remarks he made to playboy about jewish people and hollywood . gary oldman apologizes for remarks ' i said some things that were poorly considered , ' a subdued oldman told kimmel . once i saw it in print , i could see that it was offensive , insensitive , pernicious and ill-informed . ' in the playboy interview , oldman gives his unfiltered opinion on political correctness and how it 's impacted controversial actors like alec baldwin and mel gibson , the latter of whom has used anti-semitic language in the past . mel gibson is in a town that 's run by jews and he said the wrong thing because he 's actually bitten the hand that i guess has fed him -- and does n't need to feed him anymore because he 's got enough dough , ' oldman told the magazine . but some jewish guy in his office somewhere has n't turned and said ,'that f * * king kraut'or'f * * k those germans ,'whatever it is ? we all hide and try to be so politically correct . that 's what gets me . it 's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone . ' gary oldman goes off on hypocrisy , political correctness within a day of playboy releasing its interview , oldman wrote the adl to tell it he was deeply remorseful ' for what he said . and on jimmy kimmel live , ' oldman took the extra step to also apologize to his fans . words have meaning , and they carry weight long after you 've said them , ' he said . i do n't condone or excuse the words that i used in any context . ... i am profoundly , profoundly sorry and deeply apologetic . especially to the fans , they 've been so incredible to me , and i really feel that i let them down . ... i 'm a public figure , i should be an example and an inspiration . and i 'm an a-hole . i 'm 56 , and i should know better . ' oldman also thanked kimmel for giving him the opportunity to appear on the show and speak his piece , to which kimmel replied , i 'm so happy that someone has to apologize on this show , and it 's not me for once . ' | oldman was under fire for remarks in playboy about jewish people and hollywood |
chinese <tsp> in china it 's known as gaokao -- the college entrance exams -- and for most young people it dictates the course of a life . a good score in the gaokao will open the doors to the country 's most prestigious universities , granting access not only to the best education and the chance to work overseas but also to an elite rolodex of upper-echelon contacts . chinese society , more than any other , is predicated on its networks , or guanxi , and grooming them is a lifetime 's work . for those that miss out on their gaokao , the years of tutoring and months of cramming could mean relegation to a provincial university and the oblivion of a major city ant colony ' -- the shared dormitory accommodation that awaits graduates trying to find work in china 's urban centers . for others hoping to escape the ineluctable cycle of the gaokao , overseas study is only possible through a limited number of scholarships or rich parents . increasingly , however , chinese private schools -- with british a-level exams and the international baccalaureate -- are geared towards giving the children of the middle class the edge when it comes to gaining a place at a foreign university . what we are talking about here really are the upper middle class and above -- people who are aware of what education systems are like in other parts of the world , ' said michel hockx , professor of chinese at the school of oriental and african studies at the university of london . heading abroad it 'd be hard to find another country over the past 10 years that has spent as much , and as furiously , as china on giving its next generation the kind of head start that an expensive international education provides . the number of chinese studying in the united states has increased more than fourfold from about 60,000 in 2004 to more than 274,000 in 2014 , according to figures from the institution for international education . china now accounts for almost a third of international students in the u.s. , marking an historic high . while the chinese government assists students that want to study abroad , the majority of students are privately funded and education , in particular recently online education , is now part of a billion dollar industry . many education companies are publicly-listed companies and a new boom in online education is expected over the next three years , according to a report by deloitte . for the move towards private education in china not only reflects the aspirations of china 's growing middle class but also a growing dissatisfaction with china 's often tradition-bound curriculum . people who are aware of what education systems are like in other parts of the world are becoming increasingly impatient with the chinese education system , ' hockx said . it has an enormous emphasis on rote learning , classes can spend ludicrous amounts of time repeating the same things again and again , it often does n't value creativity . the elite are looking at other options and that includes sending their children to private schools in china and also sending them to english-speaking schools , in particular boarding schools in britain which have a very good reputation in china . ' he said chinese teenagers who must sit the gaokao are required to put in very long hours of study . i personally know 13 and 14-year-olds in china who do not get more than four or five hours of sleep a day because of all the work that they need to do . i think many parents are worried because they 're not seeing it as a way of moving up in the world , ' hockx said . english skills while the chinese system , with its emphasis on rote-learning , is good for certain subjects such as maths and the sciences , hockx said that the weighting on english in the gaokao -- and a shot at working and studying internationally -- still remained strong . last year , an attempt by the government to level the playing field by reducing the english-language section of the gaokao ( seen as a way of favoring students in provincial areas with fewer opportunities of gaining exposure to english ) has done little to dent china 's rmb30 billion ( $ 5 billion ) english language industry . english language sections of the gaokao were reduced from 150 to 100 points while chinese sections were increased from 150 points to 180 . even with some leading teaching companies charging as much as rmb16,000 a year for extra-curricular tuition , in a country where the average wage can be as low rmb13,000 a year , the english-teaching industry has only grown stronger , especially since the beijing olympics in 2008 . new oriental , china 's largest english-language tuition company , is listed on the new york stock exchange and has a market capitalization of $ 4.4 billion . chinese traditionally have a deep respect for education but increasingly the option of dropping out of the chinese education system altogether is becoming attractive to some . han han , the rebel voice of china 's post-1980s generation , is china 's most famous high school drop out and has gone on to parlay fame as a blogger and social commentator . he became famous because when he was 18 he won a writing competition and won a free place at one of the best universities and he said no i 'm not interested , i do n't like this system and i just want to become an independent writer , ' hockx said . he became a celebrity overnight almost . ' read this : asia 's love affair with cosmetics more from virtual think tank | the number of chinese studying in the us is up from about 60,000 in 2004 to more than 274,000 in 2014 |
anthony kennedy <tsp> washington ( cnn ) supreme court justices appeared divided tuesday during historic arguments over the constitutionality of gay marriage , with justice anthony kennedy returning to a familiar role as the court 's pivotal vote . chief justice john roberts -- who shocked conservatives with his swing vote to uphold obamacare -- this time seemed to lean more closely to conservative justices . the arguments unfurled inside a packed courtroom on tuesday while supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage rallied outside -- with one protester even interrupting the arguments from within . related : how a cincinnati judge could shape the gay marriage case many questions on tuesday centered around the definition of marriage and whether the decision to authorize or ban gay marriage should be left to voters in individual states or decided by the judicial system . all eyes were on justice anthony kennedy , considered a key vote for challengers to the state bans , who has penned three decisions in favor of gay rights over the years . at the start of arguments he joined other conservatives concerned with the fact that marriage has been defined between a man and a woman for a long time . this definition has been with us for millennia , ' he said . and it 's very difficult for the court to say :'oh , well , we know better .' but later kennedy pressed john bursch , a lawyer defending the bans : same sex couples say :'of course , we understand the nobility and the sacredness of the marriage . we know we ca n't procreate , but we want the other attributes of it in order to show that we , too , have a dignity that can be fulfilled .' kennedy also said that bursch 's assertion that only opposite-sex couples can have a bonding with the child ' was just a wrong premise . ' when bursch said the rate of out-of-wedlock birth has gone up in the country , kennedy noted that if bursch were to prevail , it might be difficult for same-sex couples to adopt some of these children . ' i think , ' kennedy said , the argument cuts quite against you . ' he also brought up the fact that marriage bestows dignity . ' these parties say they want to have that same ennoblement , ' he said . chief justice john roberts was also concerned with the traditional definition of marriage . he said this to mary l. bonauto , an attorney representing the challengers : you 're not seeking to join the institution , you 're seeking to change what the institution is . ' he expressed concern about closing off the debate currently going on in the states . i mean , closing of debate can close minds , and it will have a consequence on how this new institution is accepted . ' people feel very differently about something if they have a chance to vote on it , than if it 's imposed on them by the courts , ' he said . conservative justice antonin scalia and justice samuel alito were sharply critical in their questioning of bonauto . scalia said that the issue is not whether there should be same-sex marriage , but who should decide the point . ' alito brought up how long marriage has been considered between a man and a woman and cast doubt that such a definition was meant to demean same-sex couples . justice sonia sotomayor and other liberals seemed supportive of the challengers . when bursch said that the issue should not be decided by the courts , sotomayor pushed back . i suspect even with us giving gays rights to marry that there 's some gay people who will choose not to . ... just as there are some heterosexual couples who choose not to marry . so we 're not taking anybody 's liberty away . ' steve vladeck , a constitutional law professor at american university and cnn analyst , said tuesday 's session revealed few surprises to close observers of the court who expected kennedy and roberts would be the swing votes on this case . related : john roberts'big moment : will he anger conservatives again ? we heard both of them in the arguments today showing support for both sides of the argument , showing skepticism for both sides of the argument , ' vladeck said . i think the headline here is it 's about what we expected . it 's going to be close , it 's going to be divisive and it 's going to come down to kennedy and roberts . ' vladeck also cautioned against reading too much into the justices'questioning and comments during the oral arguments , which account for just a few hours in the multi-month process of deciding such an consequential case . the emotion of the case also flooded into the courtroom , as one protester seated inside began shouted and screaming in the middle of the arguments . if you support gay marriage you will burn in hell , ' the protester shouted before police quickly detained the man and dragged him out of the courtroom while he continued to scream . related : meet the lawyers who will argue the gay marriage case ' rather refreshing actually , ' conservative justice antonin scalia quipped as the man was dragged out to laughter in the courtroom . lawyers with the pro-gay marriage organization lambda legal , which represented two of the cases wrapped into the supreme court case an awe-inspiring and singular moment in the march towards justice . ' it was incredibly moving to gather in the supreme court chamber with their parents and all 30 plaintiffs in these historic cases . mary and doug were fantastic , making a compelling and to my mind irrefutable case on their behalf , ' lambda legal 's alphonse gerhardstein said of the lawyers who argued in favor of same-sex marriage before the court on tuesday . u.s . solicitor general donald verrilli , who represented the obama administration 's views , also presented arguments in favor of same-sex marriage , focusing on equal protection under the 14th amendment and likening bans on same-sex marriage to handing second-class status to gay americans . i do n't know why we would repeat history , ' he said . | eyes on justice anthony kennedy , a key vote for challengers to the state bans , who has penned decisions in favor of gay rights |
obamacare <tsp> washington ( cnn ) supreme court justices appeared divided tuesday during historic arguments over the constitutionality of gay marriage , with justice anthony kennedy returning to a familiar role as the court 's pivotal vote . chief justice john roberts -- who shocked conservatives with his swing vote to uphold obamacare -- this time seemed to lean more closely to conservative justices . the arguments unfurled inside a packed courtroom on tuesday while supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage rallied outside -- with one protester even interrupting the arguments from within . related : how a cincinnati judge could shape the gay marriage case many questions on tuesday centered around the definition of marriage and whether the decision to authorize or ban gay marriage should be left to voters in individual states or decided by the judicial system . all eyes were on justice anthony kennedy , considered a key vote for challengers to the state bans , who has penned three decisions in favor of gay rights over the years . at the start of arguments he joined other conservatives concerned with the fact that marriage has been defined between a man and a woman for a long time . this definition has been with us for millennia , ' he said . and it 's very difficult for the court to say :'oh , well , we know better .' but later kennedy pressed john bursch , a lawyer defending the bans : same sex couples say :'of course , we understand the nobility and the sacredness of the marriage . we know we ca n't procreate , but we want the other attributes of it in order to show that we , too , have a dignity that can be fulfilled .' kennedy also said that bursch 's assertion that only opposite-sex couples can have a bonding with the child ' was just a wrong premise . ' when bursch said the rate of out-of-wedlock birth has gone up in the country , kennedy noted that if bursch were to prevail , it might be difficult for same-sex couples to adopt some of these children . ' i think , ' kennedy said , the argument cuts quite against you . ' he also brought up the fact that marriage bestows dignity . ' these parties say they want to have that same ennoblement , ' he said . chief justice john roberts was also concerned with the traditional definition of marriage . he said this to mary l. bonauto , an attorney representing the challengers : you 're not seeking to join the institution , you 're seeking to change what the institution is . ' he expressed concern about closing off the debate currently going on in the states . i mean , closing of debate can close minds , and it will have a consequence on how this new institution is accepted . ' people feel very differently about something if they have a chance to vote on it , than if it 's imposed on them by the courts , ' he said . conservative justice antonin scalia and justice samuel alito were sharply critical in their questioning of bonauto . scalia said that the issue is not whether there should be same-sex marriage , but who should decide the point . ' alito brought up how long marriage has been considered between a man and a woman and cast doubt that such a definition was meant to demean same-sex couples . justice sonia sotomayor and other liberals seemed supportive of the challengers . when bursch said that the issue should not be decided by the courts , sotomayor pushed back . i suspect even with us giving gays rights to marry that there 's some gay people who will choose not to . ... just as there are some heterosexual couples who choose not to marry . so we 're not taking anybody 's liberty away . ' steve vladeck , a constitutional law professor at american university and cnn analyst , said tuesday 's session revealed few surprises to close observers of the court who expected kennedy and roberts would be the swing votes on this case . related : john roberts'big moment : will he anger conservatives again ? we heard both of them in the arguments today showing support for both sides of the argument , showing skepticism for both sides of the argument , ' vladeck said . i think the headline here is it 's about what we expected . it 's going to be close , it 's going to be divisive and it 's going to come down to kennedy and roberts . ' vladeck also cautioned against reading too much into the justices'questioning and comments during the oral arguments , which account for just a few hours in the multi-month process of deciding such an consequential case . the emotion of the case also flooded into the courtroom , as one protester seated inside began shouted and screaming in the middle of the arguments . if you support gay marriage you will burn in hell , ' the protester shouted before police quickly detained the man and dragged him out of the courtroom while he continued to scream . related : meet the lawyers who will argue the gay marriage case ' rather refreshing actually , ' conservative justice antonin scalia quipped as the man was dragged out to laughter in the courtroom . lawyers with the pro-gay marriage organization lambda legal , which represented two of the cases wrapped into the supreme court case an awe-inspiring and singular moment in the march towards justice . ' it was incredibly moving to gather in the supreme court chamber with their parents and all 30 plaintiffs in these historic cases . mary and doug were fantastic , making a compelling and to my mind irrefutable case on their behalf , ' lambda legal 's alphonse gerhardstein said of the lawyers who argued in favor of same-sex marriage before the court on tuesday . u.s . solicitor general donald verrilli , who represented the obama administration 's views , also presented arguments in favor of same-sex marriage , focusing on equal protection under the 14th amendment and likening bans on same-sex marriage to handing second-class status to gay americans . i do n't know why we would repeat history , ' he said . | chief justice john roberts , who shocked conservatives with his swing vote to uphold obamacare , seemed to lean conservative |
john roberts <tsp> washington ( cnn ) supreme court justices appeared divided tuesday during historic arguments over the constitutionality of gay marriage , with justice anthony kennedy returning to a familiar role as the court 's pivotal vote . chief justice john roberts -- who shocked conservatives with his swing vote to uphold obamacare -- this time seemed to lean more closely to conservative justices . the arguments unfurled inside a packed courtroom on tuesday while supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage rallied outside -- with one protester even interrupting the arguments from within . related : how a cincinnati judge could shape the gay marriage case many questions on tuesday centered around the definition of marriage and whether the decision to authorize or ban gay marriage should be left to voters in individual states or decided by the judicial system . all eyes were on justice anthony kennedy , considered a key vote for challengers to the state bans , who has penned three decisions in favor of gay rights over the years . at the start of arguments he joined other conservatives concerned with the fact that marriage has been defined between a man and a woman for a long time . this definition has been with us for millennia , ' he said . and it 's very difficult for the court to say :'oh , well , we know better .' but later kennedy pressed john bursch , a lawyer defending the bans : same sex couples say :'of course , we understand the nobility and the sacredness of the marriage . we know we ca n't procreate , but we want the other attributes of it in order to show that we , too , have a dignity that can be fulfilled .' kennedy also said that bursch 's assertion that only opposite-sex couples can have a bonding with the child ' was just a wrong premise . ' when bursch said the rate of out-of-wedlock birth has gone up in the country , kennedy noted that if bursch were to prevail , it might be difficult for same-sex couples to adopt some of these children . ' i think , ' kennedy said , the argument cuts quite against you . ' he also brought up the fact that marriage bestows dignity . ' these parties say they want to have that same ennoblement , ' he said . chief justice john roberts was also concerned with the traditional definition of marriage . he said this to mary l. bonauto , an attorney representing the challengers : you 're not seeking to join the institution , you 're seeking to change what the institution is . ' he expressed concern about closing off the debate currently going on in the states . i mean , closing of debate can close minds , and it will have a consequence on how this new institution is accepted . ' people feel very differently about something if they have a chance to vote on it , than if it 's imposed on them by the courts , ' he said . conservative justice antonin scalia and justice samuel alito were sharply critical in their questioning of bonauto . scalia said that the issue is not whether there should be same-sex marriage , but who should decide the point . ' alito brought up how long marriage has been considered between a man and a woman and cast doubt that such a definition was meant to demean same-sex couples . justice sonia sotomayor and other liberals seemed supportive of the challengers . when bursch said that the issue should not be decided by the courts , sotomayor pushed back . i suspect even with us giving gays rights to marry that there 's some gay people who will choose not to . ... just as there are some heterosexual couples who choose not to marry . so we 're not taking anybody 's liberty away . ' steve vladeck , a constitutional law professor at american university and cnn analyst , said tuesday 's session revealed few surprises to close observers of the court who expected kennedy and roberts would be the swing votes on this case . related : john roberts'big moment : will he anger conservatives again ? we heard both of them in the arguments today showing support for both sides of the argument , showing skepticism for both sides of the argument , ' vladeck said . i think the headline here is it 's about what we expected . it 's going to be close , it 's going to be divisive and it 's going to come down to kennedy and roberts . ' vladeck also cautioned against reading too much into the justices'questioning and comments during the oral arguments , which account for just a few hours in the multi-month process of deciding such an consequential case . the emotion of the case also flooded into the courtroom , as one protester seated inside began shouted and screaming in the middle of the arguments . if you support gay marriage you will burn in hell , ' the protester shouted before police quickly detained the man and dragged him out of the courtroom while he continued to scream . related : meet the lawyers who will argue the gay marriage case ' rather refreshing actually , ' conservative justice antonin scalia quipped as the man was dragged out to laughter in the courtroom . lawyers with the pro-gay marriage organization lambda legal , which represented two of the cases wrapped into the supreme court case an awe-inspiring and singular moment in the march towards justice . ' it was incredibly moving to gather in the supreme court chamber with their parents and all 30 plaintiffs in these historic cases . mary and doug were fantastic , making a compelling and to my mind irrefutable case on their behalf , ' lambda legal 's alphonse gerhardstein said of the lawyers who argued in favor of same-sex marriage before the court on tuesday . u.s . solicitor general donald verrilli , who represented the obama administration 's views , also presented arguments in favor of same-sex marriage , focusing on equal protection under the 14th amendment and likening bans on same-sex marriage to handing second-class status to gay americans . i do n't know why we would repeat history , ' he said . | chief justice john roberts , who shocked conservatives with his swing vote to uphold obamacare , seemed to lean conservative |
mumbai <tsp> kfar chabad , israel ( cnn ) -- thousands of mourners and emissaries from the ultra-orthodox jewish chabad movement poured into an israeli village tuesday for the funerals of two people killed in the mumbai terrorist attacks . israeli girls mourn rabbi gavriel holtzberg and his wife rivkah , who were killed in the mumbai attacks . there was a feeling of pain and anger at the funeral in kfar chabad , a village of 900 families just outside tel aviv . speeches at the funeral said the gunmen sought out the chabad house in mumbai and targeted the victims because of their faith . the two people laid to rest tuesday were chabad house directors rabbi gavriel holtzberg and his wife , rivka . they lived and worked at the house in mumbai , which served as both a home and jewish center -- a place open to anyone who wanted a place to pray , eat kosher food , or celebrate jewish holidays . three former israeli prime ministers were at the funeral : ehud barak , who is now the defense minister ; shimon peres , currently the israeli president ; and benjamin netanyahu , leader of the likud party . watch israeli funerals for those killed in mumbai » after the funeral , the bodies of the holtzbergs were buried on the mount of olives in jerusalem . another victim from chabad house , kosher supervisor rabbi leibish teitelbaum of new york , was buried there earlier . separate funerals were held for teitelbaum and another kosher supervisor at chabad house , american-israeli rabbi bentzion kruman . they died in the siege along with israeli grandmother yocheved orpaz and mexican citizen norma shvarzblat rabinovich . the building , also known as the nariman house , was the local headquarters of the chabad community , a hasidic jewish movement . the holtzbergs had two children , one of whom was in the house when terrorists stormed in . a woman who worked as a nanny and cook at the house managed to escape with the 2-year-old boy , moshe . watch report about nanny saving infant » the couple 's other son was not in mumbai at the time , according to rabbi yehuda krinsky , chairman of the educational and social services arms of the chabad-lubavitch movement . the child has tay-sachs , a terminal genetic disease , the associated press reports . in an emotional scene before flying from india to israel on monday , the boy repeatedly cried for his mother at a memorial ceremony at a mumbai synagogue . his cries were played repeatedly on israeli tv stations . you do n't have a mother who will hug you and kiss you , ' rabbi kotlarsky said , adding that the community would take care of the boy , ap said . you are the child of all of israel . ' the only other surviving member of the family , moshe 's brother , has tay-sachs , a terminal genetic disease , and is institutionalized in israel , ap added . the holtzbergs'eldest son died of the disease . the holtzbergs went to mumbai five years ago to serve the city 's small jewish community and the thousands of israeli visitors and business people who frequent the area , according to chabad.org , the ultra-orthodox group 's web site . about 5,000 jews live in india , according to the american-israeli cooperative enterprise . about 3,000 of them live in mumbai , the jewish press reported . ireport.com : share tributes to those who died the holtzbergs operated a synagogue and taught torah classes . the rabbi also conducted weddings for local jewish couples . gavriel holtzberg , 29 , was born in israel and moved to brooklyn , new york , when he was 9 . he studied in new york and argentina and traveled to thailand and china as a rabbinical student . his wife , rivka , 28 , was a native of israel . in mumbai , they ran the headquarters of the chabad community , a hasidic jewish movement . the center , in a building known as the nariman house , was open to anyone who wanted a place to pray , eat kosher food or celebrate jewish holidays . in footage filmed two years ago by the chabad movement , gavriel holtzberg said anybody who visited the center was welcome . his wife said its doors were always open and that it was not unusual to have 30 people for dinner . the chabad-lubavitch movement was formed more than two centuries ago in russia . the organization says 4,000 full-time emissary families now direct more than 3,300 chabad institutions around the world . kruman was in india to help teitelbaum supervise a mushroom packing plant under kosher certification , the chabad web site said . he grew up in israel and in the past year had visited china once a month to supervise food packaging plants there . kruman often visited the chabad house in beijing , the organization said , and survived the may earthquake in china 's sichuan province . he leaves behind a widow and three children . cnn 's paula hancocks contributed to this report . copyright 2008 cnn . all rights reserved.this material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten , or redistributed . associated press contributed to this report . | thousands attend funerals in israel of two people killed in mumbai attacks |
u.s. constitution <tsp> ( cnn student news ) -- students will explore contemporary applications of the u.s. constitution . procedure as a class , read out loud the preamble to the constitution . have students dissect the preamble into its words and phrases , and hold a class discussion on the original intent of the u.s. constitution . remind students that in 1787 , the framers of the u.s. constitution established a federal system of government that divided power between the national and state governments . it also established the three branches of government : the legislative , the executive and the judicial . federal powers listed in the constitution include the rights to collect taxes , declare war and regulate trade . the national government also has implied powers that allow it to respond to the changing needs of the nation . reserved powers belong to the people or the states . state powers include the right to legislate on marriage and divorce , public schools and the state 's militia . the right to freedom of speech , the right to own property and the right to be tried by a jury are examples of the powers reserved for the people of the united states . the supreme court has the final authority to interpret the constitution . it can overturn any law that conflicts with any part of the constitution . ask students : why do you think that the framers of the constitution organized the u.s. system of government this way ? next , organize students into five groups representing the following : the legislative branch , the executive branch , the judicial branch , the states and the people . have each group investigate and list its powers as outlined in the u.s. constitution : then , have the students consider their groups'constitutional powers in a modern-day context . ask : how might the system of government outlined in the u.s. constitution be used to address current events ? brainstorm with students a list of topics in the news , such as the war on terror , gun control or immigration . for each issue , have students generate critical questions that address what role , if any , government should play . ( note : the questions will vary depending on the grade level and interest of the students . ) reorganize students into groups of five , with each group having one representative from the executive , legislative and judicial branches , the states and the people . then , assign one of the critical questions posed above to each group . have groups prepare diagrams to illustrate what powers , if any , the federal or state governments or the people have in responding to these critical questions . students should include the relevant text from the u.s. constitution in their diagrams . after each group has presented its diagram , hold a class discussion on the following : curriculum connections national standards for civics and government i . what are civic life , politics , and government ? ii . what are the foundations of the american political system ? iii . how does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes , values , and principles of american democracy ? the national standards for civics and government ( http : //www.civiced.org/912erica.htm ) are published by the center for civic education ( http : //www.civiced.org/index.php ) . keywords constitution , executive branch , legislative branch , judicial branch , amendments , supreme court , bill of rights , current events , news stories | students will identify contemporary applications of the u.s. constitution |
bmw <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's like a chair that is n't there , but magically appears whenever you need it . it 's called the chairless chair and you wear it on your legs like an exoskeleton : when it 's not activated , you can walk normally or even run . and then , at the touch of a button , it locks into place and you can sit down on it . like a chair that is now there . the idea came from wanting to sit anywhere and everywhere , and from working in a uk packaging factory when i was 17 , ' says keith gunura , the 29-year old ceo and co-founder of noonee , the zurich-based startup behind the device , standing for hours on end causes a lot of distress to lower limbs , but most workers get very few breaks and chairs are rarely provided , because they take up too much space . so i thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to myself . ' the device never touches the ground , which makes it easier to wear : a belt secures it to the hips and it has straps that wrap around the thighs . a variable damper engages and supports the bodyweight , which is directed towards the heels of the shoes . these are specially designed and part of the mechanism , but an alternate version works with any footwear and touches the ground only when in a stationary position . the user just moves into the desired pose and then powers the device , which currently runs for about 24 hours on a single 6v battery . in addition to resting your leg muscles , it also provides optimal posture , ' adds noonee cto and co-founder bryan anastisiades it keeps your back straight and can reduce the occurrence of bad postures for both healthy workers and those recovering from muscle related injuries . ' sammy margo , a chartered physiotherapist , told cnn : as physiotherapists we actively encourage people to move throughout the day . this device looks like a great compromise in that it allows the wearer to move as well as sit intermittently . i would n't encourage its use for long term sitting , however it is suitable for people who need to vary their tasks . ' the chairless chair is attracting interest and production line trials are set to start in germany with bmw in september and with audi later this year . while sitting down all day is so detrimental to health that it will shorten life expectancy , standing up in order to work is also a source of problems . physical strain , repetitive movements and poor posture can lead to conditions called musculoskeletal disorders ( msds ) , which are now one of the leading causes of lost workday injury and illness . in 2011 , msds accounted for 33 percent of all worker injuries and illnesses in the u.s. with over 378,000 cases , according to data from the united states department of labor . in europe , over 40 million workers are affected by msds attributable to their job , according to a study entitled fit for work europe and conducted across 23 european countries . the chairless chair represents an innovative approach to this problem , which is currently addressed mostly through ergonomics of the workplace . although unique , it shares some similarities with the swiss milking stool , a monopod used by farmers to milk cows , which dates back to the early 19th century . it had straps that secured it to the wearer and required some practice to be used due to the single source of support . it was phased out by the rise of the milking parlor . an aluminium and carbon fibre frame keeps the overall weight of the chairless chair at just two kilograms , so it does n't burden the wearer with too much excess weight and only marginally impairs movement . and in the future , it could be fitted with smart motors able to infer the user 's intentions and offer the ideal posture without even the need to press a button . this could open up additional daily life applications , says gunura : imagine if you had one of these while you were riding on a crowded train : it would make for a much more comfortable commute . but we 're also thinking about people behind the counter in retail , farmers picking fruit and even surgeons in the operating room . a chair would be impractical , but the chairless chair would fit in nicely . ' read more from make , create , innovate : british inventor claims world 's first flying bicycle spider lessons : how to mend your body with silk the artificial leaf that could power the world | bmw and audi are set to conduct production line trials this year |
audi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it 's like a chair that is n't there , but magically appears whenever you need it . it 's called the chairless chair and you wear it on your legs like an exoskeleton : when it 's not activated , you can walk normally or even run . and then , at the touch of a button , it locks into place and you can sit down on it . like a chair that is now there . the idea came from wanting to sit anywhere and everywhere , and from working in a uk packaging factory when i was 17 , ' says keith gunura , the 29-year old ceo and co-founder of noonee , the zurich-based startup behind the device , standing for hours on end causes a lot of distress to lower limbs , but most workers get very few breaks and chairs are rarely provided , because they take up too much space . so i thought that the best idea was to strap an unobtrusive chair directly to myself . ' the device never touches the ground , which makes it easier to wear : a belt secures it to the hips and it has straps that wrap around the thighs . a variable damper engages and supports the bodyweight , which is directed towards the heels of the shoes . these are specially designed and part of the mechanism , but an alternate version works with any footwear and touches the ground only when in a stationary position . the user just moves into the desired pose and then powers the device , which currently runs for about 24 hours on a single 6v battery . in addition to resting your leg muscles , it also provides optimal posture , ' adds noonee cto and co-founder bryan anastisiades it keeps your back straight and can reduce the occurrence of bad postures for both healthy workers and those recovering from muscle related injuries . ' sammy margo , a chartered physiotherapist , told cnn : as physiotherapists we actively encourage people to move throughout the day . this device looks like a great compromise in that it allows the wearer to move as well as sit intermittently . i would n't encourage its use for long term sitting , however it is suitable for people who need to vary their tasks . ' the chairless chair is attracting interest and production line trials are set to start in germany with bmw in september and with audi later this year . while sitting down all day is so detrimental to health that it will shorten life expectancy , standing up in order to work is also a source of problems . physical strain , repetitive movements and poor posture can lead to conditions called musculoskeletal disorders ( msds ) , which are now one of the leading causes of lost workday injury and illness . in 2011 , msds accounted for 33 percent of all worker injuries and illnesses in the u.s. with over 378,000 cases , according to data from the united states department of labor . in europe , over 40 million workers are affected by msds attributable to their job , according to a study entitled fit for work europe and conducted across 23 european countries . the chairless chair represents an innovative approach to this problem , which is currently addressed mostly through ergonomics of the workplace . although unique , it shares some similarities with the swiss milking stool , a monopod used by farmers to milk cows , which dates back to the early 19th century . it had straps that secured it to the wearer and required some practice to be used due to the single source of support . it was phased out by the rise of the milking parlor . an aluminium and carbon fibre frame keeps the overall weight of the chairless chair at just two kilograms , so it does n't burden the wearer with too much excess weight and only marginally impairs movement . and in the future , it could be fitted with smart motors able to infer the user 's intentions and offer the ideal posture without even the need to press a button . this could open up additional daily life applications , says gunura : imagine if you had one of these while you were riding on a crowded train : it would make for a much more comfortable commute . but we 're also thinking about people behind the counter in retail , farmers picking fruit and even surgeons in the operating room . a chair would be impractical , but the chairless chair would fit in nicely . ' read more from make , create , innovate : british inventor claims world 's first flying bicycle spider lessons : how to mend your body with silk the artificial leaf that could power the world | bmw and audi are set to conduct production line trials this year |
karbala <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- at least five people were killed and 39 wounded when a car bomb exploded monday in basra , an interior ministry official said , capping a day in which at least 11 people were killed in blasts in cities with shiite shrines . in baghdad , two mortars or rockets struck the international zone shortly before 8 p.m. , though there were no reports of casualties . car bombings targeting religious pilgrims in two major shiite cities in iraq killed 11 people monday , an interior ministry official said . on a crowded street in the iraqi city of karbala a blast killed at least 10 people and wounded 38 others , the official said . the bomb went off at one of the main entrances to the city where buses carrying iranian pilgrims stop , the official said . in najaf , at least one person was killed and 10 others wounded in a bombing , the official said . the parked car bomb targeted buses carrying iranian pilgrims at the road leading to najaf 's old city . najaf and karbala , south of baghdad , have seen increases in foreign pilgrims in the last two years after a drop in the daily widespread violence . iran 's fars news agency said that on any given day , about 1,500 pilgrims travel from neighboring iran to visit shiite shrines in iraq , particularly in najaf and karbala . elsewhere monday , a roadside bomb detonated outside a busy restaurant in central baghdad 's karrada district , wounding four people . the official said the bomb targeted a police patrol . two of the wounded were police officers ; the other two were civilians . earlier monday , a mortar round struck the international zone , popularly known as the green zone , but did not cause damages or casualties . a day earlier , at least two rockets struck the area and on saturday , three others struck the zone . the zone is a heavily fortified central baghdad district housing the u.s. embassy and iraqi government offices . | blasts occur in shiite cities of karbala and najaf |
democrats <tsp> princeton , new jersey ( cnn ) -- as democrats struggle to retain control of the senate and retake control of the house , they are searching for issues to frame their campaigns . this is not easy , since the democrats are in a difficult position . with president obama 's low approval ratings , democratic candidates wo n't want to focus on his record . with the economy likely to still be in laggard condition , democrats wo n't be able to boast that it 's morning in america . with economic concerns front and center for most americans , democrats wo n't be able to make much headway with talk about the foreign policy successes of this administration . a number of retirements , including that of massachusetts rep. barney frank , have made the campaign even more challenging for the party . this does n't leave candidates with many options . although some could focus on local issues , they will be under pressure to develop a national theme since republican candidates will be talking critically about obama . so what might democrats talk about ? the most potent theme that the party has to offer is the issue of fairness . democrats can claim that as americans struggle to survive in this economy , the party has championed policies that aim to soften the blows voters are suffering and to provide support for the middle class in hard times . this is a familiar strategy for the democratic party . during the 1930s , according to the historian lizabeth cohen , the democratic party fought for a vision of moral capitalism whereby government and other institutions , such as unions , would lessen some of the suffering that could be inflicted in the free-market economy . during his acceptance speech at the 1936 democratic convention , president franklin d. roosevelt said , today we stand committed to the proposition that freedom is no half-and-half affair . if the average citizen is guaranteed equal opportunity in the polling place , he must have equal opportunity in the market place . these economic royalists ( his opponents on wall street and in the business community ) complain that we seek to overthrow the institutions of america . what they really complain of is that we seek to take away their power . ' fast forward to the 1982 midterm elections , when democrats expanded the size of their majority in the house by 26 seats . the economy was suffering from a horrible recession . republicans , who controlled the white house and senate , took the blame . democrats spent their campaigns talking about fairness and the unwillingness of president ronald reagan to support policies that did not privilege upper-income taxpayers and corporations . while reagan spoke about the virtues of supply-side economics , house speaker tip o'neill held hearings to bring attention to this issue . rep. peter rodino said , every american who cares about other americans , who cares about civil rights and equal opportunity , who cares about clean air and clean water , who cares about poor people and old people and helpless people , ought to care about the 1982 house elections . ' he warned that these wolves in wolves'clothing -- ultra-conservative ideologues , religious fanatics , corporate fat cats , reborn reaganites , the single-issue zealots -- are shoving traditional republicans out the back door of their own party . ' the 2012 election is obviously much different from any in the 1930s or 1982 . nonetheless there are three issues through which democrats have an opportunity to build on this theme . the first is taxes . republicans have pushed for congress to extend president george w. bush 's tax cuts for the wealthiest americans . even though taking this step would only aggravate the deficit problem , the gop has stood firm . at the same time , congressional republicans have made it difficult to extend the payroll tax holiday that has benefited lower and middle income workers . many senate republicans rebuffed their own leadership by voting against extending the cut . other republicans are bending , but slowly and after a lot of complaint . the optics could work against them . these tax positions create room for democrats to challenge republicans as being more supportive of helping the wealthy than average americans . the accusations have already started . scott brown is ready to raise taxes on middle-class families already struggling to get back on their feet in order to protect millionaires and billionaires , ' said john walsh , the massachusetts democratic party chairman , in a comment about the senator , who is facing a challenge from harvard professor elizabeth warren . the second issue has been unemployment insurance . throughout the past four years , republicans have presented roadblocks to the extension of these benefits even as americans have struggled with extraordinarily difficult economic challenges . republicans have grudgingly accepted these extensions in exchange for other sorts of measures . while many americans do n't like government , many understand and support the need for temporary assistance as people try to make ends meet . this is an area where democrats can talk about a specific policy and win support for spending from an electorate that might be philosophically opposed to big government . finally there is health care , an issue that is likely to be part of the campaign if the supreme court issues a ruling on the constitutionality of the law before the election . the debate over health care has ranged around a number of issues including the mandate and health care exchanges . but one of the biggest contributions of the program is to extend health insurance to over 30 million americans who do n't have it . fairness is the theme that offers a struggling democratic party the best opportunity to improve its standing in congress . some democrats have already begun to outline the message . according to the hill , new york sen. chuck schumer explained that simply attacking the wealthy is a bad idea . saying the wealthy have to do their fair share is the right idea . ' unless economic conditions change dramatically , democratic congressional candidates will be in a precarious position , even with the unhappiness about the gop . republicans at least have obama as a straw man around which to build their campaigns . democrats need their own theme . focusing on republican obstruction is one alternative , but more appealing might be a message and vision for dealing with the sluggish economic recovery in the coming years . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of julian zelizer . | julian zelizer says democrats need a national theme for their 2012 campaigns |
katy perry <tsp> ( cnn ) it felt almost like a setup . when katy perry appeared on stage for the super bowl xlix halftime show , it was if she was saying , you want memes , internet ? i 'll give you memes . ' from her entrance on a giant mechanical tiger to the dancing sharks and the more you know ' star , it was everything . but do n't take our word for it : and let 's not forget that vine of the backup-dancing shark that clearly missed rehearsal : | katy perry put on a typically glittery , bright halftime show |
gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a pair of republican congressmen ripped congressional black caucus members for ignoring cuba 's myriad gross human rights abuses ' thursday , saying this week 's caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of political prisoners under the castro regime . rep. chris smith , r-new jersey , blasts members of the black caucus on thursday for their trip to cuba . they also urged the obama administration to refrain from easing trade embargo or travel restrictions until the cuban government releases all prisoners of conscience , ' shows greater respect for freedom of religion and speech , and holds free and fair ' elections . the call from reps. chris smith , r-new jersey , and frank wolf , r-virginia , came three days after the administration signaled that new rules on family travel and remittances to cuba may be announced before president obama goes to the summit of the americas on april 17 . it also followed statements from several black caucus members tuesday arguing for consideration of an end to the trade embargo and other diplomatic restrictions placed on cuba for five decades . watch cnn 's ed hornick discuss the story » ' yes , we have history -- we have good history and not-so-good history , ' said rep. laura richardson , d-california . but the point is it 's history , and we need to move forward . ' three members of the caucus were visiting the latin american school of medicine , where students from nations including the united states study , when they received an invitation to fidel castro 's home for a meeting . former president fidel castro is very engaging , very energetic , ' said cbc chairwoman barbara lee , also a from california democrat . our conclusion is , given the new direction in our foreign policy , that it 's time to look at a new direction in our policy toward cuba . watch lee discuss her visit to cuba » ' the 50-year embargo just has n't worked , ' she said . the caucus members , who also visited current cuban president raul castro , did nothing to publicly show any concern for the myriad gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the cuban government or the tragic fate of hundreds of cuban democracy and human rights activists , ' smith said . yet they held press conferences at which they heaped and lavished praise and affection for a government the united states department of state only six weeks ago called'totalitarian .' a 2008 state department human rights report cited , among other things , numerous accounts of beatings of cuban political prisoners , harsh and life- threatening conditions for dissidents , and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion , smith said . over the past 50 years , the castros and their secret police have been directly responsible for killing thousands of nonviolent , courageous pro-democracy activists and for jailing and torturing tens of thousands of others . and they continue to this day to perpetrate their brutal crimes , ' he said . before the obama administration even thinks about permitting further travel to cuba , or altering the trade embargo on cuba , both the white house and congress have a moral obligation , a duty , to ensure that the cuban dictatorship releases all prisoners of conscience , makes substantial progress in respecting freedom of religion , speech and , press and assembly , and holds free and fair elections . ' lee responded thursday that it made no sense to continue what she characterized as a failed policy . everyone is entitled to their own opinion , but by any objective standard our current policy toward cuba just has n't worked . simply put , it 's time to open dialogue and discussion with cuba , ' she said in a statement . i am convinced , based on the meetings which were held , that the cubans do want dialogue , they do want talks , and they do want normal relations with the united states of america . and i believe that it 's in the united states'best interest to do that . ' on monday , the white house adviser for the summit of the americas , jeffrey davidow , refused to be pinned down about when the administration might announce its easing of the restrictions on travel and remittances to cuba . i really could not say . but i would not be surprised if it came before the summit , ' he said . they 're going to happen . i ca n't tell you exactly when . ' before he was elected president , obama promised to ease restrictions on cuban-americans traveling to visit family in cuba and sending them money . | gop reps blast trip , citing havana 's myriad gross human rights violations ' |
gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a pair of republican congressmen ripped congressional black caucus members for ignoring cuba 's myriad gross human rights abuses ' thursday , saying this week 's caucus trip to the island nation ignored the plight of political prisoners under the castro regime . rep. chris smith , r-new jersey , blasts members of the black caucus on thursday for their trip to cuba . they also urged the obama administration to refrain from easing trade embargo or travel restrictions until the cuban government releases all prisoners of conscience , ' shows greater respect for freedom of religion and speech , and holds free and fair ' elections . the call from reps. chris smith , r-new jersey , and frank wolf , r-virginia , came three days after the administration signaled that new rules on family travel and remittances to cuba may be announced before president obama goes to the summit of the americas on april 17 . it also followed statements from several black caucus members tuesday arguing for consideration of an end to the trade embargo and other diplomatic restrictions placed on cuba for five decades . watch cnn 's ed hornick discuss the story » ' yes , we have history -- we have good history and not-so-good history , ' said rep. laura richardson , d-california . but the point is it 's history , and we need to move forward . ' three members of the caucus were visiting the latin american school of medicine , where students from nations including the united states study , when they received an invitation to fidel castro 's home for a meeting . former president fidel castro is very engaging , very energetic , ' said cbc chairwoman barbara lee , also a from california democrat . our conclusion is , given the new direction in our foreign policy , that it 's time to look at a new direction in our policy toward cuba . watch lee discuss her visit to cuba » ' the 50-year embargo just has n't worked , ' she said . the caucus members , who also visited current cuban president raul castro , did nothing to publicly show any concern for the myriad gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the cuban government or the tragic fate of hundreds of cuban democracy and human rights activists , ' smith said . yet they held press conferences at which they heaped and lavished praise and affection for a government the united states department of state only six weeks ago called'totalitarian .' a 2008 state department human rights report cited , among other things , numerous accounts of beatings of cuban political prisoners , harsh and life- threatening conditions for dissidents , and severe restrictions on freedom of movement and religion , smith said . over the past 50 years , the castros and their secret police have been directly responsible for killing thousands of nonviolent , courageous pro-democracy activists and for jailing and torturing tens of thousands of others . and they continue to this day to perpetrate their brutal crimes , ' he said . before the obama administration even thinks about permitting further travel to cuba , or altering the trade embargo on cuba , both the white house and congress have a moral obligation , a duty , to ensure that the cuban dictatorship releases all prisoners of conscience , makes substantial progress in respecting freedom of religion , speech and , press and assembly , and holds free and fair elections . ' lee responded thursday that it made no sense to continue what she characterized as a failed policy . everyone is entitled to their own opinion , but by any objective standard our current policy toward cuba just has n't worked . simply put , it 's time to open dialogue and discussion with cuba , ' she said in a statement . i am convinced , based on the meetings which were held , that the cubans do want dialogue , they do want talks , and they do want normal relations with the united states of america . and i believe that it 's in the united states'best interest to do that . ' on monday , the white house adviser for the summit of the americas , jeffrey davidow , refused to be pinned down about when the administration might announce its easing of the restrictions on travel and remittances to cuba . i really could not say . but i would not be surprised if it came before the summit , ' he said . they 're going to happen . i ca n't tell you exactly when . ' before he was elected president , obama promised to ease restrictions on cuban-americans traveling to visit family in cuba and sending them money . | new : black caucus chairwoman responds to gop criticism on thursday |
james harden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- los angeles lakers forward metta world peace has been suspended for seven games without pay over an elbow blow he delivered to the head of an opposing player , the national basketball association said tuesday . one-time basketball bad boy ron artest , who changed his name to metta world peace , was ejected sunday from a los angeles lakers-oklahoma city thunder game for striking james harden . the concussion suffered by james harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind , particularly when they are directed at the head area , ' said nba commissioner david stern , to announce the suspension . we remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of nba players , including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations . ' world peace could miss at least six playoff games as a result of the suspension , the nba said . he apologized tuesday to thunder fans and the oklahoma organization . i look forward to getting back on the floor with my teammates and competing for the lakers fans , ' he said . after scoring against the thunder in the second quarter , world peace was cheering his own shot when he hit the oklahoma city guard in the back of the head , knocking him down . harden was on the floor for several minutes , and did not return to the game after being diagnosed with a concussion , according to the thunder . world peace was ejected from the game . the lakers won 114-106 over the thunder in double overtime . during that play i just dunked on ( kevin durant ) and ( serge ) ibaka , and i got really emotional and excited . it was unfortunate that james had to get hit with an unintentional elbow , ' world peace told reporters after the game . lakers general manager mitch kupchak criticized his player 's actions in a statement tuesday , but said the team will continue to support him . metta has for the most part been a model citizen both on and off the court since joining the lakers . still , his most recent lapse in judgment is not to be condoned or accepted , ' he said in a statement . his actions could have seriously injured another player , and his absence during this suspension will hurt our team as well . while we accept the league 's decision , we will be supportive of metta and try to help him be more professional on the court , ' kupchak said . back when world peace was still artest and playing for the indiana pacers , he made headlines in 2004 for his role in a brawl between players and fans at a pacers-pistons game after somebody threw a drink on him . for that incident , the nba suspended artest for 86 games . | he is suspended without pay for elbowing thunder 's james harden |
pm brown <tsp> united nations ( cnn ) -- u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon is urgently dispatching ' a special envoy to myanmar , a statement from his office said wednesday , following reports of violent clashes in that country between security forces and protesters . protests at the crackdown have taken place overseas , including one outside the myanmar embassy , london . he calls on the senior leadership of the country to cooperate fully with this mission in order to take advantage of the willingness of the united nations to assist in the process of a national reconciliation through dialogue , ' said a u.n. statement . the envoy , ibrahim gambari , is scheduled to lead a briefing on the situation in myanmar for the u.n. security council wednesday afternoon . noting reports of the use of force and of arrests and beatings , the secretary-general calls again on authorities to exercise utmost restraint toward the peaceful demonstrations taking place , as such action can only undermine the prospects for peace , prosperity and stability in myanmar , ' ban 's statement said . there 's been no official word yet if the military junta ruling myanmar will accept the offer from the u.n. secretary-general . speaking at the labour party conference wednesday , british prime minister gordon brown underscored that any trampling on human rights would not be accepted . the whole world is now watching burma and this illegal and oppressive regime should know that the whole world will hold it to account , ' he said . u.s. president george w. bush , speaking to the u.n. general assembly 's annual session tuesday before the crackdown , said his administration would impose stiffer sanctions against the country 's military regime . the united states will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers . we will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights , as well as their family members , ' he said . we will continue to support the efforts of humanitarian groups working to alleviate suffering in burma ( the country 's traditional name ) and urge the united nations and all nations to use their diplomatic and economic leverage to help the burmese people reclaim their freedom . ' his comments were echoed by french president nicolas sarkozy , also at the u.n. general assembly . i 'm deeply concerned about the situation in burma and myanmar , and i would like to appeal for the peaceful , spontaneous demonstrations which are expressing just political and social concerns that they not be repressed by force in any way , ' sarkozy said . soe aung , national council of the union of burma spokesman , called for the world to take action . there should be some action -- decisive action -- taken by the international community . at least there should be an urgent meeting of the security council level , ' he said . aung also commented that the demonstrators do not seem content to back down . the monks are very determined that they are going to go ahead with the demonstrations unless their demands are met , ' he said . such demands include an apology from ministry authorities for the mistreatment of monks in central myanmar , a reduction in the price of gasoline -- which originally sparked protests in late august -- and the release of protesters detained since demonstrations began , aung said . u.s . ambassador to the united nations zalmay khalilzad . we are concerned about the situation , particularly now , because we see a worsening of the political situation and that is affecting the well-being of the people of burma . we have urged mr. gambari and he plans to visit burma as soon as possible , ' khalilzad said , referring to ibrahim gambari , the u.n. special envoy to burma . e-mail to a friend | uk pm brown underscores that any trampling on human rights not acceptable |
rick santorum <tsp> ( cnn ) -- republican presidential candidate rick santorum 's google problem ' is well documented . now , the former u.s. senator 's chief political rival , former massachusetts gov . mitt romney , appears to be joining him . on friday , a google search for romney 's name was delivering a site called spreading romney ' as one of its top results . the spoof site ( which , as will soon become apparent , is in no way associated with the republican candidate or his campaign ) is a twist on a site that caused santorum to ask google to bury it . spreading santorum ' popped up on the web after the then-senator angered gay-rights advocates in 2003 with a comment that compared homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia . a podcast host and sex columnist created the site , which defines ' santorum 's name with an explicit and lewd term we wo n't repeat here . as the site was shared around the web , it gained in google 's search algorithm until it became the top search result for santorum 's name . on friday , it remained second after his official campaign site . the romney site also offers a fake definition for his name , one that 's not quite as foul as santorum 's but still profane and far from complimentary . the site is registered to ayokay llc , a web design company based in indianapolis , indiana . ayokay ceo jack shepler confirmed in an e-mail that he is the site 's owner . he said the definition ' he chose for romney ( and this will make sense if you visit the site ) is a reference to a years-old boston globe report about romney and his family traveling to canada with the family dog in a crate on the roof of his car . the dog relieved itself in the crate , according to the story , leading romney to hose him down at a gas station and continue the trip . shepler said the santorum site obviously inspired his creation . while many consider both of the sites to be crude , i consider them to be a comedic way to bring attention to important issues , much in line with how jon stewart might bring attention to an important issue , ' he said in an e-mail . some of santorum 's other rivals are getting similar treatment . at spreading gingrich , ' a contest is under way to create a definition for the former house speaker 's name . that site , however , does n't rank very high in a search for gingrich . ' at least not yet . as sites get more traffic and are linked from other sites , they gain traction in google searches , rising closer to the coveted first page of results . the web snark has also crossed the political aisle . with a little bit of tinfoil-hat flair , spreading obama ' ( which , interestingly , bears the .org reserved for nonprofits ) , defines the democratic president 's name as a puppet of the new world order architects . ' say what you will , but at least we could print that one . in september , santorum asked google to remove the offensive site from its search results , going so far as to suggest the company would probably do so for a democrat . google refused , saying it very rarely ' removes content , and only when it is illegal or explicitly violates google 's terms of service . for the record , there 's also a spreading ron paul ' site , which appears to be a sincere endorsement of the u.s. congressman and fellow gop presidential candidate . | mitt romney joins gop rival rick santorum with a google search-results problem |
charlotte beers <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i 've spent the bulk of my career climbing the so-called corporate ladder . as chairman and ceo of ogilvy and mather , chairman of j. walter thompson , and later as undersecretary of state to colin powell , i 've been witness to how power is exercised and how people are chosen for leadership roles in the halls of both corporations and governments . there are now many more talented women to choose from , and yet we women still hold relatively few positions of influence . even though i was a pioneering woman among a world of men , i think it 's harder for women today than it was for me to enter these circles of authority and influence . the men at the top do n't know how to appraise women 's potential . they do know leadership positions call for a competitive spirit , a fierce resolve and an endless ability to motivate others . these qualities , you 'll notice , are not about the work itself ; they reflect a person 's intrinsic way of approaching the work . the decision makers know how to size up other men on such characteristics but they do n't know the inner strengths of women well enough to judge , so they choose the known , the familiar - in other words , another man - to fill the top spots . this is due partly to the politically correct practices , which have done a lot of good , but have also inadvertently created a sense of distance . it has created a scenario where male leaders do n't know or recognize these more intangible skills in the women who are moving up , since these relationships can be quite formal - well , more politically correct . it is also because women today , so very articulate , poised , and educated , are not trained to enter the fray . work can turn personal , raw , aggressive , and unfair , with little promise of applause or proof of performance for the tasks ahead . but handling all of this is synonymous with leadership . these are the terms of engagement , of relationships that go beyond great work skills and flawless logic . great work skills , by the way , are something at which women excel , but they are too often tempted to hide behind their great work , rather than step out and be counted when situations turn messy and difficult and leadership is needed . women , of course , do have such potent leadership qualities but they 're not sure how to communicate their unique way of being tough and resilient . there is a resistance , almost an air of punishment when women overtly move to persuade or seek to influence or press firmly for unpopular decisions . it is harder for us to show our leadership qualities over our far more approved of womanly ways , ' such as being modest and communal . there is a solution . women have to learn to be leaders on their own terms . do n't misunderstand - i am not talking about expecting companies to become kinder and gentler , or preparing special cushions for women to reign from . we do n't need exceptions made for us . our way is no less fierce or brave or urgent but we do have to learn to unleash all these passions from the true center of who we are . women must figure out their own unique qualities and let them loose . this is , in my opinion , the most crucial skill missing in working women today . only when a woman begins to understand who she is from the inside out can she see where her mastery lies . it is a matter of letting everyone know what you believe in and all that you can offer . though we are acknowledged to be the more verbal sex , we still need to acquire communications skills that include the ability to confront hostile actions , to motivate the disenfranchised , to reveal intensity of purpose and even to express anger . i teach women such things in workshops i call the x factor ' -- the x ' being women 's potential . we always finish with presentations because life at work is really just one presentation after another . these can come in the form of emails , phone calls , meetings and even speaking from the podium , but they are all opportunities to present yourself . we have found it is very easy for the presenter to disappear behind the charts or within the team . after our sessions , the mantra of the women becomes step out in front of the work . ' after watching groups of these talented women refine their presentations in every forum , it is incredibly rewarding to see women who had once deferred to their power points , step out in front , exposed and vulnerable but willing to say i believe . ' this is how a leader presents . when a woman dares to communicate all her unique qualities of leadership to those in charge , she will be tapped to take the lead . i am using the next chapter in my life to help women access this untapped power and to achieve their highest potential . i feel compelled to do it because this kind of handbook is n't one that i 've found on the bookshelves or in training courses . and it 's a book that i wish i 'd had when i first donned my business suit and walked into the big , bad world of marketing . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of charlotte beers . | advertising high flyer charlotte beers says it has become harder for women to enter circles of influence |
st. petersburg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a drunk passenger tried to hijack a turkish airlines flight to russia on wednesday before he was brought under control , the head of turkey 's civil aviation authority said . the turkish airlines passenger jet was en route from turkey to russia when the incident took place . the plane landed safely and on time wednesday afternoon in st. petersburg . russian authorities promptly arrested a slightly intoxicated ' passenger from uzbekistan , russia 's interfax news agency reported , citing a national police spokesman . the suspect , in his early 50s , was arrested on suspicion of trying to hijack the plane , interfax reported . turkish media initially reported that the plane had been hijacked . when asked about those reports , a turkish airlines spokesman said the flight experienced an urgent situation ' as it headed to st. petersburg , without offering further details . interfax said the flight was carrying 164 russian nationals . there have been several attempts to hijack turkish airlines in recent years . in august 2007 , two men hijacked an istanbul-bound atlasjet airlines flight with 136 passengers and crew on board from cyprus , claiming to have a bomb on board the flight . they forced the crew to make an emergency landing in antalya . both hijackers eventually surrendered to turkish authorities . in april 2007 , turkish authorities detained a man they believed tried to hijack a turkish airliner , possibly to iran . the suspect , mehmed goksin gol , was not armed and all 178 passengers and crew aboard the pegasus airlines flight were unharmed . the flight was heading from southeastern turkish city of diyarbakir to istanbul , but landed at ankara 's airport , where the suspect was detained . in october 2006 , a turkish man hijacked a turkish jetliner with 113 people aboard en route from the albanian capital tirana for istanbul . he forced it to fly to a military airfield in brindisi , italy , where the passengers and crew were released unharmed . cnn 's maxim tkachenko in moscow and nicky robertson in atlanta contributed to this report | new : interfax : flight arrives at st. petersburg , police arrest uzbek man in his 50s |
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