text
stringlengths 254
12.1k
| summary
stringlengths 13
238
|
|---|---|
novak djokovic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the heatwave may have passed at the australian open but in its place came shockwaves as women 's title favourite serena williams crashed out . the american world no.1 melted under pressure from resurgent serbian ana ivanovic in the fourth round sunday . williams , who was chasing a sixth australian open crown and an 18th career grand slam , blamed the shock 6-4 3-6 3-6 defeat on an error-strewn display . i made a tremendous amount of errors , shots i missed i normally do n't miss , i have n't missed since the eighties , ' williams told reporters . i 'm just not used to missing those shots . i just made way , way , a lot of unforced errors . i know for a fact i can play so much better than what i did today , so with that , knowing that , i 'm not disappointed or anything . i just know that i can play ten times better . ' williams refused to blame a back injury for her defeat although the 32-year-old did reveal that she had considered quitting the opening grand slam of the year before her match against ivanovic . i almost pulled out , ' explained williams , who last lost a match in august . i 'm such a competitor . i mean , i probably should have . maybe i was n't the best physically , but that had nothing to do with it . i do n't want to blame anything . i feel like ana deserves all the credit . i feel she played unbelievable today. victory for ivanovic is a major boost for the 2008 french open champion who is trying to get her career back on track after several seasons plagued by big-match nerves , serving troubles and a series of injuries . the 26-year-old told cnn 's open court last month that she had effectively pressed the re-set button ahead of the 2014 season , swapping british coach nigel sears for new coach and hitting partner nemanja kontic . i 've been working really hard , ' said ivanovic , who last reached a grand slam quarterfinal at the 2012 u.s open . i have a new team with me since wimbledon and it 's a serbian team for me for the first time . ' the restructure appears to be working as ivanovic won a warm-up tournament in auckland -- incidentally beating venus williams -- before notching up her first-ever win over williams'younger sister serena . asked by reporters in melbourne what the difference was between this match and her previous encounters with williams , she said : well , i actually believed . i had some confidence coming into today 's match . this victory means so much to me . all the hard work , it 's paying off . i had very tough fourth round matches in a grand slam , and this was probably the toughest of tough . i just went out there to play . i had nothing to lose . to have that victory , you know , it 's amazing . we all know what kind of champion she is . ' ivanovic goes on to meet canadian eugenie bouchard in the quarterfinals and , after her giant-slaying performance against williams , the serbian 14th seed might just feel she has a chance of going all the way . in the men 's draw , ivanovic 's childhood friend novak djovkovic eased into the quarterfinals with a straightforward 6-3 6-0 6-2 win over another close pal italian fabio fognini . djokovic , who said he had managed to watch two sets of ivanovic 's match before taking to the court , faces swiss stanislas wawrinka next , who took him to five sets in the fourth round of last year 's aussie open . i have to be ready to play another 12-10 in the fifth like last year , ' djokovic said . i know that he 's playing the tennis of his life in the last 15 months . you can not expect a clear favorite in that match . ' in the same half of the draw , czech tomas berdych also advanced to the quarterfinals where he meets spanish third seed david ferrer .
|
in the men 's draw , novak djokovic sets up quarterfinal against old foe stanislas wawrinka
|
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the heatwave may have passed at the australian open but in its place came shockwaves as women 's title favourite serena williams crashed out . the american world no.1 melted under pressure from resurgent serbian ana ivanovic in the fourth round sunday . williams , who was chasing a sixth australian open crown and an 18th career grand slam , blamed the shock 6-4 3-6 3-6 defeat on an error-strewn display . i made a tremendous amount of errors , shots i missed i normally do n't miss , i have n't missed since the eighties , ' williams told reporters . i 'm just not used to missing those shots . i just made way , way , a lot of unforced errors . i know for a fact i can play so much better than what i did today , so with that , knowing that , i 'm not disappointed or anything . i just know that i can play ten times better . ' williams refused to blame a back injury for her defeat although the 32-year-old did reveal that she had considered quitting the opening grand slam of the year before her match against ivanovic . i almost pulled out , ' explained williams , who last lost a match in august . i 'm such a competitor . i mean , i probably should have . maybe i was n't the best physically , but that had nothing to do with it . i do n't want to blame anything . i feel like ana deserves all the credit . i feel she played unbelievable today. victory for ivanovic is a major boost for the 2008 french open champion who is trying to get her career back on track after several seasons plagued by big-match nerves , serving troubles and a series of injuries . the 26-year-old told cnn 's open court last month that she had effectively pressed the re-set button ahead of the 2014 season , swapping british coach nigel sears for new coach and hitting partner nemanja kontic . i 've been working really hard , ' said ivanovic , who last reached a grand slam quarterfinal at the 2012 u.s open . i have a new team with me since wimbledon and it 's a serbian team for me for the first time . ' the restructure appears to be working as ivanovic won a warm-up tournament in auckland -- incidentally beating venus williams -- before notching up her first-ever win over williams'younger sister serena . asked by reporters in melbourne what the difference was between this match and her previous encounters with williams , she said : well , i actually believed . i had some confidence coming into today 's match . this victory means so much to me . all the hard work , it 's paying off . i had very tough fourth round matches in a grand slam , and this was probably the toughest of tough . i just went out there to play . i had nothing to lose . to have that victory , you know , it 's amazing . we all know what kind of champion she is . ' ivanovic goes on to meet canadian eugenie bouchard in the quarterfinals and , after her giant-slaying performance against williams , the serbian 14th seed might just feel she has a chance of going all the way . in the men 's draw , ivanovic 's childhood friend novak djovkovic eased into the quarterfinals with a straightforward 6-3 6-0 6-2 win over another close pal italian fabio fognini . djokovic , who said he had managed to watch two sets of ivanovic 's match before taking to the court , faces swiss stanislas wawrinka next , who took him to five sets in the fourth round of last year 's aussie open . i have to be ready to play another 12-10 in the fifth like last year , ' djokovic said . i know that he 's playing the tennis of his life in the last 15 months . you can not expect a clear favorite in that match . ' in the same half of the draw , czech tomas berdych also advanced to the quarterfinals where he meets spanish third seed david ferrer .
|
williams blames her loss on a tremendous amount of errors '
|
williams <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the heatwave may have passed at the australian open but in its place came shockwaves as women 's title favourite serena williams crashed out . the american world no.1 melted under pressure from resurgent serbian ana ivanovic in the fourth round sunday . williams , who was chasing a sixth australian open crown and an 18th career grand slam , blamed the shock 6-4 3-6 3-6 defeat on an error-strewn display . i made a tremendous amount of errors , shots i missed i normally do n't miss , i have n't missed since the eighties , ' williams told reporters . i 'm just not used to missing those shots . i just made way , way , a lot of unforced errors . i know for a fact i can play so much better than what i did today , so with that , knowing that , i 'm not disappointed or anything . i just know that i can play ten times better . ' williams refused to blame a back injury for her defeat although the 32-year-old did reveal that she had considered quitting the opening grand slam of the year before her match against ivanovic . i almost pulled out , ' explained williams , who last lost a match in august . i 'm such a competitor . i mean , i probably should have . maybe i was n't the best physically , but that had nothing to do with it . i do n't want to blame anything . i feel like ana deserves all the credit . i feel she played unbelievable today. victory for ivanovic is a major boost for the 2008 french open champion who is trying to get her career back on track after several seasons plagued by big-match nerves , serving troubles and a series of injuries . the 26-year-old told cnn 's open court last month that she had effectively pressed the re-set button ahead of the 2014 season , swapping british coach nigel sears for new coach and hitting partner nemanja kontic . i 've been working really hard , ' said ivanovic , who last reached a grand slam quarterfinal at the 2012 u.s open . i have a new team with me since wimbledon and it 's a serbian team for me for the first time . ' the restructure appears to be working as ivanovic won a warm-up tournament in auckland -- incidentally beating venus williams -- before notching up her first-ever win over williams'younger sister serena . asked by reporters in melbourne what the difference was between this match and her previous encounters with williams , she said : well , i actually believed . i had some confidence coming into today 's match . this victory means so much to me . all the hard work , it 's paying off . i had very tough fourth round matches in a grand slam , and this was probably the toughest of tough . i just went out there to play . i had nothing to lose . to have that victory , you know , it 's amazing . we all know what kind of champion she is . ' ivanovic goes on to meet canadian eugenie bouchard in the quarterfinals and , after her giant-slaying performance against williams , the serbian 14th seed might just feel she has a chance of going all the way . in the men 's draw , ivanovic 's childhood friend novak djovkovic eased into the quarterfinals with a straightforward 6-3 6-0 6-2 win over another close pal italian fabio fognini . djokovic , who said he had managed to watch two sets of ivanovic 's match before taking to the court , faces swiss stanislas wawrinka next , who took him to five sets in the fourth round of last year 's aussie open . i have to be ready to play another 12-10 in the fifth like last year , ' djokovic said . i know that he 's playing the tennis of his life in the last 15 months . you can not expect a clear favorite in that match . ' in the same half of the draw , czech tomas berdych also advanced to the quarterfinals where he meets spanish third seed david ferrer .
|
serena williams out of the australian open after fourth round defeat
|
arkansas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a mother and her infant were killed by a tornado that hit murfreesboro , tennessee , on friday , a family member told cnn . powerful tornado winds ripped through murfreesboro , tennessee , friday , leaving a trail of destruction . about 36 people were injured , at least two of them critically , officials said . early saturday , officials said about 250 homes had been damaged or destroyed . the woman who was killed , kori bryant , was at home with her daughter , olivia , when the tornado struck , said family member mark mcclure . another family member , who found the mother and daughter after the tornado , said attempts were made to resuscitate the infant , but she could n't be saved , according to mcclure . the baby was found in her car seat . her parents had put her in the seat , thinking it would be safer for her , mcclure said . the bryants were in the hallway with the baby when the tornado struck . the woman 's husband , john bryant , was found about two houses away , mcclure said . his back and ribs were broken , and a lung had collapsed . he was taken to vanderbilt university hospital , and he will undergo surgery when his blood pressure stabilizes , mcclure said . john 's brother told him yesterday that his wife and daughter had died , mcclure said . the bad weather began about noon when a band of severe thunderstorms swept across the state from the southwest , said donnie smith , a public information officer with the tennessee department of emergency management in nashville . just before 1:40 p.m. , the tornado hit murfreesboro in rutherford county , 30 miles southeast of nashville , he said . thirty-six people were treated for tornado-related injuries at middle tennessee medical center in murfreesboro , said hospital spokeswoman martha tolbert . the search-and-rescue effort was continuing into the evening , smith said . watch damage caused by tornado in murfreesboro » elsewhere in the region , the town of mena , arkansas , is cleaning up after a tornado roared through , killing three people and damaging or destroying more than 100 homes , an arkansas official said . the town looked like a war zone ' as soldiers from the arkansas national guard went house to house searching for victims of the twister that hit thursday night , said capt . christopher heathscott . about 50 soldiers also helped with security and food distribution . mena , population 6,000 , took a heavy hit on the west side of town , as the storm swept through downtown before heading up state highway 71 , said tommy jackson from the state department of emergency management . it looks like a war zone out here , ' said james reeves , also from the department . watch scenes of devastation in mena » the tornado damaged the county hospital , mena city hall , a middle school , churches , a library , the masonic lodge and the courthouse -- which houses the 911 emergency dispatch center and a detention center , reeves said . he said electricity and gas were out in the western half of the city . two plants at an industrial park were destroyed , said reporter charles crowson of cnn affiliate kthv-tv . he said utility crews were trying to stop a gas leak there . polk county sheriff grady judd told crowson the county detention center was uninhabitable . ' there were 18 inmates in the jail at the time of the tornado , and they were moved to neighboring jurisdictions , he said . ireport.com : are you there ? send photos , video cnn 's melissa roberts and dave alsup contributed to this report .
|
tornado hit mena , arkansas , on thursday ; 3 people confirmed dead
|
university of cincinnati <tsp> ( cnn ) -- what was , in retrospect , most heroic about neil alden armstrong , who died saturday at age 82 , was the manner in which he shied away from the spoils and trappings of heroism itself . being the first man on the moon , after all , would seem to place you on top of the world , providing a kind of lifetime pass to wherever you wanted to go -- and whatever you wanted to be . thinking of running for office ? name the district , state or country and it 's yours . maybe you 'd like to go into business . the line of people with dotted lines to sign stretches from here to infinity . and so do their wallets . show biz ? hmmm -- that 's a tough one . you and bob hope were n't exactly magic together on that uso tour . but , well , we can make something happen , right ? this is america , after all , and you are the greatest american hero ! armstrong 's one small step resonated for all mankind but armstrong , a native of wapakoneta , ohio , so steeped in flying that his idea of winding down was piloting gliders in his spare time , wanted exactly none of those options . having his choice of any possible future after leaving nasa in 1971 , he chose to go back to his home state and teach aerospace engineering at the university of cincinnati . it was an unusual , but , by then , hardly surprising move by the laconic commander of apollo 11 , the july 1969 mission that fulfilled president john f. kennedy 's mandate for an american lunar landing within a decade . before , during and after that epochal journey , armstrong came across as something of an enigma to global media anxious to make him the brightest star on earth . this was going to be tough . rather than having the jaunty wit of a wally schirra , the affable magnetism of a john glenn or the flinty swagger of a chuck yeager , neil armstrong came across as nothing more than the earnest , no-nonsense engineer he actually was . no artifice , no flash , no -- well , frankly , no star power to speak of . within the fraternity of test pilots , however , armstrong was among the brightest of stars . before being chosen in 1962 as one of the group ii ' astronauts -- which included apollo 13 commander james lovell along with such legends as frank borman , pete conrad and john young -- armstrong was one of the elite pilots selected to fly the x-15 rocket plane up to five times the speed of sound and toward the edge of space . remembering neil armstrong and that no-nonsense demeanor served armstrong well in his work . as command pilot of the march 1966 gemini 8 mission , the first in which one spacecraft docked with another vehicle in orbit , armstrong showed cool composure when a malfunctioning thruster caused his two-man spacecraft to tumble end over end . his decision-making may have prematurely ended the mission , but it saved his life , co-pilot david scott 's life , and possibly the whole american space program . and yet , all many people remembered about that flight was that its mishap pre-empted that night 's broadcast of cbs 's lost in space . ' armstrong 's seemingly casual reaction to peril left his nasa colleagues in awe when , in may 1968 , he picked exactly the right time to eject from a lunar landing simulator that had spun out of control . his only injury was a bitten tongue sustained after parachuting to safety . he was back at his office , working , that same afternoon . few of these facts were widely known by the public when armstrong , along with buzz aldrin and michael collins , was picked for the lunar landing mission . all people knew about the astronaut who would turn out to be the first man on the moon was what they saw . and what they saw mystified them . in press conferences and interviews before the apollo 11 flight , armstrong spoke mostly in clipped , dry sentences , almost as if he were transmitting radio messages from a distance while still on earth . norman mailer , assigned by life magazine to cover the flight , found him in press conferences to be extraordinarily remote ... apparently in communion with some string in the universe others did not think to unravel . ' even those famous first words upon stepping off the lunar module -- that 's one small step for man . one giant leap for mankind . ' -- resounded to a waiting world as tentative , fragmented ; almost as if they had to be pulled from armstrong after a struggle . yet over the span of 40-plus years , those eleven words have achieved iconic stature in no small way because of the unassuming manner in which they were uttered . armstrong taught at cincinnati for eight years before leaving in 1979 , characteristically without explanation . he was hardly a recluse afterward , though he maintained a relatively low profile ; lower , anyway , than you 'd expect for the first man on the moon . he sat on boards of banks and corporations and served on various commissions , including the one investigating the 1986 challenger disaster . ( that panel included another space pioneer , sally ride , who died little more than a month ago . ) obituaries 2012 : the lives they 've lived he was cautious about giving interviews and autographs , hawkish about the use of his name and of anything related to his apollo 11 mission . while his fellow apollo 11 moon-walker , buzz aldrin , seemed up for anything from dancing with the stars ' to transformers 3 ' ( and he 's been a wry and inspirational figure to have on the scene ) , armstrong kept his distance from the media circus beyond authorizing a biography , first man : the life of neil a. armstrong , ' in 2005 . if he raised his voice in public at all , it had only to do with space exploration and his growing sorrow over america 's gradual withdrawal from taking the initiative in manned flight . still , by his ninth decade on planet earth , armstrong seemed to be more relaxed in public and generally more visible than he used to be . if anything , his time hugging the corners of fame made him seem even more admirable as a man who refused to sell himself or his legacy out , no matter what temptations were available in a celebrity-crazed culture . for one spellbinding week 43 summers ago , neil armstrong did something that once seemed unimaginable . since then , he lived his life in a way that now seems improbable . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of gene seymour .
|
after leaving nasa , he taught aerospace engineering at the university of cincinnati
|
google <tsp> this city 's anti-tech backlash took a new turn sunday when protesters lashed out at google ventures partner kevin rose , waving banners outside his home while demanding that google fund anti-capitalist ' communities in the bay area . claiming to represent service workers , the protesters handed out fliers in the city 's potrero hill neighborhood that called rose a parasite ' and blamed him for helping fuel the tech startup bubble that is destroying san francisco . ' the episode was the latest in a wave of anti-tech-industry protests that have been picking up steam in this city over the past year . protesters complain an influx of highly paid tech workers is driving up rents , forcing out longtime residents and robbing the city of its famously eccentric character . most of the anti-tech fervor has focused on big-name companies such as google and twitter and the private bus systems that ferry their employees from the city to various corporate headquarters in silicon valley . it 's rarer for the protests to target specific people , although in january an unidentified group protested at the berkeley home of a google engineer best known for helping develop the company 's self-driving car . the 37-year-old rose is probably best known as the co-founder of digg , the news aggregation site he helped launch in 2004 . after rose 's last startup was acquired by google , he went to work at google ventures , where he helps decide which startups the company 's venture-capital arm will invest in . the protesters claim such funding encourages too many young , wealthy entrepreneurs to move to the bay area . rose met the protesters head-on by posting an image of their flier to instagram and twitter . in a tweet sunday he noted as odd ' their use of google products , such as android phones and youtube , to tape and share videos of the protests . but he also said he agreed with the protesters in part . we need to solve rising rents , keep the sf culture , and crack down on landlords booting folks out , ' rose tweeted . sf is such a great place , definitely need to figure out a way to keep the diversity . ' a local group called counterforce appears to have claimed responsibility for the protest , posting a lengthy screed about rose on a blog , kevinroseisaterribleperson.wordpress.com . the post demands that google give $ 3 billion to an anarchist organization so it can create autonomous , anti-capitalist , and anti-racist communities throughout the bay area and northern california . ' google has not yet publicly responded to the demand .
|
the group demanded $ 3 billion from google to set up anti-capitalist ' communities
|
google <tsp> this city 's anti-tech backlash took a new turn sunday when protesters lashed out at google ventures partner kevin rose , waving banners outside his home while demanding that google fund anti-capitalist ' communities in the bay area . claiming to represent service workers , the protesters handed out fliers in the city 's potrero hill neighborhood that called rose a parasite ' and blamed him for helping fuel the tech startup bubble that is destroying san francisco . ' the episode was the latest in a wave of anti-tech-industry protests that have been picking up steam in this city over the past year . protesters complain an influx of highly paid tech workers is driving up rents , forcing out longtime residents and robbing the city of its famously eccentric character . most of the anti-tech fervor has focused on big-name companies such as google and twitter and the private bus systems that ferry their employees from the city to various corporate headquarters in silicon valley . it 's rarer for the protests to target specific people , although in january an unidentified group protested at the berkeley home of a google engineer best known for helping develop the company 's self-driving car . the 37-year-old rose is probably best known as the co-founder of digg , the news aggregation site he helped launch in 2004 . after rose 's last startup was acquired by google , he went to work at google ventures , where he helps decide which startups the company 's venture-capital arm will invest in . the protesters claim such funding encourages too many young , wealthy entrepreneurs to move to the bay area . rose met the protesters head-on by posting an image of their flier to instagram and twitter . in a tweet sunday he noted as odd ' their use of google products , such as android phones and youtube , to tape and share videos of the protests . but he also said he agreed with the protesters in part . we need to solve rising rents , keep the sf culture , and crack down on landlords booting folks out , ' rose tweeted . sf is such a great place , definitely need to figure out a way to keep the diversity . ' a local group called counterforce appears to have claimed responsibility for the protest , posting a lengthy screed about rose on a blog , kevinroseisaterribleperson.wordpress.com . the post demands that google give $ 3 billion to an anarchist organization so it can create autonomous , anti-capitalist , and anti-racist communities throughout the bay area and northern california . ' google has not yet publicly responded to the demand .
|
rose co-founded digg , the news-aggregation site , before going to google
|
google <tsp> this city 's anti-tech backlash took a new turn sunday when protesters lashed out at google ventures partner kevin rose , waving banners outside his home while demanding that google fund anti-capitalist ' communities in the bay area . claiming to represent service workers , the protesters handed out fliers in the city 's potrero hill neighborhood that called rose a parasite ' and blamed him for helping fuel the tech startup bubble that is destroying san francisco . ' the episode was the latest in a wave of anti-tech-industry protests that have been picking up steam in this city over the past year . protesters complain an influx of highly paid tech workers is driving up rents , forcing out longtime residents and robbing the city of its famously eccentric character . most of the anti-tech fervor has focused on big-name companies such as google and twitter and the private bus systems that ferry their employees from the city to various corporate headquarters in silicon valley . it 's rarer for the protests to target specific people , although in january an unidentified group protested at the berkeley home of a google engineer best known for helping develop the company 's self-driving car . the 37-year-old rose is probably best known as the co-founder of digg , the news aggregation site he helped launch in 2004 . after rose 's last startup was acquired by google , he went to work at google ventures , where he helps decide which startups the company 's venture-capital arm will invest in . the protesters claim such funding encourages too many young , wealthy entrepreneurs to move to the bay area . rose met the protesters head-on by posting an image of their flier to instagram and twitter . in a tweet sunday he noted as odd ' their use of google products , such as android phones and youtube , to tape and share videos of the protests . but he also said he agreed with the protesters in part . we need to solve rising rents , keep the sf culture , and crack down on landlords booting folks out , ' rose tweeted . sf is such a great place , definitely need to figure out a way to keep the diversity . ' a local group called counterforce appears to have claimed responsibility for the protest , posting a lengthy screed about rose on a blog , kevinroseisaterribleperson.wordpress.com . the post demands that google give $ 3 billion to an anarchist organization so it can create autonomous , anti-capitalist , and anti-racist communities throughout the bay area and northern california . ' google has not yet publicly responded to the demand .
|
protesters targeted google ventures exec kevin rose 's home sunday
|
andy warhol <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the fate of the country for the next four years could be decided by whichever republican presidential contender comes out on top this super tuesday . a big deal ? perhaps . but for travelers interested in all things presidential , the real race is for the next presidential birthplace . will the winner once again be hawaii , which won the crown when voters chose president barack obama in 2008 ? or will it be virginia , the holder of the record for most presidential birthplaces ? or could it be pennsylvania or michigan , both swing states in presidential politics with many apolitical delights to entertain the traveler ? to avoid any accusation of preference toward one birthplace over another , we list the states in reverse alphabetical order . the mother of all presidential birthplaces while not commenting on current presidential politics , virginia tourism corp. 's tamra talmadge-anderson did cite virginia 's record of birthing eight u.s. presidents , more than any other state . we also are home to more presidential homes -- mount vernon , monticello , montpelier -- and sites than any other state , ' she said . if elected president , rick santorum would bestow the honor of presidential birthplace to winchester , virginia , nestled in the shenandoah valley . just an hour outside washington , winchester plays host to many george washington and civil war enthusiasts and explorers of the blue ridge mountains and the shenandoah valley . many visitors enjoy the elegant george washington hotel in downtown winchester . for a break from political history , head to the patsy cline historic house , where the country singer lived from ages 16 to 25 . pennsylvania doubles its chances although newt gingrich and ron paul are both trailing in the national polls , they still give pennsylvania two chances to win the honor of next presidential birthplace . gingrich was born in the state capital of harrisburg and paul in green tree , a suburb of pittsburgh . history buffs can head to harrisburg to visit the national civil war museum , which claims to fairly portray both union and confederate history . the museum houses 24,000 artifacts and other civil war items . for a snack with your dose of history , visit the broad street market . dating back to 1860 , it 's the oldest continuously operated market house in the country , with vendors selling organic and local produce , baked goods , ready-to-eat meals and more . pittsburgh is host to some impressive museum collections . the frick art & historical center features pittsburgh 's gilded age , courtesy of helen clay frick , daughter of henry clay frick , one of america 's greatest industrialists and art collectors . the museum of pittsburgh native andy warhol has more than 8,000 of the artist 's works . nearby meadowcroft rockshelter , a national historic landmark , is the oldest site of human habitation on the north american continent . tours of rockshelter , featuring the 16,000-year-old rock overhang used by our ancestors for shelter , start again for schools in april and for the general public in may . the motor city and beyond although mitt romney served as governor of massachusetts , he was born in detroit and raised in bloomfield hills , the son of auto executive and former michigan gov . george romney . while it has undergone a radical reconstruction as the nation 's economic woes gripped detroit in particular , there is still much to enjoy in the motor city . head to the motown historical museum for a tour of motown 's contributions to american music . for more of romney 's childhood , head to bloomfield hills , home to the only mormon temple in the state . the wealthy suburb is also home to the cranbrook art museum , home to the renowned arts academy . the museum 's grand re-opening show is on display through march 25 . the site also includes saarinen house , the home and studio of the noted finnish-american designer and art academy president eliel saarinen . ( the house reopens for tours on may 3 . ) head to the henry ford museum in dearborn to explore michigan 's automotive culture , where presidential limousines get their own exhibition . ( not limited to automobiles , ford also has an exhibition on early aviators and the architecture of r. buckminster fuller . head over to zingerman 's in ann arbor , where people happily indulge in the famous deli 's corned beef sandwich and other edibles . presidential hawaii hawaii was a popular tourist destination before president obama drew even more attention to the 50th state because of his birth on august 4 , 1961 , at the kapiolani hospital for women & children in the city of honolulu on the island of oahu . now there 's an obama 's hawaii ' section of the state tourism website . after four years in indonesia , obama returned to hawaii at age 10 to live with his grandparents , attending the punahou school and playing on the state championship basketball team . for people who want to trace his childhood steps , he lived in the neighborhood of makiki , worked at a local baskin-robbins ice cream and swam at sandy beach on the eastern tip of oahu . the state continues to benefit from the attention president obama and the first family bring when they return to hawaii for family visits . the windward side of oahu becomes the focus , the town of kailua , as well as some of his regular stops : the golf courses and alan wong 's restaurant , ' says john monahan , president and ceo of the hawaii visitors and convention bureau . if there 's one thing the president has done during his visits is bring further awareness to other parts of oahu , beyond the famous resort area of waikiki , to smaller towns , unique eats like shave ice , and family places like sea life park , honolulu zoo and others . ' cnn 's anika chin contributed to this story .
|
explore civil war history and andy warhol in pennsylvania
|
swiss <tsp> ( cnn ) -- south korea 's lee jung-su confirmed his reputation as the top men 's short-track speedskater at the 2010 winter olympics with his second gold medal on saturday night , while american apolo anton ohno snatched a place in the history books with a last-gasp bronze . that thrilling 1,000-meter final capped an action-packed ninth day of the vancouver games , as swiss ski-jumper simon ammann made history with his second gold medal and americans lindsey vonn and shani davis missed out on double titles in skiing and speedskating . the u.s. still ended the day with a table-topping six gold medals , having failed to add to their tally , with norway on five and south korea joining germany , canada and switzerland on four . lee jung-su followed up his victory from the 1,500m event in an olympic record time of one minute 23.747 seconds , with his compatriot lee ho-suk winning silver in 1:23.801 to earn some consolation after being disqualified for causing a crash on the final lap of the longer race . ohno ( 1:24.128 ) denied hosts canada a medal when he surged past world record-holder charles hamelin ( 1:24.329 ) on the final lap to become the most decorated american winter olympian with a record-breaking seventh medal . the 27-year-old overhauled bonnie blair as his country 's top medal winner , having won silver in the 1,500m . hamelin 's brother francois finished last in the five-man final . ski-jumping ammann became the first ski-jumper to win four individual gold medals at winter olympics when he leaped to victory in the large hill event at whistler to follow up his normal hill title and match his feat at salt lake city in 2002 . it was also the first time any ski-jumper has won both events twice , and made him switzerland 's most-decorated athlete in any olympics , winter or summer . the 28-year-old , dubbed the harry potter of ski-jumping ' after his 2002 heroics due to his likeness to j.k. rowling 's boy wizard , smashed the olympic record of 141 meters when he set a distance of 144m in his first round in the afternoon for a points total of 144.7 . he then cleared 138m in the final round for a tally of 283.6 as he headed off normal hill silver medallist adam malyz of poland by 15.3 points . austria 's gregor schlierenzauer picked up his second bronze medal to ensure the podium remained unchanged from last saturday 's event , finishing on 262.2 points . alpine skiing andrea fischbacher denied downhill champion lindsey vonn a double in women 's alpine skiing speed events when she claimed a surprise victory in the super-g . the 24-year-old fischbacher won austria 's second gold medal at the vancouver games after beating vonn 's time , with slovenia 's tina maze then pushing the american into the bronze position . vonn , who crashed out super-combined , had gone top in the event -- which features gates spaced further apart than the giant slalom and slalom disciplines -- with a time of one minute 20.88 seconds . but fischbacher trumped that in convincing style with a sizzling 1:20.14 and maze then claimed her first olympic medal with 1:20.63 . fischbacher had previously won only one world cup event , a super-g two years ago . i was just thinking if i make a really good run and do my best i can beat her [ vonn ] , ' she told reporters . everything was perfect and i skied really fast . it was a dream . ' vonn , the super-g world cup champion for the past two seasons , indicated that she had been guilty of not going full-tilt for the entire run . i really attacked . i skied all those difficult sections really well . after i got passed those sections i kind of eased off the gas pedal , ' she said . speedskating the 27-year-old davis , who became the first man to defend the 1,000-meter title on wednesday , had to again settle for silver in the 1,500m event on saturday as the u.s. team failed to add to a leading tally of six gold medals in 2010 . dutchman mark tuitert , who was fifth in the shorter event , claimed a shock gold as he set the fastest time of 1:45.57 to earn his first individual medal of any kind since winning silver in the 1,500m at the 2004 and 2005 world championships . davis , the turin 2006 runner-up , was 0.53 seconds adrift while norway 's long-distance specialist havard bokko took the bronze . china 's zhou yang claimed the women 's 1,500-meter short-track gold medal after setting an olympic record time in the final . zhou clocked 2:16.993 to comfortably head off south koreans lee eun-byul and park seung-hi in second and third respectively . cross-country skiing marcus hellner gave sweden a second gold medal in the cross-country skiing program , and third overall , winning the men 's 30-kilometer pursuit title to follow up compatriot charlotte kalla 's triumph in the ladies'10 km free event on monday . the 24-year-old 's time of one hour 15 minutes 11.4 seconds put him just 2.1 seconds ahead of germany 's tobias angerer , who was also runner-up at the 2007 world championships . johan olsson claimed a bronze for sweden to add to his relay third-placing at the 2006 turin games , finishing 2.8 seconds behind hellner . ice hockey switzerland defeated norway 5-4 in overtime to move into third place in group a of the men 's ice hockey competition . romano lemm scored nearly two-and-half-minutes into extra time to leave norway bottom with three defeats from three despite a hat-trick on saturday from tore vikingstad . first-placed united states will take on second-placed canada on sunday to decide the group , with the winner receiving a bye into the quarterfinal stage . in the women 's competition , switzerland crushed china 6-0 as stefanie marty scored four goals .
|
swiss ski-jumper simon ammann claims his second gold medal of vancouver games
|
vine <tsp> perhaps it was a foregone conclusion , what with the internet 's proven ability to turn any new technology into a platform for showing naked people . but twitter 's new video-sharing app , vine , is under scrutiny after early adopters started using it to flash six-second porn clips to the app 's users and to the larger twitter community . it 's an issue that has twitter scrambling to appease concerns . and it 's raising questions about how apple , the only place where smartphone users can download the app , will respond after recently banning other apps that provide access to sexual content . the issue gained attention monday when vine users noticed a video of what was described as hard-core pornography showcased in the prominent editor 's picks section of the mobile app . users took to the comment section of that video to complain . twitter apologized monday , saying it was a mistake . a human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in editor 's picks , and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately , ' the company said in a statement sent to cnn . we apologize to our users for the error . ' released thursday , vine is a twitter-owned app that lets users create and share videos lasting up to six seconds . as with photo-sharing app instagram , vine users can follow other people , whose posted videos show up in a feed on their phones or can be shared on twitter and facebook . the app is available only for the iphone , ipad and ipod touch . vine 's apple-only status raises interesting questions . just last week , apple banned image-sharing app 500px from its app store because it could give users access to sexual content . the 500px app features artistically rendered nudes among lots of other photos , but so do other apps with user-generated content , such as tumblr , which remain available on apple 's ios mobile system . the vine app is rated 12+ on itunes for infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity , ' among other reasons , meaning it 's deemed appropriate for users 12 or older . as of monday , it was the fifth most popular free app in the app store . apple did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story . vine had been listed on apple 's own editor 's choice list as early as monday morning , but appeared to have been removed by monday afternoon . apple observers monday were noting the strange position the company finds itself in . apple has famously kept tight reins on what appears in its app store and on its mobile operating system in general . the late ceo steve jobs famously argued that control on the front end delivers a user experience free from porn , spam and other digital unpleasantness . but as the digital web grows and evolves , it 's becoming tougher to parse the blurry line between apps that promote adult content ( and which are turned down or banned by apple as a matter of course ) and those which simply provide access to such fare . what , for example , is the distinction between the banned 500px app and the app for tumblr , the blogging platform which , among its millions of blogs , includes many that host explicit sexual content ? from the start , apple has said they 'd get the app store wrong , and come across things they did n't anticipate , but that they 'd learn and grow , ' said rene richie , editor of apple-centric blog imore , in a post monday . this particular problem has been around for years , but as social sharing has become easier , it 's come to the surface again . ' interestingly , it was just a little less than a year ago that apple banned viddy , a video-sharing app that has been compared to vine , because it gave access to user-generated adult videos . the viddy app was eventually returned to the app store . on twitter 's end , the anything-goes aspect of vine jibes with the site 's overall philosophy . compared to facebook , which believes social sharing is best when tied to a user 's true identity and real-world networks , twitter allows its users to register under fake names and has fought governments and law-enforcement agencies seeking user information . as such , twitter has taken a more hands-off approach on adult content . it 's not hard to hunt down hashtags its users are employing to share adult content on a daily basis . ( # twitterafterdark becomes a trending topic on the site nearly every day -- clicker beware ) . by contrast , searching for several suggestive hashtags ( such as # naked or # porn ) on instagram , the popular photo-sharing app bought by facebook last year , render no results . because instagram is an apple-like closed environment , sexually explicit images are difficult , if not impossible , to find there . by monday afternoon , hours after vine had apologized and deleted the porn video from its editors picks , what uproar there was online was subsiding . as some observers noted , vine is n't otherwise experiencing anything new in the tech world . as virtually every new video or photo-sharing service has shown us since the dawn of the internet , from flickr to chatroulette , it 's very difficult to keep these sites or apps g-rated . so the companies either learn how to police it well , like flickr does , or they wither and die , as chatroulette did , ' wrote the atlantic wire 's adam clark estes in a post titled vine has a porn problem because , of course it does . ' in a statement to cnn , twitter noted what had already become apparent on the app -- that users can report videos they deem inappropriate . videos that have been reported as inappropriate have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the video , ' a spokesperson said in the statement . reported videos that are determined to violate vine guidelines will be removed from the site and the user account that posted them may be terminated , according to the statement . vine 's terms of service ban illegal activity , harassment or abuse and behavior such as impersonating another user or violating trademark and copyright .
|
vine is only available from apple , which has banned other apps over sexual content
|
vine <tsp> perhaps it was a foregone conclusion , what with the internet 's proven ability to turn any new technology into a platform for showing naked people . but twitter 's new video-sharing app , vine , is under scrutiny after early adopters started using it to flash six-second porn clips to the app 's users and to the larger twitter community . it 's an issue that has twitter scrambling to appease concerns . and it 's raising questions about how apple , the only place where smartphone users can download the app , will respond after recently banning other apps that provide access to sexual content . the issue gained attention monday when vine users noticed a video of what was described as hard-core pornography showcased in the prominent editor 's picks section of the mobile app . users took to the comment section of that video to complain . twitter apologized monday , saying it was a mistake . a human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in editor 's picks , and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately , ' the company said in a statement sent to cnn . we apologize to our users for the error . ' released thursday , vine is a twitter-owned app that lets users create and share videos lasting up to six seconds . as with photo-sharing app instagram , vine users can follow other people , whose posted videos show up in a feed on their phones or can be shared on twitter and facebook . the app is available only for the iphone , ipad and ipod touch . vine 's apple-only status raises interesting questions . just last week , apple banned image-sharing app 500px from its app store because it could give users access to sexual content . the 500px app features artistically rendered nudes among lots of other photos , but so do other apps with user-generated content , such as tumblr , which remain available on apple 's ios mobile system . the vine app is rated 12+ on itunes for infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity , ' among other reasons , meaning it 's deemed appropriate for users 12 or older . as of monday , it was the fifth most popular free app in the app store . apple did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story . vine had been listed on apple 's own editor 's choice list as early as monday morning , but appeared to have been removed by monday afternoon . apple observers monday were noting the strange position the company finds itself in . apple has famously kept tight reins on what appears in its app store and on its mobile operating system in general . the late ceo steve jobs famously argued that control on the front end delivers a user experience free from porn , spam and other digital unpleasantness . but as the digital web grows and evolves , it 's becoming tougher to parse the blurry line between apps that promote adult content ( and which are turned down or banned by apple as a matter of course ) and those which simply provide access to such fare . what , for example , is the distinction between the banned 500px app and the app for tumblr , the blogging platform which , among its millions of blogs , includes many that host explicit sexual content ? from the start , apple has said they 'd get the app store wrong , and come across things they did n't anticipate , but that they 'd learn and grow , ' said rene richie , editor of apple-centric blog imore , in a post monday . this particular problem has been around for years , but as social sharing has become easier , it 's come to the surface again . ' interestingly , it was just a little less than a year ago that apple banned viddy , a video-sharing app that has been compared to vine , because it gave access to user-generated adult videos . the viddy app was eventually returned to the app store . on twitter 's end , the anything-goes aspect of vine jibes with the site 's overall philosophy . compared to facebook , which believes social sharing is best when tied to a user 's true identity and real-world networks , twitter allows its users to register under fake names and has fought governments and law-enforcement agencies seeking user information . as such , twitter has taken a more hands-off approach on adult content . it 's not hard to hunt down hashtags its users are employing to share adult content on a daily basis . ( # twitterafterdark becomes a trending topic on the site nearly every day -- clicker beware ) . by contrast , searching for several suggestive hashtags ( such as # naked or # porn ) on instagram , the popular photo-sharing app bought by facebook last year , render no results . because instagram is an apple-like closed environment , sexually explicit images are difficult , if not impossible , to find there . by monday afternoon , hours after vine had apologized and deleted the porn video from its editors picks , what uproar there was online was subsiding . as some observers noted , vine is n't otherwise experiencing anything new in the tech world . as virtually every new video or photo-sharing service has shown us since the dawn of the internet , from flickr to chatroulette , it 's very difficult to keep these sites or apps g-rated . so the companies either learn how to police it well , like flickr does , or they wither and die , as chatroulette did , ' wrote the atlantic wire 's adam clark estes in a post titled vine has a porn problem because , of course it does . ' in a statement to cnn , twitter noted what had already become apparent on the app -- that users can report videos they deem inappropriate . videos that have been reported as inappropriate have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the video , ' a spokesperson said in the statement . reported videos that are determined to violate vine guidelines will be removed from the site and the user account that posted them may be terminated , according to the statement . vine 's terms of service ban illegal activity , harassment or abuse and behavior such as impersonating another user or violating trademark and copyright .
|
vine lets users shoot and post six-second videos from their phones
|
vine <tsp> perhaps it was a foregone conclusion , what with the internet 's proven ability to turn any new technology into a platform for showing naked people . but twitter 's new video-sharing app , vine , is under scrutiny after early adopters started using it to flash six-second porn clips to the app 's users and to the larger twitter community . it 's an issue that has twitter scrambling to appease concerns . and it 's raising questions about how apple , the only place where smartphone users can download the app , will respond after recently banning other apps that provide access to sexual content . the issue gained attention monday when vine users noticed a video of what was described as hard-core pornography showcased in the prominent editor 's picks section of the mobile app . users took to the comment section of that video to complain . twitter apologized monday , saying it was a mistake . a human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in editor 's picks , and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately , ' the company said in a statement sent to cnn . we apologize to our users for the error . ' released thursday , vine is a twitter-owned app that lets users create and share videos lasting up to six seconds . as with photo-sharing app instagram , vine users can follow other people , whose posted videos show up in a feed on their phones or can be shared on twitter and facebook . the app is available only for the iphone , ipad and ipod touch . vine 's apple-only status raises interesting questions . just last week , apple banned image-sharing app 500px from its app store because it could give users access to sexual content . the 500px app features artistically rendered nudes among lots of other photos , but so do other apps with user-generated content , such as tumblr , which remain available on apple 's ios mobile system . the vine app is rated 12+ on itunes for infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity , ' among other reasons , meaning it 's deemed appropriate for users 12 or older . as of monday , it was the fifth most popular free app in the app store . apple did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story . vine had been listed on apple 's own editor 's choice list as early as monday morning , but appeared to have been removed by monday afternoon . apple observers monday were noting the strange position the company finds itself in . apple has famously kept tight reins on what appears in its app store and on its mobile operating system in general . the late ceo steve jobs famously argued that control on the front end delivers a user experience free from porn , spam and other digital unpleasantness . but as the digital web grows and evolves , it 's becoming tougher to parse the blurry line between apps that promote adult content ( and which are turned down or banned by apple as a matter of course ) and those which simply provide access to such fare . what , for example , is the distinction between the banned 500px app and the app for tumblr , the blogging platform which , among its millions of blogs , includes many that host explicit sexual content ? from the start , apple has said they 'd get the app store wrong , and come across things they did n't anticipate , but that they 'd learn and grow , ' said rene richie , editor of apple-centric blog imore , in a post monday . this particular problem has been around for years , but as social sharing has become easier , it 's come to the surface again . ' interestingly , it was just a little less than a year ago that apple banned viddy , a video-sharing app that has been compared to vine , because it gave access to user-generated adult videos . the viddy app was eventually returned to the app store . on twitter 's end , the anything-goes aspect of vine jibes with the site 's overall philosophy . compared to facebook , which believes social sharing is best when tied to a user 's true identity and real-world networks , twitter allows its users to register under fake names and has fought governments and law-enforcement agencies seeking user information . as such , twitter has taken a more hands-off approach on adult content . it 's not hard to hunt down hashtags its users are employing to share adult content on a daily basis . ( # twitterafterdark becomes a trending topic on the site nearly every day -- clicker beware ) . by contrast , searching for several suggestive hashtags ( such as # naked or # porn ) on instagram , the popular photo-sharing app bought by facebook last year , render no results . because instagram is an apple-like closed environment , sexually explicit images are difficult , if not impossible , to find there . by monday afternoon , hours after vine had apologized and deleted the porn video from its editors picks , what uproar there was online was subsiding . as some observers noted , vine is n't otherwise experiencing anything new in the tech world . as virtually every new video or photo-sharing service has shown us since the dawn of the internet , from flickr to chatroulette , it 's very difficult to keep these sites or apps g-rated . so the companies either learn how to police it well , like flickr does , or they wither and die , as chatroulette did , ' wrote the atlantic wire 's adam clark estes in a post titled vine has a porn problem because , of course it does . ' in a statement to cnn , twitter noted what had already become apparent on the app -- that users can report videos they deem inappropriate . videos that have been reported as inappropriate have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the video , ' a spokesperson said in the statement . reported videos that are determined to violate vine guidelines will be removed from the site and the user account that posted them may be terminated , according to the statement . vine 's terms of service ban illegal activity , harassment or abuse and behavior such as impersonating another user or violating trademark and copyright .
|
an error led to a porn video being listed as an editor 's pick in twitter 's new vine app
|
twitter <tsp> perhaps it was a foregone conclusion , what with the internet 's proven ability to turn any new technology into a platform for showing naked people . but twitter 's new video-sharing app , vine , is under scrutiny after early adopters started using it to flash six-second porn clips to the app 's users and to the larger twitter community . it 's an issue that has twitter scrambling to appease concerns . and it 's raising questions about how apple , the only place where smartphone users can download the app , will respond after recently banning other apps that provide access to sexual content . the issue gained attention monday when vine users noticed a video of what was described as hard-core pornography showcased in the prominent editor 's picks section of the mobile app . users took to the comment section of that video to complain . twitter apologized monday , saying it was a mistake . a human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in editor 's picks , and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately , ' the company said in a statement sent to cnn . we apologize to our users for the error . ' released thursday , vine is a twitter-owned app that lets users create and share videos lasting up to six seconds . as with photo-sharing app instagram , vine users can follow other people , whose posted videos show up in a feed on their phones or can be shared on twitter and facebook . the app is available only for the iphone , ipad and ipod touch . vine 's apple-only status raises interesting questions . just last week , apple banned image-sharing app 500px from its app store because it could give users access to sexual content . the 500px app features artistically rendered nudes among lots of other photos , but so do other apps with user-generated content , such as tumblr , which remain available on apple 's ios mobile system . the vine app is rated 12+ on itunes for infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity , ' among other reasons , meaning it 's deemed appropriate for users 12 or older . as of monday , it was the fifth most popular free app in the app store . apple did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story . vine had been listed on apple 's own editor 's choice list as early as monday morning , but appeared to have been removed by monday afternoon . apple observers monday were noting the strange position the company finds itself in . apple has famously kept tight reins on what appears in its app store and on its mobile operating system in general . the late ceo steve jobs famously argued that control on the front end delivers a user experience free from porn , spam and other digital unpleasantness . but as the digital web grows and evolves , it 's becoming tougher to parse the blurry line between apps that promote adult content ( and which are turned down or banned by apple as a matter of course ) and those which simply provide access to such fare . what , for example , is the distinction between the banned 500px app and the app for tumblr , the blogging platform which , among its millions of blogs , includes many that host explicit sexual content ? from the start , apple has said they 'd get the app store wrong , and come across things they did n't anticipate , but that they 'd learn and grow , ' said rene richie , editor of apple-centric blog imore , in a post monday . this particular problem has been around for years , but as social sharing has become easier , it 's come to the surface again . ' interestingly , it was just a little less than a year ago that apple banned viddy , a video-sharing app that has been compared to vine , because it gave access to user-generated adult videos . the viddy app was eventually returned to the app store . on twitter 's end , the anything-goes aspect of vine jibes with the site 's overall philosophy . compared to facebook , which believes social sharing is best when tied to a user 's true identity and real-world networks , twitter allows its users to register under fake names and has fought governments and law-enforcement agencies seeking user information . as such , twitter has taken a more hands-off approach on adult content . it 's not hard to hunt down hashtags its users are employing to share adult content on a daily basis . ( # twitterafterdark becomes a trending topic on the site nearly every day -- clicker beware ) . by contrast , searching for several suggestive hashtags ( such as # naked or # porn ) on instagram , the popular photo-sharing app bought by facebook last year , render no results . because instagram is an apple-like closed environment , sexually explicit images are difficult , if not impossible , to find there . by monday afternoon , hours after vine had apologized and deleted the porn video from its editors picks , what uproar there was online was subsiding . as some observers noted , vine is n't otherwise experiencing anything new in the tech world . as virtually every new video or photo-sharing service has shown us since the dawn of the internet , from flickr to chatroulette , it 's very difficult to keep these sites or apps g-rated . so the companies either learn how to police it well , like flickr does , or they wither and die , as chatroulette did , ' wrote the atlantic wire 's adam clark estes in a post titled vine has a porn problem because , of course it does . ' in a statement to cnn , twitter noted what had already become apparent on the app -- that users can report videos they deem inappropriate . videos that have been reported as inappropriate have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the video , ' a spokesperson said in the statement . reported videos that are determined to violate vine guidelines will be removed from the site and the user account that posted them may be terminated , according to the statement . vine 's terms of service ban illegal activity , harassment or abuse and behavior such as impersonating another user or violating trademark and copyright .
|
twitter lets users flag offensive content , which gives other users a heads-up
|
twitter <tsp> perhaps it was a foregone conclusion , what with the internet 's proven ability to turn any new technology into a platform for showing naked people . but twitter 's new video-sharing app , vine , is under scrutiny after early adopters started using it to flash six-second porn clips to the app 's users and to the larger twitter community . it 's an issue that has twitter scrambling to appease concerns . and it 's raising questions about how apple , the only place where smartphone users can download the app , will respond after recently banning other apps that provide access to sexual content . the issue gained attention monday when vine users noticed a video of what was described as hard-core pornography showcased in the prominent editor 's picks section of the mobile app . users took to the comment section of that video to complain . twitter apologized monday , saying it was a mistake . a human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in editor 's picks , and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately , ' the company said in a statement sent to cnn . we apologize to our users for the error . ' released thursday , vine is a twitter-owned app that lets users create and share videos lasting up to six seconds . as with photo-sharing app instagram , vine users can follow other people , whose posted videos show up in a feed on their phones or can be shared on twitter and facebook . the app is available only for the iphone , ipad and ipod touch . vine 's apple-only status raises interesting questions . just last week , apple banned image-sharing app 500px from its app store because it could give users access to sexual content . the 500px app features artistically rendered nudes among lots of other photos , but so do other apps with user-generated content , such as tumblr , which remain available on apple 's ios mobile system . the vine app is rated 12+ on itunes for infrequent/mild sexual content or nudity , ' among other reasons , meaning it 's deemed appropriate for users 12 or older . as of monday , it was the fifth most popular free app in the app store . apple did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment for this story . vine had been listed on apple 's own editor 's choice list as early as monday morning , but appeared to have been removed by monday afternoon . apple observers monday were noting the strange position the company finds itself in . apple has famously kept tight reins on what appears in its app store and on its mobile operating system in general . the late ceo steve jobs famously argued that control on the front end delivers a user experience free from porn , spam and other digital unpleasantness . but as the digital web grows and evolves , it 's becoming tougher to parse the blurry line between apps that promote adult content ( and which are turned down or banned by apple as a matter of course ) and those which simply provide access to such fare . what , for example , is the distinction between the banned 500px app and the app for tumblr , the blogging platform which , among its millions of blogs , includes many that host explicit sexual content ? from the start , apple has said they 'd get the app store wrong , and come across things they did n't anticipate , but that they 'd learn and grow , ' said rene richie , editor of apple-centric blog imore , in a post monday . this particular problem has been around for years , but as social sharing has become easier , it 's come to the surface again . ' interestingly , it was just a little less than a year ago that apple banned viddy , a video-sharing app that has been compared to vine , because it gave access to user-generated adult videos . the viddy app was eventually returned to the app store . on twitter 's end , the anything-goes aspect of vine jibes with the site 's overall philosophy . compared to facebook , which believes social sharing is best when tied to a user 's true identity and real-world networks , twitter allows its users to register under fake names and has fought governments and law-enforcement agencies seeking user information . as such , twitter has taken a more hands-off approach on adult content . it 's not hard to hunt down hashtags its users are employing to share adult content on a daily basis . ( # twitterafterdark becomes a trending topic on the site nearly every day -- clicker beware ) . by contrast , searching for several suggestive hashtags ( such as # naked or # porn ) on instagram , the popular photo-sharing app bought by facebook last year , render no results . because instagram is an apple-like closed environment , sexually explicit images are difficult , if not impossible , to find there . by monday afternoon , hours after vine had apologized and deleted the porn video from its editors picks , what uproar there was online was subsiding . as some observers noted , vine is n't otherwise experiencing anything new in the tech world . as virtually every new video or photo-sharing service has shown us since the dawn of the internet , from flickr to chatroulette , it 's very difficult to keep these sites or apps g-rated . so the companies either learn how to police it well , like flickr does , or they wither and die , as chatroulette did , ' wrote the atlantic wire 's adam clark estes in a post titled vine has a porn problem because , of course it does . ' in a statement to cnn , twitter noted what had already become apparent on the app -- that users can report videos they deem inappropriate . videos that have been reported as inappropriate have a warning message that a viewer must click through before viewing the video , ' a spokesperson said in the statement . reported videos that are determined to violate vine guidelines will be removed from the site and the user account that posted them may be terminated , according to the statement . vine 's terms of service ban illegal activity , harassment or abuse and behavior such as impersonating another user or violating trademark and copyright .
|
an error led to a porn video being listed as an editor 's pick in twitter 's new vine app
|
cat castellanos <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if there was a predominant reaction to this voter 's indecision , shared in young , female and undecided ' on cnn two weeks ago , it was incredulity . the candidates have spent billions , ' i was told . their tv ads have replaced normal programming . this campaign has been longer than a life sentence . how can you still be undecided ? ' to clarify , my indecision did not stem from an unrequited love for either candidate . i just could not bring myself to support either of these guys . a vote for obama makes me a crazy , government-expanding liberal . i vote for romney and i 'm a crazy , masochistic female . the truth is that voting for a candidate does n't mean you stand united on every issue . this is not build-a-bear . i can not create my own candidate , taking the best features from each then add a glowing heart and a soft , plush , huggable exterior . nevertheless , i have made a choice . i 'm young , female and decided . drumroll , please ... i 'm voting for mitt romney . well , duh , your dad 's a republican strategist . ' my father alex castellanos'affiliation has not affected my decision . although i respect his suggestions , ' my choices are my own , as even he would tell you . what has resolved this contest for me ? was it the cantankerous candidates in the last debate , fighting to fight for the safety of our great nation ? no . personally , i found the last debate tremendously boring , except for president obama 's bayonets ' comment . ultimately , my decision came down to this : i could not rehire bobby valentine . valentine , manager of the boston red sox this past year , was fired after a horrible season . his team 's poor record was n't entirely bobby 's fault . in fact , red sox general manager ben cherington said , bobby was dealt a difficult hand . ' no doubt valentine inherited a lot of problems . but looking ahead , there was no reason for sox fans to hope that next season valentine would lead his team differently or deliver a better record . obama inherited a lot of problems , too . in his defense , our expectations for hope and change were too high . unless he midas-touched his way through the white house , obama was destined to disappoint us . but manager obama has not achieved the goals he led us to believe he would . he has not turned his team around . you do n't keep a failing manager when there is an acceptable alternative . it 's time for a replacement . i am hoping , praying , that should he be elected , romney 's experience will lead to a positive shift in the economy and an increase in job creation . i still disagree with the governor on women 's rights . should he become president , i 'm going to rely on the power of the american people to protect women from those who would set the clock back . the cujo-like , growling tv ads attacking romney on women 's rights are cut and choreographed to make him seem appalling . romney might not have closed the gender-gap entirely , but at least some women suspect those ads are unrealistic , more bark than bite . an ad in which romney says , i would overturn roe v. wade ' does not include what follows , the governor stating , but that 's not where we are . that 's not where america is today . ' if romney is elected , abortion is not going to become illegal . we will not have a government official holding our hands during our annual doctor 's visit . similarly , i know romney is against same-sex marriage . one day , i expect to tell my own children there was a time where gay people could not get married , just like my parents told me of a time i could not understand , when african-americans were not presidents but confined to the back of the bus . some of the progress we 've made and injustices we 've overcome will not be reversed , no matter who is president . that 's not where america is today . ' romney wo n't be able to change everything . but what if he could change the economy ? you can stick with what 's barely working or take a chance with [ romney ] , ' said jay pharaoh , imitating the president on snl . ' we 've had a losing streak , so i 'm taking a chance . because four years from now , if president obama is finishing his last months in office and we 're deeper in debt , still praying for a winning jobs report , i 'll know i got just what i expected . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of cat castellanos .
|
cat castellanos had been torn over which candidate to support
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if there was a predominant reaction to this voter 's indecision , shared in young , female and undecided ' on cnn two weeks ago , it was incredulity . the candidates have spent billions , ' i was told . their tv ads have replaced normal programming . this campaign has been longer than a life sentence . how can you still be undecided ? ' to clarify , my indecision did not stem from an unrequited love for either candidate . i just could not bring myself to support either of these guys . a vote for obama makes me a crazy , government-expanding liberal . i vote for romney and i 'm a crazy , masochistic female . the truth is that voting for a candidate does n't mean you stand united on every issue . this is not build-a-bear . i can not create my own candidate , taking the best features from each then add a glowing heart and a soft , plush , huggable exterior . nevertheless , i have made a choice . i 'm young , female and decided . drumroll , please ... i 'm voting for mitt romney . well , duh , your dad 's a republican strategist . ' my father alex castellanos'affiliation has not affected my decision . although i respect his suggestions , ' my choices are my own , as even he would tell you . what has resolved this contest for me ? was it the cantankerous candidates in the last debate , fighting to fight for the safety of our great nation ? no . personally , i found the last debate tremendously boring , except for president obama 's bayonets ' comment . ultimately , my decision came down to this : i could not rehire bobby valentine . valentine , manager of the boston red sox this past year , was fired after a horrible season . his team 's poor record was n't entirely bobby 's fault . in fact , red sox general manager ben cherington said , bobby was dealt a difficult hand . ' no doubt valentine inherited a lot of problems . but looking ahead , there was no reason for sox fans to hope that next season valentine would lead his team differently or deliver a better record . obama inherited a lot of problems , too . in his defense , our expectations for hope and change were too high . unless he midas-touched his way through the white house , obama was destined to disappoint us . but manager obama has not achieved the goals he led us to believe he would . he has not turned his team around . you do n't keep a failing manager when there is an acceptable alternative . it 's time for a replacement . i am hoping , praying , that should he be elected , romney 's experience will lead to a positive shift in the economy and an increase in job creation . i still disagree with the governor on women 's rights . should he become president , i 'm going to rely on the power of the american people to protect women from those who would set the clock back . the cujo-like , growling tv ads attacking romney on women 's rights are cut and choreographed to make him seem appalling . romney might not have closed the gender-gap entirely , but at least some women suspect those ads are unrealistic , more bark than bite . an ad in which romney says , i would overturn roe v. wade ' does not include what follows , the governor stating , but that 's not where we are . that 's not where america is today . ' if romney is elected , abortion is not going to become illegal . we will not have a government official holding our hands during our annual doctor 's visit . similarly , i know romney is against same-sex marriage . one day , i expect to tell my own children there was a time where gay people could not get married , just like my parents told me of a time i could not understand , when african-americans were not presidents but confined to the back of the bus . some of the progress we 've made and injustices we 've overcome will not be reversed , no matter who is president . that 's not where america is today . ' romney wo n't be able to change everything . but what if he could change the economy ? you can stick with what 's barely working or take a chance with [ romney ] , ' said jay pharaoh , imitating the president on snl . ' we 've had a losing streak , so i 'm taking a chance . because four years from now , if president obama is finishing his last months in office and we 're deeper in debt , still praying for a winning jobs report , i 'll know i got just what i expected . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of cat castellanos .
|
she says her decision to vote for romney is based on the weak economic recovery
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- if there was a predominant reaction to this voter 's indecision , shared in young , female and undecided ' on cnn two weeks ago , it was incredulity . the candidates have spent billions , ' i was told . their tv ads have replaced normal programming . this campaign has been longer than a life sentence . how can you still be undecided ? ' to clarify , my indecision did not stem from an unrequited love for either candidate . i just could not bring myself to support either of these guys . a vote for obama makes me a crazy , government-expanding liberal . i vote for romney and i 'm a crazy , masochistic female . the truth is that voting for a candidate does n't mean you stand united on every issue . this is not build-a-bear . i can not create my own candidate , taking the best features from each then add a glowing heart and a soft , plush , huggable exterior . nevertheless , i have made a choice . i 'm young , female and decided . drumroll , please ... i 'm voting for mitt romney . well , duh , your dad 's a republican strategist . ' my father alex castellanos'affiliation has not affected my decision . although i respect his suggestions , ' my choices are my own , as even he would tell you . what has resolved this contest for me ? was it the cantankerous candidates in the last debate , fighting to fight for the safety of our great nation ? no . personally , i found the last debate tremendously boring , except for president obama 's bayonets ' comment . ultimately , my decision came down to this : i could not rehire bobby valentine . valentine , manager of the boston red sox this past year , was fired after a horrible season . his team 's poor record was n't entirely bobby 's fault . in fact , red sox general manager ben cherington said , bobby was dealt a difficult hand . ' no doubt valentine inherited a lot of problems . but looking ahead , there was no reason for sox fans to hope that next season valentine would lead his team differently or deliver a better record . obama inherited a lot of problems , too . in his defense , our expectations for hope and change were too high . unless he midas-touched his way through the white house , obama was destined to disappoint us . but manager obama has not achieved the goals he led us to believe he would . he has not turned his team around . you do n't keep a failing manager when there is an acceptable alternative . it 's time for a replacement . i am hoping , praying , that should he be elected , romney 's experience will lead to a positive shift in the economy and an increase in job creation . i still disagree with the governor on women 's rights . should he become president , i 'm going to rely on the power of the american people to protect women from those who would set the clock back . the cujo-like , growling tv ads attacking romney on women 's rights are cut and choreographed to make him seem appalling . romney might not have closed the gender-gap entirely , but at least some women suspect those ads are unrealistic , more bark than bite . an ad in which romney says , i would overturn roe v. wade ' does not include what follows , the governor stating , but that 's not where we are . that 's not where america is today . ' if romney is elected , abortion is not going to become illegal . we will not have a government official holding our hands during our annual doctor 's visit . similarly , i know romney is against same-sex marriage . one day , i expect to tell my own children there was a time where gay people could not get married , just like my parents told me of a time i could not understand , when african-americans were not presidents but confined to the back of the bus . some of the progress we 've made and injustices we 've overcome will not be reversed , no matter who is president . that 's not where america is today . ' romney wo n't be able to change everything . but what if he could change the economy ? you can stick with what 's barely working or take a chance with [ romney ] , ' said jay pharaoh , imitating the president on snl . ' we 've had a losing streak , so i 'm taking a chance . because four years from now , if president obama is finishing his last months in office and we 're deeper in debt , still praying for a winning jobs report , i 'll know i got just what i expected . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of cat castellanos .
|
castellanos : romney 's position on social issues such as abortion will not change law
|
donal o'callaghan <tsp> los angeles , california ( cnn ) -- a los angeles county grand jury has indicted the former city administrator of vernon , california , an industrial city that borders scandal-plagued bell , on three felony counts after an investigation into questionable business practices . court documents show that donal o'callaghan has been indicted on two counts of conflict of interest and a count of public officer crime related to the misappropriation of public funds . the los angeles county district attorney 's office says the counts against o'callaghan , 54 , involve an alleged misappropriation of more than $ 140,000 . the law prevents public officials from making contracts the have a personal interest in and mr. o'callaghan made a contract that paid his wife money , ' said deputy district attorney max huntsman . we 're alleging he paid her more than $ 140,000 . ' the grand jury was looking into business deals between o'callaghan and his wife , kimberly mcbride . according to vernon city records , the city hired mcbride in 2009 as a $ 40-per-hour consultant and for administrative account services . ' it 's preposterous that he was indicted for the hiring of his wife , which was done with the knowledge and consent of the city attorney and the city council of vernon , ' defense lawyer mark werksman told cnn . we are seeing an overreaction and hysterical response to the scandal in neighboring bell , ' he said . they are looking for examples of municipal government corruption behind every bush . but it is n't here . ' huntsman disagreed with werksman 's contention .'i think it 's a reaction to vernon , which has a long history of criminal behavior by public officials . we heard complaints against mister o'callaghan , looked into the law and found a basis for the charges , ' huntsman said . the fact that it coincides with criminal charges against officials in bell has to do with raised public awareness about corruption in municipal governments . ' o'callaghan , who was not taken into custody , pleaded not guilty and posted a $ 50,000 bond , huntsman said . his next court date is december 3 . if convicted , his maximum sentence is four years and eight months in prison , prosecutors said . the former official was placed on administrative leave august 26 and resigned his city position october 14 . the california attorney general 's office also has launched an investigation into questionable business practices in the industrial city . vernon has a population of a little less than 100 people , according to the los angeles almanac . but vernon is home to more than 1,800 businesses , including farmer john , tapatio hot sauce and seven for all mankind jeans , stacked into just five square miles . the former city manager of bell , along with four city council members , two former council members and a former assistant city manager , were arrested in september and face charges that include misappropriation of funds , conflict of interest and making or receiving illegal loans .
|
county on a corruption witch hunt , donal o'callaghan 's lawyer says
|
muslim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a somali man believed to have ties to terrorist groups was shot as he allegedly tried to enter the home of danish political cartoonist kurt westergaard -- known for his controversial depictions of the muslim prophet mohammed -- on friday , police said . the 27-year-old man , who was not identified , wielded an ax and a knife and cracked a window at westergaard 's home in aarhus , said police spokesman morten jensen . a home alarm alerted police to the scene at 10 p.m. , and they were attacked by the man , he said . the officers shot the man in the right leg and left hand . he was hospitalized , but was not seriously injured , police said . danish intelligence officials said the suspect is connected to al-shabaab , al qaeda 's ally in east africa . the incident once again confirms the terrorist threat that is directed against denmark and against cartoonist kurt westergaard , in particular , ' said jakob scharf , spokesman for the danish security and intelligence service , in a statement . westergaard 's caricature of mohammed -- which depicted the prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse -- sparked an uproar among muslims in early 2006 after newspapers reprinted the images months later as a matter of free speech . the cartoon was first published by the danish newspaper morgenavisen jyllands-posten in september 2005 . at the time , westergaard said he wanted his cartoon to say that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terror . however , many in the muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist . over the years , danish authorities have arrested other suspects who allegedly plotted against westergaard 's life . after three such arrests were made in february 2008 , westergaard issued a statement , saying , of course i fear for my life after the danish security and intelligence service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me . however , i have turned fear into anger and indignation . it has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which i used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness . ' scharf said authorities have taken measures to ensure westergaard 's safety , and that the protection has proven effective . '
|
westergaard known for his controversial depictions of the muslim prophet mohammed
|
brazil <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the world cup is upon us , and for the next month , there will be a significant uptick in the number of folks skipping work , watching games in the break room and wildly mispronouncing eastern european surnames . want to get in on the fun surrounding this quadrennial event that stokes the intensest of passions while doing considerable damage to some countries'gross domestic products for the month ? here are some fun facts to get you started : let the games begin the host country , brazil , will kick off the action against croatia at 4 p.m . et thursday in sao paulo . the brazilian squad is a heavy favorite , but croatia is no slouch , boasting several stars who play in europe 's top leagues . keep an eye on one of them just before kickoff : forward eduardo da silva . born in the slums outside rio de janeiro , he now plays for the croatian national team , and his mother reportedly says he intends to sing both countries'national anthems . 64 games , like march madness , but not there is only one game on the first day of the cup , but between thursday and june 26 , all 32 teams who qualified will play three games each in what is known as the group stage . garnering three points for every win and a point for every tie , the teams will be whittled down to the best 16 -- two from each of the eight groups . they will then face off in a do-or-die knockout round beginning june 28 . your march madness bracket ? yeah , it will look like that , but with a quarter of the teams . the final is july 13 . only world war can stop it the world cup has been held every four years since 1930 with the exception of 1942 and 1946 , when it was canceled because of world war ii . this will be the 20th world cup . it 's the eighth time it 's been held in south or north america and the second time in brazil , the first one being 64 years ago . only south american teams have won world cups held in the new world , and the last south american world cup was won by argentina on home soil in 1978 . speaking of winners there is n't much parity to the world cup . in fact , only eight teams have won it . england , france and defending champion spain have won it once each . argentina and uruguay have won it twice . west germany has held the trophy aloft three times , italy has claimed victory four times and brazil has won it five times . hmm . why on earth do the brazilians need home-field advantage again ? it 's not all fun and games allegations of corruption within world soccer 's governing body , fifa , and class warfare within the host nation are casting a pall over the cup , though do n't expect it to dampen fans'fervor once the teams take the pitch . specifically , a key sponsor , sony , is demanding an investigation into the controversial award of the 2022 world cup to qatar , and in brazil , protesters are asking why an emerging nation is spending billions on hosting a football tournament rather than using it to alleviate poverty .
|
only eight teams have won cup ; brazil has won five and now has home-field advantage
|
thomas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- supreme court justices are in the top 10 % of earners in this country . they attended the best universities and have access to the best health care , a pension plan unaffected by the economy and oh , by the way , immense power . there is n't a socioeconomic litmus test they could take that would result in them being in a class result other than elite . and yet justice clarence thomas , when asked during an interview at the duquesne university school of law in april whether he thought he would see a black president in his lifetime , made it seem as if he 's on the outside looking in . he said he knew it would have to be a black president who was approved by the elites and the media , because anybody that they did n't agree with , they would take apart . ' thomas saying the elites ' in that context is like honey boo boo complaining about the trash on tv . ' people are asked to rise when he goes into the office , and he frames himself as some sort of powerless commoner ? he was appointed by president george h.w . bush and confirmed by the senate , two symbols of america 's elite . no , thomas is part of the elite class that , in his words , approved ' the selection of barack obama as the first black president . he can make a distinction between political leanings of those within the class , but that in no way impacts his socioeconomic status . thomas'remarks are an extension of the anti-elite rhetoric that has always been a part of the fabric of american politics but because of the proliferation of new media seems to have been amped up to a preposterous level . for the better part of three general elections , we have seen well-educated , well-funded , well-connected politicians bend over backwards trying not to appear to be well-educated , well-funded or well-connected . despite the charade , a study by the center for responsive politics found that the average net worth of last year 's incoming freshman in congress was more than $ 1 million . the average american household ? less than $ 67,000 . everyone wants to be seen as a regular joe , but no one wants to admit regular joes do n't get to be president . or supreme court justice . that 's not un-american . in fact , if you look at our history , in some ways , that point could n't be more american . president james madison , who is sometimes called father of the constitution , ' came from wealth and attended what is now known as princeton university . thomas jefferson , the author of the declaration of independence , attended the college of william and mary , rode horses for fun and played the violin . john jay , another one of our founding fathers , was from a wealthy family in new york . what 's more stereotypically elite than a rich guy from new york ? this country 's political dialogue would benefit greatly if we acknowledged that part of history and stopped treating the word elite ' like a hot potato . elites ' exist in all 50 states , regardless of whether they 're red or blue . elites ' exists in all effective lobbying groups ; that 's why they 're effective . and elites ' exist in national media , regardless of the call letters . fox news has comfortably been on top of the ratings food chain for a number of years now , and yet it continues to brand itself as an outsider , as if it 's a weekly alternative newspaper and not a significant part of mainstream media . at one point , sarah palin was making as much as $ 100,000 per speaking engagement and still tried to paint herself as disenfranchised . last year , rick santorum famously misrepresented president obama 's education policy and deemed him a snob for pushing higher education -- while failing to mention his three degrees . but the reason why elites play this branding shell game is because people on both sides of the aisle fall for it . president obama plays golf with tiger woods . rush limbaugh pays elton john $ 1 million to sing at his wedding . and if you listen to them closely , it 's the other guy who 's elite . um , ok. ' i think the president is an elitist , and he thinks he knows what 's best for everyone , ' eric maynard , a pastor from flushing , michigan , told the washington post after a santorum event in february 2012 . in michigan , we have a large blue-collar population , and what sen. santorum said is right . not everybody can go to college . ' maynard is right ; everybody ca n't go to college . but what kind of jedi mind trick has been used on the country when that very idea is offensive ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .
|
he says thomas is clearly in the elite due to his role as supreme court justice
|
thomas <tsp> ( cnn ) -- supreme court justices are in the top 10 % of earners in this country . they attended the best universities and have access to the best health care , a pension plan unaffected by the economy and oh , by the way , immense power . there is n't a socioeconomic litmus test they could take that would result in them being in a class result other than elite . and yet justice clarence thomas , when asked during an interview at the duquesne university school of law in april whether he thought he would see a black president in his lifetime , made it seem as if he 's on the outside looking in . he said he knew it would have to be a black president who was approved by the elites and the media , because anybody that they did n't agree with , they would take apart . ' thomas saying the elites ' in that context is like honey boo boo complaining about the trash on tv . ' people are asked to rise when he goes into the office , and he frames himself as some sort of powerless commoner ? he was appointed by president george h.w . bush and confirmed by the senate , two symbols of america 's elite . no , thomas is part of the elite class that , in his words , approved ' the selection of barack obama as the first black president . he can make a distinction between political leanings of those within the class , but that in no way impacts his socioeconomic status . thomas'remarks are an extension of the anti-elite rhetoric that has always been a part of the fabric of american politics but because of the proliferation of new media seems to have been amped up to a preposterous level . for the better part of three general elections , we have seen well-educated , well-funded , well-connected politicians bend over backwards trying not to appear to be well-educated , well-funded or well-connected . despite the charade , a study by the center for responsive politics found that the average net worth of last year 's incoming freshman in congress was more than $ 1 million . the average american household ? less than $ 67,000 . everyone wants to be seen as a regular joe , but no one wants to admit regular joes do n't get to be president . or supreme court justice . that 's not un-american . in fact , if you look at our history , in some ways , that point could n't be more american . president james madison , who is sometimes called father of the constitution , ' came from wealth and attended what is now known as princeton university . thomas jefferson , the author of the declaration of independence , attended the college of william and mary , rode horses for fun and played the violin . john jay , another one of our founding fathers , was from a wealthy family in new york . what 's more stereotypically elite than a rich guy from new york ? this country 's political dialogue would benefit greatly if we acknowledged that part of history and stopped treating the word elite ' like a hot potato . elites ' exist in all 50 states , regardless of whether they 're red or blue . elites ' exists in all effective lobbying groups ; that 's why they 're effective . and elites ' exist in national media , regardless of the call letters . fox news has comfortably been on top of the ratings food chain for a number of years now , and yet it continues to brand itself as an outsider , as if it 's a weekly alternative newspaper and not a significant part of mainstream media . at one point , sarah palin was making as much as $ 100,000 per speaking engagement and still tried to paint herself as disenfranchised . last year , rick santorum famously misrepresented president obama 's education policy and deemed him a snob for pushing higher education -- while failing to mention his three degrees . but the reason why elites play this branding shell game is because people on both sides of the aisle fall for it . president obama plays golf with tiger woods . rush limbaugh pays elton john $ 1 million to sing at his wedding . and if you listen to them closely , it 's the other guy who 's elite . um , ok. ' i think the president is an elitist , and he thinks he knows what 's best for everyone , ' eric maynard , a pastor from flushing , michigan , told the washington post after a santorum event in february 2012 . in michigan , we have a large blue-collar population , and what sen. santorum said is right . not everybody can go to college . ' maynard is right ; everybody ca n't go to college . but what kind of jedi mind trick has been used on the country when that very idea is offensive ? the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of lz granderson .
|
clarence thomas said black president had to be approved by elites and the media '
|
tip o'neill <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- it was supposed to be a cakewalk for eric cantor . the analysts said so . the polls said so . cantor felt so comfortable that the house majority leader was n't in his richmond , virginia , district in june on the day of his republican primary election . he lost -- badly -- to a little-known economics professor in one of the great american political upsets . how did the pundits and pollsters get it so wrong , and what does that mean for november 's congressional elections ? here are five reasons to approach any prognostication with caution this time around : 1 ) low turnout while more than half of eligible voters turn out for presidential elections , the percentage drops sharply in midterm balloting for all 435 house seats and about a third of the senate . in cantor 's 7th district race in virginia , well below 20 % of eligible voters cast ballots on the day he lost . such a low turnout makes the outcome more vulnerable to unpredictable factors such as bad weather , a campaign misstep or crossover voting -- in this case , democrats who may have voted for tea party-backed david brat in an effort to oust cantor , the seven-term congressman considered a possible future house speaker . brat beat cantor by more than 7,000 votes out of 65,000 cast . in 2012 , the turnout for the district 's republican primary was about 47,000 votes , and there was no way to determine how many of the 18,000 additional voters this year were democrats . 2 ) national mood most observers think the more public distaste for congress and politics , the lower the turnout in congressional elections . by that measure , polling stations may be particularly barren come november 4 . approval for congress is near record lows , and a washington post-abc poll in early august showed that for the first time , a majority of americans disapproved of their own representatives . americans like to vote for someone , not against someone , ' said cnn polling director keating holland . if they perceive the ballot as a choice between the lesser of two evils , that 's one more excuse not to vote , and in midterms a lot of americans do n't need many excuses to simply stay at home . ' facing such a disgruntled electorate , both parties seek to energize their respective bases to try to gain a turnout advantage . republicans frame the election as the chance to increase their house majority and regain control of the senate , which would strengthen the party 's ability to minimize or defeat the policies of democratic president barack obama . democrats reach out to demographics that traditionally support them -- single women , minorities and younger voters -- but traditionally do n't turn out strongly in midterm elections . 3 ) polling problems changing dynamics make effective polling more challenging . cantor 's pollster badly underestimated the turnout for june 's primary , perhaps because he failed to anticipate democratic crossovers and conservative disenchantment with his candidate . whatever the reason , difficulty in knowing who will vote makes predicting the outcome a major challenge . along with unorthodox tactics such as crossover voting , pollsters have a tougher time reaching a growing number of prospective voters through traditional methods . for example , fewer young voters have land-line telephones , the traditional polling medium for decades , meaning surveys must adapt by incorporating cellphone and internet outreach to properly reflect the population . 4 ) beware of the aggregate polls many popular websites simply take whatever polls they can find and average them together . some use more sophisticated mathematical models , but the principle is the same : the end product is only as good as the data it is based on . computer programmers used to say ,'garbage in , garbage out ,'and that 's true for virtually any mathematical model , ' holland said . let 's say you have 10 polls in a state and five of them are partisan polls that are trying to spin the data for their candidate , three of them are cutting corners on their methodology , one of them is flat-out making the data up , and only one is a legitimate poll . ' the lone legitimate poll will get swamped ' in any aggregate model by the questionable polls , he continued , adding : unfortunately , there are at least a few states where the skunky polls vastly outnumber the good ones . ' 5 ) it 's all local ' all politics is local , ' former house speaker tip o'neill famously said , and that is particularly true in congressional elections . while voting takes place in all 50 states , the competition involves the district congressional races and statewide senate races . that means an outcome of national significance can hinge on the result from a particular district or state . for example , which party wins a majority in the senate depends on the outcomes of half a dozen races , including contests involving incumbent democrats in arkansas and north carolina . if it 's sunny and warm in 48 states on election day and cold and rainy in arkansas and north carolina , control of the senate could be determined by intensely local weather conditions , ' holland noted . cnn 's dan merica and paul steinhauser contributed to this report .
|
all politics is local , ' as former house speaker tip o'neill said
|
ahmad kattan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- saudi arabia 's ambassador to egypt returned to cairo on saturday after tensions briefly spurred the kingdom to pull its envoys and shutter its missions , saudi state media reported . ambassador ahmad kattan is expected to resume his duties on sunday , the saudi press agency said . saudi arabia called back kattan and closed its embassy and consulates last sunday after raucous protests in cairo over the imprisonment of ahmed mohammed el-gezawi , an egyptian human rights lawyer . throngs of egyptians had gathered in front of the saudi embassy , calling for the release of el-gezawi . the decision to pull out saudi diplomats came after protesters' attempts to storm and threaten the security and safety of its ( embassy ) employees , ' the saudi press agency said . saudi officials say el-gezawi is accused of trying to smuggle thousands of pills into the country . the egyptian organization for human rights said el-gezawi had been traveling during umrah , a minor pilgrimage to mecca , when he was detained . what has happened in the recent days of repercussions in the relationship between the two countries is painful to every honorable saudi and egyptian citizen , and our decision to recall the ambassador and the closure of the embassy were only to protect its employees from other situations that could have developed with dire consequences , ' the saudi press agency said , quoting king abdullah bin abdul aziz . we will not allow this incidental crisis to prolong . ' the protests and the saudi reaction appear to have again ratcheted up long-standing tensions between the two middle eastern nations . the strains can be traced to 1979 , when the kingdom broke off diplomatic relations after egypt inked a peace deal with israel based on the camp david accords . the ties were restored in november 1987 . egypt , the most populous arab country , has often engaged in a subtle competition ' with its saudi counterparts over this question of regional leadership , ' said steven cook , senior fellow at the council on foreign relations . egypt erupted in protest last year during 18 days of demonstrations in cairo 's tahrir square after similar uprisings in neighboring tunisia , ultimately ousting egypt 's longtime president hosni mubarak after nearly three decades in power .
|
ambassador ahmad kattan is expected to resume his duties sunday
|
oscar <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- oscar-nominated actor pete postlethwaite , who starred in inception ' and the usual suspects , ' has died at the age of 64 , his agent said monday . highly intense , with a bulbous nose , high cheekbones and ruddy complexion , the actor was immediately recognizable in films ranging from the second jurassic park ' movie to romeo + juliet . ' it was for his role as daniel day-lewis 's father in the ira drama in the name of the father ' that he got his only oscar nomination , for best supporting actor . he lost out to tommy lee jones for the fugitive . ' he also starred in the british brass band movie brassed off , ' and worked with steven spielberg on the slave revolt story amistad . ' spielberg reportedly called him the best actor in the world , ' prompting postlethwaite to respond that what the director actually said was that he thought he was the best actor in the world . ' he made his name as part of a cohort of great british actors including bill nighy , anthony sher , jonathan pryce and julie walters at the everyman theatre in liverpool , england , in the 1970s . he returned to the everyman in 2008 to play king lear in shakespeare 's great tragedy . he was awarded the order of the british empire , or obe , in 2004 . postlethwaite died of cancer , british media reported . cnn 's carol jordan contributed to this report .
|
he was nominated for an oscar for in the name of the father '
|
japan <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- had this custody drama played out in the united states , christopher savoie might be considered a hero -- snatching his two little children back from an ex-wife who defied the law and ran off with them . a tennessee court awarded christopher savoie custody of his son , isaac , and daughter , rebecca . but this story unfolds 7,000 miles away in the japanese city of fukuoka , where the u.s. legal system holds no sway . and here , savoie sits in jail , charged with the abduction of minors . and his japanese ex-wife -- a fugitive in the united states for taking his children from tennessee -- is considered the victim . japan is an important partner and friend of the u.s. , but on this issue , our points of view differ , ' the u.s. embassy in tokyo said tuesday . our two nations approach divorce and child-rearing differently . parental child abduction is not considered a crime in japan . ' the story begins in the nashville suburb of franklin , tennessee , with the january divorce of savoie from his first wife , noriko , a japanese native . the ex-wife had agreed to live in franklin to be close to the children , taking them to japan for summer vacations . savoie in march requested a restraining order to prevent his ex-wife from taking the children to japan , saying she had threatened to do so , according to court documents obtained by cnn affiliate wtvf and posted on the station 's web site . a temporary order was issued , but then lifted following a hearing . if mother fails to return to tennessee [ after summer vacation ] with the children following her visitation period , she could lose her alimony , child support and education fund , which is added assurance to father that she is going to return with the children , ' circuit court judge james g. martin iii noted in his order on the matter . after that ruling , christopher savoie tried to have martin recuse himself , as he was a mediator in the case prior to becoming a judge , said marlene eskind moses , noriko savoie 's attorney . but that request was denied , as savoie earlier said he had no concerns about martin hearing the matter . following the summer trip , noriko savoie did return to the united states , and christopher savoie then took the children on a vacation , returning them to his ex-wife , his attorney , paul bruno , told cnn . watch latest report on savoie 's situation » but days later , on the first day of classes for 8-year-old isaac and 6-year-old rebecca , the school called savoie to say his children had n't arrived , bruno said . police checked noriko savoie 's home and did not find the children . concerned , savoie called his ex-wife 's father in japan , who told him not to worry . i said ,'what do you mean -- do n't worry ? they were n't at school .' oh , do n't worry , they are here ,' savoie recounted the conversation to cnn affiliate wtvf earlier this month . i said ,'they are what , they are what , they are in japan ?' the very thing that savoie had predicted in court papers had happened -- his wife had taken their children to japan and showed no signs of returning , bruno said . after noriko savoie took the children to japan , savoie filed for and received full custody of the children , bruno said . and franklin police issued an arrest warrant for his ex-wife , the television station reported . but there was a major hitch : japan is not a party to the 1980 hague convention on international child abduction . the international agreement standardizes laws , but only among participating countries . so while japanese civil law stresses that courts resolve custody issues based on the best interest of the children without regard to either parent 's nationality , foreign parents have had little success in regaining custody . japanese family law follows a tradition of sole custody divorces . when a couple splits , one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children . in court documents filed in may , noriko savoie denied that she was failing to abide by the terms of the couple 's court-approved parenting plan or ignoring court-appointed parent coordinators . she added she was concerned about the stability of father , his extreme antagonism towards mother and the effect of this on the children . ' noriko savoie could not be reached by cnn for comment . bruno said he helped christopher savoie pursue legal remedies to recover the children , working with police , the fbi and the state department . we tried to do what we could to get the kids back , ' bruno said . there was not a whole lot we can do . ' our court system failed him , ' said diane marshall , a court-appointed parent coordinator who helped savoie make decisions about the children . it 's just a mess . ' but moses , noriko savoie 's attorney , told cnn that the children 's father had other legal options . the international association for parent-child reunion , formed in japan this year , claims to know of more than 100 cases of children abducted by non-custodial japanese parents . and the u.s. state department says it is not aware of a single case in which a child taken from the united states to japan has been ordered returned by japanese courts -- even when the left-behind parent has a u.s. custody decree . facing such statistics and the possibility of never seeing his kids again , savoie took matters into his own hands . he flew to fukuoka . and as his ex-wife walked the two children to school monday morning , savoie drove alongside them . he grabbed the kids , forced them into his car , and drove off , said police in fukuoka . watch cnn panel discuss savoie 's legal options » he headed for the u.s. consulate in that city to try to obtain passports for isaac and rebecca . but japanese police , alerted by savoie 's ex-wife , were waiting . consulate spokeswoman tracy taylor said she heard a scuffle outside the doors of the consulate . she ran up and saw a little girl and a man , whom police were trying to talk to . eventually , police took savoie away , charging him with the abduction of minors -- a charge that carries a jail sentence of up to five years . bruno said if the situation were reversed and a japanese parent had abducted a japanese child and fled to america , u.s. courts would correct that problem , because it 's a crime . ' he said he has concerns about japan ... providing a place for people to abduct children and go to . the parent left behind does not have recourse . ' he added , the president and his administration should do something to correct this . ' the consulate met with savoie on monday and tuesday , taylor said . it has provided him with a list of local lawyers and said it will continue to assist . meanwhile , the international diplomacy continues . during the first official talks between the united states and japan 's new government , the issue of parental abductions was raised . but it is anybody 's guess what happens next to savoie , who sits in a jail cell . cnn 's kyung lah in tokyo , japan , and aaron cooper , saeed ahmed and carolina sanchez in atlanta , georgia , contributed to this report .
|
father , who has legal custody in u.s. , charged in japan with abduction
|
japan <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- had this custody drama played out in the united states , christopher savoie might be considered a hero -- snatching his two little children back from an ex-wife who defied the law and ran off with them . a tennessee court awarded christopher savoie custody of his son , isaac , and daughter , rebecca . but this story unfolds 7,000 miles away in the japanese city of fukuoka , where the u.s. legal system holds no sway . and here , savoie sits in jail , charged with the abduction of minors . and his japanese ex-wife -- a fugitive in the united states for taking his children from tennessee -- is considered the victim . japan is an important partner and friend of the u.s. , but on this issue , our points of view differ , ' the u.s. embassy in tokyo said tuesday . our two nations approach divorce and child-rearing differently . parental child abduction is not considered a crime in japan . ' the story begins in the nashville suburb of franklin , tennessee , with the january divorce of savoie from his first wife , noriko , a japanese native . the ex-wife had agreed to live in franklin to be close to the children , taking them to japan for summer vacations . savoie in march requested a restraining order to prevent his ex-wife from taking the children to japan , saying she had threatened to do so , according to court documents obtained by cnn affiliate wtvf and posted on the station 's web site . a temporary order was issued , but then lifted following a hearing . if mother fails to return to tennessee [ after summer vacation ] with the children following her visitation period , she could lose her alimony , child support and education fund , which is added assurance to father that she is going to return with the children , ' circuit court judge james g. martin iii noted in his order on the matter . after that ruling , christopher savoie tried to have martin recuse himself , as he was a mediator in the case prior to becoming a judge , said marlene eskind moses , noriko savoie 's attorney . but that request was denied , as savoie earlier said he had no concerns about martin hearing the matter . following the summer trip , noriko savoie did return to the united states , and christopher savoie then took the children on a vacation , returning them to his ex-wife , his attorney , paul bruno , told cnn . watch latest report on savoie 's situation » but days later , on the first day of classes for 8-year-old isaac and 6-year-old rebecca , the school called savoie to say his children had n't arrived , bruno said . police checked noriko savoie 's home and did not find the children . concerned , savoie called his ex-wife 's father in japan , who told him not to worry . i said ,'what do you mean -- do n't worry ? they were n't at school .' oh , do n't worry , they are here ,' savoie recounted the conversation to cnn affiliate wtvf earlier this month . i said ,'they are what , they are what , they are in japan ?' the very thing that savoie had predicted in court papers had happened -- his wife had taken their children to japan and showed no signs of returning , bruno said . after noriko savoie took the children to japan , savoie filed for and received full custody of the children , bruno said . and franklin police issued an arrest warrant for his ex-wife , the television station reported . but there was a major hitch : japan is not a party to the 1980 hague convention on international child abduction . the international agreement standardizes laws , but only among participating countries . so while japanese civil law stresses that courts resolve custody issues based on the best interest of the children without regard to either parent 's nationality , foreign parents have had little success in regaining custody . japanese family law follows a tradition of sole custody divorces . when a couple splits , one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children . in court documents filed in may , noriko savoie denied that she was failing to abide by the terms of the couple 's court-approved parenting plan or ignoring court-appointed parent coordinators . she added she was concerned about the stability of father , his extreme antagonism towards mother and the effect of this on the children . ' noriko savoie could not be reached by cnn for comment . bruno said he helped christopher savoie pursue legal remedies to recover the children , working with police , the fbi and the state department . we tried to do what we could to get the kids back , ' bruno said . there was not a whole lot we can do . ' our court system failed him , ' said diane marshall , a court-appointed parent coordinator who helped savoie make decisions about the children . it 's just a mess . ' but moses , noriko savoie 's attorney , told cnn that the children 's father had other legal options . the international association for parent-child reunion , formed in japan this year , claims to know of more than 100 cases of children abducted by non-custodial japanese parents . and the u.s. state department says it is not aware of a single case in which a child taken from the united states to japan has been ordered returned by japanese courts -- even when the left-behind parent has a u.s. custody decree . facing such statistics and the possibility of never seeing his kids again , savoie took matters into his own hands . he flew to fukuoka . and as his ex-wife walked the two children to school monday morning , savoie drove alongside them . he grabbed the kids , forced them into his car , and drove off , said police in fukuoka . watch cnn panel discuss savoie 's legal options » he headed for the u.s. consulate in that city to try to obtain passports for isaac and rebecca . but japanese police , alerted by savoie 's ex-wife , were waiting . consulate spokeswoman tracy taylor said she heard a scuffle outside the doors of the consulate . she ran up and saw a little girl and a man , whom police were trying to talk to . eventually , police took savoie away , charging him with the abduction of minors -- a charge that carries a jail sentence of up to five years . bruno said if the situation were reversed and a japanese parent had abducted a japanese child and fled to america , u.s. courts would correct that problem , because it 's a crime . ' he said he has concerns about japan ... providing a place for people to abduct children and go to . the parent left behind does not have recourse . ' he added , the president and his administration should do something to correct this . ' the consulate met with savoie on monday and tuesday , taylor said . it has provided him with a list of local lawyers and said it will continue to assist . meanwhile , the international diplomacy continues . during the first official talks between the united states and japan 's new government , the issue of parental abductions was raised . but it is anybody 's guess what happens next to savoie , who sits in a jail cell . cnn 's kyung lah in tokyo , japan , and aaron cooper , saeed ahmed and carolina sanchez in atlanta , georgia , contributed to this report .
|
she is a fugitive in tennessee , but has broken no law in japan
|
japan <tsp> tokyo , japan ( cnn ) -- had this custody drama played out in the united states , christopher savoie might be considered a hero -- snatching his two little children back from an ex-wife who defied the law and ran off with them . a tennessee court awarded christopher savoie custody of his son , isaac , and daughter , rebecca . but this story unfolds 7,000 miles away in the japanese city of fukuoka , where the u.s. legal system holds no sway . and here , savoie sits in jail , charged with the abduction of minors . and his japanese ex-wife -- a fugitive in the united states for taking his children from tennessee -- is considered the victim . japan is an important partner and friend of the u.s. , but on this issue , our points of view differ , ' the u.s. embassy in tokyo said tuesday . our two nations approach divorce and child-rearing differently . parental child abduction is not considered a crime in japan . ' the story begins in the nashville suburb of franklin , tennessee , with the january divorce of savoie from his first wife , noriko , a japanese native . the ex-wife had agreed to live in franklin to be close to the children , taking them to japan for summer vacations . savoie in march requested a restraining order to prevent his ex-wife from taking the children to japan , saying she had threatened to do so , according to court documents obtained by cnn affiliate wtvf and posted on the station 's web site . a temporary order was issued , but then lifted following a hearing . if mother fails to return to tennessee [ after summer vacation ] with the children following her visitation period , she could lose her alimony , child support and education fund , which is added assurance to father that she is going to return with the children , ' circuit court judge james g. martin iii noted in his order on the matter . after that ruling , christopher savoie tried to have martin recuse himself , as he was a mediator in the case prior to becoming a judge , said marlene eskind moses , noriko savoie 's attorney . but that request was denied , as savoie earlier said he had no concerns about martin hearing the matter . following the summer trip , noriko savoie did return to the united states , and christopher savoie then took the children on a vacation , returning them to his ex-wife , his attorney , paul bruno , told cnn . watch latest report on savoie 's situation » but days later , on the first day of classes for 8-year-old isaac and 6-year-old rebecca , the school called savoie to say his children had n't arrived , bruno said . police checked noriko savoie 's home and did not find the children . concerned , savoie called his ex-wife 's father in japan , who told him not to worry . i said ,'what do you mean -- do n't worry ? they were n't at school .' oh , do n't worry , they are here ,' savoie recounted the conversation to cnn affiliate wtvf earlier this month . i said ,'they are what , they are what , they are in japan ?' the very thing that savoie had predicted in court papers had happened -- his wife had taken their children to japan and showed no signs of returning , bruno said . after noriko savoie took the children to japan , savoie filed for and received full custody of the children , bruno said . and franklin police issued an arrest warrant for his ex-wife , the television station reported . but there was a major hitch : japan is not a party to the 1980 hague convention on international child abduction . the international agreement standardizes laws , but only among participating countries . so while japanese civil law stresses that courts resolve custody issues based on the best interest of the children without regard to either parent 's nationality , foreign parents have had little success in regaining custody . japanese family law follows a tradition of sole custody divorces . when a couple splits , one parent typically makes a complete and lifelong break from the children . in court documents filed in may , noriko savoie denied that she was failing to abide by the terms of the couple 's court-approved parenting plan or ignoring court-appointed parent coordinators . she added she was concerned about the stability of father , his extreme antagonism towards mother and the effect of this on the children . ' noriko savoie could not be reached by cnn for comment . bruno said he helped christopher savoie pursue legal remedies to recover the children , working with police , the fbi and the state department . we tried to do what we could to get the kids back , ' bruno said . there was not a whole lot we can do . ' our court system failed him , ' said diane marshall , a court-appointed parent coordinator who helped savoie make decisions about the children . it 's just a mess . ' but moses , noriko savoie 's attorney , told cnn that the children 's father had other legal options . the international association for parent-child reunion , formed in japan this year , claims to know of more than 100 cases of children abducted by non-custodial japanese parents . and the u.s. state department says it is not aware of a single case in which a child taken from the united states to japan has been ordered returned by japanese courts -- even when the left-behind parent has a u.s. custody decree . facing such statistics and the possibility of never seeing his kids again , savoie took matters into his own hands . he flew to fukuoka . and as his ex-wife walked the two children to school monday morning , savoie drove alongside them . he grabbed the kids , forced them into his car , and drove off , said police in fukuoka . watch cnn panel discuss savoie 's legal options » he headed for the u.s. consulate in that city to try to obtain passports for isaac and rebecca . but japanese police , alerted by savoie 's ex-wife , were waiting . consulate spokeswoman tracy taylor said she heard a scuffle outside the doors of the consulate . she ran up and saw a little girl and a man , whom police were trying to talk to . eventually , police took savoie away , charging him with the abduction of minors -- a charge that carries a jail sentence of up to five years . bruno said if the situation were reversed and a japanese parent had abducted a japanese child and fled to america , u.s. courts would correct that problem , because it 's a crime . ' he said he has concerns about japan ... providing a place for people to abduct children and go to . the parent left behind does not have recourse . ' he added , the president and his administration should do something to correct this . ' the consulate met with savoie on monday and tuesday , taylor said . it has provided him with a list of local lawyers and said it will continue to assist . meanwhile , the international diplomacy continues . during the first official talks between the united states and japan 's new government , the issue of parental abductions was raised . but it is anybody 's guess what happens next to savoie , who sits in a jail cell . cnn 's kyung lah in tokyo , japan , and aaron cooper , saeed ahmed and carolina sanchez in atlanta , georgia , contributed to this report .
|
american dad tries to snatch children from ex-wife who took them to japan
|
jan brewer <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a police officer in tucson , arizona , asks that local law enforcement be exempt from enforcing the state 's new immigration law in a lawsuit filed in federal court on thursday . officer martin h. escobar claims in the suit that the law will seriously impede law enforcement investigations and facilitate the successful commission of crimes . ' he also says there are no race-neutral criteria or basis to suspect or identify who is lawfully in the united states , ' including a person 's proximity to the mexican border , linguistic characteristics and capabilities , skin color , clothing worn or the type of vehicle driven . the law , signed by arizona gov . jan brewer on april 23 , allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal u.s. residency . brewer and others who support the law have said it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts . racial profiling is illegal , ' brewer said after signing the bill . it is illegal in america , and it 's certainly illegal in arizona . ' read the complaint ( pdf ) but escobar 's suit says the law is the product of racial bias aimed specifically at hispanics ' and places every hispanic within the state at risk of losing his or her constitutional rights . brewer , arizona attorney general terry goddard , the city of tucson and pima county attorney barbara lawall are named in the suit . escobar asks that local law enforcement be exempt from engaging any immigration stops , questioning , detention , citing or any law enforcement activity reserved to the federal government . ' escobar , 45 , is a naturalized u.s. citizen who was born in mexico and immigrated with his parents when he was 5 years old , attorney richard m. martinez said . tucson police department spokesman sgt . fabian pacheco declined to comment on the case because city policies prevent employees from discussing pending litigation . but he said escobar has worked for the department since 1995 and patrols tucson 's south side . martinez said his client has spent years working to break down barriers between the police department and the predominantly hispanic community . all this law does is put the barrier back up . ... it takes away trust and the rapport and relationships , ' he said thursday . spokespeople for brewer and goddard did not return requests for comment .
|
arizona gov . jan brewer says law does not involve racial profiling
|
brazil <tsp> sao paulo , brazil ( cnn ) brazilian supermodel gisele bundchen sashayed down the catwalk at sao paulo fashion week on wednesday night in an emotional farewell to the runway . bundchen announced over the weekend that she would be retiring from the catwalk , though not the fashion industry . the 34-year-old , who is married to new england patriots quarterback tom brady and has two children , has said she wants to spend more time with her family . on wednesday night , brady had a front-row seat at what was hailed as a historic moment in brazil 's fashion world . bundchen wrote about her fashion career on her instagram account : i am grateful that at 14 , i was given the opportunity to start this journey . today after 20 years in the industry , it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business . '
|
gisele bundchen walked the runway for the last time wednesday night in brazil
|
gisele bundchen <tsp> sao paulo , brazil ( cnn ) brazilian supermodel gisele bundchen sashayed down the catwalk at sao paulo fashion week on wednesday night in an emotional farewell to the runway . bundchen announced over the weekend that she would be retiring from the catwalk , though not the fashion industry . the 34-year-old , who is married to new england patriots quarterback tom brady and has two children , has said she wants to spend more time with her family . on wednesday night , brady had a front-row seat at what was hailed as a historic moment in brazil 's fashion world . bundchen wrote about her fashion career on her instagram account : i am grateful that at 14 , i was given the opportunity to start this journey . today after 20 years in the industry , it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business . '
|
gisele bundchen walked the runway for the last time wednesday night in brazil
|
fluke <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the stakes are high this november , for the strength of our economy and the direction of our country . for me , like a lot of us , the stakes are also personal : the choice i make in the voting booth will significantly affect my friends , my loved ones and my generation . like many millennials , i am concerned about the job market and costs of college . and i 'm worried about access to affordable health care for all . but i could never have predicted just how intensely personal this election would become . when i was publicly attacked for testifying before members of congress , i became even more keenly aware that the rights that generations of women fought so hard to achieve could be rolled back easily . that began a national conversation that i believe highlighted president barack obama and former gov . mitt romney 's vastly different values and visions . obama is committed to rebuilding our economy upon the values of fairness and opportunity and the belief that all americans , both men and women , must have the rights they deserve . that 's why i 'm proud to endorse his re-election . he 's demonstrated those values since he moved into the oval office . the first law he signed was the lilly ledbetter fair pay act , which empowers women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace . he 's now asking congress to pass the paycheck fairness act to help stop pay discrimination before it starts and close the 23 % gap between women 's earnings and men 's earnings . obama also made college more affordable by doubling our investment in pell grant scholarships , giving students tuition tax breaks and by fighting to keep interest rates low on student loans . he 's helping millions of students graduate without the weight of unbearable loans and financial insecurity . most importantly , obamacare is providing vital health coverage for millions of young americans , especially women and families . when the reforms are fully in effect , we will no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or charged more for insurance because we are women . we will finally have affordable access to preventive care , such as prenatal exams , cancer screenings and contraception . health reform makes real the fair premise that our access to basic health care should n't depend on where we work , where we go to school or what gender we are . opinion : slurs wo n't silence women obama has moved our country forward by working not only to ensure americans'prosperity , but also by guaranteeing that our rights are protected and we all have opportunities to succeed . by comparison , romney has offered only frightening promises to send us backward . on fair pay for women , romney says he wo n't do anything to make the situation worse ; this is little comfort when he then says he wo n't do anything to make it better . he wo n't tell us whether he would have signed the lilly ledbetter law , and he failed to stand up to congressional republicans who opposed the paycheck fairness act . romney would cut his own taxes , but make college more expensive for young people just getting on their feet . those are n't the values we want in a president -- and they 're a stark contrast to obama , who would raise his own taxes and keep cutting them for the middle class . romney would allow the college tax credit expire for millions of middle-class families and embraced the congressional republican budget that would let student loan interest rates double . instead of explaining how he would improve americans'access to health care , romney says only that he would repeal obamacare ' and kill it dead on its first day . ' in practical terms , that means romney would strip health care coverage from the more than 6.6 million young americans who , thanks to obamacare , are not being dropped from their parents'insurance coverage . he would allow insurance companies to keep charging women a billion dollars more every year than they charge men . he would eliminate mandatory preventative care coverage despite its life-saving benefits . in this , romney has revealed an alarming lack of the vision required to lead . fundamentally , it 's that capacity for leadership that is most important in a president , which brings me back to the national conversation fueled by the verbal assault i experienced earlier this year . in the aftermath of those attacks , i was heartened by the many americans of all political stripes who reached out to me and supported me . they knew that whether we agree or disagree , as americans we defend one another 's right to speak before our elected officials without enduring personal attacks . obama responded as so many americans did , by condemning those attacks as antithetical to our democracy . romney , when pressed to address those attacks , could only say , those are n't the words i would have chosen . ' if romney lacks the leadership to stand up to extremists in his own party , then he 's not the president we need . at a time when women 's rights especially are under virulent attack , we can not elect a leader who wo n't or ca n't stand up to those extremists and protect the rights that generations of women have fought so hard to ensure . thankfully , we do n't have to . we have a president who has consistently shown he will defend those rights while working to ensure that all women and men have all the protections and opportunities they need to pursue economic success . but if we 're going to keep obama in the white house , we need to get involved , get out the vote and do what romney refuses to do on everything from fair pay to women 's rights : speak up . i 'll never stop speaking up , and i hope you 'll join me . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sandra fluke .
|
fluke : attacks on me brought home how easily women 's rights can be taken away
|
fluke <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the stakes are high this november , for the strength of our economy and the direction of our country . for me , like a lot of us , the stakes are also personal : the choice i make in the voting booth will significantly affect my friends , my loved ones and my generation . like many millennials , i am concerned about the job market and costs of college . and i 'm worried about access to affordable health care for all . but i could never have predicted just how intensely personal this election would become . when i was publicly attacked for testifying before members of congress , i became even more keenly aware that the rights that generations of women fought so hard to achieve could be rolled back easily . that began a national conversation that i believe highlighted president barack obama and former gov . mitt romney 's vastly different values and visions . obama is committed to rebuilding our economy upon the values of fairness and opportunity and the belief that all americans , both men and women , must have the rights they deserve . that 's why i 'm proud to endorse his re-election . he 's demonstrated those values since he moved into the oval office . the first law he signed was the lilly ledbetter fair pay act , which empowers women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace . he 's now asking congress to pass the paycheck fairness act to help stop pay discrimination before it starts and close the 23 % gap between women 's earnings and men 's earnings . obama also made college more affordable by doubling our investment in pell grant scholarships , giving students tuition tax breaks and by fighting to keep interest rates low on student loans . he 's helping millions of students graduate without the weight of unbearable loans and financial insecurity . most importantly , obamacare is providing vital health coverage for millions of young americans , especially women and families . when the reforms are fully in effect , we will no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or charged more for insurance because we are women . we will finally have affordable access to preventive care , such as prenatal exams , cancer screenings and contraception . health reform makes real the fair premise that our access to basic health care should n't depend on where we work , where we go to school or what gender we are . opinion : slurs wo n't silence women obama has moved our country forward by working not only to ensure americans'prosperity , but also by guaranteeing that our rights are protected and we all have opportunities to succeed . by comparison , romney has offered only frightening promises to send us backward . on fair pay for women , romney says he wo n't do anything to make the situation worse ; this is little comfort when he then says he wo n't do anything to make it better . he wo n't tell us whether he would have signed the lilly ledbetter law , and he failed to stand up to congressional republicans who opposed the paycheck fairness act . romney would cut his own taxes , but make college more expensive for young people just getting on their feet . those are n't the values we want in a president -- and they 're a stark contrast to obama , who would raise his own taxes and keep cutting them for the middle class . romney would allow the college tax credit expire for millions of middle-class families and embraced the congressional republican budget that would let student loan interest rates double . instead of explaining how he would improve americans'access to health care , romney says only that he would repeal obamacare ' and kill it dead on its first day . ' in practical terms , that means romney would strip health care coverage from the more than 6.6 million young americans who , thanks to obamacare , are not being dropped from their parents'insurance coverage . he would allow insurance companies to keep charging women a billion dollars more every year than they charge men . he would eliminate mandatory preventative care coverage despite its life-saving benefits . in this , romney has revealed an alarming lack of the vision required to lead . fundamentally , it 's that capacity for leadership that is most important in a president , which brings me back to the national conversation fueled by the verbal assault i experienced earlier this year . in the aftermath of those attacks , i was heartened by the many americans of all political stripes who reached out to me and supported me . they knew that whether we agree or disagree , as americans we defend one another 's right to speak before our elected officials without enduring personal attacks . obama responded as so many americans did , by condemning those attacks as antithetical to our democracy . romney , when pressed to address those attacks , could only say , those are n't the words i would have chosen . ' if romney lacks the leadership to stand up to extremists in his own party , then he 's not the president we need . at a time when women 's rights especially are under virulent attack , we can not elect a leader who wo n't or ca n't stand up to those extremists and protect the rights that generations of women have fought so hard to ensure . thankfully , we do n't have to . we have a president who has consistently shown he will defend those rights while working to ensure that all women and men have all the protections and opportunities they need to pursue economic success . but if we 're going to keep obama in the white house , we need to get involved , get out the vote and do what romney refuses to do on everything from fair pay to women 's rights : speak up . i 'll never stop speaking up , and i hope you 'll join me . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sandra fluke .
|
sandra fluke says stakes are high in the election , which is extremely personal for her
|
fluke <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the stakes are high this november , for the strength of our economy and the direction of our country . for me , like a lot of us , the stakes are also personal : the choice i make in the voting booth will significantly affect my friends , my loved ones and my generation . like many millennials , i am concerned about the job market and costs of college . and i 'm worried about access to affordable health care for all . but i could never have predicted just how intensely personal this election would become . when i was publicly attacked for testifying before members of congress , i became even more keenly aware that the rights that generations of women fought so hard to achieve could be rolled back easily . that began a national conversation that i believe highlighted president barack obama and former gov . mitt romney 's vastly different values and visions . obama is committed to rebuilding our economy upon the values of fairness and opportunity and the belief that all americans , both men and women , must have the rights they deserve . that 's why i 'm proud to endorse his re-election . he 's demonstrated those values since he moved into the oval office . the first law he signed was the lilly ledbetter fair pay act , which empowers women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace . he 's now asking congress to pass the paycheck fairness act to help stop pay discrimination before it starts and close the 23 % gap between women 's earnings and men 's earnings . obama also made college more affordable by doubling our investment in pell grant scholarships , giving students tuition tax breaks and by fighting to keep interest rates low on student loans . he 's helping millions of students graduate without the weight of unbearable loans and financial insecurity . most importantly , obamacare is providing vital health coverage for millions of young americans , especially women and families . when the reforms are fully in effect , we will no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or charged more for insurance because we are women . we will finally have affordable access to preventive care , such as prenatal exams , cancer screenings and contraception . health reform makes real the fair premise that our access to basic health care should n't depend on where we work , where we go to school or what gender we are . opinion : slurs wo n't silence women obama has moved our country forward by working not only to ensure americans'prosperity , but also by guaranteeing that our rights are protected and we all have opportunities to succeed . by comparison , romney has offered only frightening promises to send us backward . on fair pay for women , romney says he wo n't do anything to make the situation worse ; this is little comfort when he then says he wo n't do anything to make it better . he wo n't tell us whether he would have signed the lilly ledbetter law , and he failed to stand up to congressional republicans who opposed the paycheck fairness act . romney would cut his own taxes , but make college more expensive for young people just getting on their feet . those are n't the values we want in a president -- and they 're a stark contrast to obama , who would raise his own taxes and keep cutting them for the middle class . romney would allow the college tax credit expire for millions of middle-class families and embraced the congressional republican budget that would let student loan interest rates double . instead of explaining how he would improve americans'access to health care , romney says only that he would repeal obamacare ' and kill it dead on its first day . ' in practical terms , that means romney would strip health care coverage from the more than 6.6 million young americans who , thanks to obamacare , are not being dropped from their parents'insurance coverage . he would allow insurance companies to keep charging women a billion dollars more every year than they charge men . he would eliminate mandatory preventative care coverage despite its life-saving benefits . in this , romney has revealed an alarming lack of the vision required to lead . fundamentally , it 's that capacity for leadership that is most important in a president , which brings me back to the national conversation fueled by the verbal assault i experienced earlier this year . in the aftermath of those attacks , i was heartened by the many americans of all political stripes who reached out to me and supported me . they knew that whether we agree or disagree , as americans we defend one another 's right to speak before our elected officials without enduring personal attacks . obama responded as so many americans did , by condemning those attacks as antithetical to our democracy . romney , when pressed to address those attacks , could only say , those are n't the words i would have chosen . ' if romney lacks the leadership to stand up to extremists in his own party , then he 's not the president we need . at a time when women 's rights especially are under virulent attack , we can not elect a leader who wo n't or ca n't stand up to those extremists and protect the rights that generations of women have fought so hard to ensure . thankfully , we do n't have to . we have a president who has consistently shown he will defend those rights while working to ensure that all women and men have all the protections and opportunities they need to pursue economic success . but if we 're going to keep obama in the white house , we need to get involved , get out the vote and do what romney refuses to do on everything from fair pay to women 's rights : speak up . i 'll never stop speaking up , and i hope you 'll join me . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sandra fluke .
|
fluke : we need to support obama , who has the vision and values for a better america
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the stakes are high this november , for the strength of our economy and the direction of our country . for me , like a lot of us , the stakes are also personal : the choice i make in the voting booth will significantly affect my friends , my loved ones and my generation . like many millennials , i am concerned about the job market and costs of college . and i 'm worried about access to affordable health care for all . but i could never have predicted just how intensely personal this election would become . when i was publicly attacked for testifying before members of congress , i became even more keenly aware that the rights that generations of women fought so hard to achieve could be rolled back easily . that began a national conversation that i believe highlighted president barack obama and former gov . mitt romney 's vastly different values and visions . obama is committed to rebuilding our economy upon the values of fairness and opportunity and the belief that all americans , both men and women , must have the rights they deserve . that 's why i 'm proud to endorse his re-election . he 's demonstrated those values since he moved into the oval office . the first law he signed was the lilly ledbetter fair pay act , which empowers women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace . he 's now asking congress to pass the paycheck fairness act to help stop pay discrimination before it starts and close the 23 % gap between women 's earnings and men 's earnings . obama also made college more affordable by doubling our investment in pell grant scholarships , giving students tuition tax breaks and by fighting to keep interest rates low on student loans . he 's helping millions of students graduate without the weight of unbearable loans and financial insecurity . most importantly , obamacare is providing vital health coverage for millions of young americans , especially women and families . when the reforms are fully in effect , we will no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or charged more for insurance because we are women . we will finally have affordable access to preventive care , such as prenatal exams , cancer screenings and contraception . health reform makes real the fair premise that our access to basic health care should n't depend on where we work , where we go to school or what gender we are . opinion : slurs wo n't silence women obama has moved our country forward by working not only to ensure americans'prosperity , but also by guaranteeing that our rights are protected and we all have opportunities to succeed . by comparison , romney has offered only frightening promises to send us backward . on fair pay for women , romney says he wo n't do anything to make the situation worse ; this is little comfort when he then says he wo n't do anything to make it better . he wo n't tell us whether he would have signed the lilly ledbetter law , and he failed to stand up to congressional republicans who opposed the paycheck fairness act . romney would cut his own taxes , but make college more expensive for young people just getting on their feet . those are n't the values we want in a president -- and they 're a stark contrast to obama , who would raise his own taxes and keep cutting them for the middle class . romney would allow the college tax credit expire for millions of middle-class families and embraced the congressional republican budget that would let student loan interest rates double . instead of explaining how he would improve americans'access to health care , romney says only that he would repeal obamacare ' and kill it dead on its first day . ' in practical terms , that means romney would strip health care coverage from the more than 6.6 million young americans who , thanks to obamacare , are not being dropped from their parents'insurance coverage . he would allow insurance companies to keep charging women a billion dollars more every year than they charge men . he would eliminate mandatory preventative care coverage despite its life-saving benefits . in this , romney has revealed an alarming lack of the vision required to lead . fundamentally , it 's that capacity for leadership that is most important in a president , which brings me back to the national conversation fueled by the verbal assault i experienced earlier this year . in the aftermath of those attacks , i was heartened by the many americans of all political stripes who reached out to me and supported me . they knew that whether we agree or disagree , as americans we defend one another 's right to speak before our elected officials without enduring personal attacks . obama responded as so many americans did , by condemning those attacks as antithetical to our democracy . romney , when pressed to address those attacks , could only say , those are n't the words i would have chosen . ' if romney lacks the leadership to stand up to extremists in his own party , then he 's not the president we need . at a time when women 's rights especially are under virulent attack , we can not elect a leader who wo n't or ca n't stand up to those extremists and protect the rights that generations of women have fought so hard to ensure . thankfully , we do n't have to . we have a president who has consistently shown he will defend those rights while working to ensure that all women and men have all the protections and opportunities they need to pursue economic success . but if we 're going to keep obama in the white house , we need to get involved , get out the vote and do what romney refuses to do on everything from fair pay to women 's rights : speak up . i 'll never stop speaking up , and i hope you 'll join me . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of sandra fluke .
|
romney is anti-middle class and anti-women , she says , and panders to extremists
|
somalia <tsp> ( cnn ) -- u.s. military forces conducted an operation monday in somalia against the al-shabaab network , pentagon press secretary rear adm. john kirby said . here is a q & a that looks at the al qaeda-linked militant group : what is al-shabaab and what are its aims ? al-shabaab is a somali group that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the u.s. government in march 2008 . it is seeking to turn somalia into a fundamentalist islamic state , according to the council on foreign relations . the group is believed to be responsible for attacks in somalia that have killed international aid workers , journalists , civilian leaders and african union peacekeepers . it has struck abroad , too . it was responsible for the july 2010 suicide bombings in kampala , uganda , that killed more than 70 people , including a u.s. citizen , as they gathered to watch a world cup final soccer match . how big is it ? the total size of the group is not clear . a u.s. official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information said in 2011 that al-shabaab was estimated to control up to 1,000 fighters in the country . a u.n. report identifies one insurgent leader who is believed to command an estimated force of between 200 and 500 fighters , ' most of them kenyans . and it has links to other groups . in february 2012 , the group 's leader , ahmed abdi godane , and al qaeda leader ayman al-zawahiri released a video announcing the alliance of the two organizations . though al-shabaab 's size may be in doubt , its potential for sowing terror is not . i would say that the greatest risks right now in east africa are al-shabaab and the violent extremists that they represent , ' said gen. carter ham in 2011 , when he was commander of the u.s. africa command . al-shabaab 's origins decades of weak government amid grinding poverty have long made somalia a target for radical islamist groups . al-shabaab 's predecessor was al-ittihad al-islami ( aiai ) , which worked to create an islamist emirate in somalia . it was , in part , funded by former al qaeda leader osama bin laden , according to the council on foreign relations . aiai , which the u.s. state department designated as a terrorist organization , strengthened after the fall in 1991 of siad barre 's military regime and amid the years of lawlessness that ensued . in 2003 , a rift erupted between iaia 's old guard -- who were seeking to establish a new political front -- and its younger members ( al-shabaab , which means the youth ' ) , who were seeking to establish fundamental islamic rule . that led the latter to ally with a group of sharia courts -- the islamic courts union ( icu ) -- that was seeking to impose order over a landscape marked by feuding warlords in the capital city . working together , the icu and al-shabaab succeeded in 2006 in gaining control of mogadishu . that sparked fears in neighboring ethiopia that violence would spill over there , according to the council on foreign relations . those fears -- combined with a request from somalia 's transitional government -- led ethiopian forces to enter somalia in december 2006 and to remove the icu from power . that move proved to be a turning point , one that radicalized al-shabaab , which attacked ethiopian forces and gained control of parts of central and southern somalia , according to a 2011 case study by rob wise , who was then with the counterterrorism program at the center for strategic and international studies . what is al-shabaab 's relationship with kenya ? in 2011 , the kenyan government ordered a cross-border incursion intended to create a security buffer zone in southern somalia after attacks on tourist destinations in northern kenya that it blamed on al-shabaab . more recently , ethiopian troops crossed the border and expelled al-shabaab from baidoa , a strategic town midway between the ethiopian border and mogadishu . the group then targeted african union soldiers and government buildings in the capital in suicide attacks . a suicide bombing in march 2012 killed five people at the presidential palace . analysts say tension appears to have been growing within al-shabaab between somalis and foreign fighters , several hundred of whom are thought to have entered somalia in recent years to join the group . there may also have been disagreement within the group about the announcement in february 2012 of an alliance between al-shabaab and al qaeda and about the group 's ban on foreign aid organizations working in somalia to save millions threatened by famine . how and from where does it recruit ? the organization has a sophisticated public relations arm that includes a twitter account and video production abilities . a 2009 al-shabaab video is as slickly produced as a reality tv show , complete with a hip-hop jihad voice and a startling message . mortar by mortar , shell by shell , only going to stop when i send them to hell , ' an unidentified voice raps on the video in american english . the video shows a man reported to have been abu mansoor al-amriki , a u.s. citizen from alabama . away from your family , away from our friends , away from ice , candy bars , all those things is because we 're waiting to meet the enemy , ' he says . but enemies -- and alliances -- can shift . al-amriki , whose real name is omar hammami , said last year in a video posted online that he had had a fallout with al-shabaab regarding matters of the sharia and matters of strategy ' and feared for his life . he was reported to have been killed in somalia by al-shabaab . cnn is not able to confirm the report . finding replacements may not be hard . sheikh ahmed matan , a member of britain 's somali community , said he knows of hundreds of young somali men living in the west who returned to somalia for terrorist training . how is it funded ? the once-ragtag somalia-based al qaeda affiliate has grown into an economic powerhouse , raising tens of millions of dollars in cash from schemes that have involved extortion , illegal taxation and other fees , ' according to the 2011 united nations report . the united states believed then that the group was coordinating with al qaeda groups in yemen and might have been plotting attacks in the region and abroad . in 2011 , it was generating between $ 70 million and $ 100 million per year , from duties and fees levied at airports and seaports , taxes on goods and services , taxes in kind on domestic produce ,'jihad contributions ,'checkpoints and various forms of extortion justified in terms of religious obligation , ' according to the report from the u.n . monitoring group on somalia and eritrea . how have somalis been affected ? years of lawlessness and poverty have exacted a toll that al-shabaab has not helped . in 2011 , the united nations declared a famine in the southern somalia regions of bakool and lower shabelle , and al-shabaab reversed an earlier pledge to allow aid agencies to provide food in famine-stricken areas . that year , the u.n. interagency group for child mortality estimation announced that somalia had the highest mortality rate for children 4 and younger in the world . a report jointly commissioned by the u.n. food and agriculture organization and the usaid-funded famine early warning systems network reported that 258,000 somalis had died in the famine between october 2010 and april 2012 and that half of the victims were younger than five . what is the united states doing ? the united states has supported u.n.-backed african forces fighting al-shabaab and strengthened its counterterrorism efforts against the group . it has also donated millions in aid . what is the status of somalia 's government today ? in september 2012 , somali parliament members selected hassan sheikh mohamud as the new president in a vote that marked a milestone for the nation , which had not had a stable central government since barre 's overthrow 21 years before . that did not mean al-shabaab was calling it quits . in january 2013 , french forces attempted to rescue a french intelligence commando held hostage in somalia by the group . the raid left the soldier dead , another soldier missing and 17 islamist fighters dead . but there has been political progress there . in january last year , for the first time in more than two decades , the united states granted official recognition to the somali government . cnn 's tim lister , barbara starr , paula newton , david mckenzie and elise labott contributed to this report .
|
al-shabaab is an al-qaeda-linked militant group based in somalia
|
river seine <tsp> ( cnn ) -- in the lead up to every new year 's eve the inevitable question of how to celebrate arises . for most , waterfronts become the focal point of the celebrations . it 's hard not to see why with the amazing firework displays looking even more dazzling reflected in the water . so jump in a boat or head to the foreshore for our the top 10 places to countdown to 2012 . river seine , paris see paris , the'city of light', be lit with fireworks while cruising down the river seine on the last day of the year . the eiffel tower is the centerpiece for the festivities and from some parts of the river you can get a magnificent uninterrupted view of the famous structure . sydney harbor sydney prides itself on holding what it claims to be the most spectacular new year 's eve celebrations in the world . thousands of boats anchor in the harbor and millions of people hit the foreshore to witness the firework display with the'sydney opera house'and harbor bridge used as the backdrop . the shores of kiribati , pacific ocean leave your worries and the rest of the world behind in 2011 in this tiny pacific nation . kiribati is the first place in the world to ring in 2012 . kiribati prides itself on being the first nation to celebrate the new year , even changing the name of one of its islands before 2000 to millennium island to mark the fact it would be the first country to enter the third millennium . niagara falls , ontario this is no ordinary waterfront , but with the spectacular backdrop of the niagara falls , it 's hard to go past queen victoria park in ontario . the freezing weather does not deter the tens of thousands of people who hit the park to count down to the new year . revelers can listen to live music while watching an amazing fireworks display over the world famous waterfall . copacabana beach , rio de janerio brazilians are renowned for their outstanding parties and new year 's eve is no different . it is one of the greatest celebrations in the south american nation , second only to the carnival . millions hit the sands of the famous copacabana beach in rio de janeiro to watch the firework display over the atlantic ocean . the bosporus , istanbul celebrate 2012 across two continents on the bosporus in istanbul -- the strait that divides europe and asia . a fireworks display lights up the bosporus bridge while beautiful mosques and other ancient turkish are illuminated , giving those on the water a stunning view . koh phangan beach , thailand if you want to escape the cold on new year 's eve then there is no better place to do it than on the beach in thailand . koh phangan is home to thailand 's famous moon parties and on new year 's eve the celebrations continue . the beach is packed mostly with tourists keen to party well into new year 's day . victoria harbor , hong kong the vast harbor is lit up when the clock strikes 12 in hong kong . fireworks are set off from the buildings which line the foreshore , using the high-rises as a part of the lighting show and giving the audience a dazzling display . river thames , london if you 're willing to brave the chilly winds , a cruise on the river thames will provide spectacular views . watch the fireworks with london 's iconic new and old buildings in the background such as big ben , westminster and the london eye . victoria and albert waterfront , cape town the fantastic sound of african drums beat out at this new year 's celebration in cape town . revelers enjoy a warm summer 's evening on the water here , with firework displays and street performers for those onshore .
|
revelers will need to brave the cold to watch fireworks on the river seine and thames
|
hamas <tsp> jerusalem ( cnn ) -- lift the siege . ' stop the rockets . ' the dialogue of the deaf continues after nearly three weeks of conflict and well over 700 deaths . hamas has rejected one egyptian proposal to silence the guns . it wants assurances that any deal includes an end to the blockade that has wrecked gaza 's economy and impoverished its people . no , says israel : stop firing rockets and then we 'll talk about it . hamas is a resilient organization . fighters of its military wing have put up stiff resistance to the israeli ground incursion . but it has few friends in the arab world , and the arab street has not risen in solidarity . and this time , israeli leaders are publicly and persistently demanding what they call the'demilitarization'of gaza as the price for peace - so that israel is spared another barrage of rockets like those that fell on its soil in 2008 and 2012 - and are again now . to that end israel wants to ensure that hamas can acquire neither the raw materials it needs to make thousands more rockets nor get its hands on more advanced missiles . it is also determined to eradicate the maze of tunnels that hamas uses to support its infrastructure and infiltrate the border . israeli military officers say they believe most if not all the tunnels have been identified -- more than 60 access shafts leading to some 31 tunnels as of thursday . in other words the israeli aim is a lasting change in the landscape . the u.s. and european union have warmed to the idea . one of the results , one would hope , of a cease-fire would be some form of demilitarization , so that again , this does n't continue , ' said u.s. deputy national security advisor tony blinken . so how do you define'demilitarization ?'what sort of weapons does it include ? who guarantees and polices it ? is it even conceivable hamas would give up in negotiation an arsenal it has spent years building up ? khaled mashal -- leader of hamas political wing -- insisted tuesday : nobody can break the will of the resistance and no one can get rid of its weapons . only two conditions can get rid of the weapons of the resistance -- firstly the ending of the occupation and second the demilitarization of israel . ' obviously impossible demands , but nathan thrall , senior analyst with the middle east program of the international crisis group , says there 's no way hamas will ever accept demilitarization in exchange for changes in gaza . ' is there a halfway house which would provide israel with sufficient security guarantees ? nothing yet on the horizon . the trouble for hamas is that its main ally , egypt 's former president mohamed morsy , is now in jail . and the man who ousted him , president abdel fattah al sisi , has moved to isolate hamas , economically and militarily , by closing the smuggling tunnels into gaza . crudely put , he shares israel 's view that hamas is ruining the neighborhood . so egypt is in the driving seat , as u.s. secretary of state john kerry has recognized by making cairo the first port of call in his latest shuttle . his'phone-bashing'has been intense -- bringing in israel , the palestinians , qatar , france , the turkish foreign minister and more . but one of his predecessors , madeleine albright , told cnn that one problem was working out who has any influence over hamas in order to get them to accept a cease-fire . ' for hamas any deal must include what it calls the lifting of the siege ' -- the blockade of gaza that has turned it into an open prison for the last eight years . we will not accept any proposal that does not lift the blockade , ' said mashal . a truce in gaza perhaps , but he would not agree to a lasting cease-fire unless blockade terms had been negotiated . at issue then , how can each side get enough to wave in front of their people as victory ? and what 's the sequence : truce , then negotiations , and only then a full cease-fire ? the whispers and hints suggest so . hamas is wary of being trapped like it was in 2012 , when a truce was agreed but longer-term issues never resolved . hamas is aware that above all the people of gaza are gasping for the chance to breathe a more normal life . we would rather be dead than live this life . ' cnn correspondents in gaza have heard that and similar refrains time and again . the detailed terms of any opening of gaza will probably not be agreed as part of an initial truce . there are too many questions . who monitors the border crossing with egypt at rafah ? the u.n. ? the egyptian military ? israeli officials seem ready at least to consider a force from the palestinian authority , says nathan thrall of the icg . and he believes that israel may be moving -- albeit grudgingly -- towards accepting a reconciliation government among the palestinians that allows abbas'palestinian authority to regain a foothold in gaza , ' not least because egypt will only talk to abbas . what sort of goods would be allowed in from israel into gaza via the kerem shalom crossing , which handles freight ? israel complains that most of the cement smuggled into gaza in recent years from egypt ( and some allowed in from israel ) has been used for hamas tunnels -- not houses . what about the port of gaza ? there are other issues -- including the release of hamas supporters arrested in the west bank since the abduction and murder of three israeli teenagers last month and the ability of farmers to tend land along the fringes of gaza . fishing rights of palestinians in gaza would also likely be discussed . some in the israeli defense forces have expressed surprise at the scale and intensity of the resistance they have met and the extent of the tunnel network , dubbed by one israeli official as lower gaza . ' rather than prod the israeli government towards a cease-fire , the resistance may make it more determined to degrade hamas'capabilities for a while longer . sisi has no problem with that . but a deeper invasion into gaza is fraught with peril , says nathan thrall . the israelis , he notes , are just one kilometer inside gaza and taking much heavier casualties than they did in 2008-09 . hamas is not without friends altogether . the wealthy emirate of qatar is close to the muslim brotherhood , from which hamas sprang , and has embarked on a diplomatic drive with turkey to bring peace and reconstruction to gaza . but turkey 's prime minister , recep tayyip erdogan , has made incendiary comparisons between israel 's conduct in gaza and hitler -- and described the incursion as systematic genocide , ' ruling himself out of any role as the region 's'honest broker .'and israeli ministers see qatar as complicit in bankrolling hamas . one long-term proposal that was floated before the latest conflict involves the international community demilitarizing gaza in return for massive investment -- 50 billion dollars -- in the territory . it comes from a former israeli defense minister , shaul mofaz . people say demilitarization is unrealistic , but the alternatives of going through this again in a year or two or capturing gaza are unacceptable , ' mofaz told the jerusalem post . [ palestinian president mahmoud ] abbas would be in a better position if he came into gaza with $ 50 billion than if he was brought in on an idf tank , ' mofaz said . he 's looking to saudi arabia and the united arab emirates to lead that process . few believe the palestinian authority has the resources to administer such a marshall plan . such an ambitious vision seems far away right now , almost impossible , some say . american officials say they are focused on the next days , not weeks nor months nor years . right now our focus is on stopping the rocket fire so that we can begin a serious negotiation on the key issues . what we 're trying to figure out is how do we get to a point where the violence can stop and these bigger , key issues can be addressed over the long term , ' said a senior u.s. official . writing in foreign policy , aaron david miller is deeply pessimistic about the long term . when it comes to gaza , ' he says , do n't dream about demilitarization or economic miracles . in fact , forget the endgame . right now , summoning the urgency , the right mediator , and a deal to stop the killing will be hard enough . ' but that 's what the people of gaza most desperately need -- before they can even dream of greater freedoms .
|
khaled mashal -- leader of hamas political wing -- is against this
|
patrick mcenroe <tsp> ( cnn ) -- serena and venus williams may still be the players to beat on the women 's circuit while andy roddick has enjoyed a recent renaissance on the men 's tour but strip away this illustrious trio and there are real fears for the future of american tennis . roddick remains the only u.s. male in the top 10 of the atp tour rankings , with john isner and sam querrey solid performers in the 20s . on the wta tour , serena and venus are at no . 1 and no.4 but then there is a gap to promising teenager melanie oudin at 36 , with three other women occupying spots in the lower reaches of the top 100 . for a nation with the tennis pedigree of the united states , and with its three standard bearers in their late 20s , it is a worrying trend which roddick says is a product of the talent pool in the united states being diluted . are federer 's rivals pretenders to the throne ? i think our best athletes probably get spread out across 10 or 12 different sports , ' he told cnn in an exclusive interview . where in serbia -- with the success of novak ( djokovic ) and the other girls on tour and guy players too . it 's kind of become the sport there . their best athletes -- have been funneled into tennis . in the states -- i feel like it 's funneled into football , baseball , and basketball . there are so many different options that it might water down the talent pool for a given sport , ' he added . nick bollettieri , whose famous tennis academy has produced the likes of andre agassi and maria sharapova , agrees with roddick . look you have cheerleading , you have basketball , you have lacrosse , you have basketball , football , you have everything , ' he told cnn . you have marathons , running , we have a variety of things . i believe you have to go for one sport and dedicate your life to it and also have some talent . ' bollettieri also believes the worldwide growth of tennis with many more countries now producing top-ranked players is responsible for the relative decline in u.s. standards . let 's go back to the 80 's and 90 's . basically there were six countries playing and we certainly we were right up on top and if you look at the world today you have china -- unbelievable ladies and india , you have japan , the czech republic , you have serbia , you have everybody playing , ' he said . bollettieri also questions the failure of u.s. tennis to discover talent at grassroots level from working class backgrounds . how many of the kids playing today come from poor families ? how many have come from the inner city where there is a possibility they can be somebody ? it is very difficult today in america to get players to commit , ' he added . in response to the problem , the u.s. tennis association ( usta ) has charged patrick mcenroe with developing its elite young players , combining this role with captaining their davis cup team . mcenroe , whose brother john topped the world rankings in the 1980s , agrees with roddick about the attractions of other sports , but is not going to make it an excuse for failure . we 've got to do a better job , ' he told cnn . we need to find those players and train them more systematically . ' he says he has been given sufficient funding and resources by the usta , but says no amount of money can develop a grand slam winner if the talent is not there . i 'm not sure you could create a champion . i 'm not sure that 's possible , but i think you can create an environment where you will get a lot of really good players , hopefully if you do that , you will get the serena williams , the andy roddicks . ' he added . pete sampras , the last american man to top the world rankings , has no doubt the usta made the right choice in selecting mcenroe to his role two years ago . patrick is a good friend , a great davis cup captain and a solid ambassador for the sport of tennis . i wish him nothing but the best and will help in any way i can , ' he told the usta official web site . despite the support for mcenroe , the flow of young u.s. talent onto the professional circuit remains a trickle rather than the hoped for flood . current hopes are the harrisons , 17-year-old ryan and his younger brother christian , who are both at the bollettieri academy . ryan became the third-youngest player to win an atp tour match at 15 and bollettieri believes he has the talent to make it to the top from his current ranking in the mid 200s . he certainly has the ingredients and that is what this academy does . it provides the basis and then it is up to you and how you want to compete and if you can deal with competition , ' he added . despite the talent of the likes of the harrisons and more established young players such as oudin and isner , bollettieri does not believe that future success is guaranteed . pat has got a tough job , not impossible but he is the one who is going to have to go out , get all the good coaches , support them and get the good players with the good players and work with the colleges . but you are still going to have to seek out the hungry athletes , ' he added . in the meantime , roddick , who scored a superb victory in the miami masters 100 tournament recently , is hoping that isner and querrey can step up to the plate to give him some support in the upper echelons of the world game . i 've been real excited that sam and john have been playing well . i 'm certainly always welcome to have some home company in the top ten or so , ' he said .
|
patrick mcenroe has been charged by u.s. tennis to find more world class stars
|
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- was the killing of osama bin laden legal under international law ? the administration says yes , absolutely . experts are unsure . attorney general eric holder told members of the senate judiciary committee on wednesday that the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound was lawful as an act of national self-defense . ' bin laden was the head of al qaeda , an organization that had conducted the attacks of september the 11th , ' holder said . it 's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field . ' the raid was conducted in a manner fully consistent with the laws of war , ' white house press secretary jay carney told reporters . carney declined to offer specifics , but said there is simply no question that this operation was lawful . ... ( bin laden ) had continued to plot attacks against the united states . ' presidents bill clinton , george w. bush and barack obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the al qaeda leader . the authority ( during the raid ) was to kill bin laden , ' cia director leon panetta said tuesday during an interview with pbs . obviously , under the rules of engagement , if he had in fact thrown up his hands , surrendered , and did n't appear to be representing any kind of threat , then they were to capture him . but they had full authority to kill him . ' a number of experts have told cnn the question of actual legality may come down to bin laden 's response at the moment u.s. navy seals burst into his room . if a person has his hands in the air , you 're not supposed to kill him , ' said steven groves , a fellow at the conservative heritage foundation . navi pillay , the united nations high commissioner for human rights , told reporters she wants a full disclosure ' of the key facts . u.s. officials have revised their account of the assault on the compound in pakistan . bin laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid , they now say , but he put up resistance to u.s. forces . the al qaeda leader was moving at the time he was initially shot , according to a u.s. official who has seen military reports of the incident . the official declined to describe the movements more specifically . asked if bin laden tried to grab a weapon or physically attack a commando , the official would say only that he did n't hold up his hands and surrender . ' officials earlier claimed that bin laden was an active participant in the firefight that erupted , implying that he was armed and gave the seals little choice but to shoot him . groves , citing the geneva conventions and international humanitarian law , told cnn that , based on the most recent white house account , there is nothing to indicate anything illegal happened . ' bin laden , considered a combatant by virtue of his position as head of al qaeda , needed to immediately make clear a desire to surrender , if that was his decision , in order to avoid being shot . that apparently did n't happen , groves said . the united states offered bin laden the possibility to surrender , but he refused , ' martin scheinin , the united nations'special rapporteur for human rights , said tuesday . bin laden would have avoided destruction if he had raised a white flag . ' geoffrey robertson , a human rights lawyer who has defended wikileaks founder julian assange among others , made clear that international law requires any killing to be done in self-defense . if members of the seal team reasonably ( believed there was ) a risk to themselves , then the killing was justified , ' robertson asserted . but given the changing white house account of the raid , there needs to be an inquiry , ' he said . cherif bassiouni , head of depaul university 's international human rights law institute and a former u.n. war crimes investigator , said that the killing of any individual sought by law enforcement in the course of a lawful arrest is always a question of facts . did the person resist ? did the person have a deadly weapon ? were the arresting officers in fear of their lives ? these are all pertinent questions . ' bassiouni stressed that any extrajudicial execution of an unarmed person is in violation of international law . ' it is necessary for the navy to conduct an internal investigation into the appropriateness of the use of armed force , ' bassiouni told cnn . however , it is also important not to make the navy seals be the scapegoats for ( any ) secret orders which the public is unaware of to simply kill bin laden no matter what . ' was the incursion of u.s. forces into pakistani territory without the clear permission of islamabad legal ? in response to that question , the u.s. intelligence official echoed holder 's and carney 's remarks , asserting that since 9/11 , the u.s. has had the authority to kill osama bin laden . ' the operation was the subject of a rigorous legal review and was planned in strict accord with american law , ' the official said . as a matter of international law , al qaeda has attacked the united states and continues to pose an imminent threat to the united states . as such , the united states may use force against al qaeda consistent with its inherent right to national self-defense under international law . ' the operation was conducted under the cia 's authorities contained in federal law , unlike most military operations which are under the control and legal authority of the defense department , ' the official noted . bin laden was an indicted international criminal who had evaded all attempts to apprehend him , robertson said . as a consequence , he asserted , the operation was legal . groves argued the use of the seals in pakistan does present complications , ' though he noted that there has been a kind of a wink and a nod game ( the u.s. government has ) been playing with the pakistanis for years ' in terms of predator drone strikes and other attacks against islamic extremists on pakistani soil . bassiouni argued that the mission to capture was legal , even though there are some questions under international law about one state sending its forces into another state to kidnap a person wanted for trial . ' the issue first arose in the early 1960s , bassiouni noted , when notorious nazi adolf eichmann was kidnapped by israeli agents in argentina and subsequently brought to israel for trial . half a century later , that issue remains a matter of sharp dispute . cnn 's richard greene and barbara starr contributed to this report
|
the administration says the mission leading to bin laden 's death was legal
|
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- was the killing of osama bin laden legal under international law ? the administration says yes , absolutely . experts are unsure . attorney general eric holder told members of the senate judiciary committee on wednesday that the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound was lawful as an act of national self-defense . ' bin laden was the head of al qaeda , an organization that had conducted the attacks of september the 11th , ' holder said . it 's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field . ' the raid was conducted in a manner fully consistent with the laws of war , ' white house press secretary jay carney told reporters . carney declined to offer specifics , but said there is simply no question that this operation was lawful . ... ( bin laden ) had continued to plot attacks against the united states . ' presidents bill clinton , george w. bush and barack obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the al qaeda leader . the authority ( during the raid ) was to kill bin laden , ' cia director leon panetta said tuesday during an interview with pbs . obviously , under the rules of engagement , if he had in fact thrown up his hands , surrendered , and did n't appear to be representing any kind of threat , then they were to capture him . but they had full authority to kill him . ' a number of experts have told cnn the question of actual legality may come down to bin laden 's response at the moment u.s. navy seals burst into his room . if a person has his hands in the air , you 're not supposed to kill him , ' said steven groves , a fellow at the conservative heritage foundation . navi pillay , the united nations high commissioner for human rights , told reporters she wants a full disclosure ' of the key facts . u.s. officials have revised their account of the assault on the compound in pakistan . bin laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid , they now say , but he put up resistance to u.s. forces . the al qaeda leader was moving at the time he was initially shot , according to a u.s. official who has seen military reports of the incident . the official declined to describe the movements more specifically . asked if bin laden tried to grab a weapon or physically attack a commando , the official would say only that he did n't hold up his hands and surrender . ' officials earlier claimed that bin laden was an active participant in the firefight that erupted , implying that he was armed and gave the seals little choice but to shoot him . groves , citing the geneva conventions and international humanitarian law , told cnn that , based on the most recent white house account , there is nothing to indicate anything illegal happened . ' bin laden , considered a combatant by virtue of his position as head of al qaeda , needed to immediately make clear a desire to surrender , if that was his decision , in order to avoid being shot . that apparently did n't happen , groves said . the united states offered bin laden the possibility to surrender , but he refused , ' martin scheinin , the united nations'special rapporteur for human rights , said tuesday . bin laden would have avoided destruction if he had raised a white flag . ' geoffrey robertson , a human rights lawyer who has defended wikileaks founder julian assange among others , made clear that international law requires any killing to be done in self-defense . if members of the seal team reasonably ( believed there was ) a risk to themselves , then the killing was justified , ' robertson asserted . but given the changing white house account of the raid , there needs to be an inquiry , ' he said . cherif bassiouni , head of depaul university 's international human rights law institute and a former u.n. war crimes investigator , said that the killing of any individual sought by law enforcement in the course of a lawful arrest is always a question of facts . did the person resist ? did the person have a deadly weapon ? were the arresting officers in fear of their lives ? these are all pertinent questions . ' bassiouni stressed that any extrajudicial execution of an unarmed person is in violation of international law . ' it is necessary for the navy to conduct an internal investigation into the appropriateness of the use of armed force , ' bassiouni told cnn . however , it is also important not to make the navy seals be the scapegoats for ( any ) secret orders which the public is unaware of to simply kill bin laden no matter what . ' was the incursion of u.s. forces into pakistani territory without the clear permission of islamabad legal ? in response to that question , the u.s. intelligence official echoed holder 's and carney 's remarks , asserting that since 9/11 , the u.s. has had the authority to kill osama bin laden . ' the operation was the subject of a rigorous legal review and was planned in strict accord with american law , ' the official said . as a matter of international law , al qaeda has attacked the united states and continues to pose an imminent threat to the united states . as such , the united states may use force against al qaeda consistent with its inherent right to national self-defense under international law . ' the operation was conducted under the cia 's authorities contained in federal law , unlike most military operations which are under the control and legal authority of the defense department , ' the official noted . bin laden was an indicted international criminal who had evaded all attempts to apprehend him , robertson said . as a consequence , he asserted , the operation was legal . groves argued the use of the seals in pakistan does present complications , ' though he noted that there has been a kind of a wink and a nod game ( the u.s. government has ) been playing with the pakistanis for years ' in terms of predator drone strikes and other attacks against islamic extremists on pakistani soil . bassiouni argued that the mission to capture was legal , even though there are some questions under international law about one state sending its forces into another state to kidnap a person wanted for trial . ' the issue first arose in the early 1960s , bassiouni noted , when notorious nazi adolf eichmann was kidnapped by israeli agents in argentina and subsequently brought to israel for trial . half a century later , that issue remains a matter of sharp dispute . cnn 's richard greene and barbara starr contributed to this report
|
if bin laden clearly tried to surrender , his killing may be illegal under international law
|
bin laden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- was the killing of osama bin laden legal under international law ? the administration says yes , absolutely . experts are unsure . attorney general eric holder told members of the senate judiciary committee on wednesday that the u.s. raid on bin laden 's compound was lawful as an act of national self-defense . ' bin laden was the head of al qaeda , an organization that had conducted the attacks of september the 11th , ' holder said . it 's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field . ' the raid was conducted in a manner fully consistent with the laws of war , ' white house press secretary jay carney told reporters . carney declined to offer specifics , but said there is simply no question that this operation was lawful . ... ( bin laden ) had continued to plot attacks against the united states . ' presidents bill clinton , george w. bush and barack obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the al qaeda leader . the authority ( during the raid ) was to kill bin laden , ' cia director leon panetta said tuesday during an interview with pbs . obviously , under the rules of engagement , if he had in fact thrown up his hands , surrendered , and did n't appear to be representing any kind of threat , then they were to capture him . but they had full authority to kill him . ' a number of experts have told cnn the question of actual legality may come down to bin laden 's response at the moment u.s. navy seals burst into his room . if a person has his hands in the air , you 're not supposed to kill him , ' said steven groves , a fellow at the conservative heritage foundation . navi pillay , the united nations high commissioner for human rights , told reporters she wants a full disclosure ' of the key facts . u.s. officials have revised their account of the assault on the compound in pakistan . bin laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid , they now say , but he put up resistance to u.s. forces . the al qaeda leader was moving at the time he was initially shot , according to a u.s. official who has seen military reports of the incident . the official declined to describe the movements more specifically . asked if bin laden tried to grab a weapon or physically attack a commando , the official would say only that he did n't hold up his hands and surrender . ' officials earlier claimed that bin laden was an active participant in the firefight that erupted , implying that he was armed and gave the seals little choice but to shoot him . groves , citing the geneva conventions and international humanitarian law , told cnn that , based on the most recent white house account , there is nothing to indicate anything illegal happened . ' bin laden , considered a combatant by virtue of his position as head of al qaeda , needed to immediately make clear a desire to surrender , if that was his decision , in order to avoid being shot . that apparently did n't happen , groves said . the united states offered bin laden the possibility to surrender , but he refused , ' martin scheinin , the united nations'special rapporteur for human rights , said tuesday . bin laden would have avoided destruction if he had raised a white flag . ' geoffrey robertson , a human rights lawyer who has defended wikileaks founder julian assange among others , made clear that international law requires any killing to be done in self-defense . if members of the seal team reasonably ( believed there was ) a risk to themselves , then the killing was justified , ' robertson asserted . but given the changing white house account of the raid , there needs to be an inquiry , ' he said . cherif bassiouni , head of depaul university 's international human rights law institute and a former u.n. war crimes investigator , said that the killing of any individual sought by law enforcement in the course of a lawful arrest is always a question of facts . did the person resist ? did the person have a deadly weapon ? were the arresting officers in fear of their lives ? these are all pertinent questions . ' bassiouni stressed that any extrajudicial execution of an unarmed person is in violation of international law . ' it is necessary for the navy to conduct an internal investigation into the appropriateness of the use of armed force , ' bassiouni told cnn . however , it is also important not to make the navy seals be the scapegoats for ( any ) secret orders which the public is unaware of to simply kill bin laden no matter what . ' was the incursion of u.s. forces into pakistani territory without the clear permission of islamabad legal ? in response to that question , the u.s. intelligence official echoed holder 's and carney 's remarks , asserting that since 9/11 , the u.s. has had the authority to kill osama bin laden . ' the operation was the subject of a rigorous legal review and was planned in strict accord with american law , ' the official said . as a matter of international law , al qaeda has attacked the united states and continues to pose an imminent threat to the united states . as such , the united states may use force against al qaeda consistent with its inherent right to national self-defense under international law . ' the operation was conducted under the cia 's authorities contained in federal law , unlike most military operations which are under the control and legal authority of the defense department , ' the official noted . bin laden was an indicted international criminal who had evaded all attempts to apprehend him , robertson said . as a consequence , he asserted , the operation was legal . groves argued the use of the seals in pakistan does present complications , ' though he noted that there has been a kind of a wink and a nod game ( the u.s. government has ) been playing with the pakistanis for years ' in terms of predator drone strikes and other attacks against islamic extremists on pakistani soil . bassiouni argued that the mission to capture was legal , even though there are some questions under international law about one state sending its forces into another state to kidnap a person wanted for trial . ' the issue first arose in the early 1960s , bassiouni noted , when notorious nazi adolf eichmann was kidnapped by israeli agents in argentina and subsequently brought to israel for trial . half a century later , that issue remains a matter of sharp dispute . cnn 's richard greene and barbara starr contributed to this report
|
experts indicate the question of legality may come down to bin laden 's reaction to the raid
|
boyle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- scotland 's susan boyle gives new meaning to the term overnight sensation . ' the britain 's got talent ' contestant was expected to be something of a joke when she first sauntered on stage , but she absolutely wowed the audience , the judges -- and then the world via the internet -- with her stunning rendition of i dreamed a dream . ' along with simon cowell and piers morgan , amanda holden is a judge on britain 's got talent . ' but like others who stumble upon sudden fame , she found the pressure and scrutiny to be overwhelming . talent ' judge amanda holden and dr. drew pinsky of vh1 's celebrity rehab with dr. drew ' joined cnn 's larry king tuesday night to discuss boyle 's hospitalization for stress and the toll the spotlight and media criticism might have taken on her mental health . they also discussed whether boyle will develop the emotional stamina for a high-pressure singing career . the following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : what do we know right now ? amanda holden : basically , we 've spoken to susan 's brother . he , in fact , spoke on [ cbs' the early show ' ] this morning to say that his sister was very keen to come home as soon as she possibly could and that she was resting up in a clinic in london and that she was very much looking forward to coming out and seeing what was available to her when she felt better . king : is the show , amanda , paying for the hospital bills and are they taking care of her ? holden : i have no idea if they 're paying the hospital bills . i would imagine that they are . we 're a very loyal show . we love susan very much . in fact , all the contestants that appear on our show are extraordinarily well looked after . king : your fellow judge , piers morgan , has said that there was talk of taking her off the show because of all the pressures on her . were you involved ? were there any discussions like that ? holden : i was n't involved in any discussions like that . and i think piers has a slightly closer relationship with her . ... the only thing i 'm worried about with susan boyle is that she seems to have a crush on piers morgan . ... i think that piers kind of reassured her during the final that she was doing well and that she must n't pay any kind of attention to the press and all the other stuff that was going king : despite all the tumult , there 's no disputing that susan sang her heart out during the finale of the competition . i know the dance troupe [ diversity ] was terrific . but , frankly , why did n't she win ? holden : honestly , i ca n't criticize the decision because it was the british public that voted in the end . i have no real idea , to be honest . i wonder whether it could be that diversity was utterly fantastic on the show that night . they decimated the show . they really , really were amazing . and i just wonder whether maybe younger people voted and were quicker on the texts than the kind of people that were voting for susan . but as i keep saying , if susan is a loser , then surely she is the biggest and best loser that we have in the world . and coming second is no bad thing . watch amanda holden discuss susan boyle » king : she came in , though , [ as ] a small-town amateur singer , [ with ] learning disabilities due to suffering oxygen deprivation at birth . some say the program exploited her and her vulnerabilities . do you agree ? holden : i could n't disagree more . you know , she 's a grown woman who applied to come on a talent show . she enjoyed every second of every moment that i met her or saw her behind the scenes . she was very excited . she was very proud to be taking part in the show . i think the downturn in press in our country [ britain ] , i think , maybe stressed her out a little bit . and i think she was just quite upset about all the exaggerated stories and the kind of falsehoods that were being written about her . i think that everybody gets upset about bad press when you 're in this business . and she 's somebody that 's gone from anonymity to [ an ] absolute worldwide phenomenon . king : yes . holden : so how is she expected to handle that ? nobody can handle that with the best will in the world . i 've been in the business 15 years , and i 'm still not media savvy . [ dr. drew pinsky joins the show ] king : what do you make of this susan boyle thing ? pinsky : the problem here is that here 's a woman that 's suddenly under the scrutiny of the spotlight who maybe has some developmental issues , who is under tremendous stress and [ now ] is in a psychiatric hospital . the question is , did the show harm her ? king : did it ? pinsky : it 's hard to say . this is the first time these kind of experiences have really been undertaken by people . people that come out of nowhere all of a sudden are international superstars . king : should we be , amanda , concerned about that ? holden : first of all , i just want to say that susan 's brother said on british television this morning that , yes , susan has experienced learning difficulties . but in actual fact , when she was at school , she did as well as any of her other siblings . but throughout her childhood , always before an exam or anything else , she always got quite anxious . [ before the show ] , she was feeling nervous . but she went out there and she nailed it . you know , she did the best performance that we 've seen . and let 's not forget , this is actually only the second or third time we 've heard her sing . ... she is in a place where celebrities go when they are burnt out . now , i am obviously not a doctor . i have no factual information to give to you . i can only say to you her brother ... has said she wants to come home within a matter of days , rather than weeks . pinsky : that 's excellent . king : would you guess , dr. drew , that she still has a career in front of her ? would n't you bet she does ? pinsky : oh , i bet she does , absolutely . and she will learn to become accustomed to this kind of stress , i am sure . but let 's make sure she has the care she needs . and let 's be sure that ... everybody that goes on shows like this has access to things that help them deal with the stress of these kinds of environments .
|
amanda holden : boyle is a grown woman who applied to come on a talent show '
|
boyle <tsp> ( cnn ) -- scotland 's susan boyle gives new meaning to the term overnight sensation . ' the britain 's got talent ' contestant was expected to be something of a joke when she first sauntered on stage , but she absolutely wowed the audience , the judges -- and then the world via the internet -- with her stunning rendition of i dreamed a dream . ' along with simon cowell and piers morgan , amanda holden is a judge on britain 's got talent . ' but like others who stumble upon sudden fame , she found the pressure and scrutiny to be overwhelming . talent ' judge amanda holden and dr. drew pinsky of vh1 's celebrity rehab with dr. drew ' joined cnn 's larry king tuesday night to discuss boyle 's hospitalization for stress and the toll the spotlight and media criticism might have taken on her mental health . they also discussed whether boyle will develop the emotional stamina for a high-pressure singing career . the following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity : larry king : what do we know right now ? amanda holden : basically , we 've spoken to susan 's brother . he , in fact , spoke on [ cbs' the early show ' ] this morning to say that his sister was very keen to come home as soon as she possibly could and that she was resting up in a clinic in london and that she was very much looking forward to coming out and seeing what was available to her when she felt better . king : is the show , amanda , paying for the hospital bills and are they taking care of her ? holden : i have no idea if they 're paying the hospital bills . i would imagine that they are . we 're a very loyal show . we love susan very much . in fact , all the contestants that appear on our show are extraordinarily well looked after . king : your fellow judge , piers morgan , has said that there was talk of taking her off the show because of all the pressures on her . were you involved ? were there any discussions like that ? holden : i was n't involved in any discussions like that . and i think piers has a slightly closer relationship with her . ... the only thing i 'm worried about with susan boyle is that she seems to have a crush on piers morgan . ... i think that piers kind of reassured her during the final that she was doing well and that she must n't pay any kind of attention to the press and all the other stuff that was going king : despite all the tumult , there 's no disputing that susan sang her heart out during the finale of the competition . i know the dance troupe [ diversity ] was terrific . but , frankly , why did n't she win ? holden : honestly , i ca n't criticize the decision because it was the british public that voted in the end . i have no real idea , to be honest . i wonder whether it could be that diversity was utterly fantastic on the show that night . they decimated the show . they really , really were amazing . and i just wonder whether maybe younger people voted and were quicker on the texts than the kind of people that were voting for susan . but as i keep saying , if susan is a loser , then surely she is the biggest and best loser that we have in the world . and coming second is no bad thing . watch amanda holden discuss susan boyle » king : she came in , though , [ as ] a small-town amateur singer , [ with ] learning disabilities due to suffering oxygen deprivation at birth . some say the program exploited her and her vulnerabilities . do you agree ? holden : i could n't disagree more . you know , she 's a grown woman who applied to come on a talent show . she enjoyed every second of every moment that i met her or saw her behind the scenes . she was very excited . she was very proud to be taking part in the show . i think the downturn in press in our country [ britain ] , i think , maybe stressed her out a little bit . and i think she was just quite upset about all the exaggerated stories and the kind of falsehoods that were being written about her . i think that everybody gets upset about bad press when you 're in this business . and she 's somebody that 's gone from anonymity to [ an ] absolute worldwide phenomenon . king : yes . holden : so how is she expected to handle that ? nobody can handle that with the best will in the world . i 've been in the business 15 years , and i 'm still not media savvy . [ dr. drew pinsky joins the show ] king : what do you make of this susan boyle thing ? pinsky : the problem here is that here 's a woman that 's suddenly under the scrutiny of the spotlight who maybe has some developmental issues , who is under tremendous stress and [ now ] is in a psychiatric hospital . the question is , did the show harm her ? king : did it ? pinsky : it 's hard to say . this is the first time these kind of experiences have really been undertaken by people . people that come out of nowhere all of a sudden are international superstars . king : should we be , amanda , concerned about that ? holden : first of all , i just want to say that susan 's brother said on british television this morning that , yes , susan has experienced learning difficulties . but in actual fact , when she was at school , she did as well as any of her other siblings . but throughout her childhood , always before an exam or anything else , she always got quite anxious . [ before the show ] , she was feeling nervous . but she went out there and she nailed it . you know , she did the best performance that we 've seen . and let 's not forget , this is actually only the second or third time we 've heard her sing . ... she is in a place where celebrities go when they are burnt out . now , i am obviously not a doctor . i have no factual information to give to you . i can only say to you her brother ... has said she wants to come home within a matter of days , rather than weeks . pinsky : that 's excellent . king : would you guess , dr. drew , that she still has a career in front of her ? would n't you bet she does ? pinsky : oh , i bet she does , absolutely . and she will learn to become accustomed to this kind of stress , i am sure . but let 's make sure she has the care she needs . and let 's be sure that ... everybody that goes on shows like this has access to things that help them deal with the stress of these kinds of environments .
|
though boyle was exceedingly nervous before finale , holden says she nailed it '
|
jackson browne <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- can liberals ever be happy ? i keep asking myself this question as i hear an increasing number complaining about president obama . there seems to be a greek chorus of liberal whining : i 'm disappointed by him . ' i expected more . ' i thought he would be different . ' earlier this week , singer jackson browne , a vocal 2008 obama supporter , lamented that president obama is ... just as beholden to the people who put him in office as any of the republicans would be . ' matt damon , who had very publicly supported obama in 2008 , has now very publicly attacked president obama . damon even went so far as to heap praise on former president bush , saying : i would kiss george w. bush on the mouth ' in appreciation for his work fighting aids in africa . although damon did note his kiss of bush would be limited to : three seconds , no tongue . ' others turning on obama include john cusack , comedian/actor jon lovitz , and even the distinguished professor cornel west , who called obama : a black mascot of wall street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats . ' a new gallup poll released this week found that president obama 's support among liberals was at its lowest point in seven months , although it 's still a solid majority of 70 % . what 's clear is that the liberals speaking out do n't want a president , they want a king . albeit a liberal king -- but still a king , who would be unrestrained by congress as well as the checks and balances enshrined in our constitution . these disenchanted liberals apparently wanted obama -- upon taking office -- to have instantly transformed every campaign promise into law by the simple wave of a pen . or maybe they would have preferred obama to have walked out onto a white house balcony where , in a scene reminiscent of the musical evita , ' he would be greeted by adoring throngs waiting below , and on the spot , declare that all his ideas were now the law of the land . but here 's the problem . barack obama is not a king , he 's the president of the united states . for those who may have forgotten the schoolhouse rock ' cartoon of how a bill becomes a law , ' congress needs to first pass the bill before it has any chance of becoming a law . our founding fathers set up a governmental structure that requires the president to engage in give and take with the legislative branch . of course , if the founding fathers could see the current state of our dysfunctional congress , they may have instead chosen a dictatorship . but they did n't , instead drafting a system to guard us against tyranny . consequently , president obama is required to navigate through myriad vested interests that exercise influence on the 535 members of congress . keep in mind most of congress was in office before president obama was elected and most will be there when he leaves . powerful members of congress are like summer camp counselors and obama is like the camper . he will only be there a relatively short amount of time , but they will remain to run the camp . and they know it . thus , as opposed to a king , a president has to engage in activity that some on the left view as a dirty word . that wicked word is : compromise . in fairness , there are many on the far right who also disdain compromise . who can forget tea party darling herman cain 's statement : ... people are sick and tired of this word in washington : compromise . this is why nothing ever gets done . ' ( this is amazing logic , because you would normally think it was the lack of compromise that prevents things from getting done in washington . ) to me , the liberals who are so very disappointed with president obama either had unrealistic expectations for him , viewing him as a messianic figure who would magically solve all of our nation 's woes , or simply refuse to grasp the reality of our american political system . in either case , the answer is : the problem is not obama , it 's you . being president requires some degree of compromise due to the very nature of our government . that is the way it has been for more than 200 years . while president obama may be far from perfect -- and , i , too , have been disappointed with some of his decisions -- i certainly prefer him to a king . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .
|
jackson browne , matt damon , john cusack are among the critics
|
obeidallah <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- can liberals ever be happy ? i keep asking myself this question as i hear an increasing number complaining about president obama . there seems to be a greek chorus of liberal whining : i 'm disappointed by him . ' i expected more . ' i thought he would be different . ' earlier this week , singer jackson browne , a vocal 2008 obama supporter , lamented that president obama is ... just as beholden to the people who put him in office as any of the republicans would be . ' matt damon , who had very publicly supported obama in 2008 , has now very publicly attacked president obama . damon even went so far as to heap praise on former president bush , saying : i would kiss george w. bush on the mouth ' in appreciation for his work fighting aids in africa . although damon did note his kiss of bush would be limited to : three seconds , no tongue . ' others turning on obama include john cusack , comedian/actor jon lovitz , and even the distinguished professor cornel west , who called obama : a black mascot of wall street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats . ' a new gallup poll released this week found that president obama 's support among liberals was at its lowest point in seven months , although it 's still a solid majority of 70 % . what 's clear is that the liberals speaking out do n't want a president , they want a king . albeit a liberal king -- but still a king , who would be unrestrained by congress as well as the checks and balances enshrined in our constitution . these disenchanted liberals apparently wanted obama -- upon taking office -- to have instantly transformed every campaign promise into law by the simple wave of a pen . or maybe they would have preferred obama to have walked out onto a white house balcony where , in a scene reminiscent of the musical evita , ' he would be greeted by adoring throngs waiting below , and on the spot , declare that all his ideas were now the law of the land . but here 's the problem . barack obama is not a king , he 's the president of the united states . for those who may have forgotten the schoolhouse rock ' cartoon of how a bill becomes a law , ' congress needs to first pass the bill before it has any chance of becoming a law . our founding fathers set up a governmental structure that requires the president to engage in give and take with the legislative branch . of course , if the founding fathers could see the current state of our dysfunctional congress , they may have instead chosen a dictatorship . but they did n't , instead drafting a system to guard us against tyranny . consequently , president obama is required to navigate through myriad vested interests that exercise influence on the 535 members of congress . keep in mind most of congress was in office before president obama was elected and most will be there when he leaves . powerful members of congress are like summer camp counselors and obama is like the camper . he will only be there a relatively short amount of time , but they will remain to run the camp . and they know it . thus , as opposed to a king , a president has to engage in activity that some on the left view as a dirty word . that wicked word is : compromise . in fairness , there are many on the far right who also disdain compromise . who can forget tea party darling herman cain 's statement : ... people are sick and tired of this word in washington : compromise . this is why nothing ever gets done . ' ( this is amazing logic , because you would normally think it was the lack of compromise that prevents things from getting done in washington . ) to me , the liberals who are so very disappointed with president obama either had unrealistic expectations for him , viewing him as a messianic figure who would magically solve all of our nation 's woes , or simply refuse to grasp the reality of our american political system . in either case , the answer is : the problem is not obama , it 's you . being president requires some degree of compromise due to the very nature of our government . that is the way it has been for more than 200 years . while president obama may be far from perfect -- and , i , too , have been disappointed with some of his decisions -- i certainly prefer him to a king . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .
|
dean obeidallah : a growing number of prominent liberals criticize president obama
|
obeidallah <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- can liberals ever be happy ? i keep asking myself this question as i hear an increasing number complaining about president obama . there seems to be a greek chorus of liberal whining : i 'm disappointed by him . ' i expected more . ' i thought he would be different . ' earlier this week , singer jackson browne , a vocal 2008 obama supporter , lamented that president obama is ... just as beholden to the people who put him in office as any of the republicans would be . ' matt damon , who had very publicly supported obama in 2008 , has now very publicly attacked president obama . damon even went so far as to heap praise on former president bush , saying : i would kiss george w. bush on the mouth ' in appreciation for his work fighting aids in africa . although damon did note his kiss of bush would be limited to : three seconds , no tongue . ' others turning on obama include john cusack , comedian/actor jon lovitz , and even the distinguished professor cornel west , who called obama : a black mascot of wall street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats . ' a new gallup poll released this week found that president obama 's support among liberals was at its lowest point in seven months , although it 's still a solid majority of 70 % . what 's clear is that the liberals speaking out do n't want a president , they want a king . albeit a liberal king -- but still a king , who would be unrestrained by congress as well as the checks and balances enshrined in our constitution . these disenchanted liberals apparently wanted obama -- upon taking office -- to have instantly transformed every campaign promise into law by the simple wave of a pen . or maybe they would have preferred obama to have walked out onto a white house balcony where , in a scene reminiscent of the musical evita , ' he would be greeted by adoring throngs waiting below , and on the spot , declare that all his ideas were now the law of the land . but here 's the problem . barack obama is not a king , he 's the president of the united states . for those who may have forgotten the schoolhouse rock ' cartoon of how a bill becomes a law , ' congress needs to first pass the bill before it has any chance of becoming a law . our founding fathers set up a governmental structure that requires the president to engage in give and take with the legislative branch . of course , if the founding fathers could see the current state of our dysfunctional congress , they may have instead chosen a dictatorship . but they did n't , instead drafting a system to guard us against tyranny . consequently , president obama is required to navigate through myriad vested interests that exercise influence on the 535 members of congress . keep in mind most of congress was in office before president obama was elected and most will be there when he leaves . powerful members of congress are like summer camp counselors and obama is like the camper . he will only be there a relatively short amount of time , but they will remain to run the camp . and they know it . thus , as opposed to a king , a president has to engage in activity that some on the left view as a dirty word . that wicked word is : compromise . in fairness , there are many on the far right who also disdain compromise . who can forget tea party darling herman cain 's statement : ... people are sick and tired of this word in washington : compromise . this is why nothing ever gets done . ' ( this is amazing logic , because you would normally think it was the lack of compromise that prevents things from getting done in washington . ) to me , the liberals who are so very disappointed with president obama either had unrealistic expectations for him , viewing him as a messianic figure who would magically solve all of our nation 's woes , or simply refuse to grasp the reality of our american political system . in either case , the answer is : the problem is not obama , it 's you . being president requires some degree of compromise due to the very nature of our government . that is the way it has been for more than 200 years . while president obama may be far from perfect -- and , i , too , have been disappointed with some of his decisions -- i certainly prefer him to a king . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .
|
obeidallah says they gloss over the fact that obama needs congress to get things done
|
congress <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- can liberals ever be happy ? i keep asking myself this question as i hear an increasing number complaining about president obama . there seems to be a greek chorus of liberal whining : i 'm disappointed by him . ' i expected more . ' i thought he would be different . ' earlier this week , singer jackson browne , a vocal 2008 obama supporter , lamented that president obama is ... just as beholden to the people who put him in office as any of the republicans would be . ' matt damon , who had very publicly supported obama in 2008 , has now very publicly attacked president obama . damon even went so far as to heap praise on former president bush , saying : i would kiss george w. bush on the mouth ' in appreciation for his work fighting aids in africa . although damon did note his kiss of bush would be limited to : three seconds , no tongue . ' others turning on obama include john cusack , comedian/actor jon lovitz , and even the distinguished professor cornel west , who called obama : a black mascot of wall street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats . ' a new gallup poll released this week found that president obama 's support among liberals was at its lowest point in seven months , although it 's still a solid majority of 70 % . what 's clear is that the liberals speaking out do n't want a president , they want a king . albeit a liberal king -- but still a king , who would be unrestrained by congress as well as the checks and balances enshrined in our constitution . these disenchanted liberals apparently wanted obama -- upon taking office -- to have instantly transformed every campaign promise into law by the simple wave of a pen . or maybe they would have preferred obama to have walked out onto a white house balcony where , in a scene reminiscent of the musical evita , ' he would be greeted by adoring throngs waiting below , and on the spot , declare that all his ideas were now the law of the land . but here 's the problem . barack obama is not a king , he 's the president of the united states . for those who may have forgotten the schoolhouse rock ' cartoon of how a bill becomes a law , ' congress needs to first pass the bill before it has any chance of becoming a law . our founding fathers set up a governmental structure that requires the president to engage in give and take with the legislative branch . of course , if the founding fathers could see the current state of our dysfunctional congress , they may have instead chosen a dictatorship . but they did n't , instead drafting a system to guard us against tyranny . consequently , president obama is required to navigate through myriad vested interests that exercise influence on the 535 members of congress . keep in mind most of congress was in office before president obama was elected and most will be there when he leaves . powerful members of congress are like summer camp counselors and obama is like the camper . he will only be there a relatively short amount of time , but they will remain to run the camp . and they know it . thus , as opposed to a king , a president has to engage in activity that some on the left view as a dirty word . that wicked word is : compromise . in fairness , there are many on the far right who also disdain compromise . who can forget tea party darling herman cain 's statement : ... people are sick and tired of this word in washington : compromise . this is why nothing ever gets done . ' ( this is amazing logic , because you would normally think it was the lack of compromise that prevents things from getting done in washington . ) to me , the liberals who are so very disappointed with president obama either had unrealistic expectations for him , viewing him as a messianic figure who would magically solve all of our nation 's woes , or simply refuse to grasp the reality of our american political system . in either case , the answer is : the problem is not obama , it 's you . being president requires some degree of compromise due to the very nature of our government . that is the way it has been for more than 200 years . while president obama may be far from perfect -- and , i , too , have been disappointed with some of his decisions -- i certainly prefer him to a king . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of dean obeidallah .
|
obeidallah says they gloss over the fact that obama needs congress to get things done
|
florida <tsp> ( cnn ) -- be as paranoid as possible ! ' the screed from our homeowner association manager arrived in our mailbox printed inside a cheery holiday border . the message continued : our neighborhood is as safe as we make it . make no mistake about it , you must be on your guard ! report suspicious behavior or individuals that do not belong in our community . ' the call to arms echoed the strident sentiment of neighbors left nervous by the robbery of our home the day before . while we slept unaware at the back of an upscale gated community in windermere , florida , intruders came through the front door , took our big-screen tv , laptops and all of the presents from under the christmas tree . no matter that we had n't activated our security system and most likely forgot to lock the door . hysterical efforts to fortify the perimeter were in full swing . an 8-foot iron fence was installed to seal the breach in the back wall used to circumvent the electronic entrance gate . an evening patrol was hired to circle in our eight-block subdivision . the developer sent apologetic champagne , and the homeowners association sent repeated encouragements to keep an eye out for anything unusual ! ' heavily marketed as havens of prestige and a sure footing on the social ladder , gated communities in florida also create an insidious fortress mentality . inside the enclaves that boast exclusivity and safety as their primary features , security means not just freedom from crime , but also protection from annoyances such as solicitors and strangers of any kind . you know , individuals that do not belong in our community . in other words , minorities and other less desirable social classes . this is the paradox of florida 's famed gated lifestyle , into which trayvon martin walked , was shot and tragically died . and within such communities , a neighborhood watch member such as george zimmerman can get carried away . while we do n't know what exactly happened in the encounter between zimmerman and martin , questions about racial profiling , vigilantism and police prejudice were slow in coming partly because of florida 's penchant for enclave living . the forting-up phenomenon that began in the 1960s shows no sign of slowing , ranking florida as second only to california in the number of walls , street patterns and barricades that separate people from each other . even though these features do not necessarily deliver on the promise of lower crime rate or more stable home value , they remain highly desirable . their popularity complicates the debate over whether martin or zimmerman deserves the benefit of the doubt . for residents who are n't expecting people to be passing through , to be in their space , attitudes can be taken to the extreme , ' eliza harris , orlando 's representative at the congress for the new urbanism , told me . fenced in against their own insecurity , residents living within the perimeter revere active vigilance . those who want to play border patrol and muscle outsiders around can easily do so unchecked . when you discourage drive-through traffic and pedestrians , it becomes abnormal to see someone walking . and now you 've created a situation where two people alone are hazardous to each other because there 's no one else around , no cars driving by , no eyes on the street , harris added . today 's cameras , fences , walls and gates do little to create an atmosphere of openness , which is an essential element in a diverse society . when segregation of our living spaces becomes the wallpaper we no longer see , communities become brittle , unable to prevent and shut down the most dangerous behavior . our children deserve to grow up in a culture of responsibility that does n't stop at the neighborhood gates . as the design of our communities becomes more divided , the as paranoid as possible ' citizens living in fear of those lurking outside of their walls too often overlook the more distressing attitudes within . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of bonita burton .
|
bonita burton : gated communities in florida create an insidious fortress mentality
|
jason day <tsp> ( cnn ) -- they were miraculous escape shots even the late , great seve ballesteros would have been proud of . twice during sudden death on the extra playoff holes of a titanic wgc world match play final , frenchman victor dubuisson looked as if he were about to hand the trophy to his opponent on a plate . and twice australia 's jason day could only smile and shake his head as dubuisson channeled the spirit of spain 's golfing maverick to extricate himself from the bushes of the arizona desert . but the 23-year-old 's luck could n't hold and finally , on the fifth extra hole , day sealed the biggest victory of his career to date . at that time , you 're just thinking ,'do i need to just hand him the trophy now after those two shots ?'' day told the tournament 's official website of dubuisson 's second ridiculous escape shot . i kept shaking my head because there was a couple of times there where i thought he was absolutely dead -- the tournament was mine , ' day said . but he should have known better . dubuisson took care of south africa 's ernie els in the semifinal , played early on sunday , and went into the final aiming to become the first frenchman to win a pga tour title . day , who toppled america 's rickie fowler in his semi , was three up after nine holes before his french opponent started clawing his way back into the final and made a vital downhill putt on the 17th to reduce the gap to just one . needing to win the final hole to force sudden death dubuisson held his nerve to make a short putt after an exquisite shot from a greenside bunker . then the fireworks truly began . having flown his approach shot over the back of the first extra hole , his ball landed in cacti bushes and looked to be unplayable . but dubuisson hovered above the foliage before pulling off a miraculous shot that dribbled to within four feet of the hole , to extend the match . at the next hole dubuisson again missed the green , his ball resting against the root of a small bush . once again he dazzled the gallery with an improvised shot that allowed him to halve the hole . i walked over there and it was in a tree , a flower tree of some sort , in this little crevice . i mean , it looked absolutely dead , ' day said . i 'm like ,'yes .'i hit 8-iron into 20 feet . there was so much pressure on him . and he does it again . ' those two shots were amazing , ' dubuisson said . i just played it like i had nothing to lose . ' his fellow professionals agreed , 2010 u.s. open winner graeme mcdowell saying they were two of the best escape shots he 'd ever seen , while ballesteros'son javier , called dubuisson his new hero . ' finally , at the fifth extra hole and with light in the arizona desert fading , dubuisson succumbed , missing a long putt for birdie , as day sank his from three feet . vic , man , he has a lot of guts , ' day said . he has a great short game -- straight out of the cactus twice . for a 23-year-old kid , he 's got a lot of game . we 're going to see a lot of him for years to come . the biggest thing was ,'how much do i want to win ? ' i kept saying that to myself . last night , i kept visualizing myself with the trophy . i 'm glad i could finish it off . but it was a close one . ' day pocketed a cool $ 1.53 million for his victory and , remarkably , never trailed once during the final 53 holes he played in the tournament . i 'm disappointed because i made some terrible shots , ' dubuisson said after his defeat , adding of those two seve-like escapes : those two shots were amazing , ' dubuisson said . i just played it like i had nothing to lose . ' the third place playoff , also required sudden death to settle the outcome -- rickie fowler defeating ernie els on the first extra hole .
|
jason day defeats victor dubuisson to win wgc world match play title in arizona
|
soundgarden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i only ever really wanted a break/i 've been away for too long , ' chris cornell sings on the new soundgarden album , king animal , ' out november 13 . it 's the band 's first all-new album since 1996 's down on the upside ' and its breakup in 1997 , so the lyric feels more like a status report . is it a statement ? ' cornell asked with a laugh . or is it more of a coincidence ? probably more of a coincidence . but it does seem obvious , does n't it ? ' although nirvana imploded with kurt cobain 's death in 1994 and pearl jam kept trucking through the 2000s -- celebrating its 20th anniversary last year -- soundgarden predates both grunge pioneers , even though the band found mainstream popularity only in those bands'wake , hitting a commercial peak in 1994 with the album superunknown . ' we formed in 1984 , eight years before the world knew what seattle was , ' cornell said . i 'm just waiting for the rock 'n'roll hall of fame to call up and say ,'here 's your induction .'we can do it for the 30th anniversary , i suppose . ' soundgarden 's breakup was n't anything unusual , cornell said . no one died ; no one stole someone 's wife . no one lost an arm , ' he said . it was just time for a break . ' now , after he 's explored a different avenue of music with his three solo albums , some temple of the dog reunions and audioslave , the revamped soundgarden has a new focus , aided by cornell 's sobriety . ( he went into rehab after audioslave 's first tour . ) reminded of a post-soundgarden party where he was spotted double-fisting champagne bottles , the singer laughed . not just one . i needed more than one . ' there is one lyrical reference to soundgarden 's time away from the rock arena , but you wo n't find any other explicit mentions of the band 's breakup or of bygone fame on king animal , ' which cornell said would be inappropriate . ' if this were an eminem record , he would rap about what it all means , what he thinks about the last record , what he 's doing now , and we do n't do that , ' cornell said . that 's a different culture , to talk about you and then you talk about you some more and then when you 're done , how you 're selling so many records . i get that , but it 's a little strange . ' even though the rock world has changed since the '90s , cornell says nothing has changed for soundgarden during the band 's time away , which ended in 2010 with some studio sessions , a compilation album ( telephantasm ' ) and , most recently , a song on the avengers ' soundtrack ( live to rise ' ) . i guess if anything , we 've reverted back to the way we operated as an indie band , ' cornell said . we acted like free agents . and we can do that now , like we did then , because the music business has changed so much . ' lamenting the loss of importance of music videos and rock radio play , cornell acknowledged that it would n't be quite so easy for a new band to just put out an album and expect any fanfare . then again , when soundgarden started out as an indie band -- before becoming the first grunge group to sign to a major label , one year before nirvana did -- success was based on touring in a van and playing little clubs all over the u.s. , canada and europe , again and again . ' ( it 's a fact that may be acknowledged on the track been away too long ' : you can walk a million miles and get nowhere . ' ) it would n't be the same environment if we were just starting out now , ' cornell said . we 're an established , well-known band and pioneers of a benchmark cultural shift in rock and pop music , so we have that ( in our favor ) . but all the differences with video play and rock radio networks shrinking keeps you honest , and in a sense , it 's healthier and better for fans . ' more than ever , cornell said , soundgarden wanted to make an album that was consistent with the aesthetic values he developed from listening to bands as a teenager . when i was 16 years old and somebody i trusted recommended an album , i would have to go and find it , ' he recalled . and oftentimes , those albums were n't easy to find . you might search for a year for it , and then you might have to save up to buy it . and then , if i took it home and did n't love it on the first listen , i would listen to it again and again , because i wanted to like it . i put considerable energy into it . ' likewise , king animal ' can mean different things to different people on subsequent listens . it becomes your projection , ' cornell said . your life is an opera , and this can be the soundtrack of your life . ' listen to king animal ' after superstorm sandy in new york , for instance , and someone might sense a storm raging in cornell 's wailings and the band 's arrangements and complicated time signatures , how the mood darkens and saddens as each song progresses , drawing the listener deeper into tracks such as bones of birds , ' the ode to nature taree , ' the water-logged rowing ' and the comfort-seeking black saturday ' ( i was thirsty , and you gave me water/i was crying , i remember you gave me your shoulder ' ) . cornell offers minimal explanation for these songs , because he wants fans to come up with their own meanings . if i write a song and put it out there , it 's not mine anymore , ' he said . it takes on a life of its own , and when you listen to it , it becomes your song . and over the course of generations , those meanings will change . i might have created it , but i have no control over how it evolves . but without being able to define what each fan wants , we have to look at it as , do we like this ? we have to please each other , because if we like it , soundgarden fans will love it . and i think the hardcore fans are going to feel like we brought it . i 'm more confident of that now than with any other album . '
|
soundgarden 's new album , king animal , ' is out november 13
|
soundgarden <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i only ever really wanted a break/i 've been away for too long , ' chris cornell sings on the new soundgarden album , king animal , ' out november 13 . it 's the band 's first all-new album since 1996 's down on the upside ' and its breakup in 1997 , so the lyric feels more like a status report . is it a statement ? ' cornell asked with a laugh . or is it more of a coincidence ? probably more of a coincidence . but it does seem obvious , does n't it ? ' although nirvana imploded with kurt cobain 's death in 1994 and pearl jam kept trucking through the 2000s -- celebrating its 20th anniversary last year -- soundgarden predates both grunge pioneers , even though the band found mainstream popularity only in those bands'wake , hitting a commercial peak in 1994 with the album superunknown . ' we formed in 1984 , eight years before the world knew what seattle was , ' cornell said . i 'm just waiting for the rock 'n'roll hall of fame to call up and say ,'here 's your induction .'we can do it for the 30th anniversary , i suppose . ' soundgarden 's breakup was n't anything unusual , cornell said . no one died ; no one stole someone 's wife . no one lost an arm , ' he said . it was just time for a break . ' now , after he 's explored a different avenue of music with his three solo albums , some temple of the dog reunions and audioslave , the revamped soundgarden has a new focus , aided by cornell 's sobriety . ( he went into rehab after audioslave 's first tour . ) reminded of a post-soundgarden party where he was spotted double-fisting champagne bottles , the singer laughed . not just one . i needed more than one . ' there is one lyrical reference to soundgarden 's time away from the rock arena , but you wo n't find any other explicit mentions of the band 's breakup or of bygone fame on king animal , ' which cornell said would be inappropriate . ' if this were an eminem record , he would rap about what it all means , what he thinks about the last record , what he 's doing now , and we do n't do that , ' cornell said . that 's a different culture , to talk about you and then you talk about you some more and then when you 're done , how you 're selling so many records . i get that , but it 's a little strange . ' even though the rock world has changed since the '90s , cornell says nothing has changed for soundgarden during the band 's time away , which ended in 2010 with some studio sessions , a compilation album ( telephantasm ' ) and , most recently , a song on the avengers ' soundtrack ( live to rise ' ) . i guess if anything , we 've reverted back to the way we operated as an indie band , ' cornell said . we acted like free agents . and we can do that now , like we did then , because the music business has changed so much . ' lamenting the loss of importance of music videos and rock radio play , cornell acknowledged that it would n't be quite so easy for a new band to just put out an album and expect any fanfare . then again , when soundgarden started out as an indie band -- before becoming the first grunge group to sign to a major label , one year before nirvana did -- success was based on touring in a van and playing little clubs all over the u.s. , canada and europe , again and again . ' ( it 's a fact that may be acknowledged on the track been away too long ' : you can walk a million miles and get nowhere . ' ) it would n't be the same environment if we were just starting out now , ' cornell said . we 're an established , well-known band and pioneers of a benchmark cultural shift in rock and pop music , so we have that ( in our favor ) . but all the differences with video play and rock radio networks shrinking keeps you honest , and in a sense , it 's healthier and better for fans . ' more than ever , cornell said , soundgarden wanted to make an album that was consistent with the aesthetic values he developed from listening to bands as a teenager . when i was 16 years old and somebody i trusted recommended an album , i would have to go and find it , ' he recalled . and oftentimes , those albums were n't easy to find . you might search for a year for it , and then you might have to save up to buy it . and then , if i took it home and did n't love it on the first listen , i would listen to it again and again , because i wanted to like it . i put considerable energy into it . ' likewise , king animal ' can mean different things to different people on subsequent listens . it becomes your projection , ' cornell said . your life is an opera , and this can be the soundtrack of your life . ' listen to king animal ' after superstorm sandy in new york , for instance , and someone might sense a storm raging in cornell 's wailings and the band 's arrangements and complicated time signatures , how the mood darkens and saddens as each song progresses , drawing the listener deeper into tracks such as bones of birds , ' the ode to nature taree , ' the water-logged rowing ' and the comfort-seeking black saturday ' ( i was thirsty , and you gave me water/i was crying , i remember you gave me your shoulder ' ) . cornell offers minimal explanation for these songs , because he wants fans to come up with their own meanings . if i write a song and put it out there , it 's not mine anymore , ' he said . it takes on a life of its own , and when you listen to it , it becomes your song . and over the course of generations , those meanings will change . i might have created it , but i have no control over how it evolves . but without being able to define what each fan wants , we have to look at it as , do we like this ? we have to please each other , because if we like it , soundgarden fans will love it . and i think the hardcore fans are going to feel like we brought it . i 'm more confident of that now than with any other album . '
|
soundgarden 's breakup was n't anything unusual : it was just time for a break '
|
kylie jenner <tsp> ( cnn ) doing weird stuff to your body in the name of beauty is n't anything new . humans have been changing the shape of our skulls , inking ourselves up and sticking things through various protuberances since before we figured out how to write . but now we have twitter and facebook and hashtags , so these things seem to sweep around the world faster than a quick trip to the piercing joint . and somehow , many trends these days seem to somehow involve a member of the kardashian clan . the latest : lip plumping . by sucking on a jar . to look like kylie jenner . seriously . it even has a hashtag : # kyliejennerchallenge do n't worry , we said , what the ... ? ' too . but , we are , after all , in the business of providing you , dear reader , with information about the news , events and trends that surround you . so please read on to learn more about this and other beauty ' trends inspired by the kardashians : used to be , youtube would teach the kiddos how to put on eyeliner or style their hair like a favorite star . that 's so old-school . now , the nets say you should stick your lips in a shot glass , suck all the air out and then pull it off to reveal your all-new plump kisser , just like kylie jenner . except , well , see for yourself . the hashtag # kyliejennerchallenge has been trending on twitter in recent days , with posters showing off the often disturbing results of their efforts . made my chin look like a hickey a week ago and i 'll say iv never felt so dumb , ' twitter user emmaburkie posted monday . plenty of folks shared the sentiment . many were people who 'd tried it . others were just shaking their heads . surgeon dr. dendy engelman told seventeen that the trend is dangerous . not only can significant pain , swelling , and bruising result from these suction techniques , but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts , ' engelman said . jenner has tweeted her disapproval of the lip-plumping trend she inspired . it 's a trend that predates the kardashians , but they certainly gave us a lot of it : the sideboob , the flash of breast from the side of a dress , shirt or just about anything else that can be draped on a woman 's body . according to google , the arbiter of all things , search interest in sideboob has fallen off since its 2012 peak , when huffington post dutifully reported another day , another sideboob ' shot from kim kardashian . how about something newer ? surely you 've heard of the belfie ' ? a term reportedly coined by kim kardashian herself , this charming practice -- a butt selfie -- involves posting self-photography of one 's posterior , thusly : the trend took off last year , with a deluge of broadcast butts and not a little derision , but may have reached its peak with the apparently real belfie stick -- a device for taking perfect belfies simply and quickly . ' butt never fear , kylie jenner is here to keep the trend going , with a belfie taken just this month liked by 1.4 million people : here 's a fact for you : in 2014 , the number of women undergoing buttock augmentation ' rose by a mountainous 86 % , according to the american society for aesthetic plastic surgery reports . why ? kim kardashian , of course , say the doctors . while a rounder , more curvaceous derriere has been in vogue for a number of years , celebrities like ( nicki ) minaj and kim kardashian have brought the attention to the rear to an all-time high influencing more women to undergo buttock augmentation to achieve the hourglass look , ' dr. constantino mendieta said in an asaps statement . and he should know . he bills himself a butt augmentation specialist . ' back in the day , folks who wanted to look like rachel from friends ' got her haircut . now , they get surgery . well , some of them . meet jordan james parke , who made news this year with an interview with britain 's the sun newspaper in which he reportedly said he spent $ 150,000 to look like , you guessed it , kim kardashian . he later told us magazine he does n't want to look exactly like kim . but he 'd die for her butt . i 'd like to get a bum as big as hers , but i wo n't get implants , ' the magazine quoted him as saying . i 've been looking at body contour -- i want to get lipo on my stomach and back and then they put the fat back into your bum . '
|
the latest : kylie jenner 's pouty lips spark the # kyliejennerchallenge
|
kyliejennerchallenge <tsp> ( cnn ) doing weird stuff to your body in the name of beauty is n't anything new . humans have been changing the shape of our skulls , inking ourselves up and sticking things through various protuberances since before we figured out how to write . but now we have twitter and facebook and hashtags , so these things seem to sweep around the world faster than a quick trip to the piercing joint . and somehow , many trends these days seem to somehow involve a member of the kardashian clan . the latest : lip plumping . by sucking on a jar . to look like kylie jenner . seriously . it even has a hashtag : # kyliejennerchallenge do n't worry , we said , what the ... ? ' too . but , we are , after all , in the business of providing you , dear reader , with information about the news , events and trends that surround you . so please read on to learn more about this and other beauty ' trends inspired by the kardashians : used to be , youtube would teach the kiddos how to put on eyeliner or style their hair like a favorite star . that 's so old-school . now , the nets say you should stick your lips in a shot glass , suck all the air out and then pull it off to reveal your all-new plump kisser , just like kylie jenner . except , well , see for yourself . the hashtag # kyliejennerchallenge has been trending on twitter in recent days , with posters showing off the often disturbing results of their efforts . made my chin look like a hickey a week ago and i 'll say iv never felt so dumb , ' twitter user emmaburkie posted monday . plenty of folks shared the sentiment . many were people who 'd tried it . others were just shaking their heads . surgeon dr. dendy engelman told seventeen that the trend is dangerous . not only can significant pain , swelling , and bruising result from these suction techniques , but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts , ' engelman said . jenner has tweeted her disapproval of the lip-plumping trend she inspired . it 's a trend that predates the kardashians , but they certainly gave us a lot of it : the sideboob , the flash of breast from the side of a dress , shirt or just about anything else that can be draped on a woman 's body . according to google , the arbiter of all things , search interest in sideboob has fallen off since its 2012 peak , when huffington post dutifully reported another day , another sideboob ' shot from kim kardashian . how about something newer ? surely you 've heard of the belfie ' ? a term reportedly coined by kim kardashian herself , this charming practice -- a butt selfie -- involves posting self-photography of one 's posterior , thusly : the trend took off last year , with a deluge of broadcast butts and not a little derision , but may have reached its peak with the apparently real belfie stick -- a device for taking perfect belfies simply and quickly . ' butt never fear , kylie jenner is here to keep the trend going , with a belfie taken just this month liked by 1.4 million people : here 's a fact for you : in 2014 , the number of women undergoing buttock augmentation ' rose by a mountainous 86 % , according to the american society for aesthetic plastic surgery reports . why ? kim kardashian , of course , say the doctors . while a rounder , more curvaceous derriere has been in vogue for a number of years , celebrities like ( nicki ) minaj and kim kardashian have brought the attention to the rear to an all-time high influencing more women to undergo buttock augmentation to achieve the hourglass look , ' dr. constantino mendieta said in an asaps statement . and he should know . he bills himself a butt augmentation specialist . ' back in the day , folks who wanted to look like rachel from friends ' got her haircut . now , they get surgery . well , some of them . meet jordan james parke , who made news this year with an interview with britain 's the sun newspaper in which he reportedly said he spent $ 150,000 to look like , you guessed it , kim kardashian . he later told us magazine he does n't want to look exactly like kim . but he 'd die for her butt . i 'd like to get a bum as big as hers , but i wo n't get implants , ' the magazine quoted him as saying . i 've been looking at body contour -- i want to get lipo on my stomach and back and then they put the fat back into your bum . '
|
the latest : kylie jenner 's pouty lips spark the # kyliejennerchallenge
|
kardashian <tsp> ( cnn ) doing weird stuff to your body in the name of beauty is n't anything new . humans have been changing the shape of our skulls , inking ourselves up and sticking things through various protuberances since before we figured out how to write . but now we have twitter and facebook and hashtags , so these things seem to sweep around the world faster than a quick trip to the piercing joint . and somehow , many trends these days seem to somehow involve a member of the kardashian clan . the latest : lip plumping . by sucking on a jar . to look like kylie jenner . seriously . it even has a hashtag : # kyliejennerchallenge do n't worry , we said , what the ... ? ' too . but , we are , after all , in the business of providing you , dear reader , with information about the news , events and trends that surround you . so please read on to learn more about this and other beauty ' trends inspired by the kardashians : used to be , youtube would teach the kiddos how to put on eyeliner or style their hair like a favorite star . that 's so old-school . now , the nets say you should stick your lips in a shot glass , suck all the air out and then pull it off to reveal your all-new plump kisser , just like kylie jenner . except , well , see for yourself . the hashtag # kyliejennerchallenge has been trending on twitter in recent days , with posters showing off the often disturbing results of their efforts . made my chin look like a hickey a week ago and i 'll say iv never felt so dumb , ' twitter user emmaburkie posted monday . plenty of folks shared the sentiment . many were people who 'd tried it . others were just shaking their heads . surgeon dr. dendy engelman told seventeen that the trend is dangerous . not only can significant pain , swelling , and bruising result from these suction techniques , but there is potential risk for scarring and permanent disfigurement with repeated attempts , ' engelman said . jenner has tweeted her disapproval of the lip-plumping trend she inspired . it 's a trend that predates the kardashians , but they certainly gave us a lot of it : the sideboob , the flash of breast from the side of a dress , shirt or just about anything else that can be draped on a woman 's body . according to google , the arbiter of all things , search interest in sideboob has fallen off since its 2012 peak , when huffington post dutifully reported another day , another sideboob ' shot from kim kardashian . how about something newer ? surely you 've heard of the belfie ' ? a term reportedly coined by kim kardashian herself , this charming practice -- a butt selfie -- involves posting self-photography of one 's posterior , thusly : the trend took off last year , with a deluge of broadcast butts and not a little derision , but may have reached its peak with the apparently real belfie stick -- a device for taking perfect belfies simply and quickly . ' butt never fear , kylie jenner is here to keep the trend going , with a belfie taken just this month liked by 1.4 million people : here 's a fact for you : in 2014 , the number of women undergoing buttock augmentation ' rose by a mountainous 86 % , according to the american society for aesthetic plastic surgery reports . why ? kim kardashian , of course , say the doctors . while a rounder , more curvaceous derriere has been in vogue for a number of years , celebrities like ( nicki ) minaj and kim kardashian have brought the attention to the rear to an all-time high influencing more women to undergo buttock augmentation to achieve the hourglass look , ' dr. constantino mendieta said in an asaps statement . and he should know . he bills himself a butt augmentation specialist . ' back in the day , folks who wanted to look like rachel from friends ' got her haircut . now , they get surgery . well , some of them . meet jordan james parke , who made news this year with an interview with britain 's the sun newspaper in which he reportedly said he spent $ 150,000 to look like , you guessed it , kim kardashian . he later told us magazine he does n't want to look exactly like kim . but he 'd die for her butt . i 'd like to get a bum as big as hers , but i wo n't get implants , ' the magazine quoted him as saying . i 've been looking at body contour -- i want to get lipo on my stomach and back and then they put the fat back into your bum . '
|
from belfies to butt implants , the kardashian clan has inspired many a trend
|
democratic <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama is ready to talk even on republicans'terms , he insisted tuesday , so long as congress acts first to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling -- even for a short period . at a news conference , obama indicated republicans could essentially set the agenda for budget negotiations , but only if congress agrees first to a short-term spending plan to fund the government and to raise the federal borrowing limit to avoid a possible first-ever u.s. default next week . i will talk about anything , ' the president said . house speaker john boehner , speaking tuesday afternoon after what he called a pleasant ' but ineffectual phone call with obama , promptly rejected the president 's comments as nothing new . what the president said today was if there 's unconditional surrender by republicans , he 'll sit down and talk to us , ' boehner said . that 's not the way our government works . ' at the same time , boehner said he 's hopeful ' top republicans and democrats could soon begin a conversation . ' there 's going to be a negotiation here , ' the ohio republican said . we ca n't raise the debt ceiling without doing something about what 's driving it to borrow more money and live beyond our means . ' yet while boehner did n't indicate any points of agreement , a senior house republican told cnn 's dana bash that gop members may be willing to go for a short-term debt ceiling hike -- lasting four to six weeks -- as long as the president agrees negotiations will occur during that time . still , it 's no guarantee such a measure would be supported by a majority of republicans : something that boehner has traditionally required before calling any vote in the house . a second gop source says the white house drawing a line in the sand not to negotiate has further complicated matters . republican leaders have talked , though , to ceos who called them at the request of treasury secretary jack lew and senior presidential adviser valerie jarrett . and if there 's no breakthrough ? the partial government shutdown -- which began october 1 , after the gop-led house tied its funding measures to dismantling or defunding obama 's signature health care reform rather -- continues . plus , another crisis looms october 17 , when the treasury department says the u.s. government must raise the amount of money it can borrow or else be unable to pay its bills . all the partisan bickering -- and lack of progress -- is taking its toll not just on furloughed workers , shuttered government facilities and programs , but also americans confidence in their government . looking directly in the camera , obama acknowledged frustrations with what 's going in washington -- in terms of the current impasse and all the other budgetary battles preceding it . we 've got to stop repeating this pattern , ' the president said . i apologize you have to go through this stuff every three months , it seems like . and lord knows , i 'm tired of it . but at some point we 've got to break these habits . ' boehner : ca n't afford to keep spending without cuts while the partial government shutdown is now in its second week , next week 's deadline to raise the debt ceiling has many experts especially worried . failure to act , they say , could lead to the government defaulting on its debt , spook wall street , spur higher interest rates and have other negative effects on the u.s. and global economy . if there was a problem lifting the debt ceiling , it could well be what is now a recovery would turn into a recession or even worse , ' said olivier blanchard , an international monetary fund economist . on tuesday , obama sternly warned that every american could see their 401 ( k ) s and home values fall ' and the country would see a very significant risk ' of a deep recession . the only responsible action , he repeated : raise the debt ceiling , without preconditions . we 're not going to pay ransom for ' america paying its bills , he told reporters , placing the blame squarely on house republicans . let 's lift these threats from our families and our businesses and let 's get down to work . ' in his remarks tuesday afternoon , boehner did n't appear to give ground either . the president 's refusal to talk -- until the government reopens and the debt ceiling is hiked -- is not sustainable , ' according to boehner . the idea that we should continue to spend money that we do n't have and give the bill to my kids and grandkids would be wrong , ' he said . shutdown day 8 : what you need to know gop-led house , democratic-led senate offer plans boehner and conservative republicans want to leverage the situation to wring concessions on deficit reduction from democrats . to keep up pressure , house republicans voted tuesday to set up negotiations on the debt limit and other fiscal issues . rep. tom cole of oklahoma , a gop leader in the house , said such a negotiating committee with members of both parties could pass a short-term extension of the debt ceiling while doing its work . i suspect we can work out some mechanism to raise the debt ceiling while negotiations are under way , ' cole said . but we 're not going to simply raise it without talking about the deficit , ' cole said . it was unclear if his description would satisfy obama 's insistence that the debt ceiling increase must be separate from political negotiations . yet senate democrats have dismissed the proposal , and the obama administration has vowed to veto any such . democratic sen. chuck schumer of new york called these other gop offers the latest in a series of new gimmicks ' that avoid the imminent need to fully reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling . in the senate , majority leader harry reid and sen. max baucus filed a proposal tuesday to raise the debt ceiling without addressing any deficit reduction issues demanded by republicans . the plan would address the debt ceiling issue through december 31 , 2014 -- past the next congressional elections . most republicans would shy away from a bill that does n't specify spending cuts or other policy changes in return for the increased borrowing authority . yet democrats are hopeful some republicans would vote across the aisle to prevent the potentially catastrophic economic repercussions of a default . if senate republicans require all the time-consuming steps available to them to delay action on the debt ceiling measure , a final vote might not take place until two days before the deadline for raising the borrowing limit , the democratic aide said . debt ceiling debate : preaching to the choir shutdown furloughs about to hit nuclear safety agency gop to hold up back pay for furloughed workers debt ceiling'like the smoke alarm' such a senate measure could increase pressure on the gop-controlled house to do the same . yet republican house leaders have made clear they 'll insist on concessions from democrats before agreeing to raise the $ 16.7 trillion debt limit . the debt ceiling is there for a purpose . it 's like the smoke alarm , ' said house financial services committee chairman jeb hensarling , r-texas . democrats want to unplug the smoke alarm , and republicans want to go out and fight the fire . ' boehner has insisted a deal to raise the debt ceiling must include deficit reduction steps to lower costs of entitlement programs such as medicare , medicaid and social security . however , he and fellow republicans have moved away from the demand of the tea party conservative wing of his caucus targeting the president 's signature affordable care act passed by democrats in 2010 and upheld by the supreme court last year . rep. tom cole said , while any final deal must include repealing a tax on medical devices that 's part of obamacare , efforts otherwise to tie budget negotiations to the health care law appear dead . i think it 's been overtaken by the debt ceiling , ' he said . cruz : use debt ceiling as leverage hagel : most civilian defense workers can return this week on the shutdown , obama and democrats say the house would pass a senate-approved spending plan to end it if boehner allowed a vote . a cnn survey indicates that -- with 18 republicans joining all 200 democrats -- a slim majority in the house would support such a move . but boehner wo n't allow such a vote , cole said . he basically said we 're going to have a negotiation , ' the oklahoma republican said . poll : most angry at both parties while the two parties blame each other in washington , outside the capital few get off easy . shutdown forecast : week two and clouds ahead in a national poll released monday , most respondents said the government shutdown was causing a crisis or major problems for the country . the cnn/orc international survey indicated that slightly more people were angry at republicans than democrats or obama for the shutdown , though both sides took a hit . according to the poll conducted over the weekend , 63 % of respondents said they were angry at the republicans for the way they have handled the shutdown , while 57 % expressed anger at democrats and 53 % at obama . it looks like there is more than enough blame to go around , and both parties are being hurt by the shutdown , ' said cnn polling director keating holland . will 2014 election solve anything ? boehner demands cuts for debt limit increase cnn 's ted barrett , greg botelho , dana bash and brianna keilar contributed to this report .
|
new : democratic senators propose debt ceiling hike through 2014
|
boehner <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- president barack obama is ready to talk even on republicans'terms , he insisted tuesday , so long as congress acts first to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling -- even for a short period . at a news conference , obama indicated republicans could essentially set the agenda for budget negotiations , but only if congress agrees first to a short-term spending plan to fund the government and to raise the federal borrowing limit to avoid a possible first-ever u.s. default next week . i will talk about anything , ' the president said . house speaker john boehner , speaking tuesday afternoon after what he called a pleasant ' but ineffectual phone call with obama , promptly rejected the president 's comments as nothing new . what the president said today was if there 's unconditional surrender by republicans , he 'll sit down and talk to us , ' boehner said . that 's not the way our government works . ' at the same time , boehner said he 's hopeful ' top republicans and democrats could soon begin a conversation . ' there 's going to be a negotiation here , ' the ohio republican said . we ca n't raise the debt ceiling without doing something about what 's driving it to borrow more money and live beyond our means . ' yet while boehner did n't indicate any points of agreement , a senior house republican told cnn 's dana bash that gop members may be willing to go for a short-term debt ceiling hike -- lasting four to six weeks -- as long as the president agrees negotiations will occur during that time . still , it 's no guarantee such a measure would be supported by a majority of republicans : something that boehner has traditionally required before calling any vote in the house . a second gop source says the white house drawing a line in the sand not to negotiate has further complicated matters . republican leaders have talked , though , to ceos who called them at the request of treasury secretary jack lew and senior presidential adviser valerie jarrett . and if there 's no breakthrough ? the partial government shutdown -- which began october 1 , after the gop-led house tied its funding measures to dismantling or defunding obama 's signature health care reform rather -- continues . plus , another crisis looms october 17 , when the treasury department says the u.s. government must raise the amount of money it can borrow or else be unable to pay its bills . all the partisan bickering -- and lack of progress -- is taking its toll not just on furloughed workers , shuttered government facilities and programs , but also americans confidence in their government . looking directly in the camera , obama acknowledged frustrations with what 's going in washington -- in terms of the current impasse and all the other budgetary battles preceding it . we 've got to stop repeating this pattern , ' the president said . i apologize you have to go through this stuff every three months , it seems like . and lord knows , i 'm tired of it . but at some point we 've got to break these habits . ' boehner : ca n't afford to keep spending without cuts while the partial government shutdown is now in its second week , next week 's deadline to raise the debt ceiling has many experts especially worried . failure to act , they say , could lead to the government defaulting on its debt , spook wall street , spur higher interest rates and have other negative effects on the u.s. and global economy . if there was a problem lifting the debt ceiling , it could well be what is now a recovery would turn into a recession or even worse , ' said olivier blanchard , an international monetary fund economist . on tuesday , obama sternly warned that every american could see their 401 ( k ) s and home values fall ' and the country would see a very significant risk ' of a deep recession . the only responsible action , he repeated : raise the debt ceiling , without preconditions . we 're not going to pay ransom for ' america paying its bills , he told reporters , placing the blame squarely on house republicans . let 's lift these threats from our families and our businesses and let 's get down to work . ' in his remarks tuesday afternoon , boehner did n't appear to give ground either . the president 's refusal to talk -- until the government reopens and the debt ceiling is hiked -- is not sustainable , ' according to boehner . the idea that we should continue to spend money that we do n't have and give the bill to my kids and grandkids would be wrong , ' he said . shutdown day 8 : what you need to know gop-led house , democratic-led senate offer plans boehner and conservative republicans want to leverage the situation to wring concessions on deficit reduction from democrats . to keep up pressure , house republicans voted tuesday to set up negotiations on the debt limit and other fiscal issues . rep. tom cole of oklahoma , a gop leader in the house , said such a negotiating committee with members of both parties could pass a short-term extension of the debt ceiling while doing its work . i suspect we can work out some mechanism to raise the debt ceiling while negotiations are under way , ' cole said . but we 're not going to simply raise it without talking about the deficit , ' cole said . it was unclear if his description would satisfy obama 's insistence that the debt ceiling increase must be separate from political negotiations . yet senate democrats have dismissed the proposal , and the obama administration has vowed to veto any such . democratic sen. chuck schumer of new york called these other gop offers the latest in a series of new gimmicks ' that avoid the imminent need to fully reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling . in the senate , majority leader harry reid and sen. max baucus filed a proposal tuesday to raise the debt ceiling without addressing any deficit reduction issues demanded by republicans . the plan would address the debt ceiling issue through december 31 , 2014 -- past the next congressional elections . most republicans would shy away from a bill that does n't specify spending cuts or other policy changes in return for the increased borrowing authority . yet democrats are hopeful some republicans would vote across the aisle to prevent the potentially catastrophic economic repercussions of a default . if senate republicans require all the time-consuming steps available to them to delay action on the debt ceiling measure , a final vote might not take place until two days before the deadline for raising the borrowing limit , the democratic aide said . debt ceiling debate : preaching to the choir shutdown furloughs about to hit nuclear safety agency gop to hold up back pay for furloughed workers debt ceiling'like the smoke alarm' such a senate measure could increase pressure on the gop-controlled house to do the same . yet republican house leaders have made clear they 'll insist on concessions from democrats before agreeing to raise the $ 16.7 trillion debt limit . the debt ceiling is there for a purpose . it 's like the smoke alarm , ' said house financial services committee chairman jeb hensarling , r-texas . democrats want to unplug the smoke alarm , and republicans want to go out and fight the fire . ' boehner has insisted a deal to raise the debt ceiling must include deficit reduction steps to lower costs of entitlement programs such as medicare , medicaid and social security . however , he and fellow republicans have moved away from the demand of the tea party conservative wing of his caucus targeting the president 's signature affordable care act passed by democrats in 2010 and upheld by the supreme court last year . rep. tom cole said , while any final deal must include repealing a tax on medical devices that 's part of obamacare , efforts otherwise to tie budget negotiations to the health care law appear dead . i think it 's been overtaken by the debt ceiling , ' he said . cruz : use debt ceiling as leverage hagel : most civilian defense workers can return this week on the shutdown , obama and democrats say the house would pass a senate-approved spending plan to end it if boehner allowed a vote . a cnn survey indicates that -- with 18 republicans joining all 200 democrats -- a slim majority in the house would support such a move . but boehner wo n't allow such a vote , cole said . he basically said we 're going to have a negotiation , ' the oklahoma republican said . poll : most angry at both parties while the two parties blame each other in washington , outside the capital few get off easy . shutdown forecast : week two and clouds ahead in a national poll released monday , most respondents said the government shutdown was causing a crisis or major problems for the country . the cnn/orc international survey indicated that slightly more people were angry at republicans than democrats or obama for the shutdown , though both sides took a hit . according to the poll conducted over the weekend , 63 % of respondents said they were angry at the republicans for the way they have handled the shutdown , while 57 % expressed anger at democrats and 53 % at obama . it looks like there is more than enough blame to go around , and both parties are being hurt by the shutdown , ' said cnn polling director keating holland . will 2014 election solve anything ? boehner demands cuts for debt limit increase cnn 's ted barrett , greg botelho , dana bash and brianna keilar contributed to this report .
|
boehner says there will be no unconditional surrender ' by republicans
|
bagram <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- nearly a dozen insurgents and a u.s. contractor were killed when a group launched an early morning attack on bagram air base in afghanistan on wednesday , officials said . nine service members were wounded and a building received minor damages during the attack , which included rockets , small arms and grenades . four of the slain insurgents were intended suicide bombers , ' the military said . u.s. army spokesman lt. col. clarence count jr. said the insurgents failed to breach the perimeter ' and were unable to detonate their suicide vests . ' the quick defensive reaction by the bagram security forces likely saved a lot of lives , ' he said . the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . zabiullah mujahid , a taliban spokesman , told cnn that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base around 4 a.m. ( 7:30 p.m. tuesday et ) , with four them detonating at the entrances to allow the other men to move in . mujahid said that a major firefight ' took place inside the base . army specialist christina dion , a spokeswoman who both lives and works on the base , said personnel were ordered to bunkers when the base came under attack and were allowed to return to their huts and tents about 90 minutes later . we 're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base , ' counts said . the response this morning was immediate . ' the fighting eventually tapered off about 7:30 a.m. local time , said nato spokesman lt. col todd breasseale . another bagram spokeswoman , maj. virginia mccabe , could not say if flights into and out of the air base had been stopped and said that authorities are investigating how the incident started . established security procedures are in place , ' she said , adding that personnel with mission-essential ' responsibilities were continuing to work . bagram is a heavily fortified base , its perimeter guarded by high fences and thick , concrete walls . dion said she did n't believe anyone could have made their way into the main portion of the base . taliban fighters have lobbed rockets into the base in previous attacks . cnn 's adam levine and paula hancocks contributed to this report .
|
u.s. official says insurgents did n't breach bagram
|
bagram <tsp> kabul , afghanistan ( cnn ) -- nearly a dozen insurgents and a u.s. contractor were killed when a group launched an early morning attack on bagram air base in afghanistan on wednesday , officials said . nine service members were wounded and a building received minor damages during the attack , which included rockets , small arms and grenades . four of the slain insurgents were intended suicide bombers , ' the military said . u.s. army spokesman lt. col. clarence count jr. said the insurgents failed to breach the perimeter ' and were unable to detonate their suicide vests . ' the quick defensive reaction by the bagram security forces likely saved a lot of lives , ' he said . the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack . zabiullah mujahid , a taliban spokesman , told cnn that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base around 4 a.m. ( 7:30 p.m. tuesday et ) , with four them detonating at the entrances to allow the other men to move in . mujahid said that a major firefight ' took place inside the base . army specialist christina dion , a spokeswoman who both lives and works on the base , said personnel were ordered to bunkers when the base came under attack and were allowed to return to their huts and tents about 90 minutes later . we 're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base , ' counts said . the response this morning was immediate . ' the fighting eventually tapered off about 7:30 a.m. local time , said nato spokesman lt. col todd breasseale . another bagram spokeswoman , maj. virginia mccabe , could not say if flights into and out of the air base had been stopped and said that authorities are investigating how the incident started . established security procedures are in place , ' she said , adding that personnel with mission-essential ' responsibilities were continuing to work . bagram is a heavily fortified base , its perimeter guarded by high fences and thick , concrete walls . dion said she did n't believe anyone could have made their way into the main portion of the base . taliban fighters have lobbed rockets into the base in previous attacks . cnn 's adam levine and paula hancocks contributed to this report .
|
nearly 12 insurgents , 1 u.s. contractor killed in attack on bagram air base
|
asteroid 2014 rc <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a newly discovered asteroid will pass very close ' to earth on sunday , nasa says . the space rock is estimated to be 60 feet ( 18 meters ) long . it 's expected to fly over new zealand about 2:18 p.m. edt ( 11:18 a.m. pdt / 18:18 utc . ) it wo n't hit earth or any of the thousands of satellites orbiting the planet , nasa says . it will give astronomers and scientists a chance to study it . the asteroid wo n't be visible the naked eye , but amateur astronomers should be able to see it with telescopes . called 2014 rc , the asteroid was discovered on august 31 by the catalina sky survey near tucson , arizona . nasa 's near earth object program estimates there are thousands of asteroids that could threaten earth , but experts say none of the ones being tracked are expected to hit the planet anytime soon . sometimes , though , space rocks sneak by the scientists and amateur astronomers who track them . on february 15 , 2013 , a nearly 60-foot-wide meteor plunged into earth 's atmosphere and exploded over the russian city of chelyabinsk with the force of about 30 nuclear bombs . the blast injured about 1,500 people . the chelyabinsk meteor was undetected before it was spotted by local residents as it streaked across the sky . it exploded on the same day that asteroid 2012 da14 , one that was being carefully tracked by nasa , safely passed by earth . nasa is trying to speed up the way it tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and to learn how to deflect rocks that threaten earth . its asteroid initiative includes a plan to capture an asteroid and tug it into orbit around the moon in the 2020s . if it works , astronauts will land on the asteroid , take samples and bring them back to earth .
|
asteroid 2014 rc will fly very close ' to earth on sunday
|
nasa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a newly discovered asteroid will pass very close ' to earth on sunday , nasa says . the space rock is estimated to be 60 feet ( 18 meters ) long . it 's expected to fly over new zealand about 2:18 p.m. edt ( 11:18 a.m. pdt / 18:18 utc . ) it wo n't hit earth or any of the thousands of satellites orbiting the planet , nasa says . it will give astronomers and scientists a chance to study it . the asteroid wo n't be visible the naked eye , but amateur astronomers should be able to see it with telescopes . called 2014 rc , the asteroid was discovered on august 31 by the catalina sky survey near tucson , arizona . nasa 's near earth object program estimates there are thousands of asteroids that could threaten earth , but experts say none of the ones being tracked are expected to hit the planet anytime soon . sometimes , though , space rocks sneak by the scientists and amateur astronomers who track them . on february 15 , 2013 , a nearly 60-foot-wide meteor plunged into earth 's atmosphere and exploded over the russian city of chelyabinsk with the force of about 30 nuclear bombs . the blast injured about 1,500 people . the chelyabinsk meteor was undetected before it was spotted by local residents as it streaked across the sky . it exploded on the same day that asteroid 2012 da14 , one that was being carefully tracked by nasa , safely passed by earth . nasa is trying to speed up the way it tracks potentially hazardous asteroids and to learn how to deflect rocks that threaten earth . its asteroid initiative includes a plan to capture an asteroid and tug it into orbit around the moon in the 2020s . if it works , astronauts will land on the asteroid , take samples and bring them back to earth .
|
earth 's not in danger , nasa says , but the flyby will give scientists something to study
|
ivf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- they struggled to get pregnant for nearly two years . they gave it a go the natural way and then did three or four intrauterine inseminations , where the sperm is washed , concentrated and placed directly into a woman 's uterus at an optimal time . but as mom and dad were both pushing 40 , ' these methods did n't work , and the couple decided to try in vitro fertilization . with in vitro , or ivf , several eggs are fertilized outside the body ; the resulting embryos are then implanted in the woman 's womb . it worked -- on the first try . but the result was n't exactly what this couple was looking for . to say we 're excited would be an exaggeration , ' the dad wrote on babble.com in an anonymous post that recently started trending on social media . more truthfully , we 're pissed . and terrified , and angry , and guilty , and regretful . ' you see , both embryos that were implanted stuck . the wife is pregnant with twins . i lay on the table -- dazed and unhappy -- as i received the news that there were two healthy sacs present , ' the anonymous mom wrote in a separate post . we were pregnant with twins -- twin boys , we 'd find out later . in my mind i had done nothing less than ruin our family . ' to say the reaction from babble 's readers was angry would be an understatement . many blasted the couple for being ungrateful . selfish . bitter . seriously , suck . it . up , ' one commenter wrote . but there was a small majority who seemed to sympathize with how these new parents were feeling : overwhelmed , exhausted and afraid they wo n't be able to provide for these new lives in addition to their older son . multiple births are an increasingly common outcome for couples using assisted reproductive technology , according to the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists , and ivf is often responsible . a woman undergoing ivf has an approximate 22-fold increased risk of conceiving a twin pregnancy and a 100-fold increased risk of conceiving a triplet pregnancy , as compared with natural conception , ' acog 's website says . so why do doctors still occasionally place multiple embryos in women who undergo ivf ? because the chances that even one will stick and grow into a baby are low . according to the society for assisted reproductive technologies , women under the age of 35 have a less than 43 % chance of giving birth after ivf ; women over 41 have a less than 18 % chance . dr. dorothy mitchell-leef , a fertility specialist in atlanta , always has a long conversation with her patients before implanting any embryos . she said she discusses the risks , the possibility of multiples and the chances that the couple may not get pregnant . they may be angry because maybe that 's not what they wanted , ' mitchell-leef said of the anonymous couple on babble.com . but they have to ask themselves : did you have a conversation that stressed the fact that you did not want more than one pregnancy ? ' the problem , she said , is that no doctor can promise which embryos are going to take , if any at all . ivf specialists have become more cautious . as doctors saw the multiple birth rates increase dramatically in the united states , they began transferring fewer embryos to the mother . most of the time , mitchell-leef said , she only implants one . but the quality of the embryos matters ; so does the woman 's age . a 41-year-old with three embryos has a low chance of any one of those being normal , but the better chance is to put three in hoping that one will take , ' mitchell-leef said . you may remember how nadya suleman -- aka octomom ' -- was criticized for not reducing the number of embryos she carried before giving birth to octuplets . selective reduction -- which involves aborting one , or more than one , of the fetuses -- was also a possibility for this anonymous babble couple . in general , the decision to do a reduction for twins is extremely controversial . twins do n't necessarily carry high health risks to the mother or her children beyond perhaps needing bed rest and more intense care , mitchell-leef said . we considered a reduction for about 30 seconds , ' this anonymous father wrote . if you thought that ivf involved playing god , a reduction felt beyond brazen -- machiavellian , even . ' selective reduction is usually done between 9 and 12 weeks into the pregnancy . a doctor will use a needle to inject potassium chloride into the fetus , according to the national institutes of health . there is a small risk the mother will miscarry all the fetuses with this procedure . multiple gestation is risky for both mom and the babies , according to the american society for reproductive medicine . multiples are more likely to have developmental problems . moms carrying multiples are more likely to miscarry , develop gestational diabetes and to suffer from high blood pressure-related issues such as pre-eclampsia . fertility treatments : would you get selective reduction ? but multiples can also be a blessing . you will make it work and you will love these children , ' posted one commenter , who says she 's the mother of twins . i wo n't lie and say that it is going to be a breeze , because it wo n't . but i promise you if you pull through the first year together as a team you will be the strongest kind of family there can be , and nothing can stop you from there ! '
|
couple writes anonymously about their frustration in being pregnant with twins after ivf
|
ivf <tsp> ( cnn ) -- they struggled to get pregnant for nearly two years . they gave it a go the natural way and then did three or four intrauterine inseminations , where the sperm is washed , concentrated and placed directly into a woman 's uterus at an optimal time . but as mom and dad were both pushing 40 , ' these methods did n't work , and the couple decided to try in vitro fertilization . with in vitro , or ivf , several eggs are fertilized outside the body ; the resulting embryos are then implanted in the woman 's womb . it worked -- on the first try . but the result was n't exactly what this couple was looking for . to say we 're excited would be an exaggeration , ' the dad wrote on babble.com in an anonymous post that recently started trending on social media . more truthfully , we 're pissed . and terrified , and angry , and guilty , and regretful . ' you see , both embryos that were implanted stuck . the wife is pregnant with twins . i lay on the table -- dazed and unhappy -- as i received the news that there were two healthy sacs present , ' the anonymous mom wrote in a separate post . we were pregnant with twins -- twin boys , we 'd find out later . in my mind i had done nothing less than ruin our family . ' to say the reaction from babble 's readers was angry would be an understatement . many blasted the couple for being ungrateful . selfish . bitter . seriously , suck . it . up , ' one commenter wrote . but there was a small majority who seemed to sympathize with how these new parents were feeling : overwhelmed , exhausted and afraid they wo n't be able to provide for these new lives in addition to their older son . multiple births are an increasingly common outcome for couples using assisted reproductive technology , according to the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists , and ivf is often responsible . a woman undergoing ivf has an approximate 22-fold increased risk of conceiving a twin pregnancy and a 100-fold increased risk of conceiving a triplet pregnancy , as compared with natural conception , ' acog 's website says . so why do doctors still occasionally place multiple embryos in women who undergo ivf ? because the chances that even one will stick and grow into a baby are low . according to the society for assisted reproductive technologies , women under the age of 35 have a less than 43 % chance of giving birth after ivf ; women over 41 have a less than 18 % chance . dr. dorothy mitchell-leef , a fertility specialist in atlanta , always has a long conversation with her patients before implanting any embryos . she said she discusses the risks , the possibility of multiples and the chances that the couple may not get pregnant . they may be angry because maybe that 's not what they wanted , ' mitchell-leef said of the anonymous couple on babble.com . but they have to ask themselves : did you have a conversation that stressed the fact that you did not want more than one pregnancy ? ' the problem , she said , is that no doctor can promise which embryos are going to take , if any at all . ivf specialists have become more cautious . as doctors saw the multiple birth rates increase dramatically in the united states , they began transferring fewer embryos to the mother . most of the time , mitchell-leef said , she only implants one . but the quality of the embryos matters ; so does the woman 's age . a 41-year-old with three embryos has a low chance of any one of those being normal , but the better chance is to put three in hoping that one will take , ' mitchell-leef said . you may remember how nadya suleman -- aka octomom ' -- was criticized for not reducing the number of embryos she carried before giving birth to octuplets . selective reduction -- which involves aborting one , or more than one , of the fetuses -- was also a possibility for this anonymous babble couple . in general , the decision to do a reduction for twins is extremely controversial . twins do n't necessarily carry high health risks to the mother or her children beyond perhaps needing bed rest and more intense care , mitchell-leef said . we considered a reduction for about 30 seconds , ' this anonymous father wrote . if you thought that ivf involved playing god , a reduction felt beyond brazen -- machiavellian , even . ' selective reduction is usually done between 9 and 12 weeks into the pregnancy . a doctor will use a needle to inject potassium chloride into the fetus , according to the national institutes of health . there is a small risk the mother will miscarry all the fetuses with this procedure . multiple gestation is risky for both mom and the babies , according to the american society for reproductive medicine . multiples are more likely to have developmental problems . moms carrying multiples are more likely to miscarry , develop gestational diabetes and to suffer from high blood pressure-related issues such as pre-eclampsia . fertility treatments : would you get selective reduction ? but multiples can also be a blessing . you will make it work and you will love these children , ' posted one commenter , who says she 's the mother of twins . i wo n't lie and say that it is going to be a breeze , because it wo n't . but i promise you if you pull through the first year together as a team you will be the strongest kind of family there can be , and nothing can stop you from there ! '
|
multiple births is common after ivf , but doctors are becoming more cautious
|
afghanistan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- while al qaeda leader osama bin laden may have provided the impetus for the 2001 u.s.-led invasion of afghanistan , whose taliban-led government was harboring him , his death may have little impact on the continuing course of the war or on the continuing threat of terrorism , analysts said monday . if the core issue was the taliban fighting for the right to protect osama bin laden as their honored guest , then a big part of the war goes away , ' said frank anderson , who served as chief of the cia 's afghan task force from 1991-95 and currently serves as president of the middle east policy council in washington . but if the core issue has morphed into a civil war or a war between ethnic afghans against a foreign military force , then little has changed , he said . all the issues that divide the ethnic groups are still there . ' inside the raid that killed osama bin laden anderson predicted that bin laden 's death will result in an immediate , short-term spike in motivation among his followers to carry out more terrorist attacks , but said any such spike will likely be short-lived as the information found in bin laden 's house leads investigators to track down other terrorists . anderson noted that bin laden 's influence was tough to find in the spawning of the post-islamist , post-radical , nationalist and post-imperialist narrative ' that spread this spring across the arab and islamic world . what we have is a growing population or political awareness that does n't care any more about those narratives , ' anderson said . that 's a whole lot more significant than whether or not bin laden 's holed up in a windowless building in pakistan . ' but no one denied that the slain leader of al qaeda leaves a staggering legacy . bin laden 's objective in 9/11 was to sucker us into an invasion of afghanistan with the idea that we 'd be bogged down there for a long time and would impoverish ourselves , ' anderson said , noting that the united states now faces a huge debt burden and has incurred tens of thousands of casualties . across the world , his legacy is at least hundreds of thousands of dead people , the vast majority of whom were muslims . ' and he has also caused very serious damage to pakistan as a viable nation state , ' anderson said . about bin laden 's death , i do n't think it 's really going to have a significant impact on what 's going on in afghanistan , ' said mike baker , who worked for 17 years at the cia , where he served as covert operations officer until he left at the end of the 1990s . what does the killing of bin laden compare to ? asked about how bin laden will be regarded in a decade , baker said that , for a certain segment , he 's always going to be a martyr and figurehead and legend and yadda yadda yadda . for the rest of the world , he 'll be thrown into the pile of mass murderers that have been consigned to history . ' but baker , who is now president of diligence llc , a global intelligence and security firm , said it would be naive for anyone to consider bin laden 's death to be a game changer in the global effort against terrorism . they 've got the same operational capabilities that they had yesterday . ' steve coll , president of the new america foundation and author of ghost wars , the secret history of the cia , afghanistan , and bin laden , from the soviet invasion to september 10 , 2001 , ' predicted that no one will emerge to lead al qaeda with the same kind of myths and spiritual presence and credibility ' that bin laden had among his followers . he too urged that it not be written off . this is still a resilient militant organization , ' he said . a small number of people can do a lot of damage in this world . ' andrew bacevich sr. , a professor of international relations at boston university and a retired career officer with the u.s. army , said the raid on bin laden 's residence could have an impact on the conduct of the war in afghanistan . i do n't think this means anything like a rush to the exits in afghanistan , but i think there is an argument brewing about whether or not the tactics being employed in afghanistan are working or not , and this might arm the people in the camp that think that large-scale troop presence ends up being counterproductive , ' he said . but over the long term , i think his death is irrelevant , ' bacevich said . what we call terrorism is an expression of resentment by muslims directed at western intervention , presence and meddling in the islamic world . bin laden made himself the principal manifestation of that resentment and launched the most successful attack , but the conditions giving rise to that resentment do n't go away just because he 's gone away . muslim world had soured on bin laden ' remember : we 're involved in a war in afghanistan , the remnants of a war in iraq , a new war in libya ; we continue to conduct uav ( drone ) attacks in pakistan . however much we may say that our purposes are looked toward peace , it 's not difficult to understand how people in that part of the world would view us as aggressors . and i think that 's what leads to terrorist attacks against the united states and its allies . and that does n't change just because bin laden 's gone . ' he too said the impact of bin laden 's death could affect u.s.-pakistani operations . if it turns out that the united states carried out the operation without notifying pakistani officials , that would seem to suggest that the level of trust between us and pakistan is pretty close to zero , ' he said . many questions about what pakistan knew ' given the importance we 've given to collaboration with pakistani officials and given the resentment of the pakistan public to u.s. violations of pakistani sovereignty , this may really bring things to a head . ' bacevich was not persuaded by secretary of state hillary clinton 's comment monday to reporters that cooperation with pakistan helped lead us to bin laden and the compound in which he was hiding . ' we do n't know what the truth is about the level of cooperation or not cooperation , ' he said . that kind of statement from hillary clinton would seem to suggest that the united states wants to minimize evidence of mistrust , to sustain a pretense of trust rather than to confront what may , in fact , be the reality . ' the implications of a real rupture in u.s.-pakistani relations are frightening , he said . this one seems to be more fraught with mistrust than most any other relation we have . and you have to ask how long that can be sustained and whether or not something like this is n't another nail in the coffin . '
|
in afghanistan , all the issues that divide the ethnic groups are still there , '
|
roberto di matteo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- chelsea sacked manager andre villas-boas sunday , citing poor results which threaten their participation in next season 's champions league . his final match proved to be saturday 's 1-0 defeat to west bromwich albion which left the blues languishing in fifth place in the english premier league . assistant coach and former chelsea midfielder roberto di matteo will take temporary charge until the end of the season . a statement on the west london club 's official website confirmed the departure of villas-boas , less than a year after taking over from carlo ancelotti . blog : abramovich was right sack avb the 34-year-old portuguese is the sixth manager to be sacked by chelsea 's russian billionaire owner roman abramovich . since he took control only guus hiddink , who was an interim appointment , left of his own volition . blog : can english clubs catch their european rivals ? andre villas-boas has parted company with chelsea football club today , ' the statement read . the board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early . unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season . the club is still competing in the latter stages of the champions league and the fa cup , as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the premier league , and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts . with that in mind we felt our only option was to make a change at this time . with immediate effect roberto di matteo has been appointed first team coach on an interim basis until the end of the season . ' the decision to install di matteo ends speculation that former liverpool manager rafael benitez was to be given the job on a temporary basis . di matteo faces a testing few weeks , with chelsea hoping to overhaul a 3-1 first leg deficit to napoli in their last 16 champions league tie , an away trip to birmingham in an fa cup replay , while trying to improve their league position . villas-boas came to chelsea with a big reputation after guiding porto to the europa league title and comparisons were made between him and compatriot jose mourinho , who enjoyed such success at the club . but results have been indifferent and his relationship with senior players such as frank lampard has come under the spotlight .
|
roberto di matteo takes over until the end of the season
|
democratic <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a group that 's working to keep democrats in control of the senate is releasing its first television ad in the contested u.s. senate race in alaska between incumbent sen. mark begich and his gop challenger , dan sullivan . the multi-million dollar ' ad buy from the democratic senatorial campaign committee comes as begich 's campaign faces a slew of negative headlines for releasing a political attack ad that focused on a gruesome 2013 murder and sexual assault case . the dscc said it was already planning to go up with the new 30-second spot before the recent controversy , and the ad does n't mention begich 's ad . rather , it hits dan sullivan for opposing obamacare . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . fact check : would repeal of obamacare hike seniors'drug costs ? according to the 2010 u.s. census , alaska has the largest growth rate for seniors ( age 65 and older ) ; the population for that age group increased by 54 % between 2000 and 2010 . the ad also hits sullivan for saying he 's open to raising the minimum age for social security eligibility . while sullivan has advocated for reform for younger generations , he has said we 're not going to touch ' benefits for seniors who are either receiving social security benefits or about to receive them . but with the younger generation , to phase in reform , there is opportunity , ' he said last month at the anchorage chamber of commerce gop debate . cnn rates the race between sullivan and begich as one of six toss-up contests in this year 's midterm elections . as a democratic senator in a reliably red state , begich is considered one of the most vulnerable democrats up for re-election . republicans need a net gain of six seats to retake the majority in the senate . the dscc also has spent money on ads in arkansas , north carolina , louisiana , iowa , colorado and michigan . the new spot comes as begich is under hot water after his campaign went up with a willie horton-style ad against sullivan on friday . the spot accused sullivan of being soft on crime , focusing on a case in which a man allegedly murdered an elderly couple last year and sexually assaulted the couple 's granddaughter , as well as another elderly woman in the home . at the time of the crime , the suspect had just finished a prison sentence of four years for another crime . his sentence should have been longer because his record included a separate felony , but he was only sentenced to four years because of a mistake by the state . because sullivan was serving as attorney general at the time of the suspect 's sentencing in 2010 , begich 's campaign tried to fault sullivan for letting the suspect go early . however , the mistake that led to the short sentence was made before sullivan became attorney general . politifact gave the ad a pants on fire ' rating , saying the ad is not only inaccurate , it makes an inflammatory accusation . ' shortly after the spot aired , the victims'family called on begich and sullivan , who had released his own ad countering the claims , to pull down their spots , saying the publicity could affect the jury pool for the trial scheduled for this month . sullivan 's campaign asked tv stations to stop running the ad sunday , while begich 's team first said it would alter the ad to remove references to the case . the campaign later pulled down the ad altogether .
|
the democratic incumbent senator is facing criticism for making an ad that focused on a heinous murder
|
alaska <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a group that 's working to keep democrats in control of the senate is releasing its first television ad in the contested u.s. senate race in alaska between incumbent sen. mark begich and his gop challenger , dan sullivan . the multi-million dollar ' ad buy from the democratic senatorial campaign committee comes as begich 's campaign faces a slew of negative headlines for releasing a political attack ad that focused on a gruesome 2013 murder and sexual assault case . the dscc said it was already planning to go up with the new 30-second spot before the recent controversy , and the ad does n't mention begich 's ad . rather , it hits dan sullivan for opposing obamacare . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . fact check : would repeal of obamacare hike seniors'drug costs ? according to the 2010 u.s. census , alaska has the largest growth rate for seniors ( age 65 and older ) ; the population for that age group increased by 54 % between 2000 and 2010 . the ad also hits sullivan for saying he 's open to raising the minimum age for social security eligibility . while sullivan has advocated for reform for younger generations , he has said we 're not going to touch ' benefits for seniors who are either receiving social security benefits or about to receive them . but with the younger generation , to phase in reform , there is opportunity , ' he said last month at the anchorage chamber of commerce gop debate . cnn rates the race between sullivan and begich as one of six toss-up contests in this year 's midterm elections . as a democratic senator in a reliably red state , begich is considered one of the most vulnerable democrats up for re-election . republicans need a net gain of six seats to retake the majority in the senate . the dscc also has spent money on ads in arkansas , north carolina , louisiana , iowa , colorado and michigan . the new spot comes as begich is under hot water after his campaign went up with a willie horton-style ad against sullivan on friday . the spot accused sullivan of being soft on crime , focusing on a case in which a man allegedly murdered an elderly couple last year and sexually assaulted the couple 's granddaughter , as well as another elderly woman in the home . at the time of the crime , the suspect had just finished a prison sentence of four years for another crime . his sentence should have been longer because his record included a separate felony , but he was only sentenced to four years because of a mistake by the state . because sullivan was serving as attorney general at the time of the suspect 's sentencing in 2010 , begich 's campaign tried to fault sullivan for letting the suspect go early . however , the mistake that led to the short sentence was made before sullivan became attorney general . politifact gave the ad a pants on fire ' rating , saying the ad is not only inaccurate , it makes an inflammatory accusation . ' shortly after the spot aired , the victims'family called on begich and sullivan , who had released his own ad countering the claims , to pull down their spots , saying the publicity could affect the jury pool for the trial scheduled for this month . sullivan 's campaign asked tv stations to stop running the ad sunday , while begich 's team first said it would alter the ad to remove references to the case . the campaign later pulled down the ad altogether .
|
the dscc is spending money against the gop challenger in alaska 's senate race
|
alaska <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- a group that 's working to keep democrats in control of the senate is releasing its first television ad in the contested u.s. senate race in alaska between incumbent sen. mark begich and his gop challenger , dan sullivan . the multi-million dollar ' ad buy from the democratic senatorial campaign committee comes as begich 's campaign faces a slew of negative headlines for releasing a political attack ad that focused on a gruesome 2013 murder and sexual assault case . the dscc said it was already planning to go up with the new 30-second spot before the recent controversy , and the ad does n't mention begich 's ad . rather , it hits dan sullivan for opposing obamacare . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . in the commercial , an elderly woman whose husband has alzheimer 's disease says sullivan supports a plan ' to slash medicare benefits , and his policies would raise prescription drug costs . fact check : would repeal of obamacare hike seniors'drug costs ? according to the 2010 u.s. census , alaska has the largest growth rate for seniors ( age 65 and older ) ; the population for that age group increased by 54 % between 2000 and 2010 . the ad also hits sullivan for saying he 's open to raising the minimum age for social security eligibility . while sullivan has advocated for reform for younger generations , he has said we 're not going to touch ' benefits for seniors who are either receiving social security benefits or about to receive them . but with the younger generation , to phase in reform , there is opportunity , ' he said last month at the anchorage chamber of commerce gop debate . cnn rates the race between sullivan and begich as one of six toss-up contests in this year 's midterm elections . as a democratic senator in a reliably red state , begich is considered one of the most vulnerable democrats up for re-election . republicans need a net gain of six seats to retake the majority in the senate . the dscc also has spent money on ads in arkansas , north carolina , louisiana , iowa , colorado and michigan . the new spot comes as begich is under hot water after his campaign went up with a willie horton-style ad against sullivan on friday . the spot accused sullivan of being soft on crime , focusing on a case in which a man allegedly murdered an elderly couple last year and sexually assaulted the couple 's granddaughter , as well as another elderly woman in the home . at the time of the crime , the suspect had just finished a prison sentence of four years for another crime . his sentence should have been longer because his record included a separate felony , but he was only sentenced to four years because of a mistake by the state . because sullivan was serving as attorney general at the time of the suspect 's sentencing in 2010 , begich 's campaign tried to fault sullivan for letting the suspect go early . however , the mistake that led to the short sentence was made before sullivan became attorney general . politifact gave the ad a pants on fire ' rating , saying the ad is not only inaccurate , it makes an inflammatory accusation . ' shortly after the spot aired , the victims'family called on begich and sullivan , who had released his own ad countering the claims , to pull down their spots , saying the publicity could affect the jury pool for the trial scheduled for this month . sullivan 's campaign asked tv stations to stop running the ad sunday , while begich 's team first said it would alter the ad to remove references to the case . the campaign later pulled down the ad altogether .
|
the race in alaska is close and could determine the balance of power in the senate
|
german <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- weeks after getting asylum in russia , edward snowden now has a job there , one of his lawyers says . snowden , the u.s. national security contractor turned leaker , will start a job friday with a major russian website , his attorney anatoly kucherena told cnn thursday . kucherena declined to name the employer for security reasons . he told russian state-run news agency ria novosti that snowden would perform maintenance for the site . europe falls out of love with obama over nsa spying claims snowden , a 30-year-old former government information technology contractor , collected information on spy programs -- in which the national security agency mined phone and internet metadata from thousands of people inside and outside of the united states -- and exposed the programs to the media . anticipating legal consequences , he fled to hong kong in late may and flew on june 23 to moscow , where he holed up at the airport for more than five weeks . u.s. authorities have charged him with espionage and theft of government property . after russia granted him an asylum term of one year on august 1 , he left the airport . as snowden got ready to start his new job , he was also meeting thursday with a german lawmaker who visited him in russia . hans-christian stroebele , a well-known leftist legislator in germany , met with snowden in moscow to invite him to testify before the german parliament . according to stroebele 's website , during their meeting , snowden gave him a letter addressed to the german parliament and to the country 's attorney general . stroebele , a member of the green party , tweeted a picture of himself with snowden and said he would hold a news conference friday to provide details about the letter 's contents . the meeting comes amid outrage among many german leaders over claims that an nsa surveillance operation targeted german chancellor angela merkel 's cell phone . germany 's der spiegel news magazine first reported the alleged operation , citing documents leaked by snowden . stroebele sits on a parliamentary committee that monitors intelligence agencies . spying on allies - everyone does it cnn 's diana magnay and stefan simons contributed to this report .
|
new : a german lawmaker meets with snowden and invites him to testify before parliament
|
china <tsp> rockville , maryland ( cnn ) -- the u.s. food and drug administration on thursday announced it is blocking the import from china of five species of seafood until their importers can prove they are not contaminated . about 10 percent of catfish eaten in the u.s. comes from china , according to the national fisheries institute . fda is initiating an import alert against several species of imported chinese farmed seafood because of numerous cases of contamination with drugs and unsafe food additives , ' said dr. david acheson , the agency 's assistant commissioner for food protection , in a conference call with reporters . the species cited are catfish , eel , shrimp , basa and dace , he said . basa is similar to catfish ; dace is similar to carp . the medications cited include the antimicrobials nitrofuran , malachite green , gentian violet and fluoroquinolones . nitrofuran , malachite green , and gentian violet have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals . use of fluoroquinolones in food-producing animals can result in antibiotic resistance . none of them is approved for use in farmed seafood in the united states and some of them have been shown to cause cancer when fed to laboratory animals for prolonged periods of time , ' acheson said . alerts have been issued in the past , but thursday 's announcement is the largest . the food will not be allowed into the united states until the importer can prove it is free from harmful contaminants , acheson said . he said the agency decided to broaden its previous alerts for products from individual companies to a countrywide alert after tests showed that 15 percent of those species of seafood produced by 18 companies in china contained traces of one or more of the contaminants . fda is taking this action to protect the public health of the american people , ' he said . watch more on the fda 's import alert on five kinds of fish from china . » the products could cause serious health problems if consumed over a long period of time , ' he said . still , acheson added , the low levels of contaminants means that there is no imminent threat ' to the public health . china is the world 's largest producer of farmed fish , accounting for 70 percent of the total produced , he said . it is the third-largest exporter of farmed fish to the united states . the action is an import alert , which means that these products from chinese processors will be detained and refused entry into the united states until the importer can demonstrate that the product is safe and in compliance with applicable regulations , ' said margaret o'k. glavin , fda 's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs . last year , the fda slapped a countrywide alert on all chinese eel after tests showed residues of an antimicrobial agent , she said . since then , and despite extensive communications between fda and appropriate chinese authorities to correct the problem , we have continued to find residues of certain veterinary drugs or food additives that are not permitted for use in the united states , ' she added . glavin said the fda inspects 5 percent of seafood from china . the first alert on chinese seafood occurred before 2001 , she said . we 're not asking for this product to be withdrawn from the market or for people to take this out of their freezers and throw it away , ' acheson said . this is a long-term health concern ; it is not an acute health concern . ' china is not the sole offender , glavin said . import alerts have been ordered for firms in the philippines , mexico and several others , ' though this is the first countrywide import alert , she said . more than 80 percent of shrimp eaten in the united states is imported , including 7 percent from china , according to the national fisheries institute . about 10 percent of catfish eaten in the united states comes from china , the seafood industry advocacy group said . last year , the united states imported 590,299 metric tons of shrimp from abroad ; 68,150 metric tons of which came from china , according to the department of commerce . the united states imported $ 1.2 billion of fish from china in 2004 , according to h. m. johson & associates , a seafood industry research group . e-mail to a friend
|
fda blocks import of shrimp , catfish , eel , basa and dace from china
|
fda <tsp> rockville , maryland ( cnn ) -- the u.s. food and drug administration on thursday announced it is blocking the import from china of five species of seafood until their importers can prove they are not contaminated . about 10 percent of catfish eaten in the u.s. comes from china , according to the national fisheries institute . fda is initiating an import alert against several species of imported chinese farmed seafood because of numerous cases of contamination with drugs and unsafe food additives , ' said dr. david acheson , the agency 's assistant commissioner for food protection , in a conference call with reporters . the species cited are catfish , eel , shrimp , basa and dace , he said . basa is similar to catfish ; dace is similar to carp . the medications cited include the antimicrobials nitrofuran , malachite green , gentian violet and fluoroquinolones . nitrofuran , malachite green , and gentian violet have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals . use of fluoroquinolones in food-producing animals can result in antibiotic resistance . none of them is approved for use in farmed seafood in the united states and some of them have been shown to cause cancer when fed to laboratory animals for prolonged periods of time , ' acheson said . alerts have been issued in the past , but thursday 's announcement is the largest . the food will not be allowed into the united states until the importer can prove it is free from harmful contaminants , acheson said . he said the agency decided to broaden its previous alerts for products from individual companies to a countrywide alert after tests showed that 15 percent of those species of seafood produced by 18 companies in china contained traces of one or more of the contaminants . fda is taking this action to protect the public health of the american people , ' he said . watch more on the fda 's import alert on five kinds of fish from china . » the products could cause serious health problems if consumed over a long period of time , ' he said . still , acheson added , the low levels of contaminants means that there is no imminent threat ' to the public health . china is the world 's largest producer of farmed fish , accounting for 70 percent of the total produced , he said . it is the third-largest exporter of farmed fish to the united states . the action is an import alert , which means that these products from chinese processors will be detained and refused entry into the united states until the importer can demonstrate that the product is safe and in compliance with applicable regulations , ' said margaret o'k. glavin , fda 's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs . last year , the fda slapped a countrywide alert on all chinese eel after tests showed residues of an antimicrobial agent , she said . since then , and despite extensive communications between fda and appropriate chinese authorities to correct the problem , we have continued to find residues of certain veterinary drugs or food additives that are not permitted for use in the united states , ' she added . glavin said the fda inspects 5 percent of seafood from china . the first alert on chinese seafood occurred before 2001 , she said . we 're not asking for this product to be withdrawn from the market or for people to take this out of their freezers and throw it away , ' acheson said . this is a long-term health concern ; it is not an acute health concern . ' china is not the sole offender , glavin said . import alerts have been ordered for firms in the philippines , mexico and several others , ' though this is the first countrywide import alert , she said . more than 80 percent of shrimp eaten in the united states is imported , including 7 percent from china , according to the national fisheries institute . about 10 percent of catfish eaten in the united states comes from china , the seafood industry advocacy group said . last year , the united states imported 590,299 metric tons of shrimp from abroad ; 68,150 metric tons of which came from china , according to the department of commerce . the united states imported $ 1.2 billion of fish from china in 2004 , according to h. m. johson & associates , a seafood industry research group . e-mail to a friend
|
fda blocks import of shrimp , catfish , eel , basa and dace from china
|
missouri <tsp> it was a sad day in the clown world when a clown ' at the missouri state fair put on a mask in the likeness of president barack obama and wore a broomstick attached to his behind to perform in a rodeo in america 's heartland . some would ask : how this is different from late-night pundits making mocking comments about every political person alive ? it is different in that it goes against everything a clown stands for and makes fun of our president in a way that is truly offensive on so many levels . as someone who has performed as a real ' clown for 32 years and has taught the craft to hundreds of clowns , i would like the world to know that we have a code of ethics that we adhere to so that our life of making the world smile goes on without hurting people . among the ethics is a ban on blue humor . ' this mean no sexual or racial humor . the joke always needs to be on us and never on an audience member . if someone is offended or made the victim ' of a joke , it is totally against what the clown community would consider funny . so what is this clown community and where do i get these ethics ? one of the main international clown organizations based in the united states is clowns of america , international . we are 3,000 members strong and are organized into clown alleys , ' groups that perform together . as part of our training , and really the training of most clowns , we have a strict code of ethics covering such things as drinking while clowning , cleanliness and remaining in character . we take offense at the actions of the rodeo clown ' because we are strictly trained not to offend anyone while in clown . ' the individual who took on the role of a clown in missouri might have made some people laugh , but it was at the expense of so many others . what of the children who were in the audience and being taught to respect our president and government ? what of every person in the audience who hates racism ? what of the officials of the state of missouri who are now the focus of national attention in this negative light ? forgive me for taking this forum to air another form of clown ' i find very offensive : the horror clown . in my travels as dear heart ' the clown , i encounter many people of all ages who are afraid of clowns . perhaps some are afraid of anyone who is behind makeup , but most have had the experience of a house of horror where a person dressed as a clown has frightened them and , in doing so , has robbed them of fun and playful experiences for life . being a real clown ' takes training , money and a lot of time . we each develop a character that is an extension of ourselves . real clowns have clown hearts long before we put on makeup . our goal is to make the world a happier place . one part of our national organization , red nose response , allows clowns go to places where there have been disasters and pitch in -- helping to distribute needed supplies but also helping to keep the spirits of people up . i am most proud when i come home having given a balloon flower to an elderly person who responds with a big smile or having taught a child who is in a hospital long-term the basics of juggling . and so what is there that i have described about real clowns ' that applies to the missouri rodeo performer ? absolutely nothing . as for the people in texas who have said he would be welcome to perform there : please think about that and what you are really doing . i believe that people today desperately need a reason to smile and a chance to forget their troubles for a moment and laugh . these laughs are most cherished if they are only for fun and do not offend or hurt another human being .
|
judy quest : offensive act by clown ' at missouri fair mocked obama ; this is not real clowning
|
europa league <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid closed the gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga with a 4-1 home win over real sociedad on sunday . defending champions barca went 10 points clear on saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- lionel messi 's hat-trick defeating atletico madrid 3-0 and ensuring pep guardiola 's side overtook the winning run set by the great real madrid side in the 1960-61 season . but real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from gorka elustondo . ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal , but he ended that streak with a first-half double . first the portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season , overtaking messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process . the visitors pulled a goal back when raul tamudo 's shot was blocked by goalkeeper iker casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off alvaro arbeloa into the net . however , real madrid finished the job when emmanuel adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from manchester city . meanwhile , valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over hercules , to move to within a point of third-placed villarreal . goals from aritz aduriz and a tino costa free-kick gave valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on villarreal , who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly levante on sunday . elsewhere , sevilla are now six points off a europa league place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side malaga in the andalusian derby .
|
sevilla lose ground in the race for a europa league place after a 0-0 draw with malaga
|
real madrid <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid closed the gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga with a 4-1 home win over real sociedad on sunday . defending champions barca went 10 points clear on saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- lionel messi 's hat-trick defeating atletico madrid 3-0 and ensuring pep guardiola 's side overtook the winning run set by the great real madrid side in the 1960-61 season . but real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from gorka elustondo . ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal , but he ended that streak with a first-half double . first the portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season , overtaking messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process . the visitors pulled a goal back when raul tamudo 's shot was blocked by goalkeeper iker casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off alvaro arbeloa into the net . however , real madrid finished the job when emmanuel adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from manchester city . meanwhile , valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over hercules , to move to within a point of third-placed villarreal . goals from aritz aduriz and a tino costa free-kick gave valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on villarreal , who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly levante on sunday . elsewhere , sevilla are now six points off a europa league place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side malaga in the andalusian derby .
|
real madrid close gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga
|
real madrid <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid closed the gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga with a 4-1 home win over real sociedad on sunday . defending champions barca went 10 points clear on saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- lionel messi 's hat-trick defeating atletico madrid 3-0 and ensuring pep guardiola 's side overtook the winning run set by the great real madrid side in the 1960-61 season . but real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from gorka elustondo . ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal , but he ended that streak with a first-half double . first the portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season , overtaking messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process . the visitors pulled a goal back when raul tamudo 's shot was blocked by goalkeeper iker casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off alvaro arbeloa into the net . however , real madrid finished the job when emmanuel adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from manchester city . meanwhile , valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over hercules , to move to within a point of third-placed villarreal . goals from aritz aduriz and a tino costa free-kick gave valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on villarreal , who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly levante on sunday . elsewhere , sevilla are now six points off a europa league place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side malaga in the andalusian derby .
|
cristiano ronaldo scores twice as real madrid defeat real sociedad 4-1
|
barcelona <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid closed the gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga with a 4-1 home win over real sociedad on sunday . defending champions barca went 10 points clear on saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- lionel messi 's hat-trick defeating atletico madrid 3-0 and ensuring pep guardiola 's side overtook the winning run set by the great real madrid side in the 1960-61 season . but real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from gorka elustondo . ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal , but he ended that streak with a first-half double . first the portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season , overtaking messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process . the visitors pulled a goal back when raul tamudo 's shot was blocked by goalkeeper iker casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off alvaro arbeloa into the net . however , real madrid finished the job when emmanuel adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from manchester city . meanwhile , valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over hercules , to move to within a point of third-placed villarreal . goals from aritz aduriz and a tino costa free-kick gave valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on villarreal , who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly levante on sunday . elsewhere , sevilla are now six points off a europa league place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side malaga in the andalusian derby .
|
real madrid close gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga
|
emmanuel adebayor <tsp> ( cnn ) -- cristiano ronaldo scored twice as real madrid closed the gap on barcelona to seven points at the top of la liga with a 4-1 home win over real sociedad on sunday . defending champions barca went 10 points clear on saturday night after their record breaking 16th consecutive victory -- lionel messi 's hat-trick defeating atletico madrid 3-0 and ensuring pep guardiola 's side overtook the winning run set by the great real madrid side in the 1960-61 season . but real looked determined to close the gap and took a seventh minute lead when kaka slotted the ball home after a poor clearance from gorka elustondo . ronaldo had come under some criticism after going four matches without a goal , but he ended that streak with a first-half double . first the portuguese international turned a defender on the edge of the area before firing home and he then headed in a corner for his 25th goal of the season , overtaking messi at the top of the scoring charts in the process . the visitors pulled a goal back when raul tamudo 's shot was blocked by goalkeeper iker casillas -- but the rebound cannoned off alvaro arbeloa into the net . however , real madrid finished the job when emmanuel adebayor netted his first league goal for the club following his loan move from manchester city . meanwhile , valencia maintained their recent impressive run of form with a 2-0 success over hercules , to move to within a point of third-placed villarreal . goals from aritz aduriz and a tino costa free-kick gave valencia their sixth win in seven games and closed the gap on villarreal , who suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at home to lowly levante on sunday . elsewhere , sevilla are now six points off a europa league place after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side malaga in the andalusian derby .
|
emmanuel adebayor scores his first goal since joining on loan from manchester city
|
congress <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- house republicans will require the white house to provide a detailed plan for arming and training syrian rebels to fight isis in exchange for giving it the ok to carry out the mission . the provision -- which is expected to be added to a must-pass spending bill funding the government through mid-december and could face a vote as early as wednesday in the house -- would require the secretary of defense to explain how the pentagon is vetting syrian opposition groups . the administration would need to submit its plan to congress at least 15 days before the pentagon begins training fighters or supplying them with weapons . regular updates , every 90 days , would also be required . yet another beheading . what 's the world going to do about isis ? the house gop plan also makes it clear that the new authority would not include approval for any u.s. combat troops on the ground . even though house republicans want to put restrictions on the president 's announced plans to go after isis , members of both parties have also made it clear they do n't plan to stay in town to pass a formal military use of force authorization like the one approved after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 . the tug of the midterm elections is strong , despite sentiment among some lawmakers in both the house and senate who think it 's critically important for congress to sign off on the broader war effort . i think this is really serious and that it deserves our being in town and taking it up and debating it , ' said sen. susan collins , r-maine . who is doing what in the coalition battle against isis ? the house bill approving training for the syrian rebels would expire in mid-december , at the same time the government funding bill would need to be extended . that concerned sen. robert menendez , a new jersey democrat who chairs the foreign relations committee . that does n't make sense to me , ' menendez said . you want to send the message to the sunni world , you want to send a message to those rebels you want to fight for you , that we 're not going to cut it off in december . ' a house gop armed services committee aide told reporters that republicans would ensure the training and weapons program would be extended past december . senior obama officials will testify before the senate this week . secretary of defense chuck hagel and chairman of the joint chiefs martin dempsey will testify before the armed services committee on tuesday , and secretary of state john kerry will be on capitol hill wednesday and thursday . is obama 's plan for confronting isis legal ? the senate will quickly pick up the spending bill , with the accompanying ok to arm the rebels , as soon as the house passes it , according to a democratic leadership aide . the vote could be this week or early next week when the senate is scheduled to adjourn until after the election . lawmakers and senior aides predict broad bipartisan for the measure in the senate . i think , by and large , you 'll see a big vote in the congress for this , ' said sen. john thune , r-south dakota , the third-ranking senate republican said on msnbc monday . both sides recognize something has to be done . we 've got to be aggressive . we 've got to be decisive . and we 've got to rally the world behind us . ' isis fast facts however , there are numerous outspoken detractors in both parties who are critical of the proposal for a variety of reasons . some , like sen. mark kirk , r-illinois , would prefer to debate the broader mission and have congress vote up-or-down on whether to go to war with isis . in a cnn interview he blamed wimpishness ' as a critical factor affecting his colleagues who would prefer to leave town without that tough vote . congress is very risk adverse . when you put a difficult issue before senators and congressmen they do n't want to be forced to decide . in this case they should be forced to decide . we should have a vote on this mission . the american people should see their representatives in congress make a decision on a critical national security question , ' he said others , like sen. rand paul , r-kentucky , oppose arming the rebels out of fear the weapons will fall into the wrong hands . sen. lindsey graham , r-south carolina , and other senate hawks want a much more aggressive strategy to destroy isis than the one the president is pursuing . senate majority leader harry reid set the tone for many members of his party when he argued last week the president has the authority he needs to carry out the airstrikes underway against isis , and that it would be a mistake for congress to be rash ' in its decision making . we have to be deliberate in what we do , ' he said . let 's just not rush into things . '
|
congress is about to break for the midterm election campaigning
|
frum <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as john avlon has recently calculated , there is a real possibility that the republican primary process could fail to yield a majority winner . what would happen then ? journalists like to speculate about brokered conventions ' : the kind of conventions we had 50 and 100 years ago , where party bosses chose presidential nominees in smoke-filled rooms . but you ca n't have a brokered convention ' in a system where there are no brokers . ' here 's an example of how the old system worked : in 1952 , most rank-and-file republicans wanted to nominate sen. robert taft of ohio , the leader of the party 's conservative wing . in the dozen or so primaries and caucuses held that year , taft won nearly 2.8 million republican votes , as compared with only 2 million for dwight eisenhower . but about three-quarters of the states had neither primaries nor caucuses . their delegates were chosen at state party conventions , and those delegates answered to powerful state officeholders , typically the state governor . so when the gop convened in chicago in 1952 , those powerful state officeholders could negotiate among themselves , confident that they controlled the delegate count from their state . that 's how eisenhower won in 1952 . the two most powerful republican governors in the country -- thomas dewey of new york and earl warren of california -- preferred eisenhower , and so eisenhower it was . that 's not how it would happen today . modern governors do not control their state parties the way governors did in the 1950s . and today 's delegates wo n't do as they are told . what would happen today ? two possible scenarios : 1 ) imagine that romney falls just slightly short of the 1144 needed to nominate . in this scenario , an individual party chairman from a smaller state with more old-fashioned rules might be lured to find some way to redirect his state 's votes to romney . that is what happened in 1976 , when gerald ford narrowly defeated ronald reagan by gaining the last-minute support of the mississippi state delegation ; that 's the most recent occasion when a convention chose a nominee . the problem is that there are many fewer such old-fashioned states today than there were in 1976 , with the result that the price such available ' states might be able to exact will be considerably higher than it was back then . ford only needed to replace his vice presidential candidate , dumping nelson rockefeller , anathema to party conservatives , in favor of bob dole , then a conservative hero . but what price would be exacted from romney ? and what effect would that have on the election ? romney badly needs to pivot back to the center for the general election . would a convention-season deal to get the votes of strongly conservative delegates veto that pivot and doom his hopes ? 2 ) imagine now that romney falls substantially short of the 1144 . he might have won more votes and delegates than anybody else , but it becomes hard to argue that he is a clear favorite . party insiders begin to murmur again about the need to find another candidate . in an earlier era of american politics , that could be done . in 1920 , a conclave of republican party bosses could bypass stronger candidates to choose sen. warren g. harding , a politician whose main claim to fame was that he had kept on good terms with all party factions , and who would go on to win the presidency . in 1940 , republican party leaders chose a total outsider , wendell willkie , a businessman who had not only never been elected to anything , but who had actually been a roosevelt delegate at the democratic convention of 1932 . but now ? who even are the republican party leaders -- aside from roger ailes , that is ? the big donors ? but they already chose romney and now find they can not make their choice stick . the big change in american politics over the past two decades has been the decline of followership . party members expect the party to serve them -- one major reason that both parties have drifted to the ideological extremes since the 1970s . that expectation would only be intensified and concentrated in a party convention with fox news and talk radio whipping and riling the delegates into angry emotionalism . a decision-making convention in modern times wo n't submit to the edicts of smoke-filled rooms . the delegates will want their own way . if romney fails to win the primaries over the next few months , brace yourself : not for a replay of 1920 , when republican bosses made their coldly calculated deal , but for a replay of 1896 , when the democratic convention went wild for william jennings bryan after one thrilling speech . of course , bryan went on to lose in a landslide . follow cnn opinion on twitter join the conversation on facebook the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david frum .
|
frum says mitt romney might be forced to take positions unpopular in general election
|
frum <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as john avlon has recently calculated , there is a real possibility that the republican primary process could fail to yield a majority winner . what would happen then ? journalists like to speculate about brokered conventions ' : the kind of conventions we had 50 and 100 years ago , where party bosses chose presidential nominees in smoke-filled rooms . but you ca n't have a brokered convention ' in a system where there are no brokers . ' here 's an example of how the old system worked : in 1952 , most rank-and-file republicans wanted to nominate sen. robert taft of ohio , the leader of the party 's conservative wing . in the dozen or so primaries and caucuses held that year , taft won nearly 2.8 million republican votes , as compared with only 2 million for dwight eisenhower . but about three-quarters of the states had neither primaries nor caucuses . their delegates were chosen at state party conventions , and those delegates answered to powerful state officeholders , typically the state governor . so when the gop convened in chicago in 1952 , those powerful state officeholders could negotiate among themselves , confident that they controlled the delegate count from their state . that 's how eisenhower won in 1952 . the two most powerful republican governors in the country -- thomas dewey of new york and earl warren of california -- preferred eisenhower , and so eisenhower it was . that 's not how it would happen today . modern governors do not control their state parties the way governors did in the 1950s . and today 's delegates wo n't do as they are told . what would happen today ? two possible scenarios : 1 ) imagine that romney falls just slightly short of the 1144 needed to nominate . in this scenario , an individual party chairman from a smaller state with more old-fashioned rules might be lured to find some way to redirect his state 's votes to romney . that is what happened in 1976 , when gerald ford narrowly defeated ronald reagan by gaining the last-minute support of the mississippi state delegation ; that 's the most recent occasion when a convention chose a nominee . the problem is that there are many fewer such old-fashioned states today than there were in 1976 , with the result that the price such available ' states might be able to exact will be considerably higher than it was back then . ford only needed to replace his vice presidential candidate , dumping nelson rockefeller , anathema to party conservatives , in favor of bob dole , then a conservative hero . but what price would be exacted from romney ? and what effect would that have on the election ? romney badly needs to pivot back to the center for the general election . would a convention-season deal to get the votes of strongly conservative delegates veto that pivot and doom his hopes ? 2 ) imagine now that romney falls substantially short of the 1144 . he might have won more votes and delegates than anybody else , but it becomes hard to argue that he is a clear favorite . party insiders begin to murmur again about the need to find another candidate . in an earlier era of american politics , that could be done . in 1920 , a conclave of republican party bosses could bypass stronger candidates to choose sen. warren g. harding , a politician whose main claim to fame was that he had kept on good terms with all party factions , and who would go on to win the presidency . in 1940 , republican party leaders chose a total outsider , wendell willkie , a businessman who had not only never been elected to anything , but who had actually been a roosevelt delegate at the democratic convention of 1932 . but now ? who even are the republican party leaders -- aside from roger ailes , that is ? the big donors ? but they already chose romney and now find they can not make their choice stick . the big change in american politics over the past two decades has been the decline of followership . party members expect the party to serve them -- one major reason that both parties have drifted to the ideological extremes since the 1970s . that expectation would only be intensified and concentrated in a party convention with fox news and talk radio whipping and riling the delegates into angry emotionalism . a decision-making convention in modern times wo n't submit to the edicts of smoke-filled rooms . the delegates will want their own way . if romney fails to win the primaries over the next few months , brace yourself : not for a replay of 1920 , when republican bosses made their coldly calculated deal , but for a replay of 1896 , when the democratic convention went wild for william jennings bryan after one thrilling speech . of course , bryan went on to lose in a landslide . follow cnn opinion on twitter join the conversation on facebook the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of david frum .
|
david frum : it 's possible no candidate could reach delegate total to claim nomination
|
pussy riot <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- police in russia are investigating the murder of two women found under a slogan backing the female punk rock band pussy riot , apparently written in the victims'blood , officials said thursday . the words free pussy riot ' were scrawled in english on the apartment wall above the bodies of a 76-year-old woman and her 38-year-old daughter , investigators in russia 's republic of tatarstan said in a statement . the two women , who shared a home , are thought to have died of numerous stab wounds between august 24 and 26 in the city of kazan , the tatarstan investigative committee said . their bodies were found wednesday . an investigation has been launched to uncover the circumstances of the crime , as well as those responsible and their motive , the statement said . the murder inquiry comes two weeks after a court in moscow sentenced three members of pussy riot to two years'imprisonment , a conviction and verdict that prompted international condemnation . the three women were found guilty of hooliganism for performing a song critical of president vladimir putin in one of the russian orthodox church 's most important cathedrals . representatives of the jailed band members rejected the supposed link between pussy riot and the double murder in kazan . i just found out about the incident in kazan . either it 's a terrible provocation ... or psychiatry , ' violetta volkova , a lawyer for pussy riot , tweeted . those responsible need to be found and punished , ' she said . another lawyer for the band members , nikolay polozov , posted on twitter : it 's weird that the media mention'supporters of pussy riot'while commenting on the murder in kazan . dear journalists , please wait for official statements from investigative committee . ' what happened in kazan is terrible . pussy riot always supported peaceful protest , ' he added . whether the suspect or suspects in the kazan murder are truly supporters of pussy riot remains unclear . two other members of the band fled russia this week because of the danger , ' according to the husband of one of the three sent to prison . public opinion in russia is divided on the band , which specializes in provocative performances aimed at making political statements . kazan , in western russia , is one of the country 's larger cities , with more than a million inhabitants . cnn 's alla eshchenko contributed to this report .
|
investigators : the words free pussy riot ' are scrawled on a wall above two murder victims
|
pussy riot <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- police in russia are investigating the murder of two women found under a slogan backing the female punk rock band pussy riot , apparently written in the victims'blood , officials said thursday . the words free pussy riot ' were scrawled in english on the apartment wall above the bodies of a 76-year-old woman and her 38-year-old daughter , investigators in russia 's republic of tatarstan said in a statement . the two women , who shared a home , are thought to have died of numerous stab wounds between august 24 and 26 in the city of kazan , the tatarstan investigative committee said . their bodies were found wednesday . an investigation has been launched to uncover the circumstances of the crime , as well as those responsible and their motive , the statement said . the murder inquiry comes two weeks after a court in moscow sentenced three members of pussy riot to two years'imprisonment , a conviction and verdict that prompted international condemnation . the three women were found guilty of hooliganism for performing a song critical of president vladimir putin in one of the russian orthodox church 's most important cathedrals . representatives of the jailed band members rejected the supposed link between pussy riot and the double murder in kazan . i just found out about the incident in kazan . either it 's a terrible provocation ... or psychiatry , ' violetta volkova , a lawyer for pussy riot , tweeted . those responsible need to be found and punished , ' she said . another lawyer for the band members , nikolay polozov , posted on twitter : it 's weird that the media mention'supporters of pussy riot'while commenting on the murder in kazan . dear journalists , please wait for official statements from investigative committee . ' what happened in kazan is terrible . pussy riot always supported peaceful protest , ' he added . whether the suspect or suspects in the kazan murder are truly supporters of pussy riot remains unclear . two other members of the band fled russia this week because of the danger , ' according to the husband of one of the three sent to prison . public opinion in russia is divided on the band , which specializes in provocative performances aimed at making political statements . kazan , in western russia , is one of the country 's larger cities , with more than a million inhabitants . cnn 's alla eshchenko contributed to this report .
|
new : lawyers for pussy riot condemn the murders , say the band backed peaceful protest
|
pussy riot <tsp> moscow ( cnn ) -- police in russia are investigating the murder of two women found under a slogan backing the female punk rock band pussy riot , apparently written in the victims'blood , officials said thursday . the words free pussy riot ' were scrawled in english on the apartment wall above the bodies of a 76-year-old woman and her 38-year-old daughter , investigators in russia 's republic of tatarstan said in a statement . the two women , who shared a home , are thought to have died of numerous stab wounds between august 24 and 26 in the city of kazan , the tatarstan investigative committee said . their bodies were found wednesday . an investigation has been launched to uncover the circumstances of the crime , as well as those responsible and their motive , the statement said . the murder inquiry comes two weeks after a court in moscow sentenced three members of pussy riot to two years'imprisonment , a conviction and verdict that prompted international condemnation . the three women were found guilty of hooliganism for performing a song critical of president vladimir putin in one of the russian orthodox church 's most important cathedrals . representatives of the jailed band members rejected the supposed link between pussy riot and the double murder in kazan . i just found out about the incident in kazan . either it 's a terrible provocation ... or psychiatry , ' violetta volkova , a lawyer for pussy riot , tweeted . those responsible need to be found and punished , ' she said . another lawyer for the band members , nikolay polozov , posted on twitter : it 's weird that the media mention'supporters of pussy riot'while commenting on the murder in kazan . dear journalists , please wait for official statements from investigative committee . ' what happened in kazan is terrible . pussy riot always supported peaceful protest , ' he added . whether the suspect or suspects in the kazan murder are truly supporters of pussy riot remains unclear . two other members of the band fled russia this week because of the danger , ' according to the husband of one of the three sent to prison . public opinion in russia is divided on the band , which specializes in provocative performances aimed at making political statements . kazan , in western russia , is one of the country 's larger cities , with more than a million inhabitants . cnn 's alla eshchenko contributed to this report .
|
three members of the punk band pussy riot were sentenced to prison terms this month
|
steven spielberg <tsp> ( cnn ) -- steven spielberg led the fbi straight to a stolen $ 700,000 norman rockwell painting someone snatched from a missouri gallery . it was in his collection in california . the original of this norman rockwell reproduction was found in the collection of steven spielberg last year . spielberg was n't the thief , and he does n't know who took rockwell 's russian schoolroom ' -- an oil of 16 pupils looking at a bust of lenin . all the a-list director knows is he paid about $ 200,000 for the 16 x 37 canvas in a legitimate purchase . the fbi says its just one example of how pilfered art lands in respectable places . and it was an uncommon ending for stolen art -- someone found it . recovering masterpieces happens in less than 5 percent of cases , said bonnie magness-gardiner , the fbi 's art theft program manager . usually , expensive pieces go missing . no one knows who took them . no one gets prosecuted , and everyone wonders , why steal something you ca n't turn to cash quickly ? ' art thieves do a simple risk versus reward evaluation , said corine wegener , associate curator of the minneapolis institute of arts . thieves know that even if they receive only a fraction of the work 's market value , the cash gained was at low risk of death or injury -- museums can be a relatively soft target , ' said wegener , who 's teaching a university of minnesota class this month on art theft . but it could be years -- or never -- before the thief sees even a small payoff . in 1990 , robbers took $ 300 million worth of certified masterpieces -- among them rembrandt 's storm on the sea of galilee ' and vermeer 's the concert ' -- from the isabella stewart gardner museum in boston , massachusetts . no one 's seen them since . on sunday , robbers made off with one of the biggest art hauls in european history , grabbing four paintings worth an estimated $ 163 million from the e.g . buehrle collection in zurich , switzerland . they took works by paul cezanne , edgar degas , claude monet and vincent van gogh . see what robbers grabbed in switzerland » ' these paintings are extremely valuable on the open market , but they 'll never go onto the open market . so at the same time they 're both priceless and worthless , ' said charles hill , the former chief of scotland yard 's art and antiques unit . some thieves may buy into the myth that a wealthy but unscrupulous collector will contact them and offer to take the art off their hands , ' wegener said . when this does n't happen , the thieves often try to ransom the art back to the museum or the insurance company . ' one london art dealer , who said he has handled stolen works , told cnn on condition of anonymity that an insurance company would rather get art back at a fraction of its original price than pay the owner its insured value . watch how art thieves operate » ransoming art to an insurance company through an intermediary adds up to 10 percent of the market value , which ... given the art market , is quite a lot of money , ' the dealer said . david vuillaume , secretary general of the swiss museums association , told time magazine that ransom may be what the thieves behind the swiss heist want . we are thinking that maybe in a week or two there will be a ransom demand . but we just have to wait and see , ' time quoted him as saying . the museum has offered $ 90,000 reward for information leading to their recovery , time reported . options for art thieves julian radcliffe , chairman of the art loss register , which operates a database to help recover lost and stolen art , said ransom or reward are unlikely to bring results . it is very seldom that people have been able to undertake a ransom , ' he said . this gang might think that a reward has been offered , and that they 'll get the reward . ' but in fact , the reward wo n't be paid unless someone is arrested , or there is proper criminal intelligence , ' and that 's unlikely to happen , radcliffe said . he said the thieves may just be patient , willing to get their payoff decades later . or the art may move through an underground network , gradually increasing in value , before being slipped back onto the legitimate market . take spielberg . he bought schoolroom ' in an above-the-board transaction . usually , these pictures will change hands in the criminal underworld at a fraction -- 1 percent or less -- of their true market value , ' radcliffe said , before someone tries to get them back into the international market . in such an effort , the seller may hope the work has been forgotten over time or they may disguise it as a copy or student re-creation . they may try and sell them not as being by degas , but as being a copy , or school , or by a follower of one of the great artists . and that is the ways in which they try and get them on the market , ' radcliffe said . the original thieves rarely face justice , the fbi 's magness-gardiner said . the stolen items turn up years , sometimes decades , after the theft , ' she said . because a work of art does not require a title document in order to be transferred from one owner to another , a stolen object easily enters the legitimate stream of commerce . it is impossible to trace them back to the original thief in most cases . even if the original thief can be identified , there is also a statute of limitations on prosecution for theft , ' magness-gardiner said . what happens to stolen art ? even if the art is recovered , original owners may not get it back . while museum pieces are likely to go back to their collections , private owners may not be so lucky . russian schoolroom ' remains in spielberg 's possession while courts determine the rightful owner , a spokesman for the director said . but art stolen from a los angeles mansion and sold in sweden remains with its swedish purchasers , according to a case file posted on the web site of the los angeles police department 's art theft detail . even though the thief was caught , the swedish government refused to return the paintings , claiming that according to swedish law , the auction buyers had purchased the paintings in good faith , ' according to the web site . in the case of rockwell 's russian schoolroom , ' someone took it from a gallery in clayton , missouri , a st. louis suburb , in 1973 , according to an fbi synopsis of the case . in 2004 , the fbi 's art crime team found out that the piece had been for sale at a new york rockwell exhibition 15 years earlier and posted a picture and description of the painting on its art recovery web site . spielberg 's staff learned of the search and told the fbi that spielberg had it in his collection in los angeles . he had purchased it from a legitimate dealer in 1989 , an fbi press release said . the agency also determined the painting was auctioned in new orleans in 1988 , but it has yet to determine who took the painting or its whereabouts from 1973 to 1988 . whoever took russian schoolroom ' from the suburban st. louis gallery in 1973 , or the masterpieces from the boston museum 1980 , or the works lifted in zurich this week , should n't be mistaken for a high-society , tuxedo-wearing , thomas crown affair ' kind of thief , radcliffe said . these people are the worst sort of criminal . they are just like the criminals who traffic individuals or sell children , or murder . they are thoroughly unpleasant people . there is no romanticism in anyway that should be connected to it . ' e-mail to a friend cnn 's paula hancocks and teresa martini contributed to this report .
|
stolen rockwell found in steven spielberg 's collection decades after theft
|
air france <tsp> fernando de noronha , brazil ( cnn ) -- forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash of air france flight 447 , the brazilian navy command and aeronautical command said tuesday . brazilian military personnel on tuesday carry the remains of one of the passengers of the air france crash . sixteen bodies pulled from the atlantic ocean tuesday were taken to fernando de noronha for transportation wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in recife , brazil . the 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a brazilian frigate . searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight , the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement . the airbus a330 crashed in the atlantic ocean june 1 en route from rio de janeiro , brazil , to paris , france , carrying 228 passengers and crew . the first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers ( 200 miles ) northwest of the brazilian archipelago of saint peter and saint paul ; tuesday 's recoveries were 80 kilometers ( 50 miles ) away . it was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air . watch bodies being returned to land » meanwhile , the french , who are leading the investigation , were increasing their naval efforts . the nuclear submarine emeraude was expected to reach the search area wednesday to search for wreckage , including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder . and the french sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment , a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations . the united states is also sending equipment to help with the search . watch challenges faced by search crews » brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to france for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in recife . the cause of the crash is not known , but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as pitot tubes , among other factors . air france has agreed to replace the sensors on its airbus a330 and a340 jets , a pilots'union said tuesday . the airline said saturday that it began replacing its fleet 's sensors last month . another air france pilots'union , alter , has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their pitot tubes are replaced . alter , the smallest of three air france pilots'unions , would not say what percentage of the carrier 's pilots it represents . watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash » the biggest union , snpl , said tuesday it has accepted air france 's assurances that no airbus a330 or a340 will take off unless at least two of its three pitot tubes have been replaced . union spokesman eric derivry added that there is no indication that the pitot tubes caused the accident . air france said over the weekend that it began to notice in may of last year that pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on a330s and a340s . that caused a loss of airspeed data , ' according to the airline -- that is , the pilots did n't know the plane 's speed . air france decided to replace all its probes starting april 27 , following laboratory tests earlier in the year , the airline said . that is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days . the location of the crash has not been determined , because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris . map of flight 447 's flight path » the ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies , but averages about 3,000 meters ( nearly 9,900 feet ) deep , according to the university of new hampshire/national oceanic and atmospheric association joint hydrographic center . the search area covers 200,000 square km ( 77,220 square miles ) , nearly the size of romania , brazilian officials said . brazilian officials emphasized monday that finding bodies was their main priority . the french are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders . fourteen aircraft -- 12 brazilian and two french -- were participating , along with five brazilian ships and one french frigate . the u.s. navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders . the towed pinger locators , ' which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet -- will be placed aboard two french tugs that are part of the search efforts , the official said . cnn 's karl penhaul , ayesha durgahee , niki cook , jim bittermann and barbara starr contributed to this report .
|
first bodies recovered from the crash of air france 447 returned to land
|
air france <tsp> fernando de noronha , brazil ( cnn ) -- forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash of air france flight 447 , the brazilian navy command and aeronautical command said tuesday . brazilian military personnel on tuesday carry the remains of one of the passengers of the air france crash . sixteen bodies pulled from the atlantic ocean tuesday were taken to fernando de noronha for transportation wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in recife , brazil . the 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a brazilian frigate . searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight , the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement . the airbus a330 crashed in the atlantic ocean june 1 en route from rio de janeiro , brazil , to paris , france , carrying 228 passengers and crew . the first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers ( 200 miles ) northwest of the brazilian archipelago of saint peter and saint paul ; tuesday 's recoveries were 80 kilometers ( 50 miles ) away . it was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air . watch bodies being returned to land » meanwhile , the french , who are leading the investigation , were increasing their naval efforts . the nuclear submarine emeraude was expected to reach the search area wednesday to search for wreckage , including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder . and the french sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment , a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations . the united states is also sending equipment to help with the search . watch challenges faced by search crews » brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to france for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in recife . the cause of the crash is not known , but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as pitot tubes , among other factors . air france has agreed to replace the sensors on its airbus a330 and a340 jets , a pilots'union said tuesday . the airline said saturday that it began replacing its fleet 's sensors last month . another air france pilots'union , alter , has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their pitot tubes are replaced . alter , the smallest of three air france pilots'unions , would not say what percentage of the carrier 's pilots it represents . watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash » the biggest union , snpl , said tuesday it has accepted air france 's assurances that no airbus a330 or a340 will take off unless at least two of its three pitot tubes have been replaced . union spokesman eric derivry added that there is no indication that the pitot tubes caused the accident . air france said over the weekend that it began to notice in may of last year that pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on a330s and a340s . that caused a loss of airspeed data , ' according to the airline -- that is , the pilots did n't know the plane 's speed . air france decided to replace all its probes starting april 27 , following laboratory tests earlier in the year , the airline said . that is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days . the location of the crash has not been determined , because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris . map of flight 447 's flight path » the ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies , but averages about 3,000 meters ( nearly 9,900 feet ) deep , according to the university of new hampshire/national oceanic and atmospheric association joint hydrographic center . the search area covers 200,000 square km ( 77,220 square miles ) , nearly the size of romania , brazilian officials said . brazilian officials emphasized monday that finding bodies was their main priority . the french are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders . fourteen aircraft -- 12 brazilian and two french -- were participating , along with five brazilian ships and one french frigate . the u.s. navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders . the towed pinger locators , ' which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet -- will be placed aboard two french tugs that are part of the search efforts , the official said . cnn 's karl penhaul , ayesha durgahee , niki cook , jim bittermann and barbara starr contributed to this report .
|
air france agrees to replace within days speed sensors , pilots'union says
|
air france <tsp> fernando de noronha , brazil ( cnn ) -- forty-one bodies have been recovered from the crash of air france flight 447 , the brazilian navy command and aeronautical command said tuesday . brazilian military personnel on tuesday carry the remains of one of the passengers of the air france crash . sixteen bodies pulled from the atlantic ocean tuesday were taken to fernando de noronha for transportation wednesday afternoon by helicopter to the air base in recife , brazil . the 25 bodies previously found were put aboard a brazilian frigate . searches for the remaining bodies will continue overnight , the navy and aeronautical command said in a written statement . the airbus a330 crashed in the atlantic ocean june 1 en route from rio de janeiro , brazil , to paris , france , carrying 228 passengers and crew . the first bodies were recovered about 320 kilometers ( 200 miles ) northwest of the brazilian archipelago of saint peter and saint paul ; tuesday 's recoveries were 80 kilometers ( 50 miles ) away . it was not clear whether the bodies had drifted in the 1-2 knot currents or whether their separation suggested that the jet may have broken apart in the air . watch bodies being returned to land » meanwhile , the french , who are leading the investigation , were increasing their naval efforts . the nuclear submarine emeraude was expected to reach the search area wednesday to search for wreckage , including the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder . and the french sent two tugs towing 40 tons of recovery equipment , a surveillance ship and a ship equipped for amphibious operations . the united states is also sending equipment to help with the search . watch challenges faced by search crews » brazilian authorities said the plane debris will be taken to france for investigation but the bodies would undergo forensic tests in recife . the cause of the crash is not known , but investigators are looking at the possible role of airspeed sensors known as pitot tubes , among other factors . air france has agreed to replace the sensors on its airbus a330 and a340 jets , a pilots'union said tuesday . the airline said saturday that it began replacing its fleet 's sensors last month . another air france pilots'union , alter , has advised its pilots not to fly planes until their pitot tubes are replaced . alter , the smallest of three air france pilots'unions , would not say what percentage of the carrier 's pilots it represents . watch an explanation of what could have caused the crash » the biggest union , snpl , said tuesday it has accepted air france 's assurances that no airbus a330 or a340 will take off unless at least two of its three pitot tubes have been replaced . union spokesman eric derivry added that there is no indication that the pitot tubes caused the accident . air france said over the weekend that it began to notice in may of last year that pitot tubes sometimes briefly iced up at high altitude on a330s and a340s . that caused a loss of airspeed data , ' according to the airline -- that is , the pilots did n't know the plane 's speed . air france decided to replace all its probes starting april 27 , following laboratory tests earlier in the year , the airline said . that is the program the pilots say the airline has promised to complete within days . the location of the crash has not been determined , because ocean currents have moved the bodies and debris . map of flight 447 's flight path » the ocean depth where the debris and bodies have been found varies , but averages about 3,000 meters ( nearly 9,900 feet ) deep , according to the university of new hampshire/national oceanic and atmospheric association joint hydrographic center . the search area covers 200,000 square km ( 77,220 square miles ) , nearly the size of romania , brazilian officials said . brazilian officials emphasized monday that finding bodies was their main priority . the french are in charge of finding the voice and data recorders . fourteen aircraft -- 12 brazilian and two french -- were participating , along with five brazilian ships and one french frigate . the u.s. navy will contribute two high-tech acoustic devices to listen underwater for the emergency beacons that are attached to the voice and data recorders . the towed pinger locators , ' which help search for emergency beacons on downed aircraft to a maximum depth of 20,000 feet -- will be placed aboard two french tugs that are part of the search efforts , the official said . cnn 's karl penhaul , ayesha durgahee , niki cook , jim bittermann and barbara starr contributed to this report .
|
air france said it began replacing parts in april
|
james <tsp> way back in the mists of time , when schoolkids were expected to learn seemingly endless lists of facts off by heart , they chanted a poem to remember the names of england 's kings and queens . willie , willie , harry , ste , ' it began . harry , dick , john , harry three / one , two , three neds , richard two / harrys four , five , six , then who ? ' it then ended with the most recent monarchs : edward seven , george and ted / george the sixth , now liz instead . ' of course , it 's not done that way any more , but if it were , which name would make it into the next verse ? we know that charles ' and william ' will follow liz , ' but which name will follow theirs ? long before it was announced that william and catherine had had a baby boy , speculation about what they 'll call the newest addition to the royal family reached fever pitch . would they pick a name that has already featured in that schoolroom poem ? read more : what will the royal baby look like ? william and kate are very much a couple of the 21st century but i think they will stick to traditional names , in keeping with the past , ' kate 's biographer claudia joseph told cnn . whatever the pair pick as the all-important first name , there will be plenty of room to fit in nods to other members of the family too . royals have quite a lot of names , ' said williams . charles is actually charles philip arthur george , and the queen is elizabeth alexandra mary . her father , bertie , had five names . ' writing for cnn , royal author andrew roberts agreed : although we ca n't know what the child 's name will be , we can be sure that he or she will have a lot of them : some heirs to the throne [ have ] had as many as seven or eight . ' but now we know it 's a boy , williams said the couple 's choice was simpler in theory , since there are fewer traditionally royal ' male names to choose from . george and james are the current frontrunners with bookmakers , with odds of between 6/4 and 11/4 . we 're very fond of king georges in this country , ' she said . read more : royal baby -- heir for a new century ? but the peculiar british royal tradition of switching between names may complicate matters . prince charles is expected to be known as king george vii when he ascends to the throne ; king george vi was actually christened albert ; and his brother , edward viii , who became duke of windsor after his 1936 abdication , was known as david by family and friends . history has also knocked several male names out of the equation : edward is unlikely , given that scandalous abdication so he could marry american divorcee wallis simpson , and the various king richards , charleses and johns are viewed as cruel , tyrannical or just downright unpopular . charles , at 10/1 , and john , at 8/1 , are very unlikely , ' roberts wrote . charles is already taken as the name of prince william 's father , and john was one of the worst kings in british history . ' king john was forced to sign the magna carta by his nobles in 1215 ; he was portrayed as the key villain in robin hood . ' there 's no way they would pick edward as a first name , ' insists williams . and you ca n't have henry , after henry viii ( though of course if harry came to the throne he would be henry ) . my bet is on george philip william edward . ' in recent years , there has been a move away from classic regal ' names by those on lower branches of the royal family tree . prince andrew and his now ex-wife sarah fergie ' ferguson plumped for the unusual beatrice and eugenie for prince william 's cousins . princess anne , william 's aunt , has two granddaughters by son peter and canadian daughter-in-law autumn phillips : savannah ( born in 2010 ) and isla ( born in 2012 ) . read more : who can inherit british throne ? but joseph said william and kate were always unlikely to go for more trendy ' options on the lists of popular names . in 2013 , the most popular names for baby boys in the uk so far are noah , oscar and oliver , according to babynames.co.uk . obviously other members of the royal family have broken with tradition but the offspring of william and kate will be a future monarch , ' she said . that means , says williams , we 're not going to see a chardonnay , or a plum , or an apple . ' nevertheless , british betting shops are more than happy to take your money if you fancy a flutter on a more modern or quirky moniker . if you think the future monarch might name a king-in-waiting after the king , you can always give it a shot : ladbrokes are offering odds of 500/1 in favor of elvis , while the chances of the baby prince being named after south korean rapper and youtube sensation psy are a long shot 5000/1 . read more : royal baby , meet the family !
|
bookies'favorites are george and james -- but you can also place bets on unusual names
|
uma singh <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the body of a journalist who was hacked to death in southeastern nepal was cremated tuesday as businesses and public transportation in the town of janakpur remained shut for a second day to protest the killing . uma singh , who was murdered in nepal sunday , had talked about the difficulties of practicing journalism . authorities said they arrested four people in connection with the death of uma singh , but they did not release the suspects'names or possible motive , said damakant jayashi , associate editor of the online news web site , myrepublica.com . journalists and human rights groups have descended on the town , and shops are shuttered in what almost seems like a spontaneous protest , ' jayashi said . journalists are all wearing black bands on their arms . and the fm stations in the city , all day yesterday , they played mourning tunes instead of their regular programs . ' the killing of singh , 26 , is the latest in a troubling trend ' of attacks on reporters , the united nations'human rights office in the country said . it asked the government to investigate the case and prosecute death threats against other journalists . doing so will send a strong message that there will be no impunity for attacks against the media , nor for any serious crimes , ' the office of the u.n. high commissioner for human rights in nepal said . singh wrote for a daily newspaper and reported for a radio station in janakpur , about 240 km ( 150 miles ) southeast of the capital city , kathmandu . when she got home from work sunday night , a group of about 15 men barged into the room she rented at a house and hacked her with khukhuris ' -- curved knives traditional to nepal -- in full view of other boarders , authorities said . i am very very shocked , ' said dharmendra jha , president of the federation of nepalese journalists , which is leading the protests . if the government is not ready to provide any kind of security to journalists , it will be very difficult to do journalism in a free mode . ' the group said it will announce a new phase of protests wednesday . authorities do not have a motive for the killing . in some of her articles , singh spoke out against the dowry system , where a bride 's family is forced to give cash and property to the groom 's family before the wedding . also sunday , a group of men ransacked the house of another journalist in the same region , leaving a cross on her door and telling her it was her turn next , media groups said . police do not know if the two incidents are related . in recent months , the number of attacks on journalists in nepal have shot up . the federation released a year-end report , recording 284 incidents -- including three deaths and a kidnapping . some of the assailants have ties to the communist party of nepal , the largest party in nepal 's coalition government , according to new york-based human rights watch . the party is led by pushpa kamal dahal , or prachanda -- a man who led a decade-long bloody insurgency before being sown in as prime minister . during the decade-long civil war , maoist forces under him carried out numerous attacks on journalists they believed were opposed to their cause , human rights watch said . and after he became prime minister , prachanda issued a public warning to journalists while addressing a massive crowd in kathmandu : now we will no longer tolerate criticism as we have already been elected by the people . ' three years ago , singh 's father and elder brother disappeared . her family has all along accused local maoist leaders of being behind the disappearances , jayashi said . singh , herself , talked about the difficulties of practicing journalism in an interview with the united nations last year . various armed groups that are mushrooming have been a major challenge for us . we have been compelled to dance to their tunes . ... this makes us helpless , ' she said in the interview . what do we do ? if we do n't air the news of their choice , they threaten to kill us . things have become very , very difficult for us . '
|
uma singh said before her death : things have become very , very difficult for us '
|
nepalese <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the body of a journalist who was hacked to death in southeastern nepal was cremated tuesday as businesses and public transportation in the town of janakpur remained shut for a second day to protest the killing . uma singh , who was murdered in nepal sunday , had talked about the difficulties of practicing journalism . authorities said they arrested four people in connection with the death of uma singh , but they did not release the suspects'names or possible motive , said damakant jayashi , associate editor of the online news web site , myrepublica.com . journalists and human rights groups have descended on the town , and shops are shuttered in what almost seems like a spontaneous protest , ' jayashi said . journalists are all wearing black bands on their arms . and the fm stations in the city , all day yesterday , they played mourning tunes instead of their regular programs . ' the killing of singh , 26 , is the latest in a troubling trend ' of attacks on reporters , the united nations'human rights office in the country said . it asked the government to investigate the case and prosecute death threats against other journalists . doing so will send a strong message that there will be no impunity for attacks against the media , nor for any serious crimes , ' the office of the u.n. high commissioner for human rights in nepal said . singh wrote for a daily newspaper and reported for a radio station in janakpur , about 240 km ( 150 miles ) southeast of the capital city , kathmandu . when she got home from work sunday night , a group of about 15 men barged into the room she rented at a house and hacked her with khukhuris ' -- curved knives traditional to nepal -- in full view of other boarders , authorities said . i am very very shocked , ' said dharmendra jha , president of the federation of nepalese journalists , which is leading the protests . if the government is not ready to provide any kind of security to journalists , it will be very difficult to do journalism in a free mode . ' the group said it will announce a new phase of protests wednesday . authorities do not have a motive for the killing . in some of her articles , singh spoke out against the dowry system , where a bride 's family is forced to give cash and property to the groom 's family before the wedding . also sunday , a group of men ransacked the house of another journalist in the same region , leaving a cross on her door and telling her it was her turn next , media groups said . police do not know if the two incidents are related . in recent months , the number of attacks on journalists in nepal have shot up . the federation released a year-end report , recording 284 incidents -- including three deaths and a kidnapping . some of the assailants have ties to the communist party of nepal , the largest party in nepal 's coalition government , according to new york-based human rights watch . the party is led by pushpa kamal dahal , or prachanda -- a man who led a decade-long bloody insurgency before being sown in as prime minister . during the decade-long civil war , maoist forces under him carried out numerous attacks on journalists they believed were opposed to their cause , human rights watch said . and after he became prime minister , prachanda issued a public warning to journalists while addressing a massive crowd in kathmandu : now we will no longer tolerate criticism as we have already been elected by the people . ' three years ago , singh 's father and elder brother disappeared . her family has all along accused local maoist leaders of being behind the disappearances , jayashi said . singh , herself , talked about the difficulties of practicing journalism in an interview with the united nations last year . various armed groups that are mushrooming have been a major challenge for us . we have been compelled to dance to their tunes . ... this makes us helpless , ' she said in the interview . what do we do ? if we do n't air the news of their choice , they threaten to kill us . things have become very , very difficult for us . '
|
nepalese journalist who reported on women 's rights hacked to death sunday
|
doj <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the justice department concluded in a blistering report on wednesday that female inmates at one alabama prison live in a toxic environment marked by sex abuse and harassment by corrections staff . the department 's civil rights division said the alabama department of corrections has repeatedly violated the women 's constitutional rights at the julia tutwiler prison . the state was urged to take immediate remedial steps , but there was no indication the federal government was prepared to take any formal legal action . our investigation has revealed serious systemic operational deficiencies at tutwiler that have exposed women prisoners to harm and serious risk of harm from staff-on-prisoner sexual abuse and sexual harassment , ' said acting assistant attorney general jocelyn samuels . these problems have been festering for years , and are well known to alabama prison officials . remedying these deficiencies is critical to ensuring constitutionally protected treatment of women prisoners at tutwiler and will promote public safety , ' she said . in a letter to gov . robert bentley , federal officials said the inmates universally fear for their safety ' and live in a sexualized environment with repeated and open sexual behavior . ' the alleged violations included strip shows ' and cross-gender viewing ' of female prisoners as they undressed in front of correction staff . the justice department also said female inmates at the facility in wetumpka , north of the capital of montgomery , had inadequate conditions ' of confinement and medical and mental health care . alabama department of corrections commissioner kim thomas said the findings were off the mark ' and that his agency is cooperating with the justice department . we have been proactive from the beginning , ' thomas said . we have never downplayed the significant and serious nature of these allegations . i do not , however , agree that tutwiler is operating in a deliberately indifferent or unconstitutional manner . ' thomas said that his agency will continue our efforts to implement changes and recommendations with the goal of improving prison conditions and avoiding potential contested litigation . ' thomas said the letter was based on a federal oversight visit from last year , noting improvements have been made . the state said it was informed in march of last year that the justice department was investigating the prison as a civil rights matter . the department stands ready to work with the state of alabama on solving the problems at tutwiler , ' said u.s. attorney george l. beck jr. for the middle district of alabama . the report has identified a very serious and troubling situation at the facility . action needs to be taken immediately . ' federal officials said thomas and his staff have cooperated and have shown receptivity to concerns raised . ' former georgia prison guard : i witnessed abuse for years british firm denies abuse at south african prison cuban prisoners said to make videos exposing prison conditions
|
corrections chief says that doj findings are off the mark '
|
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- heading into wednesday , majorities of americans in virtually every major poll predicted president barack obama would come out on top in this year 's presidential debates . even majorities of republicans and romney supporters thought the gop nominee was in for a rough night . but not all of them . at a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates , new jersey gov . chris christie predicted that mitt romney , seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone , would prevail . wednesday night 's the restart of this campaign , ' he told nbc . come thursday morning , the entire narrative of this race is going to change . ' no matter how the narrative looks moving forward , there 's no question romney claimed it in denver on wednesday night . 5 things we learned from the presidential debate he did n't just score wins on the margins , holding his own against the president ; he won big . since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by gallup in 1984 , no candidate has ever scored more than 60 % on the question , until wednesday night , when 67 % of the voters in cnn 's post-debate poll gave romney the edge . it was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations , virtually no sustained attacks , and occasionally no attacks at all , on some of romney 's most vulnerable areas . voters finally tuning in to the race for the first time on wednesday would leave without hearing most of the themes that have dominated the trail since the race began . funniest tweets about the debate a lengthy discussion of entitlement spending , and a follow-up segment devoted to the role of government , rolled by without a single mention of romney 's 47 % remarks . a discussion of high finance and companies that ship jobs overseas passed without a mention of bain capital , a topic that had dominated the obama campaign 's messaging for months and seemed to have done romney real damage in key swing states like ohio . romney spent weeks before the debate practicing , leaving nothing to chance , from his body language to every one-liner in his arsenal . and it showed : he did n't have to reach for answers or decide how to handle debate stage dynamics . his performance came across like the campaign equivalent of muscle memory . connecting with the viewer :'romney was able to out obama' obama 's answers were long and winding , featuring more than their fair share of provisos and to-be-sures , even a bit hesitant . romney 's were direct , confident and black-and-white . as his team had hinted before the debate , he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own , deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at obama , and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president 's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent : mr. president , you 're entitled to your own house and your own airplane , but not your own facts . ' that particular jab seemed to beg for a pointed response about privilege that never came . not only did romney put obama on the defensive , at times , the president seemed to put himself there , raising and responding to conservative attacks that had n't yet been mentioned . the imbalance in the performances immediately showed up in polls after the debate ended : romney , at least for the night , erased deficits and regained ground he 'd lost on key questions . by double-digit advantages , the registered voters in cnn 's poll said he came across as the better leader and better on the economy . read a transcript of the debate on the likeability question -- where the president 's held the edge all year , generally by a double-digit advantage -- romney closed the gap : 46 % said he was the more likeable candidate , to 45 % who said the same of obama . still there were some hints of strategies that might make re-appearances in future debates . with a more aggressive posture , obama 's demands for policy details from romney could draw blood . one of the biggest advantages romney has on the president is the fact that obama has four years of proposals to critique and a track record of both successes and failures . romney has had no track record , no time in office , since well before the financial crisis began . and by releasing as few details as possible about most of his policy plans , he 's been able to make ambitious promises that far outstrip any achievement someone in office would be able to match in a real-world environment . a sustained push by the president could pose questions his plans are n't yet specific enough to answer . at crossroads of economic crisis , debate disappoints and the president 's comeback to romney 's assurance to current medicare patients that their own care would remain unaffected under his plan highlighted the glaring political weak spot : if you 're 54 or 55 , you might want to listen , 'cause this , this will affect you , ' said obama . but for the moment , romney 's regained the momentum , re-energizing his base while the president faces the sort of second-guessing his opponent had been battling for the past month . the question is whether the flash polls are recording a flash in the pan , or whether , with roughly a month left in the race , the governor can translate his performance into the sort of healthy , sustained bounce that eluded him after the republican convention . complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks
|
obama 's performance was long and windy , even a bit hesitant
|
obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- heading into wednesday , majorities of americans in virtually every major poll predicted president barack obama would come out on top in this year 's presidential debates . even majorities of republicans and romney supporters thought the gop nominee was in for a rough night . but not all of them . at a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates , new jersey gov . chris christie predicted that mitt romney , seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone , would prevail . wednesday night 's the restart of this campaign , ' he told nbc . come thursday morning , the entire narrative of this race is going to change . ' no matter how the narrative looks moving forward , there 's no question romney claimed it in denver on wednesday night . 5 things we learned from the presidential debate he did n't just score wins on the margins , holding his own against the president ; he won big . since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by gallup in 1984 , no candidate has ever scored more than 60 % on the question , until wednesday night , when 67 % of the voters in cnn 's post-debate poll gave romney the edge . it was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations , virtually no sustained attacks , and occasionally no attacks at all , on some of romney 's most vulnerable areas . voters finally tuning in to the race for the first time on wednesday would leave without hearing most of the themes that have dominated the trail since the race began . funniest tweets about the debate a lengthy discussion of entitlement spending , and a follow-up segment devoted to the role of government , rolled by without a single mention of romney 's 47 % remarks . a discussion of high finance and companies that ship jobs overseas passed without a mention of bain capital , a topic that had dominated the obama campaign 's messaging for months and seemed to have done romney real damage in key swing states like ohio . romney spent weeks before the debate practicing , leaving nothing to chance , from his body language to every one-liner in his arsenal . and it showed : he did n't have to reach for answers or decide how to handle debate stage dynamics . his performance came across like the campaign equivalent of muscle memory . connecting with the viewer :'romney was able to out obama' obama 's answers were long and winding , featuring more than their fair share of provisos and to-be-sures , even a bit hesitant . romney 's were direct , confident and black-and-white . as his team had hinted before the debate , he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own , deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at obama , and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president 's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent : mr. president , you 're entitled to your own house and your own airplane , but not your own facts . ' that particular jab seemed to beg for a pointed response about privilege that never came . not only did romney put obama on the defensive , at times , the president seemed to put himself there , raising and responding to conservative attacks that had n't yet been mentioned . the imbalance in the performances immediately showed up in polls after the debate ended : romney , at least for the night , erased deficits and regained ground he 'd lost on key questions . by double-digit advantages , the registered voters in cnn 's poll said he came across as the better leader and better on the economy . read a transcript of the debate on the likeability question -- where the president 's held the edge all year , generally by a double-digit advantage -- romney closed the gap : 46 % said he was the more likeable candidate , to 45 % who said the same of obama . still there were some hints of strategies that might make re-appearances in future debates . with a more aggressive posture , obama 's demands for policy details from romney could draw blood . one of the biggest advantages romney has on the president is the fact that obama has four years of proposals to critique and a track record of both successes and failures . romney has had no track record , no time in office , since well before the financial crisis began . and by releasing as few details as possible about most of his policy plans , he 's been able to make ambitious promises that far outstrip any achievement someone in office would be able to match in a real-world environment . a sustained push by the president could pose questions his plans are n't yet specific enough to answer . at crossroads of economic crisis , debate disappoints and the president 's comeback to romney 's assurance to current medicare patients that their own care would remain unaffected under his plan highlighted the glaring political weak spot : if you 're 54 or 55 , you might want to listen , 'cause this , this will affect you , ' said obama . but for the moment , romney 's regained the momentum , re-energizing his base while the president faces the sort of second-guessing his opponent had been battling for the past month . the question is whether the flash polls are recording a flash in the pan , or whether , with roughly a month left in the race , the governor can translate his performance into the sort of healthy , sustained bounce that eluded him after the republican convention . complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks
|
obama 's campaign now faces second-guessing that romney 's was before wednesday
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- heading into wednesday , majorities of americans in virtually every major poll predicted president barack obama would come out on top in this year 's presidential debates . even majorities of republicans and romney supporters thought the gop nominee was in for a rough night . but not all of them . at a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates , new jersey gov . chris christie predicted that mitt romney , seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone , would prevail . wednesday night 's the restart of this campaign , ' he told nbc . come thursday morning , the entire narrative of this race is going to change . ' no matter how the narrative looks moving forward , there 's no question romney claimed it in denver on wednesday night . 5 things we learned from the presidential debate he did n't just score wins on the margins , holding his own against the president ; he won big . since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by gallup in 1984 , no candidate has ever scored more than 60 % on the question , until wednesday night , when 67 % of the voters in cnn 's post-debate poll gave romney the edge . it was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations , virtually no sustained attacks , and occasionally no attacks at all , on some of romney 's most vulnerable areas . voters finally tuning in to the race for the first time on wednesday would leave without hearing most of the themes that have dominated the trail since the race began . funniest tweets about the debate a lengthy discussion of entitlement spending , and a follow-up segment devoted to the role of government , rolled by without a single mention of romney 's 47 % remarks . a discussion of high finance and companies that ship jobs overseas passed without a mention of bain capital , a topic that had dominated the obama campaign 's messaging for months and seemed to have done romney real damage in key swing states like ohio . romney spent weeks before the debate practicing , leaving nothing to chance , from his body language to every one-liner in his arsenal . and it showed : he did n't have to reach for answers or decide how to handle debate stage dynamics . his performance came across like the campaign equivalent of muscle memory . connecting with the viewer :'romney was able to out obama' obama 's answers were long and winding , featuring more than their fair share of provisos and to-be-sures , even a bit hesitant . romney 's were direct , confident and black-and-white . as his team had hinted before the debate , he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own , deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at obama , and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president 's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent : mr. president , you 're entitled to your own house and your own airplane , but not your own facts . ' that particular jab seemed to beg for a pointed response about privilege that never came . not only did romney put obama on the defensive , at times , the president seemed to put himself there , raising and responding to conservative attacks that had n't yet been mentioned . the imbalance in the performances immediately showed up in polls after the debate ended : romney , at least for the night , erased deficits and regained ground he 'd lost on key questions . by double-digit advantages , the registered voters in cnn 's poll said he came across as the better leader and better on the economy . read a transcript of the debate on the likeability question -- where the president 's held the edge all year , generally by a double-digit advantage -- romney closed the gap : 46 % said he was the more likeable candidate , to 45 % who said the same of obama . still there were some hints of strategies that might make re-appearances in future debates . with a more aggressive posture , obama 's demands for policy details from romney could draw blood . one of the biggest advantages romney has on the president is the fact that obama has four years of proposals to critique and a track record of both successes and failures . romney has had no track record , no time in office , since well before the financial crisis began . and by releasing as few details as possible about most of his policy plans , he 's been able to make ambitious promises that far outstrip any achievement someone in office would be able to match in a real-world environment . a sustained push by the president could pose questions his plans are n't yet specific enough to answer . at crossroads of economic crisis , debate disappoints and the president 's comeback to romney 's assurance to current medicare patients that their own care would remain unaffected under his plan highlighted the glaring political weak spot : if you 're 54 or 55 , you might want to listen , 'cause this , this will affect you , ' said obama . but for the moment , romney 's regained the momentum , re-energizing his base while the president faces the sort of second-guessing his opponent had been battling for the past month . the question is whether the flash polls are recording a flash in the pan , or whether , with roughly a month left in the race , the governor can translate his performance into the sort of healthy , sustained bounce that eluded him after the republican convention . complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks
|
romney 's answers were direct , confident and black-and-white
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- heading into wednesday , majorities of americans in virtually every major poll predicted president barack obama would come out on top in this year 's presidential debates . even majorities of republicans and romney supporters thought the gop nominee was in for a rough night . but not all of them . at a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates , new jersey gov . chris christie predicted that mitt romney , seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone , would prevail . wednesday night 's the restart of this campaign , ' he told nbc . come thursday morning , the entire narrative of this race is going to change . ' no matter how the narrative looks moving forward , there 's no question romney claimed it in denver on wednesday night . 5 things we learned from the presidential debate he did n't just score wins on the margins , holding his own against the president ; he won big . since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by gallup in 1984 , no candidate has ever scored more than 60 % on the question , until wednesday night , when 67 % of the voters in cnn 's post-debate poll gave romney the edge . it was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations , virtually no sustained attacks , and occasionally no attacks at all , on some of romney 's most vulnerable areas . voters finally tuning in to the race for the first time on wednesday would leave without hearing most of the themes that have dominated the trail since the race began . funniest tweets about the debate a lengthy discussion of entitlement spending , and a follow-up segment devoted to the role of government , rolled by without a single mention of romney 's 47 % remarks . a discussion of high finance and companies that ship jobs overseas passed without a mention of bain capital , a topic that had dominated the obama campaign 's messaging for months and seemed to have done romney real damage in key swing states like ohio . romney spent weeks before the debate practicing , leaving nothing to chance , from his body language to every one-liner in his arsenal . and it showed : he did n't have to reach for answers or decide how to handle debate stage dynamics . his performance came across like the campaign equivalent of muscle memory . connecting with the viewer :'romney was able to out obama' obama 's answers were long and winding , featuring more than their fair share of provisos and to-be-sures , even a bit hesitant . romney 's were direct , confident and black-and-white . as his team had hinted before the debate , he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own , deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at obama , and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president 's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent : mr. president , you 're entitled to your own house and your own airplane , but not your own facts . ' that particular jab seemed to beg for a pointed response about privilege that never came . not only did romney put obama on the defensive , at times , the president seemed to put himself there , raising and responding to conservative attacks that had n't yet been mentioned . the imbalance in the performances immediately showed up in polls after the debate ended : romney , at least for the night , erased deficits and regained ground he 'd lost on key questions . by double-digit advantages , the registered voters in cnn 's poll said he came across as the better leader and better on the economy . read a transcript of the debate on the likeability question -- where the president 's held the edge all year , generally by a double-digit advantage -- romney closed the gap : 46 % said he was the more likeable candidate , to 45 % who said the same of obama . still there were some hints of strategies that might make re-appearances in future debates . with a more aggressive posture , obama 's demands for policy details from romney could draw blood . one of the biggest advantages romney has on the president is the fact that obama has four years of proposals to critique and a track record of both successes and failures . romney has had no track record , no time in office , since well before the financial crisis began . and by releasing as few details as possible about most of his policy plans , he 's been able to make ambitious promises that far outstrip any achievement someone in office would be able to match in a real-world environment . a sustained push by the president could pose questions his plans are n't yet specific enough to answer . at crossroads of economic crisis , debate disappoints and the president 's comeback to romney 's assurance to current medicare patients that their own care would remain unaffected under his plan highlighted the glaring political weak spot : if you 're 54 or 55 , you might want to listen , 'cause this , this will affect you , ' said obama . but for the moment , romney 's regained the momentum , re-energizing his base while the president faces the sort of second-guessing his opponent had been battling for the past month . the question is whether the flash polls are recording a flash in the pan , or whether , with roughly a month left in the race , the governor can translate his performance into the sort of healthy , sustained bounce that eluded him after the republican convention . complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks
|
obama 's campaign now faces second-guessing that romney 's was before wednesday
|
romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- heading into wednesday , majorities of americans in virtually every major poll predicted president barack obama would come out on top in this year 's presidential debates . even majorities of republicans and romney supporters thought the gop nominee was in for a rough night . but not all of them . at a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates , new jersey gov . chris christie predicted that mitt romney , seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone , would prevail . wednesday night 's the restart of this campaign , ' he told nbc . come thursday morning , the entire narrative of this race is going to change . ' no matter how the narrative looks moving forward , there 's no question romney claimed it in denver on wednesday night . 5 things we learned from the presidential debate he did n't just score wins on the margins , holding his own against the president ; he won big . since the question of which candidate did better in a presidential debate was first asked by gallup in 1984 , no candidate has ever scored more than 60 % on the question , until wednesday night , when 67 % of the voters in cnn 's post-debate poll gave romney the edge . it was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations , virtually no sustained attacks , and occasionally no attacks at all , on some of romney 's most vulnerable areas . voters finally tuning in to the race for the first time on wednesday would leave without hearing most of the themes that have dominated the trail since the race began . funniest tweets about the debate a lengthy discussion of entitlement spending , and a follow-up segment devoted to the role of government , rolled by without a single mention of romney 's 47 % remarks . a discussion of high finance and companies that ship jobs overseas passed without a mention of bain capital , a topic that had dominated the obama campaign 's messaging for months and seemed to have done romney real damage in key swing states like ohio . romney spent weeks before the debate practicing , leaving nothing to chance , from his body language to every one-liner in his arsenal . and it showed : he did n't have to reach for answers or decide how to handle debate stage dynamics . his performance came across like the campaign equivalent of muscle memory . connecting with the viewer :'romney was able to out obama' obama 's answers were long and winding , featuring more than their fair share of provisos and to-be-sures , even a bit hesitant . romney 's were direct , confident and black-and-white . as his team had hinted before the debate , he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own , deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at obama , and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president 's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent : mr. president , you 're entitled to your own house and your own airplane , but not your own facts . ' that particular jab seemed to beg for a pointed response about privilege that never came . not only did romney put obama on the defensive , at times , the president seemed to put himself there , raising and responding to conservative attacks that had n't yet been mentioned . the imbalance in the performances immediately showed up in polls after the debate ended : romney , at least for the night , erased deficits and regained ground he 'd lost on key questions . by double-digit advantages , the registered voters in cnn 's poll said he came across as the better leader and better on the economy . read a transcript of the debate on the likeability question -- where the president 's held the edge all year , generally by a double-digit advantage -- romney closed the gap : 46 % said he was the more likeable candidate , to 45 % who said the same of obama . still there were some hints of strategies that might make re-appearances in future debates . with a more aggressive posture , obama 's demands for policy details from romney could draw blood . one of the biggest advantages romney has on the president is the fact that obama has four years of proposals to critique and a track record of both successes and failures . romney has had no track record , no time in office , since well before the financial crisis began . and by releasing as few details as possible about most of his policy plans , he 's been able to make ambitious promises that far outstrip any achievement someone in office would be able to match in a real-world environment . a sustained push by the president could pose questions his plans are n't yet specific enough to answer . at crossroads of economic crisis , debate disappoints and the president 's comeback to romney 's assurance to current medicare patients that their own care would remain unaffected under his plan highlighted the glaring political weak spot : if you 're 54 or 55 , you might want to listen , 'cause this , this will affect you , ' said obama . but for the moment , romney 's regained the momentum , re-energizing his base while the president faces the sort of second-guessing his opponent had been battling for the past month . the question is whether the flash polls are recording a flash in the pan , or whether , with roughly a month left in the race , the governor can translate his performance into the sort of healthy , sustained bounce that eluded him after the republican convention . complete coverage of cnn 's fact checks
|
no candidate has ever scored above 60 % on question of who won -- romney scored 67 %
|
european <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the events unfolding off the coast of lampedusa are both tragic and shocking . more than a hundred people are confirmed dead and the death toll is almost certain to rise dramatically . although it may be awful , sadly this is neither an unusual nor unfamiliar story . according to the unhcr , in 2012 , some 15,000 migrants and asylum-seekers reached italy and malta and almost 500 people were reported dead or missing at sea . the figures are damning and shameful . too many people are dying in their attempts to reach safety in europe and much more needs to be done to address the root causes of why people risk their lives in this way . one thing is clear -- this latest incident is an appalling reminder of what happens when people escaping persecution are denied access to safety at the eu 's frontiers . while we do n't know the personal circumstances of everyone on board this particular boat , we do know that the majority were from somalia and eritrea , two of the top 10 sources of refugees in the world , according to the unhcr . both are countries with well documented human rights abuses . given this , it 's reasonable to believe that a number of people on board were refugees , fleeing persecution and seeking safety in europe where there are substantial and settled somali and eritrean communities . yet there 's been considerable head scratching in the media about why people would put themselves at such risk . why would you get on an overcrowded , potentially unseaworthy vessel and risk your life to make it to lampedusa ? for refugees , the answer is simple -- what they 're leaving behind is much , much worse . somalia and eritrea 's human rights abuses are well documented . sexual violence and torture are commonplace . for refugees , staying at home -- or'going back to where they came from'-- is not an option . difficult though it may be for us to comprehend , for refugees , paying smugglers and boarding these boats is a rational decision . the problem is compounded by the lack of safe , legal routes into europe . the refugee convention -- a legal framework which defines who refugees are , their rights and the legal obligations of countries -- recognizes that people fleeing for their lives may have to resort to illegal entry . this drives refugees to take even greater risks to escape . european countries have a legal obligation to provide protection under the refugee convention but during the last decade the continent 's borders have become heavily securitized , with millions of pounds invested in frontex , the agency established by the eu to strengthen europe 's borders and protect the continent against unwanted illegal migrants . these measures should not apply to individuals escaping war and persecution -- the theoretical beneficiaries of legally sanctioned protection and compassion -- but refugees are often forced to resort to the same irregular channels to leave their country of origin and travel towards safety . europe 's formidable migration control apparatus does not sufficiently differentiate between individuals who may be in need of international protection and other migrants . in the absence of safe , legal ways to reach european territories , refugees are forced into dangerous and abusive situations , and often obliged to embrace the perils of life-threatening journeys and the unscrupulous services of smugglers . boarding an overcrowded boat bound for italy would possibly have been the last stage in a long and dangerous journey for many of those on that voyage . some of them possibly did n't even know where they were headed . european governments must work in solidarity to ensure people fleeing human rights violations and persecution are given entry . when people are in need of our help , we must live up to our international obligations and offer it . only then can we be sure we are doing all we can to prevent more deaths . we must keep a door to safety open for refugees and develop ways of identifying those with protection needs among the broader flow of migrants . as yesterday 's events have shown , it 's a matter of life and death . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of maurice wren
|
european governments must work in solidarity to ensure people fleeing human rights violations and persecution are given entry , he says
|
european <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the events unfolding off the coast of lampedusa are both tragic and shocking . more than a hundred people are confirmed dead and the death toll is almost certain to rise dramatically . although it may be awful , sadly this is neither an unusual nor unfamiliar story . according to the unhcr , in 2012 , some 15,000 migrants and asylum-seekers reached italy and malta and almost 500 people were reported dead or missing at sea . the figures are damning and shameful . too many people are dying in their attempts to reach safety in europe and much more needs to be done to address the root causes of why people risk their lives in this way . one thing is clear -- this latest incident is an appalling reminder of what happens when people escaping persecution are denied access to safety at the eu 's frontiers . while we do n't know the personal circumstances of everyone on board this particular boat , we do know that the majority were from somalia and eritrea , two of the top 10 sources of refugees in the world , according to the unhcr . both are countries with well documented human rights abuses . given this , it 's reasonable to believe that a number of people on board were refugees , fleeing persecution and seeking safety in europe where there are substantial and settled somali and eritrean communities . yet there 's been considerable head scratching in the media about why people would put themselves at such risk . why would you get on an overcrowded , potentially unseaworthy vessel and risk your life to make it to lampedusa ? for refugees , the answer is simple -- what they 're leaving behind is much , much worse . somalia and eritrea 's human rights abuses are well documented . sexual violence and torture are commonplace . for refugees , staying at home -- or'going back to where they came from'-- is not an option . difficult though it may be for us to comprehend , for refugees , paying smugglers and boarding these boats is a rational decision . the problem is compounded by the lack of safe , legal routes into europe . the refugee convention -- a legal framework which defines who refugees are , their rights and the legal obligations of countries -- recognizes that people fleeing for their lives may have to resort to illegal entry . this drives refugees to take even greater risks to escape . european countries have a legal obligation to provide protection under the refugee convention but during the last decade the continent 's borders have become heavily securitized , with millions of pounds invested in frontex , the agency established by the eu to strengthen europe 's borders and protect the continent against unwanted illegal migrants . these measures should not apply to individuals escaping war and persecution -- the theoretical beneficiaries of legally sanctioned protection and compassion -- but refugees are often forced to resort to the same irregular channels to leave their country of origin and travel towards safety . europe 's formidable migration control apparatus does not sufficiently differentiate between individuals who may be in need of international protection and other migrants . in the absence of safe , legal ways to reach european territories , refugees are forced into dangerous and abusive situations , and often obliged to embrace the perils of life-threatening journeys and the unscrupulous services of smugglers . boarding an overcrowded boat bound for italy would possibly have been the last stage in a long and dangerous journey for many of those on that voyage . some of them possibly did n't even know where they were headed . european governments must work in solidarity to ensure people fleeing human rights violations and persecution are given entry . when people are in need of our help , we must live up to our international obligations and offer it . only then can we be sure we are doing all we can to prevent more deaths . we must keep a door to safety open for refugees and develop ways of identifying those with protection needs among the broader flow of migrants . as yesterday 's events have shown , it 's a matter of life and death . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of maurice wren
|
wren : in the absence of safe , legal ways to reach european territories , refugees are forced into dangerous and abusive situations
|
epa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- amanda sedgmer , mother of five and daughter of coal country , believes that in this presidential election , her way of life is at stake . if you ask anybody in the coal industry what would happen if obama is re-elected , they 'd say the coal industry is done , ' said sedgmer , whose husband , ryan , is a coal miner and whose family has depended on the industry for at least four generations . sedgmer lives in hopedale , ohio , which sits on top of one of the state 's richest coal deposits . for nearly a century here , mining has been one of the few professions guaranteeing a good and consistent salary . read sedgmer 's original story on cnn ireport but in the past two years , an increasing number of coal-powered electricity plants across the country have announced closures . estimates vary , but banking and industry analysis firm credit suisse put expected and known closures for 2009-2012 at 111 plants , that 's one-fifth of the nation 's nearly 500 coal plants . there are two main factors in the demise of those plants . first , the price of coal 's competitor , natural gas , is decreasing . at the same time , a new rule from the environmental protection agency is pushing the price of coal up . that change , called the maximum achievable control technology , or mact , rule requires that coal- and oil-fired power plants reduce pollutant emission rates significantly . the rule , which operates under the clean air act , does not stipulate a lower level of carbon output . but by requiring lower mercury and other toxic emissions , it would reduce carbon as well . coal mining families are n't the only ones facing shifts in industry the epa estimates this will result in some 1 % of national electricity capacity shutting down , and a cost increase of about 3.7 % in retail electricity . but those in coal country give much higher estimates . they believe if president obama stays in office and the rule continues , it will mean the end of their industry . if coal fell , which is one of the main sources of employment around this area , everything would suffer , ' sedgmer said while sitting on her front porch . there 'd be no funding for the schools , which are already suffering . i ca n't see how destroying one industry benefits anything . ' the job is a source of income for the family and pride for ryan . i like it , ' the 30-year-old said . i enjoy doing it . ... it 's provided for our family . we have a big family and we have n't had to worry about too much . ' watch behind-the-scenes interview with sedgmer the sedgmers have invested a lot in their home in hopedale , which is next to the towns where ryan and amanda grew up . when another mining job moved the family away , the sedgmers rented out the 100-year-old home , keeping a foothold in their community . thanks to a new mining job , two weeks ago the sedgmers moved back to the area . they put up a home sweet home ' sign in the kitchen . they want to stay . if all coal mines shut down , ' amanda sedgmer paused , we would struggle ... we would definitely lose our house. sedgmer voted for president obama in 2008 and she is not a particular fan of mitt romney , but she 's voting for the republican because she believes he is the only chance the coal industry and her community have to survive . romney hopes all this concern helps him in the buckeye swing state and in other coal communities . he has told crowds at campaign speeches that president obama sure does n't like coal . ' the president has vigorously disagreed , saying he is for clean coal . ' environmentalists believe the epa rule and the increasing closures of coal plants are breakthroughs that are overdue and will do dramatic good . les brown , the president of the earth policy institute , points to studies that coal emissions , including mercury and other pollutants , cause more than 10,000 deaths a year . it 's a war for survival , ' brown said , sitting in a washington office filled with piles of reports and papers about the environment . saving lives , not just a handful of lives , but thousands of lives . but more broadly , saving the planet . ' would he like to see all coal plants closed ? yes , ' brown responded , it would be cleaner , it would be safer and it would help stabilize the climate , which is the big threat to our future . i mean it 's even difficult to put a price tag on that . ' brown sees the problems with coal and climate change as a very human issue that could lead to droughts in some places , including the american midwest , and floods in other places , like the american coasts . in either case , brown fears loss of crops , homes and lives . but the same issue is personal to amanda sedgmer . every day as ryan prepares to go underground , he checks a bulletin board listing the latest coal closures . the sedgmers'five children are still young , aged 16 months to 10 years . those old enough to speak already talk about coal . when asked what he wants to do when he grows up , 4-year-old ben sedgmer blurts out , coal miner ! ' but his parents do n't know if there will be many , or any , coal mining jobs waiting for him in hopedale when he 's old enough . for both sides , the war over coal is personal . and it is happening this election year . see all of the embed america coverage here . and track the embed team 's progress on our map . poll : majority oppose controversial coal mining practice battle for blair mountain : working in america - educator and parent guide alaska offshore drilling : from'hell no'to'ok' cnn 's emma lacey-bordeaux contributed to this story .
|
the epa 's recent mact rule ' requires significantly lower emissions from coal plants
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.