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garner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- michael jordan once summed up his social and political activism in four simple words : republicans buy sneakers , too . ' in a world where athletes and celebrities seem more willing to attach their names to high-priced sneakers and headphones than real-world issues , many are thrusting themselves directly into an uncomfortable national debate over police brutality and racial injustice . it 's not only people with prominent names ; there are medical students , congressional staffers , a university president and even a northern california police chief . a spate of controversial police slayings of unarmed black men served as the catalyst . but the case of eric garner , a new york grandfather who was put in a fatal chokehold by a police officer trying to arrest him for selling cigarettes illegally , has resonated with whites and nonwhites alike . commentators across the political spectrum have united to condemn last week 's decision by a grand jury not to indict white new york police officer daniel pantaleo in garner 's death , which was captured on a video seen around the globe . according to pantaleo 's lawyer , the officer says he did n't use a chokehold on garner . the outpouring started in earnest one week before the new york decision , with the long-awaited announcement of a grand jury 's decision not to indict ferguson , missouri , police officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teen michael brown . that decision was met with violent demonstrations in ferguson and largely peaceful protests throughout the nation . on november 3 , five st. louis rams players infuriated some people with a silent message before a game against the oakland raiders . stedman bailey , tavon austin , jared cook , chris givens and kenny britt walked onto the field and raised their palms in the air , demonstrating the hands up , do n't shoot ' gesture protesters in ferguson had been using for months . police chief and university president that groundswell seems to have peaked with the nonindictment in the garner case . as they warmed up for a game monday attended by the duke and duchess of cambridge , cleveland cavaliers lebron james and kyrie irving were among players wearing t-shirts saying i ca n't breathe ' -- garner 's last words , which have become a rallying cry for protesters . in los angeles , the lakers'nick young , jordan clarkson , carlos boozer , wayne ellington and jeremy lin donned i ca n't breathe ' shirts on the bench during the first half of an nba game against the sacramento kings on tuesday . the georgetown university basketball team did the same . in northern california , richmond police chief chris magnus joined about 100 demonstrators and carried a sign with the popular twitter hashtag # blacklivesmatter , according to the contra costa times . at the university of pennsylvania , protesters crashed university president amy gutmann 's annual holiday party tuesday night , according to the university newspaper , the daily pennsylvanian . gutmann joined the protesters by lying on the floor in a 4â½ minute die-in ' in memory of brown . around the nation , medical students on wednesday staged white-coat die-ins , ' organized under the trending twitter hashtag # whitecoats4blacklives . at the university of cincinnati , for instance , about 75 medical and pharmacy students held a 20-minute die-in ' protest .'not guilty ... not shocked' in washington , minority congressional staffers walked off their jobs and gathered on the steps of the capitol on thursday with their hands raised to show support for the families of michael brown and eric garner . the congressional asian pacific american staff association and the congressional hispanic staff association joined black staffers and the congressional black associates in planning the event . they were joined by rep. john lewis , d-georgia , who fought to end segregation and racial discrimination in the south in the 1960s . new jersey sen. cory booker , a democrat and one of two african-americans in the u.s. senate , last week posted a column to his facebook page that he wrote for the stanford daily as a university student after the rodney king verdict in 1992 . i 'm struggling to be articulate , loquacious , positive , constructive , but for the first time in so long , i have lost control of my emotions , ' he wrote then . rage . frustration . bitterness . animosity . exasperation . sadness . emotions once suppressed , emotions once channeled , now are let loose . why ? ' he continued , not guilty ... not shocked . i 'm a black man . i am 6 feet 3 inches tall and 230 pounds , just like king . do i scare you ? am i a threat ? does your fear justify your actions ? twelve people believed it did . black male : guilty until proven innocent . ' after the grand jury decision in the garner case was announced december 3 , twitter exploded with reaction . celebrities ranging from musician john legend to actress ellen pompeo expressed shock and disbelief at the failure to indict pantaleo for garner 's death . even some commentators on the political right -- such as noah rothman of the conservative blog hotair.com and charles c.w . cooke of the national review -- condemned the decision in the garner case . the case represented one of those moments where left and right could unite , ' rothman wrote . hip-hop mogul russell simmons , who co-founded def jam records , said americans have not experienced demonstrations like the ones breaking out almost daily in generations . the failure to get indictments in the brown , garner and other racially charged cases was like lightning striking the black community over and over and over again . ' america has not seen protests like those that are coming if justice does n't start to come down , ' he said . we have not begun to engage the young leaders who are waiting to go to work . you have n't seen young people like this in two generations and they have n't even begun . america has n't seen what 's coming . '
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athletes and celebrities , med students and congressional staffers react to garner case
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garner <tsp> ( cnn ) -- michael jordan once summed up his social and political activism in four simple words : republicans buy sneakers , too . ' in a world where athletes and celebrities seem more willing to attach their names to high-priced sneakers and headphones than real-world issues , many are thrusting themselves directly into an uncomfortable national debate over police brutality and racial injustice . it 's not only people with prominent names ; there are medical students , congressional staffers , a university president and even a northern california police chief . a spate of controversial police slayings of unarmed black men served as the catalyst . but the case of eric garner , a new york grandfather who was put in a fatal chokehold by a police officer trying to arrest him for selling cigarettes illegally , has resonated with whites and nonwhites alike . commentators across the political spectrum have united to condemn last week 's decision by a grand jury not to indict white new york police officer daniel pantaleo in garner 's death , which was captured on a video seen around the globe . according to pantaleo 's lawyer , the officer says he did n't use a chokehold on garner . the outpouring started in earnest one week before the new york decision , with the long-awaited announcement of a grand jury 's decision not to indict ferguson , missouri , police officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teen michael brown . that decision was met with violent demonstrations in ferguson and largely peaceful protests throughout the nation . on november 3 , five st. louis rams players infuriated some people with a silent message before a game against the oakland raiders . stedman bailey , tavon austin , jared cook , chris givens and kenny britt walked onto the field and raised their palms in the air , demonstrating the hands up , do n't shoot ' gesture protesters in ferguson had been using for months . police chief and university president that groundswell seems to have peaked with the nonindictment in the garner case . as they warmed up for a game monday attended by the duke and duchess of cambridge , cleveland cavaliers lebron james and kyrie irving were among players wearing t-shirts saying i ca n't breathe ' -- garner 's last words , which have become a rallying cry for protesters . in los angeles , the lakers'nick young , jordan clarkson , carlos boozer , wayne ellington and jeremy lin donned i ca n't breathe ' shirts on the bench during the first half of an nba game against the sacramento kings on tuesday . the georgetown university basketball team did the same . in northern california , richmond police chief chris magnus joined about 100 demonstrators and carried a sign with the popular twitter hashtag # blacklivesmatter , according to the contra costa times . at the university of pennsylvania , protesters crashed university president amy gutmann 's annual holiday party tuesday night , according to the university newspaper , the daily pennsylvanian . gutmann joined the protesters by lying on the floor in a 4â½ minute die-in ' in memory of brown . around the nation , medical students on wednesday staged white-coat die-ins , ' organized under the trending twitter hashtag # whitecoats4blacklives . at the university of cincinnati , for instance , about 75 medical and pharmacy students held a 20-minute die-in ' protest .'not guilty ... not shocked' in washington , minority congressional staffers walked off their jobs and gathered on the steps of the capitol on thursday with their hands raised to show support for the families of michael brown and eric garner . the congressional asian pacific american staff association and the congressional hispanic staff association joined black staffers and the congressional black associates in planning the event . they were joined by rep. john lewis , d-georgia , who fought to end segregation and racial discrimination in the south in the 1960s . new jersey sen. cory booker , a democrat and one of two african-americans in the u.s. senate , last week posted a column to his facebook page that he wrote for the stanford daily as a university student after the rodney king verdict in 1992 . i 'm struggling to be articulate , loquacious , positive , constructive , but for the first time in so long , i have lost control of my emotions , ' he wrote then . rage . frustration . bitterness . animosity . exasperation . sadness . emotions once suppressed , emotions once channeled , now are let loose . why ? ' he continued , not guilty ... not shocked . i 'm a black man . i am 6 feet 3 inches tall and 230 pounds , just like king . do i scare you ? am i a threat ? does your fear justify your actions ? twelve people believed it did . black male : guilty until proven innocent . ' after the grand jury decision in the garner case was announced december 3 , twitter exploded with reaction . celebrities ranging from musician john legend to actress ellen pompeo expressed shock and disbelief at the failure to indict pantaleo for garner 's death . even some commentators on the political right -- such as noah rothman of the conservative blog hotair.com and charles c.w . cooke of the national review -- condemned the decision in the garner case . the case represented one of those moments where left and right could unite , ' rothman wrote . hip-hop mogul russell simmons , who co-founded def jam records , said americans have not experienced demonstrations like the ones breaking out almost daily in generations . the failure to get indictments in the brown , garner and other racially charged cases was like lightning striking the black community over and over and over again . ' america has not seen protests like those that are coming if justice does n't start to come down , ' he said . we have not begun to engage the young leaders who are waiting to go to work . you have n't seen young people like this in two generations and they have n't even begun . america has n't seen what 's coming . '
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garner 's chokehold death at hands of police resonates with whites and nonwhites alike
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iraq <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the iraqi olympic committee said saturday it stands by its decision to disband the country 's soccer association -- a move that led to the association 's suspension from international football . world governing body fifa said friday it had decided to suspend the iraqi football association ( ifa ) because of the iraqi olympic committee 's move to disband it . fifa described that as governmental interference . the suspension means iraqi soccer clubs and teams may not play in international matches or receive financial assistance , though fifa made an exception for iraqi female players to play in a weeklong under-16 regional football festival in jordan starting sunday . fifa said it learned monday that the iraqi olympic committee had disbanded the ifa and that governmental security forces had seized control of the ifa headquarters . fifa officials gave the committee 72 hours to revoke the decision and hand the headquarters back to the ifa . the deadline has expired without revocation of the decision by the iraqi olympic committee and the ifa has not been restored to its headquarters , ' fifa said in a statement friday . the fifa emergency committee has therefore decided to immediately suspend the ifa until the decision of the iraqi olympic committee is revoked and the ifa retakes possession of its offices . ' the iraqi olympic committee 's actions are in total contradiction ' to fifa statutes , which require national teams to have full independence , fifa said . two top iraqi officials said saturday the decision to disband the ifa was based on financial and administrative irregularities and violations , and that they were not surprised by fifa 's decision and had expected it . samir al-moussawi , a senior member of the iraqi olympic committee , told cnn he was hopeful the issue could be resolved with fifa in the coming days , and that the olympic committee had international lawyers working on the issue . he denied , however , that government security forces had seized ifa headquarters , saying the men were protection services personnel guarding the building . ali al-dabbagh , the iraqi government spokesman who has been delegated for months to deal with the international olympic committee , told cnn he will work on cooperating with fifa 's demands and holding transparent ifa elections . he said the suspension will not have a major effect ' on iraqi football because the national team has no international matches scheduled over the next six months . it is the second time fifa has suspended iraqi football . the first time was in may last year , after the iraqi government dissolved the national olympic committee and all national sports federations . fifa lifted the ban after the iraqi government excluded the ifa from dissolution . iraqi soccer has come a long way since the days of saddam hussein , when hussein 's son , uday , was president of the iraqi olympic committee and regularly threatened players with physical violence and torture if they played poorly . the national soccer team has continued playing , however , and has been viewed as something that has united iraqis across sectarian lines . although iraq has not qualified for next year 's world cup in south africa , the national team was able to celebrate becoming the asia champions in 2007 . in july , iraq played its first home game since 2002 , beating its palestinian opponents 4-0 . tens of thousands attended the match in the capital after fifa lifted its ban on international games in iraq . cnn 's jomana karadsheh contributed to this report .
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fifa banned iraq from international competition following move
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iraq <tsp> baghdad , iraq ( cnn ) -- the iraqi olympic committee said saturday it stands by its decision to disband the country 's soccer association -- a move that led to the association 's suspension from international football . world governing body fifa said friday it had decided to suspend the iraqi football association ( ifa ) because of the iraqi olympic committee 's move to disband it . fifa described that as governmental interference . the suspension means iraqi soccer clubs and teams may not play in international matches or receive financial assistance , though fifa made an exception for iraqi female players to play in a weeklong under-16 regional football festival in jordan starting sunday . fifa said it learned monday that the iraqi olympic committee had disbanded the ifa and that governmental security forces had seized control of the ifa headquarters . fifa officials gave the committee 72 hours to revoke the decision and hand the headquarters back to the ifa . the deadline has expired without revocation of the decision by the iraqi olympic committee and the ifa has not been restored to its headquarters , ' fifa said in a statement friday . the fifa emergency committee has therefore decided to immediately suspend the ifa until the decision of the iraqi olympic committee is revoked and the ifa retakes possession of its offices . ' the iraqi olympic committee 's actions are in total contradiction ' to fifa statutes , which require national teams to have full independence , fifa said . two top iraqi officials said saturday the decision to disband the ifa was based on financial and administrative irregularities and violations , and that they were not surprised by fifa 's decision and had expected it . samir al-moussawi , a senior member of the iraqi olympic committee , told cnn he was hopeful the issue could be resolved with fifa in the coming days , and that the olympic committee had international lawyers working on the issue . he denied , however , that government security forces had seized ifa headquarters , saying the men were protection services personnel guarding the building . ali al-dabbagh , the iraqi government spokesman who has been delegated for months to deal with the international olympic committee , told cnn he will work on cooperating with fifa 's demands and holding transparent ifa elections . he said the suspension will not have a major effect ' on iraqi football because the national team has no international matches scheduled over the next six months . it is the second time fifa has suspended iraqi football . the first time was in may last year , after the iraqi government dissolved the national olympic committee and all national sports federations . fifa lifted the ban after the iraqi government excluded the ifa from dissolution . iraqi soccer has come a long way since the days of saddam hussein , when hussein 's son , uday , was president of the iraqi olympic committee and regularly threatened players with physical violence and torture if they played poorly . the national soccer team has continued playing , however , and has been viewed as something that has united iraqis across sectarian lines . although iraq has not qualified for next year 's world cup in south africa , the national team was able to celebrate becoming the asia champions in 2007 . in july , iraq played its first home game since 2002 , beating its palestinian opponents 4-0 . tens of thousands attended the match in the capital after fifa lifted its ban on international games in iraq . cnn 's jomana karadsheh contributed to this report .
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iraq won asian championship in 2007 but failed to reach next year 's world cup
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kinsman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i 'm in a las vegas hotel room , hiding from christmas . the odds are not in my favor . this is not a war on , jihad against or campaign to counter anyone else 's annual allotment of holly jolly joy . if it were up to me , i 'd quietly exile myself from the merrymaking so as not to dim others'bliss like a burned-out bulb on an otherwise twinkly light strand . i 'm not a grinch or a scrooge or any of the other soot-stained slurs hurled by people fed up with a loved one 's reluctance to join the reindeer games . what i am is depressed . in the cold , dark , ash-end of the dying year , it is hard for me to pry my head from my pillow and draw breath into my lungs -- let alone don gay apparel and fa-la-la along with the rest of the festive public . but i do it -- alongside countless other people suffering from seasonal affective disorder , active grief , debilitating panic , ptsd and a whole host of other emotional issues that are thrown into sharp relief amid the mandatory revelry . i do n't want to drag anyone else into my darkness and take the shimmer off their star . i try to slough off my dull gray sweater and don a gaudy holiday number that i hope will distract from the listlessness in my eyes and my affect , and i will myself to snap out of it . that may successfully deflect attention from friends and family caught up in holiday chaos , but i am thoroughly unable to force myself into a state of good cheer . the attempt makes it worse . i think there must be something wrong with me , linus . christmas is coming , but i 'm not happy . i do n't feel the way i 'm supposed to feel . ... i like getting presents and sending christmas cards and decorating trees and all that , but i 'm still not happy . i always end up feeling depressed . ' read more : going public with depression as a child , it was surprising and oddly comforting to see my strange feelings articulated by a beloved cartoon character amid the technicolor cheer of holiday tv specials . but then again , i have always identified with poor ol'charlie brown -- and the response his confession of yuletide unease received from his peers . charlie brown , you 're the only person i know who can take a wonderful season like christmas and turn it into a problem . ' nope -- not just you , charlie brown . the rest of us just do n't talk about it for fear that the linuses of the world will pass judgment ; if you ca n't join in the joy of the most wonderful time of the year , you are clearly defective . you are a misfit toy , minus the solidarity of an island full of kindred spirits . even for those who do n't struggle with chronic or seasonal depression , there are myriad reasons why some approach december with dread . for many who have who always celebrated holidays with warmth and abandon , there 's a raw and tender spot where a departed family member used to be . even if the grief is not fresh , the rites and rituals that once brought such delight now awaken the ache of loss . for others , economic strain , family estrangement , the pressure of others'expectations , overtaxed schedules and plain old exhaustion can mount and crush the happiness out a season that was previously a source of comfort . but rarely , if ever , are we given a strings-free opportunity to opt out . it 's only once a year ! ' a friend said to me just yesterday , kvetching about her sister-in-law 's reluctance to suck it up and make merry . i 've never met the woman , but i had to argue on her behalf . i come from a family in which christmas day e-mails have become an acceptable level of holiday hoopla , but have married into a family heavily invested in the celebration . as much as i love and cherish every member of my husband 's massive multigenerational clan , their celebrations operate at an unfamiliar frequency . being launched into the holiday machine with a family that celebrates bigheartedly , boisterously and lavishly became a source of yearly panic and dread for me . i was terribly ashamed of myself for feeling that way . yes , it 's only once a year , but my mother-in-law is nearing 90 . the desire to deliver the brand of holiday she 's come to expect added so much weight to the event , i 'd find myself almost unable to breathe at the very thought of it . read more : national depression screening day : sharing experiences then i 'd fret that someone would notice my distress ( they did ) and take it personally if i slipped away to compose myself . ( where 's kat ? she 's taking a nap again ? does n't she want to spend time with us ? ) after several years of that stress , i realized something was going to have to give -- and it was going to have to be me . i ca n't say i 'm ever going to actively enjoy christmas , but i love my family ( and myself ) enough to make the most out of it and have found ways to manage my seasonally fragile mood in a way that might minimize upset from either side . i save up my vacation days , hotel points and and frequent-flier miles to visit somewhere sunny -- usually las vegas . while trees , cheeky holiday decor , and jazzed-up carols have begun to encroach upon this den of depravity and excess , it 's still a relatively safe haven for christmas cranks like me , and the darkness sets in a shade later than it does back home . on the ground at christmas central with the in-laws , my husband and i have taken to getting a hotel room , rather than staying with family . though that may not be the most economically sensible option , we do n't have to worry about overtaxing anyone 's generosity , and the autonomy offers a little breathing room that helps me more calmly and thoroughly appreciate the time we spend together in celebration . once in the familial fray , i try to make myself as useful as humanly possible . need that platter washed ? gim me ! we 're out of cinnamon ? where are the car keys ? the children need someone to chase around the yard to wear them out ? whooooooooosh ! and i 've added my own ritual to the mix -- crafting multiple pitchers of rye sours made with freshly-squeezed lemons and clementine juice . it busies my hands for at least an hour , lightly buzzes the crowd for a couple more and i get to spend one-on-one time with each person as i serve them . it has by all accounts been a most welcome addition to the holidays , and for a while our moods align happily and brightly . this may not be ideal for every family , but we make the most of what we 've been given . i 'll take my christmas spirit any way i can get it . like cnn living on facebook and follow kat kinsman on twitter . how do you get through the holiday doldrums ? share your secrets in the comments section below .
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kinsman devised coping methods , such as visiting sunny climes and keeping busy
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kinsman <tsp> ( cnn ) -- i 'm in a las vegas hotel room , hiding from christmas . the odds are not in my favor . this is not a war on , jihad against or campaign to counter anyone else 's annual allotment of holly jolly joy . if it were up to me , i 'd quietly exile myself from the merrymaking so as not to dim others'bliss like a burned-out bulb on an otherwise twinkly light strand . i 'm not a grinch or a scrooge or any of the other soot-stained slurs hurled by people fed up with a loved one 's reluctance to join the reindeer games . what i am is depressed . in the cold , dark , ash-end of the dying year , it is hard for me to pry my head from my pillow and draw breath into my lungs -- let alone don gay apparel and fa-la-la along with the rest of the festive public . but i do it -- alongside countless other people suffering from seasonal affective disorder , active grief , debilitating panic , ptsd and a whole host of other emotional issues that are thrown into sharp relief amid the mandatory revelry . i do n't want to drag anyone else into my darkness and take the shimmer off their star . i try to slough off my dull gray sweater and don a gaudy holiday number that i hope will distract from the listlessness in my eyes and my affect , and i will myself to snap out of it . that may successfully deflect attention from friends and family caught up in holiday chaos , but i am thoroughly unable to force myself into a state of good cheer . the attempt makes it worse . i think there must be something wrong with me , linus . christmas is coming , but i 'm not happy . i do n't feel the way i 'm supposed to feel . ... i like getting presents and sending christmas cards and decorating trees and all that , but i 'm still not happy . i always end up feeling depressed . ' read more : going public with depression as a child , it was surprising and oddly comforting to see my strange feelings articulated by a beloved cartoon character amid the technicolor cheer of holiday tv specials . but then again , i have always identified with poor ol'charlie brown -- and the response his confession of yuletide unease received from his peers . charlie brown , you 're the only person i know who can take a wonderful season like christmas and turn it into a problem . ' nope -- not just you , charlie brown . the rest of us just do n't talk about it for fear that the linuses of the world will pass judgment ; if you ca n't join in the joy of the most wonderful time of the year , you are clearly defective . you are a misfit toy , minus the solidarity of an island full of kindred spirits . even for those who do n't struggle with chronic or seasonal depression , there are myriad reasons why some approach december with dread . for many who have who always celebrated holidays with warmth and abandon , there 's a raw and tender spot where a departed family member used to be . even if the grief is not fresh , the rites and rituals that once brought such delight now awaken the ache of loss . for others , economic strain , family estrangement , the pressure of others'expectations , overtaxed schedules and plain old exhaustion can mount and crush the happiness out a season that was previously a source of comfort . but rarely , if ever , are we given a strings-free opportunity to opt out . it 's only once a year ! ' a friend said to me just yesterday , kvetching about her sister-in-law 's reluctance to suck it up and make merry . i 've never met the woman , but i had to argue on her behalf . i come from a family in which christmas day e-mails have become an acceptable level of holiday hoopla , but have married into a family heavily invested in the celebration . as much as i love and cherish every member of my husband 's massive multigenerational clan , their celebrations operate at an unfamiliar frequency . being launched into the holiday machine with a family that celebrates bigheartedly , boisterously and lavishly became a source of yearly panic and dread for me . i was terribly ashamed of myself for feeling that way . yes , it 's only once a year , but my mother-in-law is nearing 90 . the desire to deliver the brand of holiday she 's come to expect added so much weight to the event , i 'd find myself almost unable to breathe at the very thought of it . read more : national depression screening day : sharing experiences then i 'd fret that someone would notice my distress ( they did ) and take it personally if i slipped away to compose myself . ( where 's kat ? she 's taking a nap again ? does n't she want to spend time with us ? ) after several years of that stress , i realized something was going to have to give -- and it was going to have to be me . i ca n't say i 'm ever going to actively enjoy christmas , but i love my family ( and myself ) enough to make the most out of it and have found ways to manage my seasonally fragile mood in a way that might minimize upset from either side . i save up my vacation days , hotel points and and frequent-flier miles to visit somewhere sunny -- usually las vegas . while trees , cheeky holiday decor , and jazzed-up carols have begun to encroach upon this den of depravity and excess , it 's still a relatively safe haven for christmas cranks like me , and the darkness sets in a shade later than it does back home . on the ground at christmas central with the in-laws , my husband and i have taken to getting a hotel room , rather than staying with family . though that may not be the most economically sensible option , we do n't have to worry about overtaxing anyone 's generosity , and the autonomy offers a little breathing room that helps me more calmly and thoroughly appreciate the time we spend together in celebration . once in the familial fray , i try to make myself as useful as humanly possible . need that platter washed ? gim me ! we 're out of cinnamon ? where are the car keys ? the children need someone to chase around the yard to wear them out ? whooooooooosh ! and i 've added my own ritual to the mix -- crafting multiple pitchers of rye sours made with freshly-squeezed lemons and clementine juice . it busies my hands for at least an hour , lightly buzzes the crowd for a couple more and i get to spend one-on-one time with each person as i serve them . it has by all accounts been a most welcome addition to the holidays , and for a while our moods align happily and brightly . this may not be ideal for every family , but we make the most of what we 've been given . i 'll take my christmas spirit any way i can get it . like cnn living on facebook and follow kat kinsman on twitter . how do you get through the holiday doldrums ? share your secrets in the comments section below .
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cnn 's kat kinsman faced overwhelming depression during the season in the past
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george w. bush <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- there were smiles , laughter and tears -- but little politics -- when former presidents george w. bush and his father , george h. w. bush , joined current president barack obama at the white house for the unveiling thursday of the younger bush 's official portrait . an emotional ceremony in the east room saw the new white house residents thanking their predecessors for their service to the nation and for helping them out during the move more than three years ago . in personal tributes to the 43rd president and his wife , laura , both obama and the first lady expressed their appreciation for the example set by the bush family during their eight years in the white house and the guidance and help provided during the transition . george , you went out of your way , to make sure the transition to new administration was as seamless as possible , ' obama said , adding : i 'll always be grateful for that . ' he also cited bush 's strength and resolve that reassured the nation after the september 11 terrorist attacks , and made sure to note that anti-terrorism efforts started in the bush administration helped bring the signature national security achievement of obama 's presidency so far -- the killing of osama bin laden . opinion : will history be kind to bush ? the tone was markedly different from obama 's campaign themes that blame the bush administration for leaving the nation in economic shambles . however , obama mentioned the economic turmoil at the time of the transition , saying that was a reason he especially appreciated bush 's efforts to help make it as smooth as possible . after three-and-a-half years in office and more gray hair , i have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the men before me , including president bush , ' obama said , adding that one truth is you ca n't make everybody happy . i think that 's something president bush and i learned pretty quickly , ' obama continued , later noting that we may have our differences politically , but the presidency transcends those differences . ' both bush and mrs. bush , who also had her official portrait unveiled , thanked the obamas for their hospitality in hosting the event that included lunch with the bush family -- including both former presidents and first ladies as well as former first daughters jenna and barbara . they also made a point of thanking the white house and administration staff during their eight years in washington , and cracked jokes that caused the packed east room to erupt in laughter . thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends to my hanging , ' bush said after shouting sit down ' to cut off a lengthy standing ovation when it was his turn to speak . bush quipped that he hoped the president will find reassurance because , when walking the white house halls at night mulling over a major problem , you 'll now be able to gaze at this portrait and ask'what would george do ?' mrs. bush also drew a big laugh when she said in reference to the new paintings that nothing makes a house a home like having portraits of its former occupants staring down at you . ' in the most emotional moment , bush 's voice cracked a little as he said of his father -- the nation 's 41st president -- that he was honored the portrait would be hanging near a man who gave me the greatest gift possible , unconditional love , and that would be no . 41 . ' when michelle obama rose to speak , she began by saying : i do n't think we have enough tissue to go around . ' jenna and barbara , they 're just a mess , ' she added in reference to the bush daughters . the obamas made a point of thanking the bush girls for guidance they provided the obama daughters , with obama noting his two girls have followed the advice to make loyal friends and slide down the bannisters . the portraits by john howard sanden show bush standing in the oval office , while mrs. bush , wearing a midnight blue gown , is in the green room that she helped refurbish . cnn 's emily schultze and kevin bohn contributed to this report .
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obama has blamed george w. bush 's administration for failed economic policies
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canadian <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- black ice -- road ice virtually invisible to drivers -- played a significant role ' in last month 's fatal bus crash in oregon , an attorney for the bus company said wednesday night . attorney mark scheer also said bus driver haeng kyu hwang had had 7 â½ hours of sleep the night before the crash , suggesting that fatigue was not a factor , and said there is no indication ' that drugs and alcohol were involved . on tuesday , the federal motor carrier safety administration barred mi joo tour & travel ltd. , a canadian company , from operating in the united states , saying in an order that hwang had worked 92 hours in the seven days leading up to the crash , far exceeding the 70 hours allowed . it also said that the bus company had not conducted required post-accident alcohol and drug tests on the driver . an agency spokesman wednesday night declined to comment on the black ice claim or on the driver 's sleep history , citing the ongoing investigation by the national transportation safety board . the deadly accident occurred december 30 as the large motor coach was returning to vancouver , british columbia , from las vegas . the bus skidded on interstate 84 near pendleton , oregon , crashed through a guardrail and tumbled down a steep embankment . nine passengers were killed and 39 people were injured , including the driver . i can say conclusively that black ice was involved from all reports we have of the accident , ' scheer told reporters . there were other accidents involving black ice near the crash site , he said . scheer said hwang was properly licensed , had previously worked as a school bus and truck driver and had extensive experience driving in the west . hwang had slept 7 1/2 hours the night before the crash and had been on the road only 2 1/2 hours that day , including a rest stop , he said . he declined to comment on the claim that hwang had violated work hour rules that week , saying he was not familiar with the driver 's itinerary . in its 10-page order tuesday , the motor carrier administration said mi joo tour & travel poses an imminent hazard to public safety ' because of its failure to ensure that its drivers are properly rested . mi joo does not monitor its drivers'hours of service to ensure that its drivers do not violate ' work-hour restrictions , it said . further , mi joo does not require its drivers to maintain driver logs , as required by law , it said . the ntsb and the oregon state police are investigating the accident . fmcsa also is conducting a compliance review of the company , which caters to korean tourists . in 2010 , the fmcsa cited mi joo for 11 violations and gave the company a conditional ' rating , meaning it was in jeopardy of losing its ability to operate in the united states . in 2011 , the agency cited mi joo for eight violations and gave it a satisfactory ' rating .
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canadian bus company had record of violations in u.s. before fatal wreck
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eye-fi explore <tsp> ( budget travel ) -- with these handy tools , you can update the folks back home without ever having to slow down . use your twitter acount to ask those following you for recommendations on the area you 're staying in . mapness ( mapness.net ) although it 's ostensibly designed for travel journaling , this clickable atlas can also help with planning by letting you create custom maps of your travels . adding a waypoint or something of interest -- a hotel , a landmark , a train station -- is as easy as double clicking . mapness will automatically plot routes between your various stops , and store your map online so that you can pull it up on the go . even better , you can share your map with others via an e-mailed link , or export them to google earth so that everyone in your party can find their way to the chalet . finally , once you 've arrived , you can also add photos and videos to document your trip for posterity . hazelmail ( hazelmail.com ) everyone loves to get postcards , but actually messing with the mail while on vacation can make you go , well , postal . ( and in any case , do you really want a cheesy image from the hotel gift shop to stand as the definitive shot of your journey ? ) roll your own postcards instead . at hazelmail , named for its founder 's mom , you can upload your photographs and then enter a message and an address . the web site takes care of the rest , printing out and mailing a freshly minted postcard ( and saving you from having to track down stamps ) . the flat fee of $ 1.50 includes postage to anywhere . eye-fi explore ( eye.fi/cards/explore/ ) there 's no reason to wait until you get home to upload your photos from your trip , thanks to this camera memory card that gives your camera wi-fi connectivity . when it 's paired with a free online account at a photo-sharing service such as picasa or flickr , you can set the card to upload on the fly , letting your friends tag along on your journeys with every snap you take . the eye-fi works with open wireless networks , and you can set it to automatically join them once you come into range . the purchase of the card also gives you the ability to use any wayport hotspot for a year ( there are more than 10,000 of such spots nationwide ) . if you 're not near a free open source and you 're in the u.s. , chances are still good that you 'll be able to find a wayport spot to upload your photos . also fun : the eye-fi uses wi-fi signals to store location data with every photos that 's taken . when you upload shots to geo-enabled photo-sharing services ( including flickr and picasa ) , the photos can be automatically added to a map that notes where they were taken -- and which also has links to photos that other photographers have taken nearby . twitter ( twitter.com ) even if you 're not using the micro-blogging site twitter to update the world with your own comings and goings , you can still use it to bring the wisdom of a savvy , global crowd to the palm of your hand . use your free acount to ask those following you a question ( where can i find the best grits in atlanta ? ' ) to tap into a trove of native knowledge in real time . for better luck use a hashtag ' ( a keyword preceded by the pound symbol , such as # atlanta ) that will help people find your query . or perhaps your question has already been answered : try twitter 's dedicated search page . if you have an iphone , you may also want to give the applications tweetie and twinkle a try . these can filter twitter 's tweets by location to help you listen in on locals . tripit ( tripit.com ) have trouble keeping track of your travel plans ? help is here . once you are registered with tripit , you can forward to the site all of your confirmation e-mails for flights , hotels , and rental cars . tripit takes those pesky details and automatically organizes them into a sorted itinerary you can access from any computer . thanks to its stripped-down web site design , you can pull up your confirmation codes at the ticket counter on your phone , rather than printing everything up in advance . social features help you create a network of friends and share itineraries , and also add badges to your web site to show where you are and what you 're doing . in addition , you can export your trips to a calendar program such as google calendar or ical . google voice ( google.com/voice/about ) with this phone manager , you can keep the calls coming through while you roam . open at the moment only to existing users of a google-owned service called grandcentral but soon to be available for everyone , google voice gives you a phone number which you can set to ring any phone in the united states ( google plans to expand this ability worldwide ) . even more usefully , it can be set to let only some numbers through -- for instance , maybe you want your friends but not your boss to be able to call you on that beach in miami . because you can set it to ring more than one number , google voice can direct the same call to your cell phone as well as the line in your vacation home . you can also use it to check your voice mail from any computer . get the best travel deals and tips emailed to you free - click here ! copyright © 2009 newsweek budget travel , inc. , all rights reserved .
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eye-fi explore is a memory card that gives your camera wi-fi connectivity
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itunes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- apple has settled a lawsuit filed by parents who say their kids downloaded free games from the mobile app store and then proceeded to rack up hefty bills buying in-game extras . under the proposed settlement of a 2011 class-action lawsuit , apple will offer a $ 5 itunes gift card to any u.s. parent who claims that their child paid for extras without their knowledge . the company will offer larger credits , or cash refunds , for people who can show that their bills were larger than $ 5 . on friday , the deal will go before a federal judge , who is expected to approve it . the proposed settlement , first reported by legal-news site law360 and tech blog gigaom , does not state how much apple will pay overall or how many users are affected . apple will create a website for people interested in cashing in on the settlement and send an e-mail notification to roughly 23 million customers . people who want more than $ 5 must show that a larger amount was racked up by their kids in any 45-day period . those who can show more than $ 30 in purchases may choose a cash refund instead of an apple credit . purchases made until the date of the settlement would be eligible for refunds . an apple spokesman said the company would have no comment on the proposed settlement . in the past few years , this freemium ' business model has become increasingly popular in mobile and social gaming . zynga games like farmville ' led the way for games that are free to download and play but then require players to pay small fees for in-game upgrades or premium content . those fees can add up quickly . the lawsuit came after media reports of several cases in which kids'in-game purchases led to parental sticker shock . kevin ofel , an editor at gigaom , wrote that he got a 2010 itunes bill for $ 375 after his kids spent money on the game tapfish , ' a virtual aquarium that can be loosely described as farmville ' under water . the lure of digital fish is apparently a strong one . a florida father reported that his 7-year-old amassed a $ 613 bill playing the same game . on its itunes page , the latest version of the game , tapfish 2 , ' lists top in-app purchases ' ranging from 99 cents up to $ 19.99 . the game is listed as appropriate for children 4 and older . the settlement notes that apple offers paid content on free games that are rated appropriate for children older than 4 , 9 and 12 in its app store . in 2011 , apple revised its in-app purchasing policy , requiring users to re-enter their account password before paying for enhancements within games . the lawsuit was filed after that policy change , with plaintiffs arguing that it did n't go far enough since minors could still make purchases .
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apple settles lawsuit over in-game itunes purchases by kids
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itunes <tsp> ( cnn ) -- apple has settled a lawsuit filed by parents who say their kids downloaded free games from the mobile app store and then proceeded to rack up hefty bills buying in-game extras . under the proposed settlement of a 2011 class-action lawsuit , apple will offer a $ 5 itunes gift card to any u.s. parent who claims that their child paid for extras without their knowledge . the company will offer larger credits , or cash refunds , for people who can show that their bills were larger than $ 5 . on friday , the deal will go before a federal judge , who is expected to approve it . the proposed settlement , first reported by legal-news site law360 and tech blog gigaom , does not state how much apple will pay overall or how many users are affected . apple will create a website for people interested in cashing in on the settlement and send an e-mail notification to roughly 23 million customers . people who want more than $ 5 must show that a larger amount was racked up by their kids in any 45-day period . those who can show more than $ 30 in purchases may choose a cash refund instead of an apple credit . purchases made until the date of the settlement would be eligible for refunds . an apple spokesman said the company would have no comment on the proposed settlement . in the past few years , this freemium ' business model has become increasingly popular in mobile and social gaming . zynga games like farmville ' led the way for games that are free to download and play but then require players to pay small fees for in-game upgrades or premium content . those fees can add up quickly . the lawsuit came after media reports of several cases in which kids'in-game purchases led to parental sticker shock . kevin ofel , an editor at gigaom , wrote that he got a 2010 itunes bill for $ 375 after his kids spent money on the game tapfish , ' a virtual aquarium that can be loosely described as farmville ' under water . the lure of digital fish is apparently a strong one . a florida father reported that his 7-year-old amassed a $ 613 bill playing the same game . on its itunes page , the latest version of the game , tapfish 2 , ' lists top in-app purchases ' ranging from 99 cents up to $ 19.99 . the game is listed as appropriate for children 4 and older . the settlement notes that apple offers paid content on free games that are rated appropriate for children older than 4 , 9 and 12 in its app store . in 2011 , apple revised its in-app purchasing policy , requiring users to re-enter their account password before paying for enhancements within games . the lawsuit was filed after that policy change , with plaintiffs arguing that it did n't go far enough since minors could still make purchases .
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anyone can get $ 5 in itunes credit , and parents with bigger claims can receive more
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national center for health statistics <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the number of babies born in the united states dropped 2.6 percent last year , according to a recent study , the latest in a long list of falling indicators . the birth rate , which takes into account changes in the population , fell to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people last year , from 13.9 births in 2008 , and 14.3 births in 2007 , according to a new report from the national center for health statistics . the news is not surprising , said andrew cherlin , a sociology professor at johns hopkins university , given the sad state of the american economy right now . the birth rate is falling because of the great recession . when people are unsure of their financial future , they tend to postpone having children , ' cherlin told cnn . it 's stronger now than in the last couple of recessions because this is a stronger recession , ' he added . the u.s. birth rate has been declining since the start of the economic downturn in late 2007 . when the economy picks up , so should births , said cherlin , though he stressed it will take time for people to feel secure again . some of the women postponing having children now will have them later , cherlin said , while others never will . during the great depression in the 1930s , roughly 20 percent of women never had children -- a percentage that cherlin predicts the united states will hit again . the number of actual babies born in the united states dropped to 4,136,000 in 2009 , from 4,247,000 in 2008 , the statistics center said . i think it 's likely to be a few years before this turns around , ' said cherlin .
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the u.s. birth rate fell 2.6 percent last year , according to the national center for health statistics
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southern poverty law center <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a gunman opened fire at two jewish facilities near kansas city on sunday , killing three people , police said . authorities are investigating whether the shootings were a hate crime , overland park police chief john douglass told reporters . it 's too early in the investigation to try to label it . we know it 's a vicious act of violence . obviously , at two jewish facilities , one might make that assumption , but we 're going to have to know more about it , ' he said . suspect frazier glenn cross faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder . he is scheduled to appear in court on monday , lt. craig buckendahl from the johnson county sheriff 's office said . video from cnn affiliate kmbc showed a man who appeared to be the suspect sitting in the back of a patrol car and shouting , heil hitler . ' douglass said police are investigating statements the suspect made after his arrest , but declined to provide additional details . investigators believe the suspect is affiliated with white-supremacist groups and was involved in previous incidents , such as threats , two federal law enforcement officials told cnn . the southern poverty law center , which tracks hate groups , described cross as a longtime , raging anti-semite ' who has posted extensively in an online forum that advocates exterminating jews . the shootings occurred at the jewish community center of greater kansas city in overland park , kansas , and at the village shalom retirement community in leawood , kansas . authorities arrested the suspect at a nearby elementary school after the shootings , douglass said . the suspected shooter is not from kansas and did not appear to know his victims , he said . a shotgun was involved in the shootings , douglass said . authorities are investigating whether other weapons were also involved . the gunman shot at a total of five people , douglass said , but two of them were not injured . the fbi is at the scene working with local authorities , fbi spokesman joel sealer said . rabbi herbert mandl , a chaplain for the overland park police department , said the victims included a teenager and an elderly woman . the shootings , which occurred the day before passover begins , sound very much like a hate crime , ' he said . the timing is terrible . the timing is awful , ' mandl said . from what i understand from my contacts , this is a one-person event , and this is hopefully under control now . ' the shooting began just after 1 p.m. on sunday , when gunfire erupted in the jewish community center 's parking lot . the center was packed with young people participating in weekend activities , like auditions for a singing competition and a rehearsal for a production of to kill a mockingbird , ' cnn affiliates reported . this was a community center full of young teens , and they were on lockdown after the shots started , ' cnn affiliate kshb reporter lisa benson told cnn . some of these kids were taken into locker rooms and told to lay on the floor as the shots rang out . ' jeff nessel told the kansas city star he had just dropped his 10-year-old son off at the community center when a staff member told him to get back inside because there had been a shooting . we 'll keep you on lockdown . you 're safe here , ' nessel said a staff member told him . it 's surreal , ' nessel told the newspaper . you do n't think it can happen here . ' at the nearby village shalom retirement home , amy rasmussen was helping with her grandmother 's laundry when residents were warned by a staff member . people were told by one of the staff that it was a tornado warning ... and stay away from the windows , ' rasmussen told the newspaper . as word of the shooting spread , concerned friends and family came to the facility to check on their loved ones , kshb reported . the victims two of the victims were a grandfather and grandson who were members of the united methodist church of the resurrection in leawood , a u.s. congressman said . rep. kevin yoder told cnn the church 's minister announced the news during services sunday night . this has been a moment that stunned us all , ' yoder said . family members said dr. william lewis corporon and 14-year-old reat griffin underwood died as a result of injuries they suffered in the shooting at the jewish community center . corporon cherished his family , and more than anything had a passion for caring for others . ' reat was high school freshman who participated in debate , theater and had a beautiful voice . reat had a passion for life , and touched so many people in his young age , ' his family said . u.s. president barack obama offered condolences to the victims of shootings and their families . i have asked my team to stay in close touch with our federal , state and local partners and provide the necessary resources to support the ongoing investigation , ' he said in a statement released by the white house . while we do not know all of the details surrounding today 's shooting , the initial reports are heartbreaking . ' shooter 's motive unclear the anti-defamation league described the shootings as an unspeakable and heinous act of violence . ' while it is too early to label these shootings as a hate crime , the fact that two jewish institutions were targeted by the same individual just prior to the start of the passover holiday is deeply troubling and certainly gives us pause , ' the organization said . we have reached out to local , state and federal law enforcement and stand willing and able to offer guidance and assistance to the community if this incident turns out to have been motivated by anti-semitism . ' the adl said it warned last week of the increased possibility of violent attacks against community centers during the coming weeks , which coincide both with the passover holiday and hitler 's birthday on april 20 , a day around which in the united states has historically been marked by extremist acts of violence and terrorism . ' cnn 's nick valencia , janet digiacomo , evan perez , shimon prokupecz and don lemon contributed to this report .
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new : southern poverty law center calls him a longtime anti-semite '
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jewish <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a gunman opened fire at two jewish facilities near kansas city on sunday , killing three people , police said . authorities are investigating whether the shootings were a hate crime , overland park police chief john douglass told reporters . it 's too early in the investigation to try to label it . we know it 's a vicious act of violence . obviously , at two jewish facilities , one might make that assumption , but we 're going to have to know more about it , ' he said . suspect frazier glenn cross faces charges of premeditated first-degree murder . he is scheduled to appear in court on monday , lt. craig buckendahl from the johnson county sheriff 's office said . video from cnn affiliate kmbc showed a man who appeared to be the suspect sitting in the back of a patrol car and shouting , heil hitler . ' douglass said police are investigating statements the suspect made after his arrest , but declined to provide additional details . investigators believe the suspect is affiliated with white-supremacist groups and was involved in previous incidents , such as threats , two federal law enforcement officials told cnn . the southern poverty law center , which tracks hate groups , described cross as a longtime , raging anti-semite ' who has posted extensively in an online forum that advocates exterminating jews . the shootings occurred at the jewish community center of greater kansas city in overland park , kansas , and at the village shalom retirement community in leawood , kansas . authorities arrested the suspect at a nearby elementary school after the shootings , douglass said . the suspected shooter is not from kansas and did not appear to know his victims , he said . a shotgun was involved in the shootings , douglass said . authorities are investigating whether other weapons were also involved . the gunman shot at a total of five people , douglass said , but two of them were not injured . the fbi is at the scene working with local authorities , fbi spokesman joel sealer said . rabbi herbert mandl , a chaplain for the overland park police department , said the victims included a teenager and an elderly woman . the shootings , which occurred the day before passover begins , sound very much like a hate crime , ' he said . the timing is terrible . the timing is awful , ' mandl said . from what i understand from my contacts , this is a one-person event , and this is hopefully under control now . ' the shooting began just after 1 p.m. on sunday , when gunfire erupted in the jewish community center 's parking lot . the center was packed with young people participating in weekend activities , like auditions for a singing competition and a rehearsal for a production of to kill a mockingbird , ' cnn affiliates reported . this was a community center full of young teens , and they were on lockdown after the shots started , ' cnn affiliate kshb reporter lisa benson told cnn . some of these kids were taken into locker rooms and told to lay on the floor as the shots rang out . ' jeff nessel told the kansas city star he had just dropped his 10-year-old son off at the community center when a staff member told him to get back inside because there had been a shooting . we 'll keep you on lockdown . you 're safe here , ' nessel said a staff member told him . it 's surreal , ' nessel told the newspaper . you do n't think it can happen here . ' at the nearby village shalom retirement home , amy rasmussen was helping with her grandmother 's laundry when residents were warned by a staff member . people were told by one of the staff that it was a tornado warning ... and stay away from the windows , ' rasmussen told the newspaper . as word of the shooting spread , concerned friends and family came to the facility to check on their loved ones , kshb reported . the victims two of the victims were a grandfather and grandson who were members of the united methodist church of the resurrection in leawood , a u.s. congressman said . rep. kevin yoder told cnn the church 's minister announced the news during services sunday night . this has been a moment that stunned us all , ' yoder said . family members said dr. william lewis corporon and 14-year-old reat griffin underwood died as a result of injuries they suffered in the shooting at the jewish community center . corporon cherished his family , and more than anything had a passion for caring for others . ' reat was high school freshman who participated in debate , theater and had a beautiful voice . reat had a passion for life , and touched so many people in his young age , ' his family said . u.s. president barack obama offered condolences to the victims of shootings and their families . i have asked my team to stay in close touch with our federal , state and local partners and provide the necessary resources to support the ongoing investigation , ' he said in a statement released by the white house . while we do not know all of the details surrounding today 's shooting , the initial reports are heartbreaking . ' shooter 's motive unclear the anti-defamation league described the shootings as an unspeakable and heinous act of violence . ' while it is too early to label these shootings as a hate crime , the fact that two jewish institutions were targeted by the same individual just prior to the start of the passover holiday is deeply troubling and certainly gives us pause , ' the organization said . we have reached out to local , state and federal law enforcement and stand willing and able to offer guidance and assistance to the community if this incident turns out to have been motivated by anti-semitism . ' the adl said it warned last week of the increased possibility of violent attacks against community centers during the coming weeks , which coincide both with the passover holiday and hitler 's birthday on april 20 , a day around which in the united states has historically been marked by extremist acts of violence and terrorism . ' cnn 's nick valencia , janet digiacomo , evan perez , shimon prokupecz and don lemon contributed to this report .
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3 people are dead after shootings at two jewish facilities , police say
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mississippi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- though they support some federal action to help their states recover from the recession , several republican governors said sunday they plan to turn down a portion of what 's offered in the stimulus bill that president obama signed last week . gov . haley barbour said the stimulus bill would force mississippi to raise taxes . if we were to take the unemployment reform package that they have , it would cause us to raise taxes on employment when the money runs out -- and the money will run out in a couple of years , ' mississippi gov . haley barbour told cnn 's state of the union ' on sunday . the republican governors of idaho , alaska , texas , south carolina and louisiana expressed similar concerns . but one of their colleagues , california gov . arnold schwarzenegger , had a message for them sunday on abc 's this week . ' when asked about broader complaints from lawmakers such as south carolina gov . mark sanford about the stimulus package leading to more debt , schwarzenegger responded , i am more than happy to take his money or [ that of ] any other governor in this country that does n't want to take this money . i take it because i think california needs it . ' schwarzenegger said he does not foresee a need for a tax hike in the future to sustain the unemployment provisions . in a separate interview on cnn 's state of the union , ' schwarzenegger said the complaints are partially ' right , but that using the money for now can not hurt . ' and another governor , michigan democrat jennifer granholm , told cnn , we 'll take it . ' watch how stimulus package could affect your paycheck » ' south carolina , i 'll take your money . louisiana , we 'll take it , ' granholm said in an interview recorded last week and broadcast sunday on state of the union . ' we got plenty of work here , plenty of jobs that we would like to create here , ' granholm added as she discussed the struggling auto industry and job losses in her state . a leading democrat , meanwhile , said he does see a potential problem . i 'm not sure that we can , over the long run , cope with the high unemployment compensation standard that this mandates for states , ' pennsylvania gov . ed rendell , the head of the national governor 's association , told fox news sunday . ' but i do n't care . my people are suffering , ' he added . they need that extra money . and right now that 's paramount in my mind . ' at issue is a portion of the unemployment assistance stipulated by the stimulus bill , which provides federal dollars to expand unemployment insurance in the states . in exchange for accepting that , states would have to expand the number of people who are given jobless benefits . in louisiana , for example , that portion of the funds would total nearly $ 100 million , state officials said . gov . bobby jindal , a rising gop star , has announced plans to turn it down . the $ 100 million we turned down was temporary federal dollars that would require us to change our unemployment laws , ' he told nbc 's meet the press . ' that would have actually raised taxes on louisiana businesses . we as a state would have been responsible for paying for those benefits after the federal money disappeared . ' the law demands a permanent ' change to state law , jindal said . jindal and the other governors do plan to accept other funds offered by the stimulus , including money to increase benefits for those who are receiving them . and even some governors who have expressed disappointment in the stimulus package are not shying away from any of the funding . i do n't like this bill , but it is now the law . ... it 's now our responsibility and opportunity to try to implement it , ' minnesota gov . tim pawlenty told fox news sunday . ' calling his state a major net subsidizer of the federal government , ' he said , we 're paying the bill either way -- we 're going to take our share of the money . ' in the end , some governors who would like to turn down a portion of the federal funding may not be able to . the law stipulates that state legislatures can overrule governors . massachusetts gov . deval patrick , a democrat , said americans are making it clear to all governors that they should accept whatever help they can get . everywhere across the country , certainly in massachusetts ... people want their roads repaired , they want their bridges repaired , they want a clean energy strategy ... and real alternatives , and they want us to be candid with them about those needs , ' he told cnn 's state of the union . '
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governors of mississippi , south carolina , louisiana , others raise concerns
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marlise muñoz <tsp> erick muñoz tried to keep hope alive , but he knew his wife was dead . many a night , i asked god to take me instead , ' he said in an exclusive interview with cnn 's ac360 ' on wednesday . but you ca n't turn off that knowledge , that you know how bad it was . ... and i promised her , i told her i will honor her wishes . ' on sunday , someone switched off the machines inside a texas hospital that kept marlise muñoz 's heart and lungs working . her family spoke to cnn on wednesday in their first national television interview since they won their battle to disconnect the ventilator from the pregnant woman 's body . their wrenching court fight drew national attention and sparked debate over who 's alive , who 's dead and whether the presence of a fetus changes the equation . now , they say they want their story to be heard in order to save other families from going through the same nightmare . marlise was 33 years old and 14 weeks pregnant with the couple 's second child when her husband found her unconscious on their kitchen floor november 26 . though doctors had pronounced her brain dead and her family had said she did not want to have machines keep her body alive , officials at john peter smith hospital in fort worth , texas , argued state law required them to maintain life-sustaining treatment for a pregnant patient . marlise did n't leave any written directives regarding end-of-life care . but long before she was hospitalized , her family said , they had made marlise a promise to honor her wishes , and they were determined to keep it . we looked her in the eye and told her , ' erick muñoz said , his voice cracking as he spoke to cnn 's anderson cooper . and for the state of texas , to not let us do that , was hard . you know , you want to keep your word to your loved one . ''they 're using my wife' erick muñoz had no doubt about what his wife wanted . they were both paramedics , and it was something they 'd talked about many times as they discussed their days . in their line of work , erick muñoz said , they became all too aware of families who held on to loved ones long after they 'd gone . and of how fleeting life can be . you work on a freeway or a busy road , ' he said . that driver just accidentally hits you , and you could be gone . ' now that marlise is gone , her family is pushing for others to have those same conversations . we were together on the same page from the very beginning , which we feel is very important for families that have to go through something like this , that there is n't any in-house fighting , ' said marlise 's mother , lynne machado . it should be a family 's decision , they said , not a political issue . they 've heard protesters and politicians pointing to the case and claiming laws should be rewritten to make sure someone like marlise ca n't be disconnected from life support . those people , they said , are missing the point . i feel that 's unfair on their part . they 're not the family . i ca n't take the right away from you to do something with your loved ones . i do n't feel they should , either , ' erick muñoz said . i feel they 're using my wife , unfortunately , as a stepping stone , as an argument for their debates . they want votes . and i tell them ,'that 's wrong .'... they are using her as a political argument . ' mom :'we needed to do this for her' marlise 's family members were preparing to say their final goodbyes in the icu the day in november when doctors showed them that her heart kept stopping and that her brain was swelling . but then suddenly , the situation changed : a doctor told them they could n't disconnect the machines . the family says they were shocked , and that even the doctors seemed surprised . i thought , there must have been a miscommunication in some way . we said'no , no , no . that 's not what she wanted . she wanted never to be on life support .'they said ,'well , but she 's pregnant .'and then , you know , it went from there , ' machado said . we knew we were n't going to let this rest , because it was n't right . it was not honoring her wishes . ' that 's why the family went to court and kept fighting , she said , even as the going got tough . even as it became clearer every day that the woman they loved had slipped away . even as her skin texture changed -- becoming like a mannequin 's , cool and rubbery . even as the air in her hospital room started to smell more like death than life . there would be times i 'd feel frustrated by the process we were having to go through . and i could just feel marlise say ,'mom , do n't give up , keep going , keep fighting .'and for many days , that 's what i held onto , ' machado said . we tried to raise our children to stand up for what 's right , even if you 're the only one standing up . and this is what marlise would have done had the situation been different . she would have stood up for what 's right , so we needed to do this for her . ' a judge in fort worth sided with the family on friday , ordering the hospital to remove any artificial means of life support from marlise by 5 p.m. monday . the devices were shut off sunday morning and her body was released to her husband . the muñoz and machado families will now proceed with the somber task of laying marlise muñoz 's body to rest , and grieving over the great loss that has been suffered , ' the family 's attorneys said in a statement at the time . may marlise muñoz finally rest in peace , and her family find the strength to complete what has been an unbearably long and arduous journey . ' now , the family says they know that marlise and the baby girl she carried , who they named nicole , are in heaven . but even the legal victory , which gave them a chance to say their final goodbyes , was n't a moment for celebration . it was n't happy for anybody . there was not a happy ending , ' machado said . we were pleased that the judge ruled in our favor , and that he realized that marlise was not a patient , as the hospital was saying . that she was , in fact , legally dead . ' attorneys : fetus was'distinctly abnormal' what happens next ? the hospital acknowledged friday that marlise had been brain dead since november 28 and that the fetus she carried was not viable . the past eight weeks have been difficult for the muñoz family , the caregivers and the entire tarrant county community , which found itself involved in a sad situation , ' a hospital statement said over the weekend . jps health network has followed what we believed were the demands of a state statute . ' since the ventilator shut off , machado said she 's finally started to do something she was n't able to do for months after she knew her daughter was gone : grieve . for me , closure began after she was disconnected . i was able to get a sense of closure . ... it was hard to start the grieving process when we still had this body that we knew was an empty shell in front of us , ' she said . we really could n't start grieving , but now we can . ' erick muñoz said he does n't know whether he 'll pursue legal action against the hospital . he said he 's angry , arguing that the hospital misinterpreted the texas law and kept his wife 's heart beating long after she 'd died . and he said if hospital officials send him a bill for her time on a ventilator , there 's no way he 'll pay it . but it 's too soon to say what steps are next . right now , he 's focused on their 15-month-old son . one of her wishes also was to raise a good man out of my son , and that 's what continues to drive me , and what i will use as my driving point for the rest of my life , ' he said . because that 's my job now , to raise a good man , because i promised her . ' the ethics of life support what no one wants to talk about
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marlise muñoz had been brain dead since november
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clinton <tsp> austin , texas ( cnn ) -- garry mauro will never forget that night in 1972 when he says bill clinton and hillary rodham ignored the post-election party surrounding them , instead preferring to huddle in a corner and talk about changing the future . hillary and bill clinton worked on george mcgovern 's 1972 campaign in texas before they wed in 1975 . the young then-unmarried couple , attending yale law , were n't interested in letting off steam with their democratic colleagues in austin , texas , according to mauro , who 's now a strategist with sen. hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . the three were among a group of young turk democrats working that summer to register voters in texas . the clintons had just started dating , said mauro , who years later became texas land commissioner . they obviously had a lot of respect for each other , and they would spend hours talking to each other . ' more than 35 years on , hillary clinton has returned to texas -- running a hard-fought campaign of her own and telling voters about her days there in the '70s . mauro recalls the night it was all over in 1972 , after democrat george mcgovern lost to republican richard nixon . he says he and the clintons decided to let loose in lively austin , paying $ 1.50 to see a texas singer by the name of willie nelson before rambling back to a colleague 's tiny apartment . it was 2 o'clock in the morning , and everybody else had probably had too much to drink , except for bill and hillary -- who were drinking [ soda ] and having this intense discussion about the issues , ' said mauro . i 'm absolutely certain that 99 percent of what they were talking about was changing things in the future . ' mauro 's story underscores how sen. clinton 's lifelong political journey has come full circle in texas . with the march 4 primary just days away , the place where the new york senator got her first job in presidential politics may become her launching pad to the white house -- or perhaps one of her final battlegrounds . clinton and her democratic rival sen. barack obama have been dueling in the state for weeks , as polls show the candidates locked in a razor-thin race to win the biggest share of 193 texas delegates , who are crucial to sewing up the party nomination . another key state , ohio , also holds its primary march 4 to allocate 141 delegates . former officials from clinton 's husband 's administration have openly discussed the challenges clinton faces from obama , who has defeated the new york senator in the past 11 contests . exit polls after previous primaries show obama is cutting into clinton 's base by gaining support among blue-collar workers and latino voters . former white house press secretary dee dee myers called texas a do-or-die test . ' president clinton 's former strategist james carville said if the new york senator fails to win ohio or texas , this thing is done . ' and the former president himself said if voters in texas do n't deliver , i do n't think she can be ' the party 's nominee . mauro underscored the historic importance of the'08 election . we could n't have conceived of a woman running for president in 1972 , ' said mauro . it never would have occurred to people that you 'd have a presidential race between a woman and an african-american . ' obama leads clinton in the crucial delegate count -- 1,369 to 1,267 , according to cnn calculations . the count includes superdelegates who have publicly declared their support for one of the candidates . superdelegates consist of elected and party officials who are allowed to vote at the democratic national convention . they are free to vote for any candidate and are not bound by primary or caucus results . to win the nomination , 2,025 national convention delegates are needed . neither candidate is expected to garner enough delegates in the remaining primaries and caucuses to take the nomination outright , and the roughly 800 superdelegates are likely to be the deciding factor . mauro and the clintons cut their political teeth in texas during the 1972 election , knocking on doors and registering people -- many of them minorities -- to vote . texas election workers often looked with suspicion at the so-called out-of-staters . ' most of them had a funny accent and really did n't know how to talk to people , ' mauro said . that was not the case with hillary clinton . she always established a rapport with the local officials she was working with -- even the ones that started out being aggressively negative . and she would always seem to move the ball forward . ' like other places in the south at the time , texas still had pockets of racial segregation , mauro said , and it reminded them how much work needed to be done . sometimes we forget how far we 've come . in this city there were still bathrooms and water fountains that were segregated . there were lots of places african-americans and hispanics were not welcome and were not allowed . ' when the clintons , mauro and their colleagues needed to let off steam in austin , the town 's traditional watering holes filled the bill , places such as armadillo headquarters and the century-old scholz garten -- a german beer garden with an outdoor patio set under spreading oaks . see photos of clinton through the years » ' clinton acquitted ! ' screams a framed 1999 headline from the washington post on the wall at scholz . other items adorning the walls feature former presidents ronald reagan and lyndon johnson . watch storied nightspot where clintons hung out » when bill clinton returned to texas for his own presidential run , they frequented guero 's taco bar in austin 's funky south congress avenue neighborhood , which trendsetters like to call soco . the friendships and alliances sen. clinton made during those days sowed the seeds of a statewide grassroots network of supporters that she 's counting on to win in 2008 . we 're going to use those spurs to help her get elected , ' said mauro . in general , said mauro , a national election campaign is grueling . most people only have a few good elections in them , ' said mauro . it 's really hard work . it 's grunt work . ' for that reason , he said , that 's a pretty remarkable person to keep that enthusiasm and drive and continue to have that grit 30 years later . ' e-mail to a friend
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longtime clinton pal recalls boozy post-election party in'72
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clinton <tsp> austin , texas ( cnn ) -- garry mauro will never forget that night in 1972 when he says bill clinton and hillary rodham ignored the post-election party surrounding them , instead preferring to huddle in a corner and talk about changing the future . hillary and bill clinton worked on george mcgovern 's 1972 campaign in texas before they wed in 1975 . the young then-unmarried couple , attending yale law , were n't interested in letting off steam with their democratic colleagues in austin , texas , according to mauro , who 's now a strategist with sen. hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . the three were among a group of young turk democrats working that summer to register voters in texas . the clintons had just started dating , said mauro , who years later became texas land commissioner . they obviously had a lot of respect for each other , and they would spend hours talking to each other . ' more than 35 years on , hillary clinton has returned to texas -- running a hard-fought campaign of her own and telling voters about her days there in the '70s . mauro recalls the night it was all over in 1972 , after democrat george mcgovern lost to republican richard nixon . he says he and the clintons decided to let loose in lively austin , paying $ 1.50 to see a texas singer by the name of willie nelson before rambling back to a colleague 's tiny apartment . it was 2 o'clock in the morning , and everybody else had probably had too much to drink , except for bill and hillary -- who were drinking [ soda ] and having this intense discussion about the issues , ' said mauro . i 'm absolutely certain that 99 percent of what they were talking about was changing things in the future . ' mauro 's story underscores how sen. clinton 's lifelong political journey has come full circle in texas . with the march 4 primary just days away , the place where the new york senator got her first job in presidential politics may become her launching pad to the white house -- or perhaps one of her final battlegrounds . clinton and her democratic rival sen. barack obama have been dueling in the state for weeks , as polls show the candidates locked in a razor-thin race to win the biggest share of 193 texas delegates , who are crucial to sewing up the party nomination . another key state , ohio , also holds its primary march 4 to allocate 141 delegates . former officials from clinton 's husband 's administration have openly discussed the challenges clinton faces from obama , who has defeated the new york senator in the past 11 contests . exit polls after previous primaries show obama is cutting into clinton 's base by gaining support among blue-collar workers and latino voters . former white house press secretary dee dee myers called texas a do-or-die test . ' president clinton 's former strategist james carville said if the new york senator fails to win ohio or texas , this thing is done . ' and the former president himself said if voters in texas do n't deliver , i do n't think she can be ' the party 's nominee . mauro underscored the historic importance of the'08 election . we could n't have conceived of a woman running for president in 1972 , ' said mauro . it never would have occurred to people that you 'd have a presidential race between a woman and an african-american . ' obama leads clinton in the crucial delegate count -- 1,369 to 1,267 , according to cnn calculations . the count includes superdelegates who have publicly declared their support for one of the candidates . superdelegates consist of elected and party officials who are allowed to vote at the democratic national convention . they are free to vote for any candidate and are not bound by primary or caucus results . to win the nomination , 2,025 national convention delegates are needed . neither candidate is expected to garner enough delegates in the remaining primaries and caucuses to take the nomination outright , and the roughly 800 superdelegates are likely to be the deciding factor . mauro and the clintons cut their political teeth in texas during the 1972 election , knocking on doors and registering people -- many of them minorities -- to vote . texas election workers often looked with suspicion at the so-called out-of-staters . ' most of them had a funny accent and really did n't know how to talk to people , ' mauro said . that was not the case with hillary clinton . she always established a rapport with the local officials she was working with -- even the ones that started out being aggressively negative . and she would always seem to move the ball forward . ' like other places in the south at the time , texas still had pockets of racial segregation , mauro said , and it reminded them how much work needed to be done . sometimes we forget how far we 've come . in this city there were still bathrooms and water fountains that were segregated . there were lots of places african-americans and hispanics were not welcome and were not allowed . ' when the clintons , mauro and their colleagues needed to let off steam in austin , the town 's traditional watering holes filled the bill , places such as armadillo headquarters and the century-old scholz garten -- a german beer garden with an outdoor patio set under spreading oaks . see photos of clinton through the years » ' clinton acquitted ! ' screams a framed 1999 headline from the washington post on the wall at scholz . other items adorning the walls feature former presidents ronald reagan and lyndon johnson . watch storied nightspot where clintons hung out » when bill clinton returned to texas for his own presidential run , they frequented guero 's taco bar in austin 's funky south congress avenue neighborhood , which trendsetters like to call soco . the friendships and alliances sen. clinton made during those days sowed the seeds of a statewide grassroots network of supporters that she 's counting on to win in 2008 . we 're going to use those spurs to help her get elected , ' said mauro . in general , said mauro , a national election campaign is grueling . most people only have a few good elections in them , ' said mauro . it 's really hard work . it 's grunt work . ' for that reason , he said , that 's a pretty remarkable person to keep that enthusiasm and drive and continue to have that grit 30 years later . ' e-mail to a friend
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will texas rev up clinton 's white house bid -- or end it all ?
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clinton <tsp> austin , texas ( cnn ) -- garry mauro will never forget that night in 1972 when he says bill clinton and hillary rodham ignored the post-election party surrounding them , instead preferring to huddle in a corner and talk about changing the future . hillary and bill clinton worked on george mcgovern 's 1972 campaign in texas before they wed in 1975 . the young then-unmarried couple , attending yale law , were n't interested in letting off steam with their democratic colleagues in austin , texas , according to mauro , who 's now a strategist with sen. hillary clinton 's presidential campaign . the three were among a group of young turk democrats working that summer to register voters in texas . the clintons had just started dating , said mauro , who years later became texas land commissioner . they obviously had a lot of respect for each other , and they would spend hours talking to each other . ' more than 35 years on , hillary clinton has returned to texas -- running a hard-fought campaign of her own and telling voters about her days there in the '70s . mauro recalls the night it was all over in 1972 , after democrat george mcgovern lost to republican richard nixon . he says he and the clintons decided to let loose in lively austin , paying $ 1.50 to see a texas singer by the name of willie nelson before rambling back to a colleague 's tiny apartment . it was 2 o'clock in the morning , and everybody else had probably had too much to drink , except for bill and hillary -- who were drinking [ soda ] and having this intense discussion about the issues , ' said mauro . i 'm absolutely certain that 99 percent of what they were talking about was changing things in the future . ' mauro 's story underscores how sen. clinton 's lifelong political journey has come full circle in texas . with the march 4 primary just days away , the place where the new york senator got her first job in presidential politics may become her launching pad to the white house -- or perhaps one of her final battlegrounds . clinton and her democratic rival sen. barack obama have been dueling in the state for weeks , as polls show the candidates locked in a razor-thin race to win the biggest share of 193 texas delegates , who are crucial to sewing up the party nomination . another key state , ohio , also holds its primary march 4 to allocate 141 delegates . former officials from clinton 's husband 's administration have openly discussed the challenges clinton faces from obama , who has defeated the new york senator in the past 11 contests . exit polls after previous primaries show obama is cutting into clinton 's base by gaining support among blue-collar workers and latino voters . former white house press secretary dee dee myers called texas a do-or-die test . ' president clinton 's former strategist james carville said if the new york senator fails to win ohio or texas , this thing is done . ' and the former president himself said if voters in texas do n't deliver , i do n't think she can be ' the party 's nominee . mauro underscored the historic importance of the'08 election . we could n't have conceived of a woman running for president in 1972 , ' said mauro . it never would have occurred to people that you 'd have a presidential race between a woman and an african-american . ' obama leads clinton in the crucial delegate count -- 1,369 to 1,267 , according to cnn calculations . the count includes superdelegates who have publicly declared their support for one of the candidates . superdelegates consist of elected and party officials who are allowed to vote at the democratic national convention . they are free to vote for any candidate and are not bound by primary or caucus results . to win the nomination , 2,025 national convention delegates are needed . neither candidate is expected to garner enough delegates in the remaining primaries and caucuses to take the nomination outright , and the roughly 800 superdelegates are likely to be the deciding factor . mauro and the clintons cut their political teeth in texas during the 1972 election , knocking on doors and registering people -- many of them minorities -- to vote . texas election workers often looked with suspicion at the so-called out-of-staters . ' most of them had a funny accent and really did n't know how to talk to people , ' mauro said . that was not the case with hillary clinton . she always established a rapport with the local officials she was working with -- even the ones that started out being aggressively negative . and she would always seem to move the ball forward . ' like other places in the south at the time , texas still had pockets of racial segregation , mauro said , and it reminded them how much work needed to be done . sometimes we forget how far we 've come . in this city there were still bathrooms and water fountains that were segregated . there were lots of places african-americans and hispanics were not welcome and were not allowed . ' when the clintons , mauro and their colleagues needed to let off steam in austin , the town 's traditional watering holes filled the bill , places such as armadillo headquarters and the century-old scholz garten -- a german beer garden with an outdoor patio set under spreading oaks . see photos of clinton through the years » ' clinton acquitted ! ' screams a framed 1999 headline from the washington post on the wall at scholz . other items adorning the walls feature former presidents ronald reagan and lyndon johnson . watch storied nightspot where clintons hung out » when bill clinton returned to texas for his own presidential run , they frequented guero 's taco bar in austin 's funky south congress avenue neighborhood , which trendsetters like to call soco . the friendships and alliances sen. clinton made during those days sowed the seeds of a statewide grassroots network of supporters that she 's counting on to win in 2008 . we 're going to use those spurs to help her get elected , ' said mauro . in general , said mauro , a national election campaign is grueling . most people only have a few good elections in them , ' said mauro . it 's really hard work . it 's grunt work . ' for that reason , he said , that 's a pretty remarkable person to keep that enthusiasm and drive and continue to have that grit 30 years later . ' e-mail to a friend
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newly dating clinton and rodham display early political intensity
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george h.w . bush <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president-elect barack obama , president bush and all of the surviving past presidents got together wednesday for a historic meeting at the white house . barack obama meets with president bush and past presidents in the oval office on wednesday . one message that i have , and i think we all share , is that we want you to succeed . whether we 're democrat or republican , we care deeply about this country , ' bush told obama before lunch with the former presidents . bush and obama were joined by jimmy carter , george h.w . bush and bill clinton . obama thanked the president for hosting them and said he was grateful for the opportunity to get advice , good counsel and fellowship ' from the group . watch what obama says about the meeting » obama 's press secretary said the presidents had a very constructive conversation ' and obama appreciated the spirit of bipartisanship they showed ' in wishing him success . the president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office , as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now . the president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years , ' robert gibbs said . presidential historian doug brinkley said it 's very smart politics for obama to keep a channel open ' with the former presidents . if he has a policy initiative that he wants to lead the country behind ... if he could get the signatures , the green light from all of the ex-presidents to say ,'not only am i for this , but i have all of the ex-presidents backing me'-- that 's powerful , ' he said . white house spokeswoman dana perino said the last time all of the living presidents got together at the white house was in 1981 , and she called wednesday 's meeting a historic moment . ' she said the president was delighted ' to host the luncheon . each of them expressed their desire for president-elect obama to have a very successful presidency . during the lunch , they had a wide-ranging discussion on many different issues facing the united states , and they all look forward to remaining in contact in the future , ' perino said . the meeting marked the second time bush has hosted obama since the election . obama suggested the meeting with all of the former presidents when he and bush first met in november . perino said earlier she did n't know what they would talk about , but she said she 'd love to be able to hear it . i 'm sure all of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation , ' perino said during tuesday 's daily news briefing . perino speculated that they would discuss what it 's like to raise children in the white house and how to protect them . brinkley predicted that first and foremost , the presidents would recall what it was like to be president . all of them will have little anecdotes . they 'll see something in the white house that will bring back a memory . they 'll try to bring some levity to this -- make it a very special and engaging and actually a fun afternoon for barack obama , ' he said . secondly , brinkley said , the conversation would probably turn to what 's going on in the middle east . brinkley said that all of the men will be on their best behavior , ' but , given the personalities at the luncheon , there could be some tension . the friction , if there is any , is between bill clinton and jimmy carter , who are known to not like each other at all , ' he said , pointing out that the clinton team did not like carter parachuting for peace into bosnia , north korea and haiti ' during clinton 's administration . that 's the relationship that is not warm , it 's not good , and if you are a body language expert , you might home in on that , ' he said . president bush may find himself the odd man out at the meeting , at least in terms of popularity . bush registered only a 27 percent approval rating in a december cnn/opinion research corp. survey . in contrast , obama had an 82 percent approval rating . a new poll out wednesday indicates that 69 percent of adult americans approved of how clinton handled his job as president , while 64 percent of adult americans gave a thumbs up to carter and 60 percent approved of george h.w . bush . cnn 's lauren kornreich contributed to this report
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obama and bush meet with bill clinton , george h.w . bush , jimmy carter
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obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president-elect barack obama , president bush and all of the surviving past presidents got together wednesday for a historic meeting at the white house . barack obama meets with president bush and past presidents in the oval office on wednesday . one message that i have , and i think we all share , is that we want you to succeed . whether we 're democrat or republican , we care deeply about this country , ' bush told obama before lunch with the former presidents . bush and obama were joined by jimmy carter , george h.w . bush and bill clinton . obama thanked the president for hosting them and said he was grateful for the opportunity to get advice , good counsel and fellowship ' from the group . watch what obama says about the meeting » obama 's press secretary said the presidents had a very constructive conversation ' and obama appreciated the spirit of bipartisanship they showed ' in wishing him success . the president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office , as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now . the president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years , ' robert gibbs said . presidential historian doug brinkley said it 's very smart politics for obama to keep a channel open ' with the former presidents . if he has a policy initiative that he wants to lead the country behind ... if he could get the signatures , the green light from all of the ex-presidents to say ,'not only am i for this , but i have all of the ex-presidents backing me'-- that 's powerful , ' he said . white house spokeswoman dana perino said the last time all of the living presidents got together at the white house was in 1981 , and she called wednesday 's meeting a historic moment . ' she said the president was delighted ' to host the luncheon . each of them expressed their desire for president-elect obama to have a very successful presidency . during the lunch , they had a wide-ranging discussion on many different issues facing the united states , and they all look forward to remaining in contact in the future , ' perino said . the meeting marked the second time bush has hosted obama since the election . obama suggested the meeting with all of the former presidents when he and bush first met in november . perino said earlier she did n't know what they would talk about , but she said she 'd love to be able to hear it . i 'm sure all of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation , ' perino said during tuesday 's daily news briefing . perino speculated that they would discuss what it 's like to raise children in the white house and how to protect them . brinkley predicted that first and foremost , the presidents would recall what it was like to be president . all of them will have little anecdotes . they 'll see something in the white house that will bring back a memory . they 'll try to bring some levity to this -- make it a very special and engaging and actually a fun afternoon for barack obama , ' he said . secondly , brinkley said , the conversation would probably turn to what 's going on in the middle east . brinkley said that all of the men will be on their best behavior , ' but , given the personalities at the luncheon , there could be some tension . the friction , if there is any , is between bill clinton and jimmy carter , who are known to not like each other at all , ' he said , pointing out that the clinton team did not like carter parachuting for peace into bosnia , north korea and haiti ' during clinton 's administration . that 's the relationship that is not warm , it 's not good , and if you are a body language expert , you might home in on that , ' he said . president bush may find himself the odd man out at the meeting , at least in terms of popularity . bush registered only a 27 percent approval rating in a december cnn/opinion research corp. survey . in contrast , obama had an 82 percent approval rating . a new poll out wednesday indicates that 69 percent of adult americans approved of how clinton handled his job as president , while 64 percent of adult americans gave a thumbs up to carter and 60 percent approved of george h.w . bush . cnn 's lauren kornreich contributed to this report
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obama and bush meet with bill clinton , george h.w . bush , jimmy carter
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obama <tsp> ( cnn ) -- president-elect barack obama , president bush and all of the surviving past presidents got together wednesday for a historic meeting at the white house . barack obama meets with president bush and past presidents in the oval office on wednesday . one message that i have , and i think we all share , is that we want you to succeed . whether we 're democrat or republican , we care deeply about this country , ' bush told obama before lunch with the former presidents . bush and obama were joined by jimmy carter , george h.w . bush and bill clinton . obama thanked the president for hosting them and said he was grateful for the opportunity to get advice , good counsel and fellowship ' from the group . watch what obama says about the meeting » obama 's press secretary said the presidents had a very constructive conversation ' and obama appreciated the spirit of bipartisanship they showed ' in wishing him success . the president and the former presidents had helpful advice on managing the office , as well as thoughts on the critical issues facing the country right now . the president-elect is anxious to stay in touch with all of them in the coming years , ' robert gibbs said . presidential historian doug brinkley said it 's very smart politics for obama to keep a channel open ' with the former presidents . if he has a policy initiative that he wants to lead the country behind ... if he could get the signatures , the green light from all of the ex-presidents to say ,'not only am i for this , but i have all of the ex-presidents backing me'-- that 's powerful , ' he said . white house spokeswoman dana perino said the last time all of the living presidents got together at the white house was in 1981 , and she called wednesday 's meeting a historic moment . ' she said the president was delighted ' to host the luncheon . each of them expressed their desire for president-elect obama to have a very successful presidency . during the lunch , they had a wide-ranging discussion on many different issues facing the united states , and they all look forward to remaining in contact in the future , ' perino said . the meeting marked the second time bush has hosted obama since the election . obama suggested the meeting with all of the former presidents when he and bush first met in november . perino said earlier she did n't know what they would talk about , but she said she 'd love to be able to hear it . i 'm sure all of us would love to be flies on the wall and listening to that conversation , ' perino said during tuesday 's daily news briefing . perino speculated that they would discuss what it 's like to raise children in the white house and how to protect them . brinkley predicted that first and foremost , the presidents would recall what it was like to be president . all of them will have little anecdotes . they 'll see something in the white house that will bring back a memory . they 'll try to bring some levity to this -- make it a very special and engaging and actually a fun afternoon for barack obama , ' he said . secondly , brinkley said , the conversation would probably turn to what 's going on in the middle east . brinkley said that all of the men will be on their best behavior , ' but , given the personalities at the luncheon , there could be some tension . the friction , if there is any , is between bill clinton and jimmy carter , who are known to not like each other at all , ' he said , pointing out that the clinton team did not like carter parachuting for peace into bosnia , north korea and haiti ' during clinton 's administration . that 's the relationship that is not warm , it 's not good , and if you are a body language expert , you might home in on that , ' he said . president bush may find himself the odd man out at the meeting , at least in terms of popularity . bush registered only a 27 percent approval rating in a december cnn/opinion research corp. survey . in contrast , obama had an 82 percent approval rating . a new poll out wednesday indicates that 69 percent of adult americans approved of how clinton handled his job as president , while 64 percent of adult americans gave a thumbs up to carter and 60 percent approved of george h.w . bush . cnn 's lauren kornreich contributed to this report
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obama says he 's grateful for chance to get advice , good counsel and fellowship '
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americans <tsp> dr. rick sacra and dr. kent brantly were both infected with ebola while working in liberia with the aid organization serving in mission . both were evacuated back to the united states for care . but the two doctors also have another thing in common : they have the same blood type . that little fact could be life-saving for sacra . brantly , who tested negative for the deadly virus after several weeks of treatment , recently flew to nebraska where sacra is in isolation and donated his blood . doctors treated sacra with this plasma on at least two occasions . doctors believe brantly has antibodies that sacra lacks , but his immune system needs to help him fight the deadly virus . they are so similar it did n't surprise me that they were the same blood type , ' said his sacra 's spouse , debbie sacra . sacra 's doctors at the university of nebraska medical center in omaha said their patient is improving every day . we were down to the last shot and it worked out great , ' dr. phil smith said at a press conference thursday about finding a blood match . we were hoping to jump start his immunity . ' at this point , doctors do n't feel like sacra will relapse , but they 've been cautious about predicting success . doctors in africa told them there is typically a honeymoon period ' for patients after which they often get dramatically worse . sacra , however , has gotten better daily . dr. angela hewlett said his condition has been moved up to good ' from stable . ' in addition to the blood transfusion , doctors are giving sacra aggressive supportive care to help his immune system fight the virus , including electrolytes and iv fluids . the nebraska doctors have also given sacra an experimental drug that they will not name . he has received it every day , and his doctors say they believe it is helping . the american patients at emory university hospital in atlanta -- brantly and nancy writebol -- were given an experimental drug called zmapp , which was developed by the biotech firm mapp biopharmaceutical inc . the drug had shown promise in small experiments with monkeys , but had not been given to humans until doctors tried it in the emory patients . doctors there credit the drug with playing a role in their patients'successful recoveries , but the company has said there are no more doses of the drug available . ebola treatment : does drug offer hope ? it 's possible sacra has received another experimental drug that 's in production called tkm-ebola . nebraska doctors think the current treatment has helped sacra 's condition significantly . the first day , smith said , was pretty rocky . ' sacra 's spouse said he had to be sedated on the flight over . on the second day of treatment he was already showing signs of improvement , even with some abnormalities in his organ systems . ' on the third day smith told his colleagues that he liked the way this is going . ' his doctors still want sacra to eat more . debbie sacra said he is still weak . on wednesday the hospital put an exercise bike in his room that he rode for 10 minutes before tiring out . sacra used to ride 15 to 35 miles in one day , at least a few times a week . because doctors still know so little about how to defeat the ebola virus , smith said sacra , as a physician , has been a particularly helpful patient . he has been able to give detailed reports about his symptoms . debbie sacra said the cdc has told her that they are still trying to find out how her husband got sick in the first place . he was in liberia treating patients in an obstetrics clinic in monrovia , not working directly with ebola patients . the cdc believe it happened during an emergency at the hospital , sacra said . so far , no one else at sacra 's clinic has gotten sick . sacra has done missionary health work for the past 25 years . he had flown to monrovia in august after learning his colleagues from sim had gotten sick . sacra worried ebola would cause a domino effect ' on the already vulnerable liberian health care system and that people with common ailments would n't get help . when sacra arrived in monrovia , that 's exactly what he found . his spouse said there was n't a single pair of latex gloves to buy in the entire city . without protective equipment , medical clinics shut down . she says sacra drove from hardware store to hardware store looking for boots to protect his staff . when he was finally able to open the clinic , for some it was too late . she says dozens of pregnant women who needed cesarean sections turned up at the clinic after having failed to find help anywhere else in the city . by the time these women arrived at sacra 's clinic only the mothers'lives could be saved . ' thankful for the support , but also a little embarrassed by the all the attention , sacra and his spouse asked that americans remember people are struggling with ebola in africa too . he wants you to share his burden for the people of liberia and west africa , ' debbie sacra said . every day and every week that we do n't do what we can to stop ebola in west africa , we are risking the possibility that it will not stay in west africa . '
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sacra improves daily , hopes americans continue to help people in west africa
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lockerbie <tsp> lockerbie , scotland ( cnn ) -- abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi 's fate hangs in the balance . the libyan man convicted for the 1988 lockerbie bombings has terminal prostate cancer and , according to his lawyers , just weeks to live . mourners at the 20th anniversary memorial service for the victims of the lockerbie bombing . scotland 's justice minister frank macaskill is weighing up whether to release him on compassionate grounds so he can die at home ; to transfer him to a libyan jail under a prisoner transfer agreement drawn up between libya and the uk ; or whether to keep him in a scottish jail for the rest of his days . that is certainly the preferred option of the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton who last week wrote to mr macaskill urging him not to send al megrahi home . in lockerbie itself , matters of politics seem far removed . george stobbs was one of the first policemen on the scene when the boeing 747 crashed into sherwood crescent . i 've never talked about the politics of the thing because i had no interest , ' he says . people here are n't interested in the politics , they just want to carry on with their lives . ' stobbs has vivid memories of the night of december 21 , 1988 -- the shortest and darkest night of the year , ' he says . the houses were just slowly burning and more houses were catching fire . the windows were popping , the gutters were burning , everything was burning . it was like hell . i remember seeing a wrought iron gate in the distance and i remember it was dripping like molten butter , drip drip dripping away . ' at first stobbs thought it was a military aircraft which had crashed into the town . then he heard that the nose cone of a 747 had landed in a field three miles from lockerbie and he knew that he was dealing with far greater numbers of dead . we were told about the 747 , ' he says , and we realized we were n't looking for twenty people but for 300 . but where were they ? ' there is a small memorial room beside the little church of tundergarth , across the road from where the nose cone landed . inside are inscriptions from visitors commemorating the huge loss of life and photographs of each of the 270 people who died in the lockerbie bombing . gentle lockerbie ' reads one of the inscriptions from a family member who lost a loved one . some say the land there is now tainted , i say it is blessed . ' in the field itself there are no marks to suggest where the nose cone landed . the local farmer points to the horizon across the rolling scottish hills . between here and the top of the hill , here on my father 's farm , we found 120 bodies , ' he says . the force of the explosion and the wind that night blew bits of the plane , personal possessions and body parts across a vast area . stobbs , and hundreds of policemen and other volunteers combed 845 square meters of land looking for clues as to what brought the plane down . documents from the plane were even discovered in the north sea , 60 miles away . the crucial piece of evidence that implicated al megrahi was a scrap of clothing wrapped around a part of the device used to detonate the suitcase bomb . it was traced back to a maltese boutique whose shop-owner recognized al megrahi . lockerbie local john gair said he was never entirely convinced of al megrahi 's guilt . i did feel that some of the evidence was circumstantial , ' he says . i think partly out of compassion and partly out of a possible element of doubt , he should be allowed out . ' as he looks down sherwood crescent at the neat rows of houses , not yet twenty years old , he says : life goes on and once a tragedy like this is over people pick up the threads of their lives . and they do n't forget but they do n't dwell on it . because there 's no earthly point in dwelling on any of this . ' 270 people from 21 nations lost their lives in the beautiful hills around lockerbie . some of them had been so badly incinerated no trace of them was ever found , just their personal belongings and the pan am passenger list which proved they 'd been on board . twenty years later in the town of lockerbie , the streets have been rebuilt , the past buried , but not forgotten .
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lockerbie local john gair said he was never entirely convinced of al megrahi 's guilt
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lockerbie <tsp> lockerbie , scotland ( cnn ) -- abdelbaset ali mohmed al megrahi 's fate hangs in the balance . the libyan man convicted for the 1988 lockerbie bombings has terminal prostate cancer and , according to his lawyers , just weeks to live . mourners at the 20th anniversary memorial service for the victims of the lockerbie bombing . scotland 's justice minister frank macaskill is weighing up whether to release him on compassionate grounds so he can die at home ; to transfer him to a libyan jail under a prisoner transfer agreement drawn up between libya and the uk ; or whether to keep him in a scottish jail for the rest of his days . that is certainly the preferred option of the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton who last week wrote to mr macaskill urging him not to send al megrahi home . in lockerbie itself , matters of politics seem far removed . george stobbs was one of the first policemen on the scene when the boeing 747 crashed into sherwood crescent . i 've never talked about the politics of the thing because i had no interest , ' he says . people here are n't interested in the politics , they just want to carry on with their lives . ' stobbs has vivid memories of the night of december 21 , 1988 -- the shortest and darkest night of the year , ' he says . the houses were just slowly burning and more houses were catching fire . the windows were popping , the gutters were burning , everything was burning . it was like hell . i remember seeing a wrought iron gate in the distance and i remember it was dripping like molten butter , drip drip dripping away . ' at first stobbs thought it was a military aircraft which had crashed into the town . then he heard that the nose cone of a 747 had landed in a field three miles from lockerbie and he knew that he was dealing with far greater numbers of dead . we were told about the 747 , ' he says , and we realized we were n't looking for twenty people but for 300 . but where were they ? ' there is a small memorial room beside the little church of tundergarth , across the road from where the nose cone landed . inside are inscriptions from visitors commemorating the huge loss of life and photographs of each of the 270 people who died in the lockerbie bombing . gentle lockerbie ' reads one of the inscriptions from a family member who lost a loved one . some say the land there is now tainted , i say it is blessed . ' in the field itself there are no marks to suggest where the nose cone landed . the local farmer points to the horizon across the rolling scottish hills . between here and the top of the hill , here on my father 's farm , we found 120 bodies , ' he says . the force of the explosion and the wind that night blew bits of the plane , personal possessions and body parts across a vast area . stobbs , and hundreds of policemen and other volunteers combed 845 square meters of land looking for clues as to what brought the plane down . documents from the plane were even discovered in the north sea , 60 miles away . the crucial piece of evidence that implicated al megrahi was a scrap of clothing wrapped around a part of the device used to detonate the suitcase bomb . it was traced back to a maltese boutique whose shop-owner recognized al megrahi . lockerbie local john gair said he was never entirely convinced of al megrahi 's guilt . i did feel that some of the evidence was circumstantial , ' he says . i think partly out of compassion and partly out of a possible element of doubt , he should be allowed out . ' as he looks down sherwood crescent at the neat rows of houses , not yet twenty years old , he says : life goes on and once a tragedy like this is over people pick up the threads of their lives . and they do n't forget but they do n't dwell on it . because there 's no earthly point in dwelling on any of this . ' 270 people from 21 nations lost their lives in the beautiful hills around lockerbie . some of them had been so badly incinerated no trace of them was ever found , just their personal belongings and the pan am passenger list which proved they 'd been on board . twenty years later in the town of lockerbie , the streets have been rebuilt , the past buried , but not forgotten .
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cnn 's diana magnay travels to lockerbie , scotland 20 years on from the air tragedy
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africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when doctors risk their lives and sacrifice their livelihoods to go to west africa and provide desperately needed treatment to those suffering from ebola , what should be their reward upon coming home ? three weeks off , some say -- whether they like it or not . the governors of new york and new jersey instituted just such a policy friday , announcing that airport screening will be stepped up in their states and that any arriving passengers who 'd recently been in the west african nations hit hardest by ebola could be hospitalized or quarantined for up to 21 days -- sick or not . measures such as these would affect people who lived in or traveled to countries such as guinea , liberia and sierra leone , where all but a handful of the more than 10,000 documented ebola cases and almost 5,000 deaths have occurred . and it would also impact those who brought their medical expertise to west africa , doing what they could to prevent more people from dying or spreading the disease . so there 's a tradeoff : should the focus of american policy be to do everything to prevent anyone from the most ravaged regions from entering the united states , even if it discourages health care workers from going there ? on saturday , the centers for disease and control and prevention said that it sets the baseline recommended standards , but state and local officials have the prerogative to set tighter policies . when it comes to the federal standards set by the cdc , we will consider any measures that we believe have the potential to make the american people safer , ' the cdc said in a statement . some u.s. lawmakers , such as rep. andy harris , favor a strict three-week quarantine . ( that time duration is significant because it takes anywhere from two to 21 days from the time a person is exposed to ebola to when he or she shows symptoms of it ; if more time than that passes without symptoms , a person is considered ebola-free . ) in return from being allowed to come back into the country from a place where a deadly disease is endemic , you 'd have to enter a quarantine facility and be supervised for 21 days , ' the maryland republican told cnn . some , though , think such a policy would be counterproductive . it might prevent some cases of ebola in the united states over the short term , they say , but over the long run it could backfire if highly trained american doctors have even more incentive not to head to africa to help corral the disease . dr. john carlson , a pediatric immunologist at tulane university , is one of them . he has spent four weeks working with ebola patients at a hospital in freetown , sierra leone , and is scheduled to return to new orleans on saturday . health care workers already sacrifice a lot by volunteering their time to help those who most need it ; tacking on more time or not being able to venture out in public or go to work might seem like a punishment , discouraging people like him from doing it again . if i lose three weeks on my return and do n't get to do the work i 'm supposed to do , ' carlson said , referring to his job at tulane , means this would n't be workable for me . ' cdc director dr. tom frieden expressed a similar view earlier this month , arguing that stringent travel restrictions might create more problems than they solve . it makes it hard to get health workers in , because they ca n't get out , ' he said . if we make it harder to respond to the outbreak in west africa , it will spread not only in those three countries ( in west africa hit hardest by ebola ) but to other parts of africa and ultimately increase the risk here ' in the united states . official : new guidelines coming'shortly' that said , change may be coming . some of it may come at the state level , as happened in new york and new jersey . that policy shift was spurred by the hospitalization of dr. craig spencer , a doctors without borders physician who 'd treated ebola patients in guinea and arrived at new york 's john f. kennedy international airport on october 17 ; he eventually was diagnosed with ebola . since then , a female health care worker who had recently been in west africa developed a fever , hours after touching down at northern new jersey 's newark liberty airport with no apparent symptons , new jersey health department spokesman donna leusner said . a preliminary test showed that the woman does not have ebola , new jersey officials said saturday . but the unidentified woman will remain in quarantine at a hospital in newark for at least 21 days . quarantined woman tests negative for ebola the new policy in new york and new jersey allows the states to determine hospitalization or quarantine for up to 21 days for travelers from the affected countries . a mandatory quarantine is called for those who had direct contact with an individual infected with the ebola virus , ' including medical workers who treated ebola patients . in addition , people with a travel history to the affected regions but with no direct contact with ebola patients will be actively monitored ... and , if necessary , quarantined . ' illinois gov . pat quinn similarly ordered a mandatory 21-day home quarantine for high-risk individuals who have had direct contact with an individual infected with the ebola virus while in liberia , sierra leone or guinea , ' according to a release friday from his office . those affected by the order -- which will be implemented by local health departments -- include any high-risk medical personnel . ' this protective measure is too important to be voluntary , ' said quinn . we must take every step necessary to ensure the people of illinois are protected from potential exposure to the ebola virus . ' such measures are on top of the federal policy requiring all travelers coming to the united states from ebola-affected areas to be actively monitored for 21 days , starting monday . already , such travelers landing in new york 's kennedy , dulles international , new jersey 's newark liberty international , chicago 's o'hare international and hartsfield-jackson atlanta international must go through enhanced screening . dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , said friday that the federal government 's policies could change even more . that is something that is right now under very active discussion , and you 'll be hearing shortly about what the guidelines will be , ' fauci said , answering a reporter 's question about quarantines . timeline of first ebola patient in nyc'eliminate not just real risk , but perceived risk' some experts say there might be some middle ground between the two extremes of physically confining people in one place for 21 days or just letting them do whatever they want ( beyond , as is now recommended , taking their temperature daily and monitoring themselves for other symptoms ) . one possibility is to have those travelers do more than temperature checks . dr. irwin redlener , director of columbia university 's national center for disaster preparedness , says one such measure could be checking daily for decreases in white blood cell counts or platelets -- which could be , but are n't necessarily , a sign of an ebola infection . and mike osterholm , an infectious disease epidemiologist at the university of minnesota , thinks there should be stricter controls on what a person who arrives from west africa does in his or her first three weeks in the united states . for instance , he thinks such a person should n't take public transportation or go to crowded places like bowling alleys , both of which officials say spencer did before he was symptomatic . how the ebola virus spreads public health experts say there 's plenty of scientific evidence indicating that there 's very little chance that a random person will get ebola , unless they are in very close contact -- close enough to share bodily fluids -- with someone who has it . still , there 's also a sense that authorities have to do something because of americans'fears -- rational or not -- and belief that the country is better off being safe than sorry . as osterholm says , you want to try to eliminate not just real risk , but perceived risk . ' complete coverage on ebola cnn 's elizabeth cohen contributed to this report .
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new york , new jersey announce stricter policies for those coming from west africa
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africa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when doctors risk their lives and sacrifice their livelihoods to go to west africa and provide desperately needed treatment to those suffering from ebola , what should be their reward upon coming home ? three weeks off , some say -- whether they like it or not . the governors of new york and new jersey instituted just such a policy friday , announcing that airport screening will be stepped up in their states and that any arriving passengers who 'd recently been in the west african nations hit hardest by ebola could be hospitalized or quarantined for up to 21 days -- sick or not . measures such as these would affect people who lived in or traveled to countries such as guinea , liberia and sierra leone , where all but a handful of the more than 10,000 documented ebola cases and almost 5,000 deaths have occurred . and it would also impact those who brought their medical expertise to west africa , doing what they could to prevent more people from dying or spreading the disease . so there 's a tradeoff : should the focus of american policy be to do everything to prevent anyone from the most ravaged regions from entering the united states , even if it discourages health care workers from going there ? on saturday , the centers for disease and control and prevention said that it sets the baseline recommended standards , but state and local officials have the prerogative to set tighter policies . when it comes to the federal standards set by the cdc , we will consider any measures that we believe have the potential to make the american people safer , ' the cdc said in a statement . some u.s. lawmakers , such as rep. andy harris , favor a strict three-week quarantine . ( that time duration is significant because it takes anywhere from two to 21 days from the time a person is exposed to ebola to when he or she shows symptoms of it ; if more time than that passes without symptoms , a person is considered ebola-free . ) in return from being allowed to come back into the country from a place where a deadly disease is endemic , you 'd have to enter a quarantine facility and be supervised for 21 days , ' the maryland republican told cnn . some , though , think such a policy would be counterproductive . it might prevent some cases of ebola in the united states over the short term , they say , but over the long run it could backfire if highly trained american doctors have even more incentive not to head to africa to help corral the disease . dr. john carlson , a pediatric immunologist at tulane university , is one of them . he has spent four weeks working with ebola patients at a hospital in freetown , sierra leone , and is scheduled to return to new orleans on saturday . health care workers already sacrifice a lot by volunteering their time to help those who most need it ; tacking on more time or not being able to venture out in public or go to work might seem like a punishment , discouraging people like him from doing it again . if i lose three weeks on my return and do n't get to do the work i 'm supposed to do , ' carlson said , referring to his job at tulane , means this would n't be workable for me . ' cdc director dr. tom frieden expressed a similar view earlier this month , arguing that stringent travel restrictions might create more problems than they solve . it makes it hard to get health workers in , because they ca n't get out , ' he said . if we make it harder to respond to the outbreak in west africa , it will spread not only in those three countries ( in west africa hit hardest by ebola ) but to other parts of africa and ultimately increase the risk here ' in the united states . official : new guidelines coming'shortly' that said , change may be coming . some of it may come at the state level , as happened in new york and new jersey . that policy shift was spurred by the hospitalization of dr. craig spencer , a doctors without borders physician who 'd treated ebola patients in guinea and arrived at new york 's john f. kennedy international airport on october 17 ; he eventually was diagnosed with ebola . since then , a female health care worker who had recently been in west africa developed a fever , hours after touching down at northern new jersey 's newark liberty airport with no apparent symptons , new jersey health department spokesman donna leusner said . a preliminary test showed that the woman does not have ebola , new jersey officials said saturday . but the unidentified woman will remain in quarantine at a hospital in newark for at least 21 days . quarantined woman tests negative for ebola the new policy in new york and new jersey allows the states to determine hospitalization or quarantine for up to 21 days for travelers from the affected countries . a mandatory quarantine is called for those who had direct contact with an individual infected with the ebola virus , ' including medical workers who treated ebola patients . in addition , people with a travel history to the affected regions but with no direct contact with ebola patients will be actively monitored ... and , if necessary , quarantined . ' illinois gov . pat quinn similarly ordered a mandatory 21-day home quarantine for high-risk individuals who have had direct contact with an individual infected with the ebola virus while in liberia , sierra leone or guinea , ' according to a release friday from his office . those affected by the order -- which will be implemented by local health departments -- include any high-risk medical personnel . ' this protective measure is too important to be voluntary , ' said quinn . we must take every step necessary to ensure the people of illinois are protected from potential exposure to the ebola virus . ' such measures are on top of the federal policy requiring all travelers coming to the united states from ebola-affected areas to be actively monitored for 21 days , starting monday . already , such travelers landing in new york 's kennedy , dulles international , new jersey 's newark liberty international , chicago 's o'hare international and hartsfield-jackson atlanta international must go through enhanced screening . dr. anthony fauci , director of the national institute of allergy and infectious diseases , said friday that the federal government 's policies could change even more . that is something that is right now under very active discussion , and you 'll be hearing shortly about what the guidelines will be , ' fauci said , answering a reporter 's question about quarantines . timeline of first ebola patient in nyc'eliminate not just real risk , but perceived risk' some experts say there might be some middle ground between the two extremes of physically confining people in one place for 21 days or just letting them do whatever they want ( beyond , as is now recommended , taking their temperature daily and monitoring themselves for other symptoms ) . one possibility is to have those travelers do more than temperature checks . dr. irwin redlener , director of columbia university 's national center for disaster preparedness , says one such measure could be checking daily for decreases in white blood cell counts or platelets -- which could be , but are n't necessarily , a sign of an ebola infection . and mike osterholm , an infectious disease epidemiologist at the university of minnesota , thinks there should be stricter controls on what a person who arrives from west africa does in his or her first three weeks in the united states . for instance , he thinks such a person should n't take public transportation or go to crowded places like bowling alleys , both of which officials say spencer did before he was symptomatic . how the ebola virus spreads public health experts say there 's plenty of scientific evidence indicating that there 's very little chance that a random person will get ebola , unless they are in very close contact -- close enough to share bodily fluids -- with someone who has it . still , there 's also a sense that authorities have to do something because of americans'fears -- rational or not -- and belief that the country is better off being safe than sorry . as osterholm says , you want to try to eliminate not just real risk , but perceived risk . ' complete coverage on ebola cnn 's elizabeth cohen contributed to this report .
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but the cdc director and others worry it may discourage doctors from helping in africa
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la liga <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho may believe the english premier league title race is already over but reigning champions manchester city kept alive their slim hopes of retaining the crown with monday 's 1-0 win at aston villa . the victory cut the gap on arch rivals and championship leaders manchester united to 12 points with 10 matches of the epl season remaining , including a return clash between the top two at the beginning of april . it was a disciplined display from roberto mancini 's men , who owed their victory to a neatly-taken goal by argentina international carlos tevez just before halftime . defeat left villa deep in relegation trouble in 18th place with just 24 points in the bag . while mourinho 's real madrid team were training at city 's etihad stadium ahead of their champions league clash with manchester united , their temporary landlords were making their way to the testing fixture at villa park , knowing dropped points would end all hopes in the title race . an even first half offered paul lambert 's strugglers hope they could at least get something from the match and striker christian benteke was a threat throughout with his muscular presence . at the other end pablo zabaleta rattled the villa woodwork , but a defensive mistake just before the interval was to cost the home side dear . defender ciaran clark was robbed by substitute edin dzeko -- on after england midfielder jack rodwell went off with a hamstring problem -- and the bosnian played in tevez . he cleverly dummied goalkeeper brad guzan and slotted the ball home . after the break there was almost a repeat as this time mathew lowton was caught napping by dzeko but the defender got back to clear tevez 's shot off the line . benteke continued to be a nuisance to the end , but city defended stoutly to move five points clear of third-placed tottenham hotspur , who had closed to within two after sunday 's derby win over arsenal . mancini was delighted with his team 's efforts . i think it is very important to win this game . for us it was important to stay 12 points behind , the championship is not over , ' he told sky sports . and he had a word of consolation for villa . i think they will stay in the premier league , ' he predicted . meanwhile , in monday 's spanish la liga action , sevilla won 4-1 at home to third-bottom celta vigo to move up to 10th place . striker alvaro negredo scored a fine hat-trick to take his tally to 13 in the league this season .
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alvaro negredo scores hat-trick in sevilla 's win in la liga
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aston villa <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho may believe the english premier league title race is already over but reigning champions manchester city kept alive their slim hopes of retaining the crown with monday 's 1-0 win at aston villa . the victory cut the gap on arch rivals and championship leaders manchester united to 12 points with 10 matches of the epl season remaining , including a return clash between the top two at the beginning of april . it was a disciplined display from roberto mancini 's men , who owed their victory to a neatly-taken goal by argentina international carlos tevez just before halftime . defeat left villa deep in relegation trouble in 18th place with just 24 points in the bag . while mourinho 's real madrid team were training at city 's etihad stadium ahead of their champions league clash with manchester united , their temporary landlords were making their way to the testing fixture at villa park , knowing dropped points would end all hopes in the title race . an even first half offered paul lambert 's strugglers hope they could at least get something from the match and striker christian benteke was a threat throughout with his muscular presence . at the other end pablo zabaleta rattled the villa woodwork , but a defensive mistake just before the interval was to cost the home side dear . defender ciaran clark was robbed by substitute edin dzeko -- on after england midfielder jack rodwell went off with a hamstring problem -- and the bosnian played in tevez . he cleverly dummied goalkeeper brad guzan and slotted the ball home . after the break there was almost a repeat as this time mathew lowton was caught napping by dzeko but the defender got back to clear tevez 's shot off the line . benteke continued to be a nuisance to the end , but city defended stoutly to move five points clear of third-placed tottenham hotspur , who had closed to within two after sunday 's derby win over arsenal . mancini was delighted with his team 's efforts . i think it is very important to win this game . for us it was important to stay 12 points behind , the championship is not over , ' he told sky sports . and he had a word of consolation for villa . i think they will stay in the premier league , ' he predicted . meanwhile , in monday 's spanish la liga action , sevilla won 4-1 at home to third-bottom celta vigo to move up to 10th place . striker alvaro negredo scored a fine hat-trick to take his tally to 13 in the league this season .
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manchester city win 1-0 at aston villa in english premier league
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manchester city <tsp> ( cnn ) -- jose mourinho may believe the english premier league title race is already over but reigning champions manchester city kept alive their slim hopes of retaining the crown with monday 's 1-0 win at aston villa . the victory cut the gap on arch rivals and championship leaders manchester united to 12 points with 10 matches of the epl season remaining , including a return clash between the top two at the beginning of april . it was a disciplined display from roberto mancini 's men , who owed their victory to a neatly-taken goal by argentina international carlos tevez just before halftime . defeat left villa deep in relegation trouble in 18th place with just 24 points in the bag . while mourinho 's real madrid team were training at city 's etihad stadium ahead of their champions league clash with manchester united , their temporary landlords were making their way to the testing fixture at villa park , knowing dropped points would end all hopes in the title race . an even first half offered paul lambert 's strugglers hope they could at least get something from the match and striker christian benteke was a threat throughout with his muscular presence . at the other end pablo zabaleta rattled the villa woodwork , but a defensive mistake just before the interval was to cost the home side dear . defender ciaran clark was robbed by substitute edin dzeko -- on after england midfielder jack rodwell went off with a hamstring problem -- and the bosnian played in tevez . he cleverly dummied goalkeeper brad guzan and slotted the ball home . after the break there was almost a repeat as this time mathew lowton was caught napping by dzeko but the defender got back to clear tevez 's shot off the line . benteke continued to be a nuisance to the end , but city defended stoutly to move five points clear of third-placed tottenham hotspur , who had closed to within two after sunday 's derby win over arsenal . mancini was delighted with his team 's efforts . i think it is very important to win this game . for us it was important to stay 12 points behind , the championship is not over , ' he told sky sports . and he had a word of consolation for villa . i think they will stay in the premier league , ' he predicted . meanwhile , in monday 's spanish la liga action , sevilla won 4-1 at home to third-bottom celta vigo to move up to 10th place . striker alvaro negredo scored a fine hat-trick to take his tally to 13 in the league this season .
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manchester city win 1-0 at aston villa in english premier league
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vikings <tsp> ( cnn ) -- minnesota vikings cornerback chris cook was arrested and charged with domestic assault friday night , the hennepin county , minnesota , sheriff 's office said . according to the sheriff 's office , cook was charged with two counts of domestic assault and was being held without bail . details of the alleged incident leading to the arrest were not immediately available . the vikings released a brief statement but offered no details . the minnesota vikings are aware of the incident involving chris cook . we take this matter very seriously and are still gathering all the details of the incident , ' the statement said . cook was booked at the hennepin county jail at 4 a.m. , and his arrest likely means he will not play on sunday against the green bay packers , cnn affiliate wcco reported .
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vikings cornerback chris cook was arrested friday night
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hernandez <tsp> ex-nfl star aaron hernandez fired the shots that killed odin lloyd , a man who 'd been with him told a mutual friend , according to a court document . a florida police spokeswoman cited the court document tuesday . the conversations allegedly involved two people who were with hernandez when he picked up lloyd from his boston apartment early on june 17 , hours before a jogger found lloyd 's body in a north attleborough , massachusetts , industrial park . all three men are now in custody . prosecutors accuse hernandez , a standout tight end whom the new england patriots cut soon after his june 26 arrest , of orchestrating lloyd 's death . the 23-year-old is now in a massachusetts jail ; he has pleaded not guilty to murder charges . the information in a document filed in florida -- as detailed by miramar , florida , police spokeswoman tania rues -- may help authorities as they build their case against hernandez as the triggerman . nearly 1,500 miles from the crime scene , miramar is where ernest wallace turned himself into authorities on june 28 after seeing news reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for him . he was charged the next day with being an accessory after the fact of murder . bail hearing for hernandez associate moved to august the other man arrested in the case -- carlos ortiz , who hails from hernandez 's hometown of bristol , connecticut -- told authorities that wallace told him hernandez fired the shots that killed lloyd , the document cited by the miramar police spokeswoman says . the document was part of a search warrant executed at a wallace family home . this detail comes out the same day that , following a judge 's orders , massachusetts authorities released a number of documents pertaining to the 27-year-old lloyd 's death . among other details , these documents explain authorities'account of an interaction with hernandez at his southeast massachusetts home after lloyd 's death but before the football player 's arrest . hernandez at one point told police that he did n't remember specifically when he last saw lloyd . later in the conversation , he became argumentative ' with two police officers questioning him , then went in his home and got a business card for his lawyer to give to them . we informed mr. hernandez that this was a death investigation , ' the document states . mr. hernandez slammed the door and relocked it behind him . mr. hernandez did not ask the officers whose death was being investigated . mr. hernandez 's demeanor did not indicate any concern for the death of any person . ' by contrast , when police first told hernandez 's fiancee about the death of lloyd , who her sister was dating , she immediately began to cry . ' judge orders hernandez case evidence documents to be released according to the same court document , the same woman told authorities that she and hernandez went out to dinner for father 's day , then she went to bed while her fiance was out all night . police say that , at one point , hernandez called the woman and told her his sports agent said she should not speak with us and that she should request to speak with her attorney , ' a document states . documents also reveal details , some of them previously disclosed , of lloyd 's texts on the day he was killed . one of them , sent at 12:22 a.m. on june 17 to hernandez 's cell phone , reads : we still on . ' about three hours later , a man who works at needletech -- a medical device manufacturer with a facility in north attleborough , near where lloyd 's body was found -- told police he was taking a break in his car when he heard three gunshots and ( a ) car door slamming . ' a different affidavit for a search warrant features three black-and-white photos from a home surveillance camera that show hernandez and two other men . the three men leave the garage of the north attleborough home around 1 a.m. , the document states . the video shows them returning to the same residence around 3:26 a.m. , including hernandez going to-and-from the basement on several different occasions . '
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document : hernandez 's fiance began to cry ' after hearing of lloyd 's death
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hernandez <tsp> ex-nfl star aaron hernandez fired the shots that killed odin lloyd , a man who 'd been with him told a mutual friend , according to a court document . a florida police spokeswoman cited the court document tuesday . the conversations allegedly involved two people who were with hernandez when he picked up lloyd from his boston apartment early on june 17 , hours before a jogger found lloyd 's body in a north attleborough , massachusetts , industrial park . all three men are now in custody . prosecutors accuse hernandez , a standout tight end whom the new england patriots cut soon after his june 26 arrest , of orchestrating lloyd 's death . the 23-year-old is now in a massachusetts jail ; he has pleaded not guilty to murder charges . the information in a document filed in florida -- as detailed by miramar , florida , police spokeswoman tania rues -- may help authorities as they build their case against hernandez as the triggerman . nearly 1,500 miles from the crime scene , miramar is where ernest wallace turned himself into authorities on june 28 after seeing news reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for him . he was charged the next day with being an accessory after the fact of murder . bail hearing for hernandez associate moved to august the other man arrested in the case -- carlos ortiz , who hails from hernandez 's hometown of bristol , connecticut -- told authorities that wallace told him hernandez fired the shots that killed lloyd , the document cited by the miramar police spokeswoman says . the document was part of a search warrant executed at a wallace family home . this detail comes out the same day that , following a judge 's orders , massachusetts authorities released a number of documents pertaining to the 27-year-old lloyd 's death . among other details , these documents explain authorities'account of an interaction with hernandez at his southeast massachusetts home after lloyd 's death but before the football player 's arrest . hernandez at one point told police that he did n't remember specifically when he last saw lloyd . later in the conversation , he became argumentative ' with two police officers questioning him , then went in his home and got a business card for his lawyer to give to them . we informed mr. hernandez that this was a death investigation , ' the document states . mr. hernandez slammed the door and relocked it behind him . mr. hernandez did not ask the officers whose death was being investigated . mr. hernandez 's demeanor did not indicate any concern for the death of any person . ' by contrast , when police first told hernandez 's fiancee about the death of lloyd , who her sister was dating , she immediately began to cry . ' judge orders hernandez case evidence documents to be released according to the same court document , the same woman told authorities that she and hernandez went out to dinner for father 's day , then she went to bed while her fiance was out all night . police say that , at one point , hernandez called the woman and told her his sports agent said she should not speak with us and that she should request to speak with her attorney , ' a document states . documents also reveal details , some of them previously disclosed , of lloyd 's texts on the day he was killed . one of them , sent at 12:22 a.m. on june 17 to hernandez 's cell phone , reads : we still on . ' about three hours later , a man who works at needletech -- a medical device manufacturer with a facility in north attleborough , near where lloyd 's body was found -- told police he was taking a break in his car when he heard three gunshots and ( a ) car door slamming . ' a different affidavit for a search warrant features three black-and-white photos from a home surveillance camera that show hernandez and two other men . the three men leave the garage of the north attleborough home around 1 a.m. , the document states . the video shows them returning to the same residence around 3:26 a.m. , including hernandez going to-and-from the basement on several different occasions . '
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document : hernandez slammed the door in officers'faces after they asked questions
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hernandez <tsp> ex-nfl star aaron hernandez fired the shots that killed odin lloyd , a man who 'd been with him told a mutual friend , according to a court document . a florida police spokeswoman cited the court document tuesday . the conversations allegedly involved two people who were with hernandez when he picked up lloyd from his boston apartment early on june 17 , hours before a jogger found lloyd 's body in a north attleborough , massachusetts , industrial park . all three men are now in custody . prosecutors accuse hernandez , a standout tight end whom the new england patriots cut soon after his june 26 arrest , of orchestrating lloyd 's death . the 23-year-old is now in a massachusetts jail ; he has pleaded not guilty to murder charges . the information in a document filed in florida -- as detailed by miramar , florida , police spokeswoman tania rues -- may help authorities as they build their case against hernandez as the triggerman . nearly 1,500 miles from the crime scene , miramar is where ernest wallace turned himself into authorities on june 28 after seeing news reports that an arrest warrant had been issued for him . he was charged the next day with being an accessory after the fact of murder . bail hearing for hernandez associate moved to august the other man arrested in the case -- carlos ortiz , who hails from hernandez 's hometown of bristol , connecticut -- told authorities that wallace told him hernandez fired the shots that killed lloyd , the document cited by the miramar police spokeswoman says . the document was part of a search warrant executed at a wallace family home . this detail comes out the same day that , following a judge 's orders , massachusetts authorities released a number of documents pertaining to the 27-year-old lloyd 's death . among other details , these documents explain authorities'account of an interaction with hernandez at his southeast massachusetts home after lloyd 's death but before the football player 's arrest . hernandez at one point told police that he did n't remember specifically when he last saw lloyd . later in the conversation , he became argumentative ' with two police officers questioning him , then went in his home and got a business card for his lawyer to give to them . we informed mr. hernandez that this was a death investigation , ' the document states . mr. hernandez slammed the door and relocked it behind him . mr. hernandez did not ask the officers whose death was being investigated . mr. hernandez 's demeanor did not indicate any concern for the death of any person . ' by contrast , when police first told hernandez 's fiancee about the death of lloyd , who her sister was dating , she immediately began to cry . ' judge orders hernandez case evidence documents to be released according to the same court document , the same woman told authorities that she and hernandez went out to dinner for father 's day , then she went to bed while her fiance was out all night . police say that , at one point , hernandez called the woman and told her his sports agent said she should not speak with us and that she should request to speak with her attorney , ' a document states . documents also reveal details , some of them previously disclosed , of lloyd 's texts on the day he was killed . one of them , sent at 12:22 a.m. on june 17 to hernandez 's cell phone , reads : we still on . ' about three hours later , a man who works at needletech -- a medical device manufacturer with a facility in north attleborough , near where lloyd 's body was found -- told police he was taking a break in his car when he heard three gunshots and ( a ) car door slamming . ' a different affidavit for a search warrant features three black-and-white photos from a home surveillance camera that show hernandez and two other men . the three men leave the garage of the north attleborough home around 1 a.m. , the document states . the video shows them returning to the same residence around 3:26 a.m. , including hernandez going to-and-from the basement on several different occasions . '
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1 man arrested in case told another that hernandez pulled the trigger , police say
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europe <tsp> ( cnn ) -- as many as 200 foreign fighters affiliated with al qaeda may now be hiding in southern somalia , according to the latest assessments by the u.s. military and intelligence community . two u.s. military officials confirmed the estimate to cnn , emphasizing it is only an estimate because of the lack of direct intelligence information from the ground . it comes as a senior u.s. official separately confirmed to cnn that updated plans have been put into place for u.s. special operations forces to conduct operations against al qaeda personnel in somalia , if targets can be identified and located . all three officials declined to be identified because the information involves intelligence matters . the united states believes the foreign fighters include afghans , iraqis , pakistanis , saudis , and yemenis as well as nationals from several african countries , the officials said . it is believed many of these fighters have been part of the longstanding pipeline of fighters that operated in afghanistan and iraq and has now been diverted to somalia , they said . the estimate of 200 fighters does not include an unknown number of ethnic somalis who are believed to have traveled to somalia from europe , the united states and other african countries , they said . in assessing the threat posed by the presence of foreign fighters , one of the u.s. military officials said the most dangerous are perhaps as many as two dozen subject matter experts ' from afghanistan , pakistan , iraq , and saudi arabia who are teaching bomb-making and other small arms tactics in camps across southern somalia . the balance of the foreign fighters is believed to be operating with the al-shabaab organization , an al qaeda affiliate group in somalia that is fighting the government and african union peacekeepers in an effort to take control of the country . one official said somalia is now the ultimate safe haven . ' the official added that the united states must operate on the assumption that the core group of foreign fighters are training others to conduct attacks against western targets in east africa , as well as training individuals to attack targets in the united states . they have goals beyond the somalia border , ' one official said . the united states has observed a number of ad hoc training camps in southern somalia , the officials said . generally , they operate for no more than three months before fighters move to other locations because they know they are likely to be observed by u.s. intelligence satellites or reconnaissance drones flying overhead , officials said . fighters are using existing areas like old army camps , buildings , and even cemeteries to disguise the real purpose of their activities , the officials said . the top al qaeda operative still being sought in somalia is fazul abdullah mohammed , long wanted for his alleged role in the 1998 bombings of u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania . he is believed to be moving between the remote border regions of somalia and kenya , the officials said . in september 2009 , u.s. commandos killed saleh ali saleh nabhan in a helicopter attack on his vehicle convoy after hunting him for years . nabhan was seen as perhaps a key leader of al qaeda operations in east africa and , according to u.s. officials , it is not clear who , if anyone , has taken his place .
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ethnic somalis from europe also believed to be operating there
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boston <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a building under construction in downtown boston partially collapsed thursday morning , sending two people to the hospital , the city 's fire department said . the incident happened about 8 a.m. at a construction site at 45 stuart st. , the boston fire department tweeted . the collapse occurred on the 12th floor of what 's slated to be a 33-story residential high-rise , causing damage from the 11th floor 's roof down to the fifth floor . first responders treated two people with injuries that were not life-threatening and then took them to nearby tufts medical center . the fire department later explained that one of those had a serious head injury , ' while the other had a minor injury . no others workers reported trapped at this time , ' the fire department tweeted . according to a sign posted outside the site , near the city 's chinatown district and around the corner from boston common , the building was slated to be completed in the middle of next year .
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33-story residential high-rise was under construction in downtown boston
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glaad <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- facebook users now have two more ways to describe their romantic arrangements . in a gesture of inclusiveness aimed at the gay community , facebook on thursday added in a civil union ' and in a domestic partnership ' to its official list of relationship statuses . facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment , but a gay rights group , which announced the change , cheered it . by acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the u.s. and abroad , facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media , ' gay & lesbian alliance against defamation president jarrett barrios wrote in a statement . barrios said that glaad and several other gay-rights groups met with the company to push for the change . the option is now available for facebook users in the u.s. , canada , the united kingdom , france and australia , the group said .
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facebook has set a new standard of inclusion , ' glaad says
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glaad <tsp> new york ( cnn ) -- facebook users now have two more ways to describe their romantic arrangements . in a gesture of inclusiveness aimed at the gay community , facebook on thursday added in a civil union ' and in a domestic partnership ' to its official list of relationship statuses . facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment , but a gay rights group , which announced the change , cheered it . by acknowledging the relationships of countless loving and committed same-sex couples in the u.s. and abroad , facebook has set a new standard of inclusion for social media , ' gay & lesbian alliance against defamation president jarrett barrios wrote in a statement . barrios said that glaad and several other gay-rights groups met with the company to push for the change . the option is now available for facebook users in the u.s. , canada , the united kingdom , france and australia , the group said .
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several gay-rights groups met with the company to push for the change , glaad says
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north korean <tsp> seoul , south korea ( cnn ) -- north korea 's new supreme leader , kim jong un , appears to have carried out his first public inspection with the country 's military since the death last month of his father , kim jong il . the supreme commander of the nuclear-armed state 's military spent new year 's day with the seoul ryu kyong su 105 guards tank division , signaling he will carry on his father 's military first ' policy , state media kcna said on sunday . he ( kim jong un ) underlined the need to be ready for fight and ( to ) keep arms and combat and technical equipment always ready for actions in the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance , ' kcna said . he was accompanied by his uncle jang song taek , the senior official believed to be his patron , and the military chief of staff , ri yong ho , kcna reported . the visit came on the same day that north korea urged its people to show allegiance to the death for kim jong un . kcna published north korea 's annual new year 's day message , saying , the entire army should place absolute trust in and follow kim jong un and become human rifles and bombs to defend him unto death . ' the editorial is jointly published in the north 's leading newspapers and is often scrutinized by south korean and foreign officials for any signs of the north 's intentions and policies for the year . the editorial called u.s. aggressor forces ' the main obstacle to peace in the korean peninsula and called for their withdrawal . it criticized every move of reckless military provocation , arms buildup and war exercises against the north . ' the united states currently has around 28,500 military personnel stationed in south korea , which north korea claims is the main impediment to reunification of the korean people . the united states fought on the side of the south during the 1950-53 war and keeps troops in country as a deterrent against the north . the editorial also renewed the attack against the lee myung-bak government in the south , calling government officials traitors ' for not allowing more delegations to pyongyang to pay respects to the late kim jong il . friday , kcna quoted a national defense commission statement saying pyongyang will have no dealings with the lee myung-bak group of traitors forever . ' south korea 's unification ministry said it found the statement regretful . however the ministry 's basic principle towards easing tensions in inter-korean relations and resolving problems through dialogues remains still . ' the editorial also claimed north korea is at the epochal point of opening the gates of a thriving country . ' for north korea , 2012 is an important year was it marks 100 years since the birth of founder kim il sung and the year the juche , ' or self-reliance policy , will bear fruit , according to the government . the article published the slogan , glorify this year 2012 as a year of proud victory , a year when an era of prosperity is unfolding , true to the instructions of the great general kim jong il . ' however , north korea is still asking the international community for food aid , as it does not have enough food for its people and its economy has been crippled by years of neglect and bad decisions by the leadership . north korea did not mention its nuclear weapons program , a program that the united states and leaders in the region are pressing north korea to cease in return for food aid .
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the new north korean leader carries out his first public inspection of the military
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israel <tsp> ( cnn ) -- ecuador is the latest country to recognize an independent palestinian state . the government said on friday that president rafael correa recognized the palestine state as free and independent within its borders since 1967 . ' others countries -- such as brazil , argentina and uruguay -- recently made the same move . these diplomatic initiatives come after the breakdown of direct peace talks between israel and the palestinians . palestinians have been seeking international recognition of an independent state , a strategy to achieve statehood outside the framework of talks with israel . sadly , the middle east continues to face wars and violent events that have led to the death of many innocent people , a situation contrary to the humane and pacifist position established by the ecuadorian constitution . this recognition is meant to reinforce the valid and legitimate wish of the palestine people to have their own free and independent state , ' the ecuadorian government said . ecuador said the acknowledgment of such a state has been legitimized by u.n. security council resolutions , numbers 242 and 338 , and an arab peace initiative adopted in the 2002 beirut summit . the recognition of an independent palestine , the government said , will be fundamental to achieve the peaceful co-existence of the nations in the region through dialogue and mediation . '
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this comes amid a breakdown in talks with israel
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tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been a relationship fraught with tension and disagreements , but with valentine 's day around the corner , it appears carlos tevez and manchester city might be prepared to kiss and make up . the argentina striker has been frozen out of the first team picture at city since refusing to warm up as a substitute during a european champions league defeat to bayern munich in germany back in september . tevez has since been hit with a massive fine and was widely expected to leave the english premier league leaders in january , but a move failed to materialize despite interest from italian giants ac and inter milan . city manager roberto mancini has now hinted he may be prepared to forgive tevez , who captained the team to a first trophy in 35 years last season , in a bid to bolster the club 's chances of clinching their first top division title since 1968 . man city return to top of english premier league tevez also said he wanted to play for city again in an interview on argentinian television but risked further tension by laying the blame for the argument at mancini and city 's doorstep . everyone knows that tevez is a top player and it probably would have been better for us if he 'd been here , ' mancini told a press conference prior to sunday 's 1-0 win away at aston villa , which saw them return to the top of the table . i do n't have any problem and the club does n't have any problem . finish . it 's up to him . carlos knows everything , he knows the situation . i spoke with carlos one week after munich ... we are here . we 've not changed these past few months and carlos knows that . he is a city player . ' but mancini made it clear tevez , who is reportedly due to return to manchester from argentina this week , would have to apologize before he would get the opportunity to add to the 43 goals he has scored for the club since joining in 2009 . this is normal , ' the former inter coach said . then after carlos can train , can play , as long as his condition is good . if he comes back , we are happy . ' liverpool 's suarez apologizes for evra handshake snub but in an interview with fox sports latin america , tevez rejected he was to blame for the breakdown in relations . if i was wrong , i say sorry . i sincerely believe i did not make a mistake , ' he said . if it 's true that mancini said he will welcome me back if i 'm fit , then i like those quotes . but if he only said it for the media , no . but he also said i was never going to be playing for him again . so i do n't know . i 'll do my best to be available and play . ' tevez has been on a collision course with city 's hierarchy for over 12 months , having initially handed in a transfer request in december 2010 . the one-time west ham and manchester united star then saw a return to former club santos collapse in july . tevez has not played for the citizens since a domestic cup win against second-tier birmingham city in september . tevez also revealed he and mancini nearly came to blows after a premier league match last season and said that city could have handled the bayern incident differently . mancini said he was unsure what condition tevez would be in upon his return , but said the 28-year-old has the talent to be an asset to city in the closing months of the season . i do n't know if he is in good condition or not , ' mancini said . i do n't think so because he has n't played for four months . but carlos recovers strength very quickly . carlos can change a lot of games . if he comes back next week , maybe he can help us in the last three months . '
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carlos tevez could be set to return to the first-team fold at manchester city
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tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been a relationship fraught with tension and disagreements , but with valentine 's day around the corner , it appears carlos tevez and manchester city might be prepared to kiss and make up . the argentina striker has been frozen out of the first team picture at city since refusing to warm up as a substitute during a european champions league defeat to bayern munich in germany back in september . tevez has since been hit with a massive fine and was widely expected to leave the english premier league leaders in january , but a move failed to materialize despite interest from italian giants ac and inter milan . city manager roberto mancini has now hinted he may be prepared to forgive tevez , who captained the team to a first trophy in 35 years last season , in a bid to bolster the club 's chances of clinching their first top division title since 1968 . man city return to top of english premier league tevez also said he wanted to play for city again in an interview on argentinian television but risked further tension by laying the blame for the argument at mancini and city 's doorstep . everyone knows that tevez is a top player and it probably would have been better for us if he 'd been here , ' mancini told a press conference prior to sunday 's 1-0 win away at aston villa , which saw them return to the top of the table . i do n't have any problem and the club does n't have any problem . finish . it 's up to him . carlos knows everything , he knows the situation . i spoke with carlos one week after munich ... we are here . we 've not changed these past few months and carlos knows that . he is a city player . ' but mancini made it clear tevez , who is reportedly due to return to manchester from argentina this week , would have to apologize before he would get the opportunity to add to the 43 goals he has scored for the club since joining in 2009 . this is normal , ' the former inter coach said . then after carlos can train , can play , as long as his condition is good . if he comes back , we are happy . ' liverpool 's suarez apologizes for evra handshake snub but in an interview with fox sports latin america , tevez rejected he was to blame for the breakdown in relations . if i was wrong , i say sorry . i sincerely believe i did not make a mistake , ' he said . if it 's true that mancini said he will welcome me back if i 'm fit , then i like those quotes . but if he only said it for the media , no . but he also said i was never going to be playing for him again . so i do n't know . i 'll do my best to be available and play . ' tevez has been on a collision course with city 's hierarchy for over 12 months , having initially handed in a transfer request in december 2010 . the one-time west ham and manchester united star then saw a return to former club santos collapse in july . tevez has not played for the citizens since a domestic cup win against second-tier birmingham city in september . tevez also revealed he and mancini nearly came to blows after a premier league match last season and said that city could have handled the bayern incident differently . mancini said he was unsure what condition tevez would be in upon his return , but said the 28-year-old has the talent to be an asset to city in the closing months of the season . i do n't know if he is in good condition or not , ' mancini said . i do n't think so because he has n't played for four months . but carlos recovers strength very quickly . carlos can change a lot of games . if he comes back next week , maybe he can help us in the last three months . '
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tevez has not played since refusing to warm up as a substitute in september
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tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been a relationship fraught with tension and disagreements , but with valentine 's day around the corner , it appears carlos tevez and manchester city might be prepared to kiss and make up . the argentina striker has been frozen out of the first team picture at city since refusing to warm up as a substitute during a european champions league defeat to bayern munich in germany back in september . tevez has since been hit with a massive fine and was widely expected to leave the english premier league leaders in january , but a move failed to materialize despite interest from italian giants ac and inter milan . city manager roberto mancini has now hinted he may be prepared to forgive tevez , who captained the team to a first trophy in 35 years last season , in a bid to bolster the club 's chances of clinching their first top division title since 1968 . man city return to top of english premier league tevez also said he wanted to play for city again in an interview on argentinian television but risked further tension by laying the blame for the argument at mancini and city 's doorstep . everyone knows that tevez is a top player and it probably would have been better for us if he 'd been here , ' mancini told a press conference prior to sunday 's 1-0 win away at aston villa , which saw them return to the top of the table . i do n't have any problem and the club does n't have any problem . finish . it 's up to him . carlos knows everything , he knows the situation . i spoke with carlos one week after munich ... we are here . we 've not changed these past few months and carlos knows that . he is a city player . ' but mancini made it clear tevez , who is reportedly due to return to manchester from argentina this week , would have to apologize before he would get the opportunity to add to the 43 goals he has scored for the club since joining in 2009 . this is normal , ' the former inter coach said . then after carlos can train , can play , as long as his condition is good . if he comes back , we are happy . ' liverpool 's suarez apologizes for evra handshake snub but in an interview with fox sports latin america , tevez rejected he was to blame for the breakdown in relations . if i was wrong , i say sorry . i sincerely believe i did not make a mistake , ' he said . if it 's true that mancini said he will welcome me back if i 'm fit , then i like those quotes . but if he only said it for the media , no . but he also said i was never going to be playing for him again . so i do n't know . i 'll do my best to be available and play . ' tevez has been on a collision course with city 's hierarchy for over 12 months , having initially handed in a transfer request in december 2010 . the one-time west ham and manchester united star then saw a return to former club santos collapse in july . tevez has not played for the citizens since a domestic cup win against second-tier birmingham city in september . tevez also revealed he and mancini nearly came to blows after a premier league match last season and said that city could have handled the bayern incident differently . mancini said he was unsure what condition tevez would be in upon his return , but said the 28-year-old has the talent to be an asset to city in the closing months of the season . i do n't know if he is in good condition or not , ' mancini said . i do n't think so because he has n't played for four months . but carlos recovers strength very quickly . carlos can change a lot of games . if he comes back next week , maybe he can help us in the last three months . '
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tevez says on argentinian television he is not to blame for spat and wants to return
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tevez <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it has been a relationship fraught with tension and disagreements , but with valentine 's day around the corner , it appears carlos tevez and manchester city might be prepared to kiss and make up . the argentina striker has been frozen out of the first team picture at city since refusing to warm up as a substitute during a european champions league defeat to bayern munich in germany back in september . tevez has since been hit with a massive fine and was widely expected to leave the english premier league leaders in january , but a move failed to materialize despite interest from italian giants ac and inter milan . city manager roberto mancini has now hinted he may be prepared to forgive tevez , who captained the team to a first trophy in 35 years last season , in a bid to bolster the club 's chances of clinching their first top division title since 1968 . man city return to top of english premier league tevez also said he wanted to play for city again in an interview on argentinian television but risked further tension by laying the blame for the argument at mancini and city 's doorstep . everyone knows that tevez is a top player and it probably would have been better for us if he 'd been here , ' mancini told a press conference prior to sunday 's 1-0 win away at aston villa , which saw them return to the top of the table . i do n't have any problem and the club does n't have any problem . finish . it 's up to him . carlos knows everything , he knows the situation . i spoke with carlos one week after munich ... we are here . we 've not changed these past few months and carlos knows that . he is a city player . ' but mancini made it clear tevez , who is reportedly due to return to manchester from argentina this week , would have to apologize before he would get the opportunity to add to the 43 goals he has scored for the club since joining in 2009 . this is normal , ' the former inter coach said . then after carlos can train , can play , as long as his condition is good . if he comes back , we are happy . ' liverpool 's suarez apologizes for evra handshake snub but in an interview with fox sports latin america , tevez rejected he was to blame for the breakdown in relations . if i was wrong , i say sorry . i sincerely believe i did not make a mistake , ' he said . if it 's true that mancini said he will welcome me back if i 'm fit , then i like those quotes . but if he only said it for the media , no . but he also said i was never going to be playing for him again . so i do n't know . i 'll do my best to be available and play . ' tevez has been on a collision course with city 's hierarchy for over 12 months , having initially handed in a transfer request in december 2010 . the one-time west ham and manchester united star then saw a return to former club santos collapse in july . tevez has not played for the citizens since a domestic cup win against second-tier birmingham city in september . tevez also revealed he and mancini nearly came to blows after a premier league match last season and said that city could have handled the bayern incident differently . mancini said he was unsure what condition tevez would be in upon his return , but said the 28-year-old has the talent to be an asset to city in the closing months of the season . i do n't know if he is in good condition or not , ' mancini said . i do n't think so because he has n't played for four months . but carlos recovers strength very quickly . carlos can change a lot of games . if he comes back next week , maybe he can help us in the last three months . '
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city manager roberto mancini said tevez would have to apologize before playing again
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democratic <tsp> ( cnn ) -- the image of the empty factory has haunted american presidential campaigns for decades , but president barack obama tried to flip the picture thursday night . i 've signed trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of new customers , goods that are stamped with three proud words : made in america , ' obama said as he accepted the democratic nomination for a second term . after a decade of decline , this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years . ' that may sound surprising in an era where unemployment remains stuck above 8 % long after the official end of the 2007-2009 recession , so cnn took a closer look . the facts : american manufacturing jobs peaked in the late 1970s , according to figures from the u.s. bureau of labor statistics . the figures bounced up and down through the 1980s and 1990s before starting to drop steadily in 1998 . the sector employed 15.6 million in january 2002 , according to bls statistics , down from about 19.5 million in 1979 . they declined steadily through the next 10 years , falling to just under 11.5 million in january 2010 . but then the numbers turned around , rising to 11.9 million at the beginning of 2012 and just under 12 million as of july . but while the turn has been positive , the numbers of workers being hired each month are well below the figures posted a decade ago . new hires averaged about 400,000 a month in 2001 , compared with about 250,000 in 2011 . and as with other statistics cited during the three-day democratic convention , it 's not quite the whole picture . manufacturing sector employment is still down by about 500,000 since obama took office and by more than 3.7 million since the start of the recession in december 2007 . conclusion : obama 's statement is technically accurate , and he and other speakers took great pains to acknowledge the still-struggling recovery . but while the return to growth in manufacturing is indeed a promising turn of events , employment in the sector is still at a net loss during obama 's tenure . fact check : the $ 2,000 question fact check : about those 4.5 million jobs ... fact check : trimming the pentagon cnn 's matt smith and emily smith contributed to this report .
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obama touted that turnaround in his democratic convention speech
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peer <tsp> dubai , united arab emirates ( cnn ) -- the united arab emirates has refused to grant a visa to a female israeli tennis player , preventing her from competing in the sony ericsson world tennis association tour in dubai , the wta said in a statement sunday . the uae has refused to grant a visa allowing shahar peer to compete in dubai . shahar peer would have been the first israeli athlete to participate in a professional sporting event in the uae , cnn sports correspondent pedro pinto said . the uae has no diplomatic ties with israel . peer told cnn on sunday evening she was very , very disappointed ' to be denied access to the tournament . any player that qualifies should attend , and i was prevented , ' she said from israel . i 'm glad the wta support me . a red line was crossed for every athlete in the world -- politics should be kept separate from sports . ' the governing body of women 's tennis said it was deeply disappointed ' that peer was being denied entry to the country hosting the tournament , but it did not cancel the competition , which began sunday . the move runs counter to wta policy , which says no player should be barred from competing in a tournament for which she has qualified . dubai could lose its membership in the wta tour next year over the ban on peer , according to wta rules . that would mean professional players could compete only in exhibition matches in dubai , the results of which would not count in pro rankings . government officials in dubai have not responded to cnn 's request to comment over their refusal to allow peer to compete in the event . ms . peer has earned the right to play in the tournament , and it is regrettable that the uae is denying her this right , ' said larry scott , chairman and chief executive of the tour . watch scott express disappointment » ' following various consultations , the tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week , pending further review by the tour 's board of directors . ' the patron of the dubai tennis championships is dubai 's ruler , sheikh mohammed bin rashid al-makhtoum . two million dollars in prize money is on the line . al-makhtoum told cnn in 2004 that dubai would accept israeli students to a school dedicated to students from the middle east who are talented at sports . in 2003 , dubai hosted world bank and international monetary fund meetings , which israeli government officials attended . the israeli flag -- among other member states'flags -- is still part of a globe monument in dubai . peer , 21 , is ranked 48th in the world among female tennis players . she was allowed to compete at the doha tournament in qatar last year , where she received a warm welcome , according to israeli daily newspaper haaretz . qatar , another gulf arab state , froze diplomatic ties with israel after israel 's military offensive in gaza last month . peer downplayed the political undertones of her participation in last year 's doha tournament , telling haaretz that she did n't come to qatar to help the politics of course . ' but she added that if her playing in the tournament can help for peace or anything , i 'd be really happy . ' scott said the tour will review appropriate remedies for ms . peer ' as well as appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the dubai tournament . ' peer was advised saturday by tournament and wta officials of the denial of her visa while she was participating in a tournament in pattaya , thailand , according to a wta statement . the dubai tennis championships runs through february 28 . cnn 's shira medding in jerusalem contributed to this report .
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new : shahar peer , female israeli tennis player , says she 's very , very disappointed '
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peer <tsp> dubai , united arab emirates ( cnn ) -- the united arab emirates has refused to grant a visa to a female israeli tennis player , preventing her from competing in the sony ericsson world tennis association tour in dubai , the wta said in a statement sunday . the uae has refused to grant a visa allowing shahar peer to compete in dubai . shahar peer would have been the first israeli athlete to participate in a professional sporting event in the uae , cnn sports correspondent pedro pinto said . the uae has no diplomatic ties with israel . peer told cnn on sunday evening she was very , very disappointed ' to be denied access to the tournament . any player that qualifies should attend , and i was prevented , ' she said from israel . i 'm glad the wta support me . a red line was crossed for every athlete in the world -- politics should be kept separate from sports . ' the governing body of women 's tennis said it was deeply disappointed ' that peer was being denied entry to the country hosting the tournament , but it did not cancel the competition , which began sunday . the move runs counter to wta policy , which says no player should be barred from competing in a tournament for which she has qualified . dubai could lose its membership in the wta tour next year over the ban on peer , according to wta rules . that would mean professional players could compete only in exhibition matches in dubai , the results of which would not count in pro rankings . government officials in dubai have not responded to cnn 's request to comment over their refusal to allow peer to compete in the event . ms . peer has earned the right to play in the tournament , and it is regrettable that the uae is denying her this right , ' said larry scott , chairman and chief executive of the tour . watch scott express disappointment » ' following various consultations , the tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week , pending further review by the tour 's board of directors . ' the patron of the dubai tennis championships is dubai 's ruler , sheikh mohammed bin rashid al-makhtoum . two million dollars in prize money is on the line . al-makhtoum told cnn in 2004 that dubai would accept israeli students to a school dedicated to students from the middle east who are talented at sports . in 2003 , dubai hosted world bank and international monetary fund meetings , which israeli government officials attended . the israeli flag -- among other member states'flags -- is still part of a globe monument in dubai . peer , 21 , is ranked 48th in the world among female tennis players . she was allowed to compete at the doha tournament in qatar last year , where she received a warm welcome , according to israeli daily newspaper haaretz . qatar , another gulf arab state , froze diplomatic ties with israel after israel 's military offensive in gaza last month . peer downplayed the political undertones of her participation in last year 's doha tournament , telling haaretz that she did n't come to qatar to help the politics of course . ' but she added that if her playing in the tournament can help for peace or anything , i 'd be really happy . ' scott said the tour will review appropriate remedies for ms . peer ' as well as appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the dubai tournament . ' peer was advised saturday by tournament and wta officials of the denial of her visa while she was participating in a tournament in pattaya , thailand , according to a wta statement . the dubai tennis championships runs through february 28 . cnn 's shira medding in jerusalem contributed to this report .
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united arab emirates refuses to grant a visa to peer
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peer <tsp> dubai , united arab emirates ( cnn ) -- the united arab emirates has refused to grant a visa to a female israeli tennis player , preventing her from competing in the sony ericsson world tennis association tour in dubai , the wta said in a statement sunday . the uae has refused to grant a visa allowing shahar peer to compete in dubai . shahar peer would have been the first israeli athlete to participate in a professional sporting event in the uae , cnn sports correspondent pedro pinto said . the uae has no diplomatic ties with israel . peer told cnn on sunday evening she was very , very disappointed ' to be denied access to the tournament . any player that qualifies should attend , and i was prevented , ' she said from israel . i 'm glad the wta support me . a red line was crossed for every athlete in the world -- politics should be kept separate from sports . ' the governing body of women 's tennis said it was deeply disappointed ' that peer was being denied entry to the country hosting the tournament , but it did not cancel the competition , which began sunday . the move runs counter to wta policy , which says no player should be barred from competing in a tournament for which she has qualified . dubai could lose its membership in the wta tour next year over the ban on peer , according to wta rules . that would mean professional players could compete only in exhibition matches in dubai , the results of which would not count in pro rankings . government officials in dubai have not responded to cnn 's request to comment over their refusal to allow peer to compete in the event . ms . peer has earned the right to play in the tournament , and it is regrettable that the uae is denying her this right , ' said larry scott , chairman and chief executive of the tour . watch scott express disappointment » ' following various consultations , the tour has decided to allow the tournament to continue to be played this week , pending further review by the tour 's board of directors . ' the patron of the dubai tennis championships is dubai 's ruler , sheikh mohammed bin rashid al-makhtoum . two million dollars in prize money is on the line . al-makhtoum told cnn in 2004 that dubai would accept israeli students to a school dedicated to students from the middle east who are talented at sports . in 2003 , dubai hosted world bank and international monetary fund meetings , which israeli government officials attended . the israeli flag -- among other member states'flags -- is still part of a globe monument in dubai . peer , 21 , is ranked 48th in the world among female tennis players . she was allowed to compete at the doha tournament in qatar last year , where she received a warm welcome , according to israeli daily newspaper haaretz . qatar , another gulf arab state , froze diplomatic ties with israel after israel 's military offensive in gaza last month . peer downplayed the political undertones of her participation in last year 's doha tournament , telling haaretz that she did n't come to qatar to help the politics of course . ' but she added that if her playing in the tournament can help for peace or anything , i 'd be really happy . ' scott said the tour will review appropriate remedies for ms . peer ' as well as appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the dubai tournament . ' peer was advised saturday by tournament and wta officials of the denial of her visa while she was participating in a tournament in pattaya , thailand , according to a wta statement . the dubai tennis championships runs through february 28 . cnn 's shira medding in jerusalem contributed to this report .
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peer needed the visa to play in the dubai tennis championships
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maryann sumi <tsp> ( cnn ) -- a wisconsin judge on thursday dismissed one of three lawsuits challenging the state 's controversial collective bargaining law . circuit judge maryann sumi dismissed the suit filed by dane county and two officials , county executive kathleen falk and county board chair scott mcdonell , saying the county lacks legal standing to assert constitutional claims against the state . under longstanding wisconsin law , an agency or arm of government lacks authority to challenge the constitutionality of state statutes , ' sumi wrote . however , she indicated that falk and mcdonell may continue the suit as individuals and taxpayers . the judge 's decision today states only the district attorney or the attorney general can sue the state to enforce the open meetings law , ' falk said in a prepared statement . it 's for this reason that i was among the first of several officials to file formal complaints with the district attorney and attorney general the very day after legislative republicans broke open meetings laws . i applaud ( dane county ) district attorney ( ismael ) ozanne for taking up this issue . ' sumi in late march stopped the law from taking effect so she could hear one of the other two suits -- filed by democrats who said they were not given enough time to vote on the law they were fighting . thelaw would curb the collective bargaining rights of most state employees . the democrats'suit , filed by ozanne , alleges that republican legislators violated the state 's open meetings law by calling a committee meeting to amend gop gov . scott walker 's budget bill without providing the public with the necessary 24-hour advance notice . state democrats said they were given only two hours notice for a vote . the amended bill , which had been stalled for weeks by 14 democratic state senators who left wisconsin to prevent a quorum -- and thus a vote on the measure -- then sailed through an easy full state senate vote on march 9 . the state house of representatives then passed the bill , and walker signed it into law on march 11 . the public brouhaha over walker 's $ 137 million budget repair bill all but shut down the wisconsin legislature for weeks . it also drew protesters by the tens of thousands , among them union supporters and public employees , who called the proposed measure an attack on workers . while the judge ruled the county is n't the proper jurisdiction to file this suit , her ruling does n't affect her outstanding restraining order in the district attorney 's case that blocks implementation of the legislation that eliminates the rights of public workers , ' falk 's statement said . her decision also does n't dismiss the questions of open meetings and quorum violations . ... it just says dane county is n't the proper entity to sue the state over those violations , ' falk said .
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judge maryann sumi said dane county lacks standing to sue
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nigeria <tsp> heavily armed men descended on the school as the girls slept . bullets flew as guards fought back , but they lost . the men , boko haram militants , herded more than 100 students onto buses , vans and trucks and drove off , flanked by motorcycles , authorities said . that was monday . by wednesday , just eight of the 129 abducted school girls were still missing , according to the nigerian military . it was not immediately clear how the girls became free . their conditions were also not clear . they forced us into trucks , buses and vans , some of which were carrying foodstuffs and petrol . they left with us in a convoy into the bush , ' said a student among the girls who escaped and who declined to be named for security reasons . a group of motorcyclists flanked the convoy to ensure none of us escaped . ' at one point , one of the trucks broke down and the girls on that vehicle were transferred to another one , the student said . the broken down truck was set on fire , she added . when another vehicle broke down and the men tried to fix it , some of us jumped out of the vehicles and ran into the bush . we later found our way back to chibok , ' she said , referring to the northeastern town where her school is located . one of the alleged attackers has been captured , and a military search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to ensure the safety of the remaining students , ' maj. gen. chris olukolade said wednesday . boko haram , which translates as western education is sin , ' is an islamist militant group waging a campaign of violence in northeastern nigeria , particularly in the states of borno , yobe and adamawa . the group is known to have carried out deadly attacks on other schools in the northeast . in a clip released by the group on march 23 , leader abubakar shekau threatened to launch raids and abduct girls from schools . they took away my daughter and my niece ... and we fear for their safety in the hands of these merciless people that take delight in killing and destruction , ' said the mother of one of the abducted girls . i do n't know what to do . the whole family is confused and we have turned to prayers , which is all we have . ' in early march , borno state 's government closed all its 85 secondary schools and sent more than 120,000 students home after increasing boko haram attacks . the nigerian government is struggling to control the bloodshed between the mainly muslim north and christian south that has claimed more than 3,000 lives since boko haram came to prominence in 2009 , according to human rights watch . rescue teams are fanning out in the forest rescue teams , aided by surveillance helicopters , were moving deeper into the vast forest that extends into neighboring cameroon and other states in the region , said ali ndume , a senator representing southern borno state , in which chibok is located . soldiers and the civilian joint task force , as well as volunteers from the area , are now combing the forest to rescue the schoolgirls . they are aided by surveillance helicopters to locate the kidnappers'position , ' ndume said . the teams ventured into the woods after a broken down truck believed to have been part of the kidnapping convoy was found abandoned at the edge of the forest , which suggests that the abductors took their hostages into the woods on foot , he added . a military official involved in the rescue operation also confirmed a broken down truck was found in the brush . we are now trying to locate the whereabouts of the abducted girls , ' said the military source , who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the issue . before the military 's announcement that most of the students had been freed , borno gov . kashim shettima told reporters about 14 girls had escaped . he pledged 50 million naira , around $ 300,000 , to any person or persons who could provide information that would lead to the rescue of the girls .'pain , sorrow and anguish'for families distraught parents of the abducted girls anxiously waited for news , many of them crowded outside the burned home of the chibok district administrator . the gunmen burned homes and businesses in the town as they fled with the girls , witnesses said . we are calling on the government to do everything possible to track these people and save your daughters from them . they should not allow our daughters'dreams to be shattered by these murderers , ' said the mother of one abducted girl . a statement from the office of nigerian president goodluck jonathan , said he ordered security forces to deploy maximum efforts ' in rescuing the girls and welcomed reports of some rescues . president jonathan deeply regrets the pain , sorrow and anguish brought upon many nigerian families in recent days as a consequence of recurring security challenges which the nation is contending with , ' the statement said . u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon called for the girls' immediate release , ' according to a statement from ban 's spokesperson . he is deeply alarmed about the increasing frequency and brutality of attacks ' against schools in northern nigeria . the targeting of schools and schoolchildren is a grave violation of international humanitarian law . schools are , and must remain , safe places where children can learn and grow in peace , ' the statement said .
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military search teams are focusing on the forest in northeast nigeria
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st. lachlan <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sri lanka , the teardrop-shaped island that in 2009 emerged from more than a quarter century of civil war , has staked claim as one of asia 's most exciting new destinations . with the beaches of negombo and galle on the west coast and world heritage-listed ancient cities , sri lanka is experiencing a tourism boom . as the country 's tourism offerings have grown more sophisticated , so have its hotels . here are a selection of the best . reefs edge it 's only 20 minutes from the capital colombo , but stand on the balcony of reefs edge and you 'll feel like you 're on a deserted island . the view of the indian ocean is obstructed only by palm trees , affording guests front-row seats to blood red and beautiful sunsets . a velvet green lawn runs 20 meters from the hotel to the beach , where sun beds and wicker domes beckon layabouts and drinkers of cocktails . though it has only 22 suites , reefs edge has the look and feel of a large hotel . inside , french oak flooring , pastel-colored furniture and open-air bathrooms decked out with rain showers and glass washbasins creating an aura of simple sophistication . complete with a day spa , gymnasium , steam room , seafood restaurant and a separate 250-seat banquet hall shaped like noah 's ark , reefs edge takes the edge off a vacation in sri lanka . reefs edge , 300 old colombo road , uswetakeiyawa , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 11 789 1111 ; double standard room with breakfast $ 100 per night st. lachlan twenty minutes north of reefs edge , negombo is sri lanka 's most popular beachside town , thanks to its proximity to the international airport . located in a quiet alleyway perpendicular to the main drag , the st. lachlan is a boutique property with 16 rooms and suites . the interior speaks colonial cool : it has 10-foot-high doors with giant brass knockers , richly varnished shutters and teak furniture everywhere you look , with antlers and indigenous artwork accentuating the walls . a riot of giant freshwater prawns , snapper and spices , the seafood platter at arias , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant , is among the best in negombo . little wonder -- it 's run by harpo gooneratne , commonly known as sri lanka 's first dj and popular restaurateur . st. lachlan , 25 st. anthony 's lane , poruthtota road , negombo ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 227 5000 ; standard room $ 115 per night heritance tea factory take willy wonka 's chocolate factory and replace the chocolate with tea . now convert it into a luxury hotel . the result is the heritance tea factory , a resplendent four-star hotel set at 2,000 meters above sea level in the rolling green tea-growing region of sri lanka 's southern highlands . latticed with green and red metal and brass , the hotel 's museum-like lobby is wallpapered with historic photographs . it 's centered around an atrium that houses the factory 's original steam engine . every evening , this mechanical colossus with its giant gears and camel-hair conveyer belt is turned on for 30 minutes . the 54 rooms are carpeted and cozy , while the staff , attired in crisp white shirts , bow ties and bell hats , personify the sophistication of the british colonial period . heritance tea factory , kandapola nuwara eliya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 52 555 5000 ; double superior room with full board $ 300 per night jetwing vil uyana like something out of luke skywalker 's tatooine , sigiriya rock fortress is an ancient palace set atop a 200-meter-high natural stone column . at the rock 's base lie a series of pools and cisterns . they 're interlinked by an underground conduit network that works as well today as it did when it was built 1,500 years ago . matching its sophistication is vil uyana , a luxurious ecolodge set in a wetland a 15-minute drive from sigiriya . vil uyana 's 30 chalets feature teak floors , palm-thatch ceilings , balinese bathrooms and woven reed wall hangings . edging a mauve green lake brimming with birdlife , the swimming pool and lobby lead to a colonial-chic restaurant upstairs bookended by six-meter-high stone walls that are a nod to sigiriya 's ancient architects . jetwing vil uyana , sigiriya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 66 492 3585 ; double garden dwelling $ 524 per night palagama beach in 2008 , while visiting his father 's family in colombo , british advertising executive john balmond snuck off for the weekend to the kalpitiya peninsula a two-hour drive to the north . he stayed in a banana-leaf bungalow , one of three accommodation properties on the lush , palm-fringed finger of land that divides the puttalam lagoon from the indian ocean . today there are 42 properties on the peninsula , including palagama beach , owned by balmond and designed by cecil balmond ( designer of london olympics orbit ) . set on a grassy parcel of land on the beach , the property features 14 generously spaced cabanas and villas that blend modern amenities , luxury touches and village style . other highlights include an infinity-edged pool , a restaurant and a banana-leaf bar/moonlight cinema . palagama beach , norocholai , kalpitiya peninsula , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 777 186 176 ; beach cabanas with breakfast from $ 220 per night pledge3 sri lanka 's most sophisticated hotel is pledge3 , a five-star oasis of luxury and retro style in busy negombo . every corner of this boutique hotel screams cutting edge design . the 12 suites are spread across two floors surrounding an internal flagstone courtyard . the third floor is home to two apartment-size attic suites featuring executive work stations , private terraces and glass-encased bathrooms outfitted with his and her washbasins , egg-shaped bathtubs and presidential toilet bowls ( whatever that means ) . the courtyard leads to an open-air restaurant where the decor -- cherry red support beams and white leather couches -- is as eccentric as the japanese-sri lankan-mediterranean fusion menu . beyond it lies a tropical garden centered by a saltwater pool where attendants with the reflexes of wimbledon ball boys attend to guests'every beck and call . pledge3 , 3 kattuwa road , negombo , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 222 4005 ; deluxe double suite with breakfast $ 305 , or $ 405 for an attic suite per night
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run by sri lanka 's first dj and popular restauranteur , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant is one of the best in negombo
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negombo <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sri lanka , the teardrop-shaped island that in 2009 emerged from more than a quarter century of civil war , has staked claim as one of asia 's most exciting new destinations . with the beaches of negombo and galle on the west coast and world heritage-listed ancient cities , sri lanka is experiencing a tourism boom . as the country 's tourism offerings have grown more sophisticated , so have its hotels . here are a selection of the best . reefs edge it 's only 20 minutes from the capital colombo , but stand on the balcony of reefs edge and you 'll feel like you 're on a deserted island . the view of the indian ocean is obstructed only by palm trees , affording guests front-row seats to blood red and beautiful sunsets . a velvet green lawn runs 20 meters from the hotel to the beach , where sun beds and wicker domes beckon layabouts and drinkers of cocktails . though it has only 22 suites , reefs edge has the look and feel of a large hotel . inside , french oak flooring , pastel-colored furniture and open-air bathrooms decked out with rain showers and glass washbasins creating an aura of simple sophistication . complete with a day spa , gymnasium , steam room , seafood restaurant and a separate 250-seat banquet hall shaped like noah 's ark , reefs edge takes the edge off a vacation in sri lanka . reefs edge , 300 old colombo road , uswetakeiyawa , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 11 789 1111 ; double standard room with breakfast $ 100 per night st. lachlan twenty minutes north of reefs edge , negombo is sri lanka 's most popular beachside town , thanks to its proximity to the international airport . located in a quiet alleyway perpendicular to the main drag , the st. lachlan is a boutique property with 16 rooms and suites . the interior speaks colonial cool : it has 10-foot-high doors with giant brass knockers , richly varnished shutters and teak furniture everywhere you look , with antlers and indigenous artwork accentuating the walls . a riot of giant freshwater prawns , snapper and spices , the seafood platter at arias , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant , is among the best in negombo . little wonder -- it 's run by harpo gooneratne , commonly known as sri lanka 's first dj and popular restaurateur . st. lachlan , 25 st. anthony 's lane , poruthtota road , negombo ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 227 5000 ; standard room $ 115 per night heritance tea factory take willy wonka 's chocolate factory and replace the chocolate with tea . now convert it into a luxury hotel . the result is the heritance tea factory , a resplendent four-star hotel set at 2,000 meters above sea level in the rolling green tea-growing region of sri lanka 's southern highlands . latticed with green and red metal and brass , the hotel 's museum-like lobby is wallpapered with historic photographs . it 's centered around an atrium that houses the factory 's original steam engine . every evening , this mechanical colossus with its giant gears and camel-hair conveyer belt is turned on for 30 minutes . the 54 rooms are carpeted and cozy , while the staff , attired in crisp white shirts , bow ties and bell hats , personify the sophistication of the british colonial period . heritance tea factory , kandapola nuwara eliya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 52 555 5000 ; double superior room with full board $ 300 per night jetwing vil uyana like something out of luke skywalker 's tatooine , sigiriya rock fortress is an ancient palace set atop a 200-meter-high natural stone column . at the rock 's base lie a series of pools and cisterns . they 're interlinked by an underground conduit network that works as well today as it did when it was built 1,500 years ago . matching its sophistication is vil uyana , a luxurious ecolodge set in a wetland a 15-minute drive from sigiriya . vil uyana 's 30 chalets feature teak floors , palm-thatch ceilings , balinese bathrooms and woven reed wall hangings . edging a mauve green lake brimming with birdlife , the swimming pool and lobby lead to a colonial-chic restaurant upstairs bookended by six-meter-high stone walls that are a nod to sigiriya 's ancient architects . jetwing vil uyana , sigiriya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 66 492 3585 ; double garden dwelling $ 524 per night palagama beach in 2008 , while visiting his father 's family in colombo , british advertising executive john balmond snuck off for the weekend to the kalpitiya peninsula a two-hour drive to the north . he stayed in a banana-leaf bungalow , one of three accommodation properties on the lush , palm-fringed finger of land that divides the puttalam lagoon from the indian ocean . today there are 42 properties on the peninsula , including palagama beach , owned by balmond and designed by cecil balmond ( designer of london olympics orbit ) . set on a grassy parcel of land on the beach , the property features 14 generously spaced cabanas and villas that blend modern amenities , luxury touches and village style . other highlights include an infinity-edged pool , a restaurant and a banana-leaf bar/moonlight cinema . palagama beach , norocholai , kalpitiya peninsula , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 777 186 176 ; beach cabanas with breakfast from $ 220 per night pledge3 sri lanka 's most sophisticated hotel is pledge3 , a five-star oasis of luxury and retro style in busy negombo . every corner of this boutique hotel screams cutting edge design . the 12 suites are spread across two floors surrounding an internal flagstone courtyard . the third floor is home to two apartment-size attic suites featuring executive work stations , private terraces and glass-encased bathrooms outfitted with his and her washbasins , egg-shaped bathtubs and presidential toilet bowls ( whatever that means ) . the courtyard leads to an open-air restaurant where the decor -- cherry red support beams and white leather couches -- is as eccentric as the japanese-sri lankan-mediterranean fusion menu . beyond it lies a tropical garden centered by a saltwater pool where attendants with the reflexes of wimbledon ball boys attend to guests'every beck and call . pledge3 , 3 kattuwa road , negombo , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 222 4005 ; deluxe double suite with breakfast $ 305 , or $ 405 for an attic suite per night
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run by sri lanka 's first dj and popular restauranteur , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant is one of the best in negombo
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sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sri lanka , the teardrop-shaped island that in 2009 emerged from more than a quarter century of civil war , has staked claim as one of asia 's most exciting new destinations . with the beaches of negombo and galle on the west coast and world heritage-listed ancient cities , sri lanka is experiencing a tourism boom . as the country 's tourism offerings have grown more sophisticated , so have its hotels . here are a selection of the best . reefs edge it 's only 20 minutes from the capital colombo , but stand on the balcony of reefs edge and you 'll feel like you 're on a deserted island . the view of the indian ocean is obstructed only by palm trees , affording guests front-row seats to blood red and beautiful sunsets . a velvet green lawn runs 20 meters from the hotel to the beach , where sun beds and wicker domes beckon layabouts and drinkers of cocktails . though it has only 22 suites , reefs edge has the look and feel of a large hotel . inside , french oak flooring , pastel-colored furniture and open-air bathrooms decked out with rain showers and glass washbasins creating an aura of simple sophistication . complete with a day spa , gymnasium , steam room , seafood restaurant and a separate 250-seat banquet hall shaped like noah 's ark , reefs edge takes the edge off a vacation in sri lanka . reefs edge , 300 old colombo road , uswetakeiyawa , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 11 789 1111 ; double standard room with breakfast $ 100 per night st. lachlan twenty minutes north of reefs edge , negombo is sri lanka 's most popular beachside town , thanks to its proximity to the international airport . located in a quiet alleyway perpendicular to the main drag , the st. lachlan is a boutique property with 16 rooms and suites . the interior speaks colonial cool : it has 10-foot-high doors with giant brass knockers , richly varnished shutters and teak furniture everywhere you look , with antlers and indigenous artwork accentuating the walls . a riot of giant freshwater prawns , snapper and spices , the seafood platter at arias , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant , is among the best in negombo . little wonder -- it 's run by harpo gooneratne , commonly known as sri lanka 's first dj and popular restaurateur . st. lachlan , 25 st. anthony 's lane , poruthtota road , negombo ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 227 5000 ; standard room $ 115 per night heritance tea factory take willy wonka 's chocolate factory and replace the chocolate with tea . now convert it into a luxury hotel . the result is the heritance tea factory , a resplendent four-star hotel set at 2,000 meters above sea level in the rolling green tea-growing region of sri lanka 's southern highlands . latticed with green and red metal and brass , the hotel 's museum-like lobby is wallpapered with historic photographs . it 's centered around an atrium that houses the factory 's original steam engine . every evening , this mechanical colossus with its giant gears and camel-hair conveyer belt is turned on for 30 minutes . the 54 rooms are carpeted and cozy , while the staff , attired in crisp white shirts , bow ties and bell hats , personify the sophistication of the british colonial period . heritance tea factory , kandapola nuwara eliya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 52 555 5000 ; double superior room with full board $ 300 per night jetwing vil uyana like something out of luke skywalker 's tatooine , sigiriya rock fortress is an ancient palace set atop a 200-meter-high natural stone column . at the rock 's base lie a series of pools and cisterns . they 're interlinked by an underground conduit network that works as well today as it did when it was built 1,500 years ago . matching its sophistication is vil uyana , a luxurious ecolodge set in a wetland a 15-minute drive from sigiriya . vil uyana 's 30 chalets feature teak floors , palm-thatch ceilings , balinese bathrooms and woven reed wall hangings . edging a mauve green lake brimming with birdlife , the swimming pool and lobby lead to a colonial-chic restaurant upstairs bookended by six-meter-high stone walls that are a nod to sigiriya 's ancient architects . jetwing vil uyana , sigiriya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 66 492 3585 ; double garden dwelling $ 524 per night palagama beach in 2008 , while visiting his father 's family in colombo , british advertising executive john balmond snuck off for the weekend to the kalpitiya peninsula a two-hour drive to the north . he stayed in a banana-leaf bungalow , one of three accommodation properties on the lush , palm-fringed finger of land that divides the puttalam lagoon from the indian ocean . today there are 42 properties on the peninsula , including palagama beach , owned by balmond and designed by cecil balmond ( designer of london olympics orbit ) . set on a grassy parcel of land on the beach , the property features 14 generously spaced cabanas and villas that blend modern amenities , luxury touches and village style . other highlights include an infinity-edged pool , a restaurant and a banana-leaf bar/moonlight cinema . palagama beach , norocholai , kalpitiya peninsula , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 777 186 176 ; beach cabanas with breakfast from $ 220 per night pledge3 sri lanka 's most sophisticated hotel is pledge3 , a five-star oasis of luxury and retro style in busy negombo . every corner of this boutique hotel screams cutting edge design . the 12 suites are spread across two floors surrounding an internal flagstone courtyard . the third floor is home to two apartment-size attic suites featuring executive work stations , private terraces and glass-encased bathrooms outfitted with his and her washbasins , egg-shaped bathtubs and presidential toilet bowls ( whatever that means ) . the courtyard leads to an open-air restaurant where the decor -- cherry red support beams and white leather couches -- is as eccentric as the japanese-sri lankan-mediterranean fusion menu . beyond it lies a tropical garden centered by a saltwater pool where attendants with the reflexes of wimbledon ball boys attend to guests'every beck and call . pledge3 , 3 kattuwa road , negombo , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 222 4005 ; deluxe double suite with breakfast $ 305 , or $ 405 for an attic suite per night
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sri lanka 's tourism boom results in a rise of sophisticated hotels
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sri lanka <tsp> ( cnn ) -- sri lanka , the teardrop-shaped island that in 2009 emerged from more than a quarter century of civil war , has staked claim as one of asia 's most exciting new destinations . with the beaches of negombo and galle on the west coast and world heritage-listed ancient cities , sri lanka is experiencing a tourism boom . as the country 's tourism offerings have grown more sophisticated , so have its hotels . here are a selection of the best . reefs edge it 's only 20 minutes from the capital colombo , but stand on the balcony of reefs edge and you 'll feel like you 're on a deserted island . the view of the indian ocean is obstructed only by palm trees , affording guests front-row seats to blood red and beautiful sunsets . a velvet green lawn runs 20 meters from the hotel to the beach , where sun beds and wicker domes beckon layabouts and drinkers of cocktails . though it has only 22 suites , reefs edge has the look and feel of a large hotel . inside , french oak flooring , pastel-colored furniture and open-air bathrooms decked out with rain showers and glass washbasins creating an aura of simple sophistication . complete with a day spa , gymnasium , steam room , seafood restaurant and a separate 250-seat banquet hall shaped like noah 's ark , reefs edge takes the edge off a vacation in sri lanka . reefs edge , 300 old colombo road , uswetakeiyawa , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 11 789 1111 ; double standard room with breakfast $ 100 per night st. lachlan twenty minutes north of reefs edge , negombo is sri lanka 's most popular beachside town , thanks to its proximity to the international airport . located in a quiet alleyway perpendicular to the main drag , the st. lachlan is a boutique property with 16 rooms and suites . the interior speaks colonial cool : it has 10-foot-high doors with giant brass knockers , richly varnished shutters and teak furniture everywhere you look , with antlers and indigenous artwork accentuating the walls . a riot of giant freshwater prawns , snapper and spices , the seafood platter at arias , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant , is among the best in negombo . little wonder -- it 's run by harpo gooneratne , commonly known as sri lanka 's first dj and popular restaurateur . st. lachlan , 25 st. anthony 's lane , poruthtota road , negombo ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 227 5000 ; standard room $ 115 per night heritance tea factory take willy wonka 's chocolate factory and replace the chocolate with tea . now convert it into a luxury hotel . the result is the heritance tea factory , a resplendent four-star hotel set at 2,000 meters above sea level in the rolling green tea-growing region of sri lanka 's southern highlands . latticed with green and red metal and brass , the hotel 's museum-like lobby is wallpapered with historic photographs . it 's centered around an atrium that houses the factory 's original steam engine . every evening , this mechanical colossus with its giant gears and camel-hair conveyer belt is turned on for 30 minutes . the 54 rooms are carpeted and cozy , while the staff , attired in crisp white shirts , bow ties and bell hats , personify the sophistication of the british colonial period . heritance tea factory , kandapola nuwara eliya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 52 555 5000 ; double superior room with full board $ 300 per night jetwing vil uyana like something out of luke skywalker 's tatooine , sigiriya rock fortress is an ancient palace set atop a 200-meter-high natural stone column . at the rock 's base lie a series of pools and cisterns . they 're interlinked by an underground conduit network that works as well today as it did when it was built 1,500 years ago . matching its sophistication is vil uyana , a luxurious ecolodge set in a wetland a 15-minute drive from sigiriya . vil uyana 's 30 chalets feature teak floors , palm-thatch ceilings , balinese bathrooms and woven reed wall hangings . edging a mauve green lake brimming with birdlife , the swimming pool and lobby lead to a colonial-chic restaurant upstairs bookended by six-meter-high stone walls that are a nod to sigiriya 's ancient architects . jetwing vil uyana , sigiriya , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 66 492 3585 ; double garden dwelling $ 524 per night palagama beach in 2008 , while visiting his father 's family in colombo , british advertising executive john balmond snuck off for the weekend to the kalpitiya peninsula a two-hour drive to the north . he stayed in a banana-leaf bungalow , one of three accommodation properties on the lush , palm-fringed finger of land that divides the puttalam lagoon from the indian ocean . today there are 42 properties on the peninsula , including palagama beach , owned by balmond and designed by cecil balmond ( designer of london olympics orbit ) . set on a grassy parcel of land on the beach , the property features 14 generously spaced cabanas and villas that blend modern amenities , luxury touches and village style . other highlights include an infinity-edged pool , a restaurant and a banana-leaf bar/moonlight cinema . palagama beach , norocholai , kalpitiya peninsula , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 777 186 176 ; beach cabanas with breakfast from $ 220 per night pledge3 sri lanka 's most sophisticated hotel is pledge3 , a five-star oasis of luxury and retro style in busy negombo . every corner of this boutique hotel screams cutting edge design . the 12 suites are spread across two floors surrounding an internal flagstone courtyard . the third floor is home to two apartment-size attic suites featuring executive work stations , private terraces and glass-encased bathrooms outfitted with his and her washbasins , egg-shaped bathtubs and presidential toilet bowls ( whatever that means ) . the courtyard leads to an open-air restaurant where the decor -- cherry red support beams and white leather couches -- is as eccentric as the japanese-sri lankan-mediterranean fusion menu . beyond it lies a tropical garden centered by a saltwater pool where attendants with the reflexes of wimbledon ball boys attend to guests'every beck and call . pledge3 , 3 kattuwa road , negombo , sri lanka ; +94 ( 0 ) 31 222 4005 ; deluxe double suite with breakfast $ 305 , or $ 405 for an attic suite per night
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run by sri lanka 's first dj and popular restauranteur , st. lachlan 's poolside restaurant is one of the best in negombo
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banksy <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it starts with a squiggle on an abandoned building , then another , and another , until the once-blank wall is transformed into a mural . a tag from the author marks the final touch . eventually , this makeshift canvas will be wiped clean , restored to a mundane white wall , so the process can begin again . it 's the nature of street art : spontaneous , public , fleeting . inspired by graffiti 's transient nature , peter ferrari said he went through a banksy phase at age 15 , referring to the british street artist known for his subversive and polarizing street exhibits . banksy spurred the young ferrari to begin spray painting garages with colorful aerosols . back then it was more ,'screw you mom and dad , i am going to draw on walls .'back then it was n't about the artistic side , ' he said of his youthful rebellion . the 31-year-old , known across atlanta as the artist plf , is hesitant to call himself a graffiti or even a street artist . the former montessori schoolteacher , whose sprawling murals are found across atlanta walls and commissioned by both private companies and individuals , instead sees himself as a public artist . because of his use of spray paint , people around the city still call him a street artist . but what 's the difference , anyway ? well , graffiti is illegal for one thing ... but it 's a true art form , ' ferrari said . what started as a subculture on the streets of new york in the 1970s has gained popularity in the decades since . graffiti , often used synonymously with street art , has become aesthetically trendy in many places across america . dave betts said graffiti is celebrated in his brooklyn , new york , neighborhood of williamsburg . there are even art appreciation tours that include some of the street art , ' he said . opinion : olympics street art should be embraced street art is a culture in brooklyn . i appreciate the capability and expression of the street artists in the area who have transformed streets that were considered common industrial sites , ' he said . what impresses me most is that graffiti ca n't be bought , ' betts said . although graffiti was introduced to american street culture in the 1970s , ferrari said the technique was around before then . graffiti in its current state has been around for decades . it is probably one of the largest art trends to last , ' he said . think about pop art , it only lasted for 20 years , and it was one of the biggest trends . i mean , even cave paintings can be considered'graffiti ,' he said . what is graffiti ? graffiti is an affirmation of the individual , ' said sara cochran , curator of modern and contemporary at the phoenix art museum . the idea of graffiti has a lot to do with raw energy and authenticity . ' in the realm of public space , street and public art are often indistinguishable . sometimes , what was once viewed as graffiti becomes pricey art . cochran points to banksy as an example . banksy came from the streets and now has gallery shows and auctions , ' she said . despite banksy 's rise into the high-end art world , he still hides his identity , she pointed out . there is more to street art than who creates it , cochran said . like banksy , who is socially and politically driven , graffiti is driven by almost a communal pride , ' she said . street art is considered rebellious in nature and illegal in practice , while public art is commissioned by cities or property owners and is considered culturally enriching and socially acceptable . artists have used public spaces to showcase themes and bring awareness to issues . marilynn shcolnik was captivated when she saw blue trees in seattle 's downtown area . what shcolnik saw was the blue trees , ' part of a public art installation by australian artist konstantin dimopoulos . dimopoulos covered the trees in a natural water-base pigment . the purpose of the piece is to bring awareness to global deforestation , according to his website . like dimopoulos , ferrari sees public space as a canvas and public art as an avenue to bring his aerosol-inspired artwork to a larger audience , further blurring the lines between street and public art .'weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow' but does blurring the lines mean selling out ? ferrari said he does n't think so . in fact , he said he has been hoping to enter the realm of public art for a long time . he sees being a public artist as an opportunity . every time you do mural work , it is like another advertisement of yourself , ' he said . and this is the year for me to get into bigger galleries and publications . ' but he said people try to differentiate the two . there is this weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow in the art world , ' he said . even banksy has been accused of becoming too commercialized . on the artist 's website , one commenter wrote , why are you such a sell out ? ' banksy responded , i wish i had a pound for every time someone asked me that . ' what some call selling out , ferrari said he sees as appreciation by a wider audience . graffiti 's aerosol imagery is gaining popularity and is becoming increasing socially acceptable , he said . movements such as greengraffiti , which uses pressurized water to leave behind clean messages and images on the streets of new york , or the increasing use of commercial graffiti , where street artists are hired to create graffiti-based advertisements in cities such as london , paris , new york and atlanta , also shine light on the increasing commercialism of graffiti . but graffiti for hire is n't something for which ferrari is necessarily enthusiastic . he recounted a recent art project that coca-cola in atlanta commissioned . they commissioned a bunch of local graffiti artists . it was this huge bubble art , and it was defaced the next day . it is almost an insult to the work of graffiti artists , when companies come into a place and just create advertisements in a form of graffiti art , ' he said . nicholas swann of rochester , new york , lives in an area filled with graffiti , and he agrees with the sentiment . street art to me is a person showing his talent ; many artists go undiscovered , ' swann said . they take chances when and where they do it . ' what do we do with graffiti ? ferrari said atlanta has a love-hate relationship with street art . in atlanta there was a big push to stomp out graffiti , yet there is a huge desire by people who want street art , too , ' he said . in 2011 , the city of atlanta 's graffiti task force was funded $ 10,000 to crack down on graffiti . the task force , whose aim is to keep the city clean and prevent further vandalism , made several arrests of local street artists . but graffiti can be found is many cities across the united states . gino tucillo of asheville , north carolina , said street art is a familiar site in his city . sometimes it 's beautiful and interesting graffiti and other times it 's beautiful elaborate murals that just show up randomly on local business walls , ' tucillo said in a cnn ireport . much of it finds a home with a lot of appreciation for quite a while until someone replaces it with something new . ' whether graffiti should be criminalized , however , can be subjective . if it 's just random tagging to scar property and identify someone 's ego -- it 's a crime , ' tucillo said . however , when you happen to walk through some dilapidated back alley and you find a giant , beautiful , sweet face of yoda staring at you on some old forgotten brick wall and it simply says'jedi'next to it , that to me expresses something powerful . ' ferrari said he finds the paradox in the public 's attitude toward street art interesting . people hate the tags , but they want the murals , ' he said . i think there is a misunderstanding , and people do n't realize that it is all connected and all related . you ca n't have the mural without the tag . '
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british artist banksy is widely known for incorporating his activism with his street art
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atlanta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it starts with a squiggle on an abandoned building , then another , and another , until the once-blank wall is transformed into a mural . a tag from the author marks the final touch . eventually , this makeshift canvas will be wiped clean , restored to a mundane white wall , so the process can begin again . it 's the nature of street art : spontaneous , public , fleeting . inspired by graffiti 's transient nature , peter ferrari said he went through a banksy phase at age 15 , referring to the british street artist known for his subversive and polarizing street exhibits . banksy spurred the young ferrari to begin spray painting garages with colorful aerosols . back then it was more ,'screw you mom and dad , i am going to draw on walls .'back then it was n't about the artistic side , ' he said of his youthful rebellion . the 31-year-old , known across atlanta as the artist plf , is hesitant to call himself a graffiti or even a street artist . the former montessori schoolteacher , whose sprawling murals are found across atlanta walls and commissioned by both private companies and individuals , instead sees himself as a public artist . because of his use of spray paint , people around the city still call him a street artist . but what 's the difference , anyway ? well , graffiti is illegal for one thing ... but it 's a true art form , ' ferrari said . what started as a subculture on the streets of new york in the 1970s has gained popularity in the decades since . graffiti , often used synonymously with street art , has become aesthetically trendy in many places across america . dave betts said graffiti is celebrated in his brooklyn , new york , neighborhood of williamsburg . there are even art appreciation tours that include some of the street art , ' he said . opinion : olympics street art should be embraced street art is a culture in brooklyn . i appreciate the capability and expression of the street artists in the area who have transformed streets that were considered common industrial sites , ' he said . what impresses me most is that graffiti ca n't be bought , ' betts said . although graffiti was introduced to american street culture in the 1970s , ferrari said the technique was around before then . graffiti in its current state has been around for decades . it is probably one of the largest art trends to last , ' he said . think about pop art , it only lasted for 20 years , and it was one of the biggest trends . i mean , even cave paintings can be considered'graffiti ,' he said . what is graffiti ? graffiti is an affirmation of the individual , ' said sara cochran , curator of modern and contemporary at the phoenix art museum . the idea of graffiti has a lot to do with raw energy and authenticity . ' in the realm of public space , street and public art are often indistinguishable . sometimes , what was once viewed as graffiti becomes pricey art . cochran points to banksy as an example . banksy came from the streets and now has gallery shows and auctions , ' she said . despite banksy 's rise into the high-end art world , he still hides his identity , she pointed out . there is more to street art than who creates it , cochran said . like banksy , who is socially and politically driven , graffiti is driven by almost a communal pride , ' she said . street art is considered rebellious in nature and illegal in practice , while public art is commissioned by cities or property owners and is considered culturally enriching and socially acceptable . artists have used public spaces to showcase themes and bring awareness to issues . marilynn shcolnik was captivated when she saw blue trees in seattle 's downtown area . what shcolnik saw was the blue trees , ' part of a public art installation by australian artist konstantin dimopoulos . dimopoulos covered the trees in a natural water-base pigment . the purpose of the piece is to bring awareness to global deforestation , according to his website . like dimopoulos , ferrari sees public space as a canvas and public art as an avenue to bring his aerosol-inspired artwork to a larger audience , further blurring the lines between street and public art .'weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow' but does blurring the lines mean selling out ? ferrari said he does n't think so . in fact , he said he has been hoping to enter the realm of public art for a long time . he sees being a public artist as an opportunity . every time you do mural work , it is like another advertisement of yourself , ' he said . and this is the year for me to get into bigger galleries and publications . ' but he said people try to differentiate the two . there is this weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow in the art world , ' he said . even banksy has been accused of becoming too commercialized . on the artist 's website , one commenter wrote , why are you such a sell out ? ' banksy responded , i wish i had a pound for every time someone asked me that . ' what some call selling out , ferrari said he sees as appreciation by a wider audience . graffiti 's aerosol imagery is gaining popularity and is becoming increasing socially acceptable , he said . movements such as greengraffiti , which uses pressurized water to leave behind clean messages and images on the streets of new york , or the increasing use of commercial graffiti , where street artists are hired to create graffiti-based advertisements in cities such as london , paris , new york and atlanta , also shine light on the increasing commercialism of graffiti . but graffiti for hire is n't something for which ferrari is necessarily enthusiastic . he recounted a recent art project that coca-cola in atlanta commissioned . they commissioned a bunch of local graffiti artists . it was this huge bubble art , and it was defaced the next day . it is almost an insult to the work of graffiti artists , when companies come into a place and just create advertisements in a form of graffiti art , ' he said . nicholas swann of rochester , new york , lives in an area filled with graffiti , and he agrees with the sentiment . street art to me is a person showing his talent ; many artists go undiscovered , ' swann said . they take chances when and where they do it . ' what do we do with graffiti ? ferrari said atlanta has a love-hate relationship with street art . in atlanta there was a big push to stomp out graffiti , yet there is a huge desire by people who want street art , too , ' he said . in 2011 , the city of atlanta 's graffiti task force was funded $ 10,000 to crack down on graffiti . the task force , whose aim is to keep the city clean and prevent further vandalism , made several arrests of local street artists . but graffiti can be found is many cities across the united states . gino tucillo of asheville , north carolina , said street art is a familiar site in his city . sometimes it 's beautiful and interesting graffiti and other times it 's beautiful elaborate murals that just show up randomly on local business walls , ' tucillo said in a cnn ireport . much of it finds a home with a lot of appreciation for quite a while until someone replaces it with something new . ' whether graffiti should be criminalized , however , can be subjective . if it 's just random tagging to scar property and identify someone 's ego -- it 's a crime , ' tucillo said . however , when you happen to walk through some dilapidated back alley and you find a giant , beautiful , sweet face of yoda staring at you on some old forgotten brick wall and it simply says'jedi'next to it , that to me expresses something powerful . ' ferrari said he finds the paradox in the public 's attitude toward street art interesting . people hate the tags , but they want the murals , ' he said . i think there is a misunderstanding , and people do n't realize that it is all connected and all related . you ca n't have the mural without the tag . '
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peter ferrari is an atlanta artist whose work blurs the lines between street and public art
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atlanta <tsp> ( cnn ) -- it starts with a squiggle on an abandoned building , then another , and another , until the once-blank wall is transformed into a mural . a tag from the author marks the final touch . eventually , this makeshift canvas will be wiped clean , restored to a mundane white wall , so the process can begin again . it 's the nature of street art : spontaneous , public , fleeting . inspired by graffiti 's transient nature , peter ferrari said he went through a banksy phase at age 15 , referring to the british street artist known for his subversive and polarizing street exhibits . banksy spurred the young ferrari to begin spray painting garages with colorful aerosols . back then it was more ,'screw you mom and dad , i am going to draw on walls .'back then it was n't about the artistic side , ' he said of his youthful rebellion . the 31-year-old , known across atlanta as the artist plf , is hesitant to call himself a graffiti or even a street artist . the former montessori schoolteacher , whose sprawling murals are found across atlanta walls and commissioned by both private companies and individuals , instead sees himself as a public artist . because of his use of spray paint , people around the city still call him a street artist . but what 's the difference , anyway ? well , graffiti is illegal for one thing ... but it 's a true art form , ' ferrari said . what started as a subculture on the streets of new york in the 1970s has gained popularity in the decades since . graffiti , often used synonymously with street art , has become aesthetically trendy in many places across america . dave betts said graffiti is celebrated in his brooklyn , new york , neighborhood of williamsburg . there are even art appreciation tours that include some of the street art , ' he said . opinion : olympics street art should be embraced street art is a culture in brooklyn . i appreciate the capability and expression of the street artists in the area who have transformed streets that were considered common industrial sites , ' he said . what impresses me most is that graffiti ca n't be bought , ' betts said . although graffiti was introduced to american street culture in the 1970s , ferrari said the technique was around before then . graffiti in its current state has been around for decades . it is probably one of the largest art trends to last , ' he said . think about pop art , it only lasted for 20 years , and it was one of the biggest trends . i mean , even cave paintings can be considered'graffiti ,' he said . what is graffiti ? graffiti is an affirmation of the individual , ' said sara cochran , curator of modern and contemporary at the phoenix art museum . the idea of graffiti has a lot to do with raw energy and authenticity . ' in the realm of public space , street and public art are often indistinguishable . sometimes , what was once viewed as graffiti becomes pricey art . cochran points to banksy as an example . banksy came from the streets and now has gallery shows and auctions , ' she said . despite banksy 's rise into the high-end art world , he still hides his identity , she pointed out . there is more to street art than who creates it , cochran said . like banksy , who is socially and politically driven , graffiti is driven by almost a communal pride , ' she said . street art is considered rebellious in nature and illegal in practice , while public art is commissioned by cities or property owners and is considered culturally enriching and socially acceptable . artists have used public spaces to showcase themes and bring awareness to issues . marilynn shcolnik was captivated when she saw blue trees in seattle 's downtown area . what shcolnik saw was the blue trees , ' part of a public art installation by australian artist konstantin dimopoulos . dimopoulos covered the trees in a natural water-base pigment . the purpose of the piece is to bring awareness to global deforestation , according to his website . like dimopoulos , ferrari sees public space as a canvas and public art as an avenue to bring his aerosol-inspired artwork to a larger audience , further blurring the lines between street and public art .'weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow' but does blurring the lines mean selling out ? ferrari said he does n't think so . in fact , he said he has been hoping to enter the realm of public art for a long time . he sees being a public artist as an opportunity . every time you do mural work , it is like another advertisement of yourself , ' he said . and this is the year for me to get into bigger galleries and publications . ' but he said people try to differentiate the two . there is this weird divide between highbrow and lowbrow in the art world , ' he said . even banksy has been accused of becoming too commercialized . on the artist 's website , one commenter wrote , why are you such a sell out ? ' banksy responded , i wish i had a pound for every time someone asked me that . ' what some call selling out , ferrari said he sees as appreciation by a wider audience . graffiti 's aerosol imagery is gaining popularity and is becoming increasing socially acceptable , he said . movements such as greengraffiti , which uses pressurized water to leave behind clean messages and images on the streets of new york , or the increasing use of commercial graffiti , where street artists are hired to create graffiti-based advertisements in cities such as london , paris , new york and atlanta , also shine light on the increasing commercialism of graffiti . but graffiti for hire is n't something for which ferrari is necessarily enthusiastic . he recounted a recent art project that coca-cola in atlanta commissioned . they commissioned a bunch of local graffiti artists . it was this huge bubble art , and it was defaced the next day . it is almost an insult to the work of graffiti artists , when companies come into a place and just create advertisements in a form of graffiti art , ' he said . nicholas swann of rochester , new york , lives in an area filled with graffiti , and he agrees with the sentiment . street art to me is a person showing his talent ; many artists go undiscovered , ' swann said . they take chances when and where they do it . ' what do we do with graffiti ? ferrari said atlanta has a love-hate relationship with street art . in atlanta there was a big push to stomp out graffiti , yet there is a huge desire by people who want street art , too , ' he said . in 2011 , the city of atlanta 's graffiti task force was funded $ 10,000 to crack down on graffiti . the task force , whose aim is to keep the city clean and prevent further vandalism , made several arrests of local street artists . but graffiti can be found is many cities across the united states . gino tucillo of asheville , north carolina , said street art is a familiar site in his city . sometimes it 's beautiful and interesting graffiti and other times it 's beautiful elaborate murals that just show up randomly on local business walls , ' tucillo said in a cnn ireport . much of it finds a home with a lot of appreciation for quite a while until someone replaces it with something new . ' whether graffiti should be criminalized , however , can be subjective . if it 's just random tagging to scar property and identify someone 's ego -- it 's a crime , ' tucillo said . however , when you happen to walk through some dilapidated back alley and you find a giant , beautiful , sweet face of yoda staring at you on some old forgotten brick wall and it simply says'jedi'next to it , that to me expresses something powerful . ' ferrari said he finds the paradox in the public 's attitude toward street art interesting . people hate the tags , but they want the murals , ' he said . i think there is a misunderstanding , and people do n't realize that it is all connected and all related . you ca n't have the mural without the tag . '
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in 2011 , the city of atlanta created a task force to stomp out graffiti in the city
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south korean defense ministry <tsp> north korea launched three short-range guided missiles into the sea off the korean peninsula 's east coast saturday , south korea 's semi-official news agency yonhap cited the south korean defense ministry as saying . the ministry said it had detected two launches in the morning , followed by another in the afternoon , yonhap reported . the missiles were fired in a northeasterly direction , away from south korean waters , the ministry said . south korea has beefed up monitoring on north korea and is maintaining a high-level of readiness to deal with any risky developments , the ministry added , according to yonhap . according to the arms control association , a u.s.-based organization , short-range guided missiles are generally classified as those traveling less than 1,000 kilometers ( about 620 miles . ) tensions in the region have eased in recent days since a fraught period last month that included near daily north korean threats of war . u.s. and south korean officials feared at that time that kim jong un 's regime was planning to carry out a test launch of longer-range ballistic missiles , believed to be musudans . the south korean government says they have a maximum range of 3,500 kilometers ( 2,175 miles ) . andrew salmon , a journalist and author based in the south korean capital , seoul , said north korea 's reported launch of short-range missiles saturday should not cause the same degree of concern as the launch of a satellite or medium-range musudan rocket . it 's a short-range tactical weapon . if any other country launched this kind of weapon , it 's a routine test , nobody would be too worried . it 's really simply because it 's north korea doing this that it raises concerns , ' he said . the situation is much less tense in the region than it was last month , salmon said . the north koreans have significantly de-escalated their bellicosity and their rhetoric since the end of april , ' he said . the south korean government , i suspect , will not be strongly condemnatory of this test because right now they are very , very keen to get the north koreans to the negotiating table . ' the recent tensions flared after the north 's long-range rocket launch in december and underground nuclear test in february , both of which were widely condemned . pyongyang 's fiery rhetoric intensified in march as the u.n. security council voted to tighten sanctions on the regime following the nuclear test . annual u.s.-south korean military drills in south korea also fueled the north 's anger , especially when the united states carried out displays of strength that included nuclear-capable b2 stealth bombers . north korea is demanding recognition as a nuclear power , something the united states refuses to countenance . last month 's crisis resulted in the closure of the kaesong industrial complex , the last major symbol of inter-korean cooperation .
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north korea fired three short-range missiles , south korean defense ministry is quoted as saying
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romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fighting criticism of his controversial remarks on government dependency , republican challenger mitt romney said wednesday that he would better help poor and middle class americans than president barack obama . romney and running mate rep. paul ryan also sought to reshape the campaign narrative less than seven weeks before the november vote by accusing obama of favoring wealth redistribution -- code for socialism among conservatives -- based on a 1998 video of the president as a state senate candidate in illinois . america does not work by government making people dependent on government , romney told a fundraising event in atlanta , adding that will kill the american entrepreneurship that 's lifted our economy over the years . ' the question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class ? i do . he does , ' the former massachusetts governor said to rising cheers . the question is who can help the poor and the middle class ? i can ! he ca n't ! ' romney spoke as fellow republicans appeared divided over his secretly recorded comments from a may 17 fundraiser that were made public this week . there are 47 % of the people who will vote for the president no matter what , ' romney said in a clip from the event first posted online on monday . there are 47 % who are with him , who are dependent on government , who believe that , that they are victims , who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them . who believe that they are entitled to health care , to food , to housing . ' he also said he would never convince ' the 47 % of americans who pay no federal income tax that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives . ' in response , three gop senate candidates in tough races this fall have distanced themselves from romney 's comments . sen. dean heller , r-nevada , told cnn on wednesday that he had a a very different view of the world ' than what romney expressed . as a united states senator , i think i represent everybody , and i think every vote is important , ' heller said , adding : i do n't write off anybody . ' a day earlier , republican sen. scott brown of massachusetts and gop candidate linda mcmahon of connecticut released campaign statements denouncing romney 's comments . some conservative commentators also criticized romney , questioning whether he understood the conservative principles he championed to win the republican nomination . these appear to be the words of somebody who does n't understand american conservatism and its relationship to the american idea , ' wrote journalist john mccormack of the conservative weekly standard . conservatives do n't believe in economic determinism . conservatives know -- and explain why -- their economic policies will help the poor , as well as senior citizens , working families , and our troops who pay no income taxes . ' others on the political right defended romney 's comments as an accurate assessment of growing societal dependence on government through entitlement and welfare programs that are major contributors to the mounting federal deficit and debt . i think the basic point is correct . it 's what this election is about . do we want a government-centered society ? ' said gop sen. ron johnson of wisconsin . do we want to continue to build government and grow our debt at an unsustainable level and bankrupt this nation ? or do we want to start working toward a path of opportunity , success - things that actually make this country great . ''anatomy of a leak'of the mitt romney video a flurry of polls this week showed romney unable to make up ground on obama and slipping behind in some key battleground states , including virginia . a new cnn/orc international survey on wednesday showed obama also holding a 52 % -44 % lead in romney 's birth state of michigan . another new poll showed the secretly recorded romney comments had a moderately negative impact on registered voters so far . the gallup survey taken tuesday showed 36 % of registered voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for romney after the videotapes were released , while 20 % said they were more likely to vote for romney and 43 % said the comments made no difference . meanwhile , the drudge report on tuesday posted a video clip of obama reportedly recorded in 1998 at loyola university in which he discussed ways to make government more effective . i think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution - because i actually believe in some redistribution , at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody 's got a shot , ' obama says in the clip . both ryan and romney made sure to mention the redistribution reference on the campaign trail on wednesday . president obama said that he believes in redistribution , ' ryan told supporters in danville , virginia . mitt romney and i are not running to redistribute the wealth . mitt romney and i are running to help americans create wealth . ' at the white house , spokesman jay carney characterized the gop attacks as an effort to divert attention from romney 's controversial remarks . obama believed in 1998 and still believes that there are steps we can take to promote opportunity and ensure that all americans have a fair shot , if they work hard , ' carney said . he certainly does n't believe -- as some apparently do -- that any student who looks for a government-backed loan is looking for a handout or that a senior citizen receiving social security is a freeloader or a combat veteran not paying taxes is a victim , ' carney continued , adding : when a campaign is having a bad day or a bad week or some might say a bad month ... you sometimes witness an effort that seems desperate to change the subject . ' other democrats were quick to pile on . senate majority leader harry reid of nevada said romney 's comments showed he only wants to be president of half the country . we have a long line of people who are running from romney as if the olympics are still on , ' reid quipped about gop senate candidates heller , brown and mcmahon . obama told the late show with david letterman ' on tuesday night that one of the things i learned as president is you represent the entire country . if you want to be president , you have to work for everyone . ' the romney remarks , which sparked numerous fact checks , have gained more attention on facebook than his speech at last month 's republican national convention . democrats pounce on romney comments priorities usa , a pro-obama super pac , is using the romney clips in a new television ad to characterize romney as out of touch with americans'economic struggles . the group said wednesday the commercial would air in colorado , florida , iowa , ohio , virginia and wisconsin , all battlegrounds that obama won in 2008 and hopes to take again in november . on tuesday , ryan said at a campaign stop in north carolina that romney 's comments were obviously inarticulate ' but made the correct point that people have become too dependent on government under obama . romney presented the same argument wednesday in a usa today op-ed . under president obama , we have a stagnant economy that fosters government dependency . my policies will create a growing economy that fosters upward mobility , ' he wrote . government has a role to play here . right now , our nation 's citizens do need help from government . but it is a very different kind of help than what president obama wants to provide . ' how candidates are preparing for the debates cnn 's dana bash , ted barrett , deirdre walsh , kevin liptak , paul steinhauser , shawna shepherd , rachel streitfeld and eric weisbrod contributed to this report .
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new : mitt romney says president obama pushes government dependency
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romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fighting criticism of his controversial remarks on government dependency , republican challenger mitt romney said wednesday that he would better help poor and middle class americans than president barack obama . romney and running mate rep. paul ryan also sought to reshape the campaign narrative less than seven weeks before the november vote by accusing obama of favoring wealth redistribution -- code for socialism among conservatives -- based on a 1998 video of the president as a state senate candidate in illinois . america does not work by government making people dependent on government , romney told a fundraising event in atlanta , adding that will kill the american entrepreneurship that 's lifted our economy over the years . ' the question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class ? i do . he does , ' the former massachusetts governor said to rising cheers . the question is who can help the poor and the middle class ? i can ! he ca n't ! ' romney spoke as fellow republicans appeared divided over his secretly recorded comments from a may 17 fundraiser that were made public this week . there are 47 % of the people who will vote for the president no matter what , ' romney said in a clip from the event first posted online on monday . there are 47 % who are with him , who are dependent on government , who believe that , that they are victims , who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them . who believe that they are entitled to health care , to food , to housing . ' he also said he would never convince ' the 47 % of americans who pay no federal income tax that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives . ' in response , three gop senate candidates in tough races this fall have distanced themselves from romney 's comments . sen. dean heller , r-nevada , told cnn on wednesday that he had a a very different view of the world ' than what romney expressed . as a united states senator , i think i represent everybody , and i think every vote is important , ' heller said , adding : i do n't write off anybody . ' a day earlier , republican sen. scott brown of massachusetts and gop candidate linda mcmahon of connecticut released campaign statements denouncing romney 's comments . some conservative commentators also criticized romney , questioning whether he understood the conservative principles he championed to win the republican nomination . these appear to be the words of somebody who does n't understand american conservatism and its relationship to the american idea , ' wrote journalist john mccormack of the conservative weekly standard . conservatives do n't believe in economic determinism . conservatives know -- and explain why -- their economic policies will help the poor , as well as senior citizens , working families , and our troops who pay no income taxes . ' others on the political right defended romney 's comments as an accurate assessment of growing societal dependence on government through entitlement and welfare programs that are major contributors to the mounting federal deficit and debt . i think the basic point is correct . it 's what this election is about . do we want a government-centered society ? ' said gop sen. ron johnson of wisconsin . do we want to continue to build government and grow our debt at an unsustainable level and bankrupt this nation ? or do we want to start working toward a path of opportunity , success - things that actually make this country great . ''anatomy of a leak'of the mitt romney video a flurry of polls this week showed romney unable to make up ground on obama and slipping behind in some key battleground states , including virginia . a new cnn/orc international survey on wednesday showed obama also holding a 52 % -44 % lead in romney 's birth state of michigan . another new poll showed the secretly recorded romney comments had a moderately negative impact on registered voters so far . the gallup survey taken tuesday showed 36 % of registered voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for romney after the videotapes were released , while 20 % said they were more likely to vote for romney and 43 % said the comments made no difference . meanwhile , the drudge report on tuesday posted a video clip of obama reportedly recorded in 1998 at loyola university in which he discussed ways to make government more effective . i think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution - because i actually believe in some redistribution , at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody 's got a shot , ' obama says in the clip . both ryan and romney made sure to mention the redistribution reference on the campaign trail on wednesday . president obama said that he believes in redistribution , ' ryan told supporters in danville , virginia . mitt romney and i are not running to redistribute the wealth . mitt romney and i are running to help americans create wealth . ' at the white house , spokesman jay carney characterized the gop attacks as an effort to divert attention from romney 's controversial remarks . obama believed in 1998 and still believes that there are steps we can take to promote opportunity and ensure that all americans have a fair shot , if they work hard , ' carney said . he certainly does n't believe -- as some apparently do -- that any student who looks for a government-backed loan is looking for a handout or that a senior citizen receiving social security is a freeloader or a combat veteran not paying taxes is a victim , ' carney continued , adding : when a campaign is having a bad day or a bad week or some might say a bad month ... you sometimes witness an effort that seems desperate to change the subject . ' other democrats were quick to pile on . senate majority leader harry reid of nevada said romney 's comments showed he only wants to be president of half the country . we have a long line of people who are running from romney as if the olympics are still on , ' reid quipped about gop senate candidates heller , brown and mcmahon . obama told the late show with david letterman ' on tuesday night that one of the things i learned as president is you represent the entire country . if you want to be president , you have to work for everyone . ' the romney remarks , which sparked numerous fact checks , have gained more attention on facebook than his speech at last month 's republican national convention . democrats pounce on romney comments priorities usa , a pro-obama super pac , is using the romney clips in a new television ad to characterize romney as out of touch with americans'economic struggles . the group said wednesday the commercial would air in colorado , florida , iowa , ohio , virginia and wisconsin , all battlegrounds that obama won in 2008 and hopes to take again in november . on tuesday , ryan said at a campaign stop in north carolina that romney 's comments were obviously inarticulate ' but made the correct point that people have become too dependent on government under obama . romney presented the same argument wednesday in a usa today op-ed . under president obama , we have a stagnant economy that fosters government dependency . my policies will create a growing economy that fosters upward mobility , ' he wrote . government has a role to play here . right now , our nation 's citizens do need help from government . but it is a very different kind of help than what president obama wants to provide . ' how candidates are preparing for the debates cnn 's dana bash , ted barrett , deirdre walsh , kevin liptak , paul steinhauser , shawna shepherd , rachel streitfeld and eric weisbrod contributed to this report .
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paul ryan calls romney 's remarks inarticulate ' but insists they make a point
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romney <tsp> ( cnn ) -- fighting criticism of his controversial remarks on government dependency , republican challenger mitt romney said wednesday that he would better help poor and middle class americans than president barack obama . romney and running mate rep. paul ryan also sought to reshape the campaign narrative less than seven weeks before the november vote by accusing obama of favoring wealth redistribution -- code for socialism among conservatives -- based on a 1998 video of the president as a state senate candidate in illinois . america does not work by government making people dependent on government , romney told a fundraising event in atlanta , adding that will kill the american entrepreneurship that 's lifted our economy over the years . ' the question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class ? i do . he does , ' the former massachusetts governor said to rising cheers . the question is who can help the poor and the middle class ? i can ! he ca n't ! ' romney spoke as fellow republicans appeared divided over his secretly recorded comments from a may 17 fundraiser that were made public this week . there are 47 % of the people who will vote for the president no matter what , ' romney said in a clip from the event first posted online on monday . there are 47 % who are with him , who are dependent on government , who believe that , that they are victims , who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them . who believe that they are entitled to health care , to food , to housing . ' he also said he would never convince ' the 47 % of americans who pay no federal income tax that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives . ' in response , three gop senate candidates in tough races this fall have distanced themselves from romney 's comments . sen. dean heller , r-nevada , told cnn on wednesday that he had a a very different view of the world ' than what romney expressed . as a united states senator , i think i represent everybody , and i think every vote is important , ' heller said , adding : i do n't write off anybody . ' a day earlier , republican sen. scott brown of massachusetts and gop candidate linda mcmahon of connecticut released campaign statements denouncing romney 's comments . some conservative commentators also criticized romney , questioning whether he understood the conservative principles he championed to win the republican nomination . these appear to be the words of somebody who does n't understand american conservatism and its relationship to the american idea , ' wrote journalist john mccormack of the conservative weekly standard . conservatives do n't believe in economic determinism . conservatives know -- and explain why -- their economic policies will help the poor , as well as senior citizens , working families , and our troops who pay no income taxes . ' others on the political right defended romney 's comments as an accurate assessment of growing societal dependence on government through entitlement and welfare programs that are major contributors to the mounting federal deficit and debt . i think the basic point is correct . it 's what this election is about . do we want a government-centered society ? ' said gop sen. ron johnson of wisconsin . do we want to continue to build government and grow our debt at an unsustainable level and bankrupt this nation ? or do we want to start working toward a path of opportunity , success - things that actually make this country great . ''anatomy of a leak'of the mitt romney video a flurry of polls this week showed romney unable to make up ground on obama and slipping behind in some key battleground states , including virginia . a new cnn/orc international survey on wednesday showed obama also holding a 52 % -44 % lead in romney 's birth state of michigan . another new poll showed the secretly recorded romney comments had a moderately negative impact on registered voters so far . the gallup survey taken tuesday showed 36 % of registered voters indicated they would be less likely to vote for romney after the videotapes were released , while 20 % said they were more likely to vote for romney and 43 % said the comments made no difference . meanwhile , the drudge report on tuesday posted a video clip of obama reportedly recorded in 1998 at loyola university in which he discussed ways to make government more effective . i think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution - because i actually believe in some redistribution , at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody 's got a shot , ' obama says in the clip . both ryan and romney made sure to mention the redistribution reference on the campaign trail on wednesday . president obama said that he believes in redistribution , ' ryan told supporters in danville , virginia . mitt romney and i are not running to redistribute the wealth . mitt romney and i are running to help americans create wealth . ' at the white house , spokesman jay carney characterized the gop attacks as an effort to divert attention from romney 's controversial remarks . obama believed in 1998 and still believes that there are steps we can take to promote opportunity and ensure that all americans have a fair shot , if they work hard , ' carney said . he certainly does n't believe -- as some apparently do -- that any student who looks for a government-backed loan is looking for a handout or that a senior citizen receiving social security is a freeloader or a combat veteran not paying taxes is a victim , ' carney continued , adding : when a campaign is having a bad day or a bad week or some might say a bad month ... you sometimes witness an effort that seems desperate to change the subject . ' other democrats were quick to pile on . senate majority leader harry reid of nevada said romney 's comments showed he only wants to be president of half the country . we have a long line of people who are running from romney as if the olympics are still on , ' reid quipped about gop senate candidates heller , brown and mcmahon . obama told the late show with david letterman ' on tuesday night that one of the things i learned as president is you represent the entire country . if you want to be president , you have to work for everyone . ' the romney remarks , which sparked numerous fact checks , have gained more attention on facebook than his speech at last month 's republican national convention . democrats pounce on romney comments priorities usa , a pro-obama super pac , is using the romney clips in a new television ad to characterize romney as out of touch with americans'economic struggles . the group said wednesday the commercial would air in colorado , florida , iowa , ohio , virginia and wisconsin , all battlegrounds that obama won in 2008 and hopes to take again in november . on tuesday , ryan said at a campaign stop in north carolina that romney 's comments were obviously inarticulate ' but made the correct point that people have become too dependent on government under obama . romney presented the same argument wednesday in a usa today op-ed . under president obama , we have a stagnant economy that fosters government dependency . my policies will create a growing economy that fosters upward mobility , ' he wrote . government has a role to play here . right now , our nation 's citizens do need help from government . but it is a very different kind of help than what president obama wants to provide . ' how candidates are preparing for the debates cnn 's dana bash , ted barrett , deirdre walsh , kevin liptak , paul steinhauser , shawna shepherd , rachel streitfeld and eric weisbrod contributed to this report .
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romney 's leaked remarks get more attention on facebook than his convention address
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lgbt <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the first time , three networks have rated excellent ' in an annual survey of lgbt portrayals on television , the lgbt media advocacy organization glaad said wednesday . in its annual network responsibility index , glaad said that abc family , hbo and mtv all earned its top grade for its lgbt representations on their original programming in the 2013-14 season . the networks air such shows as faking it ' ( mtv ) , looking ' ( hbo ) and the fosters ' ( abc family ) . on the other end of the spectrum , a & e , history and tnt all earned failing ' grades . ( tnt and hbo are both divisions of time warner , as is cnn . ) abc , the cw , fox , nbc , fx and showtime earned good ' marks , and cbs , tlc and usa received adequate ' grades . television networks are playing a key role in promoting cultural understanding of lgbt lives around the world , and are now producing some of the best lgbt-inclusive programming we 've yet seen , ' said glaad president and ceo sarah kate ellis in a statement . in the future , said ellis , glaad will also be making transgender content a key part of earning an excellent ' grade . the organization also put out its where we are on tv report chronicling the number of lgbt characters in the current television season . for 2014-15 , 3.9 % of prime-time broadcast scripted series regulars will be lesbian , gay or bisexual , an increase of 0.6 % from last season . broadcast scripted series have 33 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters ; cable scripted series have 64 regulars and 41 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters . transgender characters have major roles in two series from streaming services : orange is the new black ' ( on netflix ) and transparent ' ( from amazon ) .
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glaad gives mtv , hbo , abc family excellent ' grades in survey of lgbt characters
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glaad <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the first time , three networks have rated excellent ' in an annual survey of lgbt portrayals on television , the lgbt media advocacy organization glaad said wednesday . in its annual network responsibility index , glaad said that abc family , hbo and mtv all earned its top grade for its lgbt representations on their original programming in the 2013-14 season . the networks air such shows as faking it ' ( mtv ) , looking ' ( hbo ) and the fosters ' ( abc family ) . on the other end of the spectrum , a & e , history and tnt all earned failing ' grades . ( tnt and hbo are both divisions of time warner , as is cnn . ) abc , the cw , fox , nbc , fx and showtime earned good ' marks , and cbs , tlc and usa received adequate ' grades . television networks are playing a key role in promoting cultural understanding of lgbt lives around the world , and are now producing some of the best lgbt-inclusive programming we 've yet seen , ' said glaad president and ceo sarah kate ellis in a statement . in the future , said ellis , glaad will also be making transgender content a key part of earning an excellent ' grade . the organization also put out its where we are on tv report chronicling the number of lgbt characters in the current television season . for 2014-15 , 3.9 % of prime-time broadcast scripted series regulars will be lesbian , gay or bisexual , an increase of 0.6 % from last season . broadcast scripted series have 33 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters ; cable scripted series have 64 regulars and 41 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters . transgender characters have major roles in two series from streaming services : orange is the new black ' ( on netflix ) and transparent ' ( from amazon ) .
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networks producing some of the best lgbt-inclusive programming we 've yet seen , ' says glaad head
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glaad <tsp> ( cnn ) -- for the first time , three networks have rated excellent ' in an annual survey of lgbt portrayals on television , the lgbt media advocacy organization glaad said wednesday . in its annual network responsibility index , glaad said that abc family , hbo and mtv all earned its top grade for its lgbt representations on their original programming in the 2013-14 season . the networks air such shows as faking it ' ( mtv ) , looking ' ( hbo ) and the fosters ' ( abc family ) . on the other end of the spectrum , a & e , history and tnt all earned failing ' grades . ( tnt and hbo are both divisions of time warner , as is cnn . ) abc , the cw , fox , nbc , fx and showtime earned good ' marks , and cbs , tlc and usa received adequate ' grades . television networks are playing a key role in promoting cultural understanding of lgbt lives around the world , and are now producing some of the best lgbt-inclusive programming we 've yet seen , ' said glaad president and ceo sarah kate ellis in a statement . in the future , said ellis , glaad will also be making transgender content a key part of earning an excellent ' grade . the organization also put out its where we are on tv report chronicling the number of lgbt characters in the current television season . for 2014-15 , 3.9 % of prime-time broadcast scripted series regulars will be lesbian , gay or bisexual , an increase of 0.6 % from last season . broadcast scripted series have 33 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters ; cable scripted series have 64 regulars and 41 recurring lesbian , gay or bisexual characters . transgender characters have major roles in two series from streaming services : orange is the new black ' ( on netflix ) and transparent ' ( from amazon ) .
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glaad gives mtv , hbo , abc family excellent ' grades in survey of lgbt characters
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shanghai <tsp> a shanghai metro official has unleashed a wave of angry social media messages in response to a post earlier this week that scantily-clad women invite sexual harassment . the shanghai no . 2 subway co. posted the image of a woman in a semi-transparent dress on one of its platforms to the company 's official sina weibo account with a caption warning women that if they dressed like that , they would surely be harassed . a weibo user who called themselves little bunny ' posted : if you think a women dresses improperly , you can call the police but it does n't mean you are free to touch her ... when harassment happens , why is the victim the first one blamed ? ' now , pictures have popped up on china 's twitter-like social media site of two women , whose faces are covered by black cloth , protesting the criticism and support is pouring in . the pictures , published on china daily , showed a woman holding up a sign that translated to i can be slutty , but you ca n't harass me , ' while riding on shanghai metro line no . 2 . the shanghai metro company said its intention was never to condemn women , but to educate them . our initial motive behind the post was to affirm our stand against sexual harassment and gender discrimination and to remind passengers to dress appropriately in public places in order to avoid unnecessary trouble , ' subway official chen kuang told xinhua . the chinese state news service also reported that sexual harassment claims on the shanghai subway rose in the month of june . reports included instances of indecent exposure , lewd acts and attempts at taking pictures up women 's skirts . while online support for the women was strong , weibo users were also siding with the metro 's stance . one user who called himself a man like me ' said that that type of dress naturally attracts sexual offenders , just like flies like rubbish . ' despite the level of public outcry , the metro company has not yet deleted the original post .
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a shanghai metro employee says women need to dress more modestly to avoid sexual harassment in the metro
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george clinton <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tributes are pouring in from the entertainment world for claude nobs , the founder of the montreux jazz festival , who has died aged 76 following a skiing accident . the death was announced on the official website of the jazz festival a few days after your accident in caux-sur-montreux , in your beloved mountains , overlooking the lake that you were so fond of . ' nobs , who had been in a coma since december 24 after a fall , died in hospital in lausanne on thursday , swiss media reported . he co-founded the jazz festival in the small swiss town in 1967 with then-president of atlantic records nesuhi erteguen . the festival was originally staged at the montreux casino , but in 1971 a fire broke out while frank zappa was performing . deep purple immortalized the event the following year in their global hit smoke on the water . ' the song referred to nobs , who saved many people in the blaze , as funky claude . ' since then the montreux jazz festival has attracted many music legends , including miles davis , ray charles , david bowie and prince . following news of his death , several stars took to twitter to pay tribute . american musician nile rodgers , co-founder of 1970s funk band chic , wrote : claude nobs , ceo montreux jazz rip - proud to have been with you at your last festival . forever , nile & chic . ' fellow funk legend george clinton added : we are # thankfulfor friend claude nobs . rest in power . he made montreux jazz festival festival amazing . # pfunk ... ' and brian may , guitarist of rock band queen , wrote on his facebook page : we mourn the sudden and tragic loss of claude nobs , the father of the montreux jazz festival , and a long-standing dear friend . we salute his unparalleled contribution to blues , jazz and rock culture in europe , and will miss him greatly . our deepest sympathies to his family and those near and dear to claude . ' the official festival website also added its condolences : you always had a sparkle in your eyes whenever you dealt with people . for all of us , who were fortunate enough to cross your path , you will always remain the one who questioned certainties . â « and , why not ? â » you would repeatedly ask the same question when we tried to explain why a project would not be feasible . reality was never challenged only your wildest dreams . the montreux jazz festival is the ultimate proof of that ! but not the only one ! your audacity resonates in each one of us , a strong sense of generosity and sharing . thank you for taking us where we never thought we could go . and in your typical spirit , you left by surprise as if to remind us once more , that in life as in music , each great performance could be the last one even if the show must go on . you hoped for an exit that reflected your life , you succeeded this as well . we carry , and will continue to carry on in your spirit everything you taught us . ' people we 've lost in 2013 : the lives they lived
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tributes pour in from chic star nile rodgers , george clinton and queen guitarist brian may
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lausanne <tsp> ( cnn ) -- tributes are pouring in from the entertainment world for claude nobs , the founder of the montreux jazz festival , who has died aged 76 following a skiing accident . the death was announced on the official website of the jazz festival a few days after your accident in caux-sur-montreux , in your beloved mountains , overlooking the lake that you were so fond of . ' nobs , who had been in a coma since december 24 after a fall , died in hospital in lausanne on thursday , swiss media reported . he co-founded the jazz festival in the small swiss town in 1967 with then-president of atlantic records nesuhi erteguen . the festival was originally staged at the montreux casino , but in 1971 a fire broke out while frank zappa was performing . deep purple immortalized the event the following year in their global hit smoke on the water . ' the song referred to nobs , who saved many people in the blaze , as funky claude . ' since then the montreux jazz festival has attracted many music legends , including miles davis , ray charles , david bowie and prince . following news of his death , several stars took to twitter to pay tribute . american musician nile rodgers , co-founder of 1970s funk band chic , wrote : claude nobs , ceo montreux jazz rip - proud to have been with you at your last festival . forever , nile & chic . ' fellow funk legend george clinton added : we are # thankfulfor friend claude nobs . rest in power . he made montreux jazz festival festival amazing . # pfunk ... ' and brian may , guitarist of rock band queen , wrote on his facebook page : we mourn the sudden and tragic loss of claude nobs , the father of the montreux jazz festival , and a long-standing dear friend . we salute his unparalleled contribution to blues , jazz and rock culture in europe , and will miss him greatly . our deepest sympathies to his family and those near and dear to claude . ' the official festival website also added its condolences : you always had a sparkle in your eyes whenever you dealt with people . for all of us , who were fortunate enough to cross your path , you will always remain the one who questioned certainties . â « and , why not ? â » you would repeatedly ask the same question when we tried to explain why a project would not be feasible . reality was never challenged only your wildest dreams . the montreux jazz festival is the ultimate proof of that ! but not the only one ! your audacity resonates in each one of us , a strong sense of generosity and sharing . thank you for taking us where we never thought we could go . and in your typical spirit , you left by surprise as if to remind us once more , that in life as in music , each great performance could be the last one even if the show must go on . you hoped for an exit that reflected your life , you succeeded this as well . we carry , and will continue to carry on in your spirit everything you taught us . ' people we 've lost in 2013 : the lives they lived
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nobs , who had been in a coma after a fall , died in hospital in lausanne - swiss media
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motherboard.tv <tsp> editor 's note : the staff at cnn.com has been intrigued by the journalism of vice , an independent media company and web site based in brooklyn , new york . motherboard.tv is vice 's site devoted to the overlap between culture and technology . the reports , which are being produced solely by vice , reflect a very transparent approach to journalism , where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process . we believe this unique approach is worthy of sharing with our cnn.com readers . brooklyn , new york ( motherboard.tv ) -- ghana is doing extremely well by african standards . of course by african standards ' means there are dirt roads leading past the brand-new , gold-columned presidential palace , and it seems 1 percent of the country is blowing their country 's gdp at bars with $ 50 cover charges while the other 99 is selling bags of water at stop lights . they have huge mineral reserves and lots of foreign money invested in their extraction , all of which ends up concentrated in the hands of the president , his cabinet , and whichever of their cousins they 're getting along with at the time . the ghanaian government likes to boast that their unemployment rate is in the single digits and they 're creating millions of new jobs a year specifically targeting the youth bulge , but when you pull up a pile of rubble and sit down with a member of said bulge , the story seems a lot less cheery . the actual unemployment rate for 15- to 24-year-olds hovers between 25 and 30 percent and unless you 're a relative or close friend of someone in the ruling class , you can look forward to a long and fruitful career in water sales . but ghana also has a reasonably sophisticated technology infrastructure and has declared itself the internet capital of west africa , ' which is kind of archly tragic because right now the internet is the only thing keeping the kids at bay . during nigeria 's oil boom in the 70s , ghanaians flooded into the country to take guest worker jobs . within 10 years they 'd worn out their welcome and were deported en mass back to ghana , but not before they 'd picked up a popular local pastime : the nigerian pen pal scam . ' the way it works is you become pen pals with some dolt in america or britain , bitch about how hard your life is in africa , then wait for them to send you money and presents . see the rest of the sakawa boys at motherboard.tv as computers made their way into the continent , the scam was adapted to e-mail and gradually evolved into the rainbow of weird phishing messages from state treasurers and estate managers and plane-crash lawyers that crowd your inbox every morning . and as scammers got hungrier for bigger pickins , they hooked up with hacker-types from the u.s. and europe who taught them basic credit card fraud , which they combined with the playacting of the e-mail scam to create increasingly elaborate -- and profitable -- superscams . then for some reason they combined all of this with black magic , and that 's how sakawa was born . in the same way that hip-hop went from a music style into a descriptor for everything from pants to dancing to potato chips , sakawa ( which originally referred to a specific credit card scam ) now means pretty much anything involving money -- if you wear a bunch of flashy brand-name clothes you 're dressing sakawa , ' if you 've got a nice car it 's a sakawa ' car -- all of which makes sense considering internet scamming is the only way most ghanaians can afford this . right now sakawa is in its salad days . the sakawa boys movie franchise has made it up to sakawa boys 8 , ' juju priests are making a killing enchanting e-mails , christian preachers are making a killing complaining about enchanted e-mails , and ghanaians of all ages and interests ( but mostly young ' and not being poor ' ) are packed into internet cafes finding more and more ingenious ways of ripping off westerners . while a lot of sakawa practitioners have cooked up elaborate post-colonial justifications where they 're just getting the white man back for taking all their gold , a few , like our guide seva , see sakawa for what it really is : a massive bubble just waiting to burst . as ghana overtakes freaking nigeria as the e-fraud capital of the world , the government is scrambling to find a way to keep sakawa from wrecking the country 's business reputation without cutting off an entire young generation from their sole source of steady revenue . and just to make things more interesting , ghana just discovered oil .
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motherboard.tv goes to ghana to learn about sakawa , a criminal world of e-mail scammers
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spaniard <tsp> ( cnn ) -- rafael nadal admitted his knee injury continues to bother ' him after the spaniard suffered double defeat in the final of the singles and doubles tournaments at the vtr open in vina del mar , chile . the clay court event was the former world no . 1 's first tournament in seven months due to an injury to his left knee , which caused him to miss both the u.s. open as well as the australian open . the knee is still bothering me , but you have to face adversity with the best possible face and look forward to keep working and enjoy what i like the most , to play tennis , ' said the 11-time grand slam champion told the atp world tour 's website . despite his discomfort and a 6-7 ( 2-7 ) 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-4 loss to argentina 's horacio zeballos , nadal stressed the positives he had taken away from the event having played nine matches in six days . a week ago we did n't know how the body would respond , ' the 26-year-old mallorcan . [ now ] at least i know we can compete at a certain level . i think that was a positive week ... i will try to keep improving my physical sensations day-by-day , which is the most important thing because i do n't feel that my tennis level is bad . i need more time on court . world no . 43 zeballos picked up his first career tour title and became just the third player to beat nadal in a clay court final , following in the foot steps of roger federer and novak djokovic . it was only nadal 's fifth defeat in 41 clay court finals . the tennis is important , but for me the best thing was to have the feelings i 've had this week , with a full stadium and one of the best crowds i 've ever had in my life , ' added nadal . it 's a place i wo n't forget because of the love people gave me . i was two points away from winning the title , but i said from first day that the result was not the most important thing , although i would 've liked to win . my opponent won , he deserved it and i congratulate him . still , to win four matches in a row is good news for me . ' nadal and argentine partner juan monaco lost the doubles final to italians potito starace and paolo lorenzi . this week nadal will continue his rehabilitation in south america , where he will be top seed at this week 's brazil open in sao paulo .
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the spaniard beaten 6-7 ( 2-7 ) 7-6 ( 8-6 ) 6-4 by argentina 's horacio zeballos
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east river <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when new york city mayor michael bloomberg instructed five hospitals to evacuate their patients from hurricane irene 's path , one replied it could n't follow his order . administrators from new york university-langone medical center explained that six patients in the intensive care unit were so sick that moving them might kill them , and so the mayor 's office gave permission to keep them in the hospital throughout the storm . it then fell to elaine rowinski , nurse manager of the intensive care unit , to find seven nurses willing to stay at the hospital , right in the hurricane 's predicted path and just 100 yards from the east river , which many feared would overflow . it turned out she had nothing to worry about . i could have had 20 nurses if i 'd needed them , ' she said . that 's how many called me up to volunteer . ' rowinski stayed at the hospital all weekend as the doctors and nurses who also stayed listened to the wind and the rain through the boarded-up windows . i had no qualms about staying , no fears at all , ' she said . we train for these disasters . ' brainstorming with her staff , rowinski came up with a list of what they might need during the storm . the nurses kept flashlights by each bedside and plugged machines into the red outlets on the wall , which connect to the generators on top of the building , in case they lost power from con edison . they also kept a three-day supply of medicine next to each patient 's bed in the event they needed to evacuate quickly . about 200 staff members stayed at nyu , including engineers , security guards , housekeepers , blood bank staff , and two doctors . four family members stayed all weekend with the patients . some of the patients had neurological diseases , while others had respiratory problems or infectious diseases . many were on life support , but those that were conscious were told friday they might have to be evacuated . they were so relieved when they found out they could stay , ' rowinski said . as for rowinski , she finally went home monday afternoon after nearly three days straight at the hospital . while she was working , her husband had to evacuate their house in oceanside , on long island . he told me he kept a picture of me by the dog so he 'd remember me , ' she said with a laugh . cnn 's john bonifield contributed to this report .
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the hospital is just 100 yards from the east river
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bashar al-assad <tsp> ( cnn ) -- each day , they live in fear . sometimes it 's the fear of rockets dropping from the sky . sometimes it 's violent fundamentalists taking over their cities . sometimes it 's the barrel bombs stuffed with tnt and nails . exactly what horror they face depends on which border they live within . syria , iraq , gaza , israel and libya . each with its unique crisis , but all now unified in a heightened sense of anxiety as years of conflict come to a head . i would argue , ' u.s. sen. john mccain said this week , that given conditions in the middle east , this might be more dangerous than any time in the past . ' here 's where the crises stand : syria al-assad wins ... again with carnage mounting every day across the country , it 's hard to find reason to celebrate in syria . and yet president bashar al-assad and his supporters find a way . on wednesday , al-assad was sworn in for his third term . it 's an outcome pretty much everyone expected -- not because he is popularly adored , but because his family has ruled syria since 1971 . and no real contender ran against him . three years of civil war have left much of the country in shambles . while regime helicopters drop barrel bombs on opposition neighborhoods , dissidents say , the government maintains its stance that it 's only fighting terrorists . as if the civil war was n't enough , the radical sunni group islamic state in iraq in syria is using this opportunity to carve its own swath of territory from the iraq border to deep inside syria . the united nations says more than 150,000 people have been killed in the past three years . but at this point , many have stopped counting . no one is winning ; no one can win , ' u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said . even if one side were to prevail in the short term , the devastating toll will have sown the seeds of future conflict . ' why we should care : for americans thinking the syrian crisis does n't hit home , think again . u.s. intelligence and law enforcement have dozens of investigations under way , tracking americans who traveled to syria to join the fight . the fbi and other members of the intelligence community have made this a top priority and are taking whatever steps they can under the law to monitor and prevent those coming back from doing us harm , ' assistant attorney general john carlin said . iraq threat of fundamentalism looms this month was supposed mark iraq 's first steps toward a new government . but it 's hard to tout political gains when isis militants keep barreling across the country , snatching entire cities and threatening to take over baghdad . isis now controls land on both sides of the iraq-syria border -- opening the floodgates for weapons and fighters between the two countries . on wednesday , iraqi security forces had to withdraw from central tikrit after fierce fighting with militants believed to be isis members . at least 52 iraqi security forces were killed . now , an unlikely pair of countries are coming to assist the embattled government -- the united states and iran . while u.s. advisers are on the ground assisting security forces , iraq is increasingly relying on iranian-backed shiite militias to stave off radical sunni isis militants -- especially around the capital . why we should care : former u.s. vice president dick cheney said the crisis in iraq now involves throngs of foreigners -- possibly including americans . one of the problems you 've got now is a caliphate that includes part of syria , part of iraq , and you 've got literally thousands of jihadist wannabes flooding into that part of the world from europe -- some of them probably from the united states -- who want to participate in that conflict , ' cheney told cnn 's jake tapper . it 's a threat to us , to the united states , not just to that part of the world . ' libya a free-for-all nearly three years after libyan rebels overthrew a longtime dictator , the country is no closer to lasting stability . the civil war that culminated in moammar gadhafi 's 2011 death has given way to warring militias fighting over tripoli 's international airport . at least 90 % of the planes there have been damaged , and it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair them , the government said . maintenance buildings are destroyed . so are fuel tanks and trucks . even the control tower has been hit . the chaos in the capital is so dire now that officials are considering asking for international troops -- even though the government is virtually powerless and has very little influence on what 's happening on the ground . not only is government is weak , but militias actually outnumber and outgun its security forces . why we should care : the u.s. state department said the fighting could lead to widespread conflict . we affirm our support for libya 's democratic transition and urge the seating of the new council of representatives as soon as possible , ' the state department said . we stress the vital role libya 's constitution drafting assembly plays in building the new country for which libyans sacrificed so much during the revolution . ' and of course the u.s. is still trying to figure out more details on the 2012 attack that killed four americans at a u.s. diplomatic compound in benghazi , including u.s . ambassador chris stevens . gaza and israel retaliation and recrimination what was supposed to be a cease-fire between israeli forces and palestinian militant group hamas this week now seems like a joke . rockets fired by hamas on tuesday were quickly matched by airstrikes from israel . and so the exchanges continue . now , a leading member of hamas says he 's not opposed to peace -- but says there needs to be more compromise . we hope we can achieve a cease-fire -- but a cease-fire which can protect the palestinians and guarantee that there will be no violations , ' hamas spokesman osama hamdan said . israel , which accepted a cease-fire proposal by egypt , defended its decision to strike back against hamas . instead of having this door open to a diplomatic solution , they closed the door , ' said mark regev , spokesman for the israeli prime minister . we now have to , unfortunately , protect our people through military means . ' while both rockets and rhetoric fly , human rights watch said israeli air attacks have been killing civilians in violation of the laws of war . ' an israeli military spokesman said civilian casualties in gaza are a human tragedy ' -- but that it 's hamas'fault . the military accuses hamas of taking civilians hostage by using places like houses , hospitals and schools to hide weapons . more than 200 people have been killed in gaza since the offensive started a week ago , palestinian officials said . one israeli has also died . why we should care : many credit israel 's iron dome for saving untold lives on the israeli side . in 2014 , the united states provided $ 235 million for iron dome research , development and production , according to the congressional research service . israel is also the biggest recipient of u.s. foreign aid , much of which has gone toward israel 's military spending . u.s. secretary of state john kerry say 's he 'll return to the region if a cease-fire does n't materialize . i am prepared to fly back to the region tomorrow , if i have to , or the next day , or the next , in order to pursue the prospects if this does n't work , ' kerry said . but they deserve , the egyptians deserve the time and the space to be able to try to make this initiative work . ' chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat put it bluntly : we need the united states . ' now the region is really boiling , ' he said . failure is not an option here . ' cnn 's jomana karadsheh , jim sciutto , arwa damon , hamdi alkhshali , barbara starr and polo sandoval contributed to this report .
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syrian president bashar al-assad gets sworn in for a third term wednesday
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islam <tsp> islambad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistani president asif ali zardari will pardon a christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy , the governor of punjab state told cnn tuesday . what basically he 's made it clear is that she 's not going to be a victim of this law , ' gov . salman taseer told cnn international 's connect the world ' program . i mean , he 's a liberal , modern-minded president and he 's not going to see a poor woman like this targeted and executed . ... it 's just not going to happen , ' taseer said . asia bibi , who has been jailed for nearly 15 months , was convicted in a pakistani court earlier this month of breaking the country 's controversial blasphemy law by insulting islam 's prophet mohammed , a crime punishable with death or life imprisonment , according to pakistan 's penal code . she was sentenced to death . she has filed a petition for mercy with the high court , taseer said . if the high court suspends the sentence and gives her bail then that is fine . we 'll see that , and if that does n't happen , then the president will pardon her , ' he said . a preliminary investigation showed bibi was falsely accused , a government official said monday . the president asked me to investigate her case and my preliminary findings show she is innocent and the charges against her are baseless , ' pakistani minister for minority affairs shahbaz bhatti told cnn . bhatti emphasized monday that he has reached only preliminary conclusions and will submit a final report wednesday to zardari 's office . prosecutors say bibi , a 45-year-old field worker , insulted the prophet mohammed after she got into a heated argument with muslim co-workers who refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched . in a brief news conference at the prison where she 's being held , bibi said saturday that the allegations against her are lies fabricated by a group of women who do n't like her . we had some differences and this was their way of taking revenge , ' she said . bibi 's death sentence sparked outrage among human rights groups , who condemned pakistan 's blasphemy law as a source of violence and persecution against religious minorities . cnn 's luke henderson and ravi agrawal contributed to this report .
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she was sentenced to death for insulting islam 's prophet mohammed
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cnn <tsp> islambad , pakistan ( cnn ) -- pakistani president asif ali zardari will pardon a christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy , the governor of punjab state told cnn tuesday . what basically he 's made it clear is that she 's not going to be a victim of this law , ' gov . salman taseer told cnn international 's connect the world ' program . i mean , he 's a liberal , modern-minded president and he 's not going to see a poor woman like this targeted and executed . ... it 's just not going to happen , ' taseer said . asia bibi , who has been jailed for nearly 15 months , was convicted in a pakistani court earlier this month of breaking the country 's controversial blasphemy law by insulting islam 's prophet mohammed , a crime punishable with death or life imprisonment , according to pakistan 's penal code . she was sentenced to death . she has filed a petition for mercy with the high court , taseer said . if the high court suspends the sentence and gives her bail then that is fine . we 'll see that , and if that does n't happen , then the president will pardon her , ' he said . a preliminary investigation showed bibi was falsely accused , a government official said monday . the president asked me to investigate her case and my preliminary findings show she is innocent and the charges against her are baseless , ' pakistani minister for minority affairs shahbaz bhatti told cnn . bhatti emphasized monday that he has reached only preliminary conclusions and will submit a final report wednesday to zardari 's office . prosecutors say bibi , a 45-year-old field worker , insulted the prophet mohammed after she got into a heated argument with muslim co-workers who refused to drink from a bucket of water she had touched . in a brief news conference at the prison where she 's being held , bibi said saturday that the allegations against her are lies fabricated by a group of women who do n't like her . we had some differences and this was their way of taking revenge , ' she said . bibi 's death sentence sparked outrage among human rights groups , who condemned pakistan 's blasphemy law as a source of violence and persecution against religious minorities . cnn 's luke henderson and ravi agrawal contributed to this report .
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the high court should release asia bibi , punjab 's governor tells cnn
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iain softley <tsp> ( entertainment weekly ) -- watching iain softley 's motley , jewel-toned adaptation of inkheart , ' the best-selling 2003 young-adult novel by cornelia funke , i had the distinct sensation of being a young bookworm again , falling into a world as vividly real as it is impossible . brendan fraser stars as mo , a literature lover who brings characters to life when he reads aloud . in funke 's universe -- given voice in a screenplay by fantasy-friendly playwright david lindsay-abaire -- a literature lover named mo ( brendan fraser ) possesses a dangerous talent for bringing characters from books to life when he reads aloud . the downside ? when a fictional figure comes alive , a real person must disappear into the book 's pages . that explains the extended absence of mo 's wife , resa ( sienna guillory ) . mo has not yet told the truth about resa 's disappearance to their intrepid young daughter , meggie ( eliza hope bennett ) , just as many a movie adult before him annoyingly withheld information from their children for dramatic effect . ( maybe fraser 's mo , a pleasantly square-framed american among a population of brits , just ca n't bring himself to utter the word mummy . ' ) it also explains the presence of a rambunctious crowd of fictional interlopers . these include a soulful fire juggler ( paul bettany ) who yearns for home ( and why not , when real-life wife jennifer connelly appears briefly as the juggler 's fairy-tale missus ) , and an acquisitive villain named capricorn ( andy serkis , always welcome even without his gollum suit ) . a unicorn and the wizard of oz 's ' flying monkeys also make appearances -- as does , briefly , toto too . the story is a whirl , a jumble , an effusion -- sometimes flowing smoothly , other times jerking along as if the filmmaker ( backbeat , ' the wings of the dove ' ) has been given advice he resents regarding pacing and the balance of sweetness and danger . there are close calls , weird whispers , amusing throwaway lines , the ditherings of a distractible author ( jim broadbent ) , and cartoon violence undertaken by misshapen scary-comic evil henchmen . but most deliciously madcap of all , there are the grand gestures and imperious pronouncements of helen mirren as meggie 's flesh-and-blood great-aunt elinor , a creature of pencil-thin eyebrows and luscious costumery who caws and squawks with very unqueenly abandon . mirren 's all-out display in this distinctly british absurdo-literary extravaganza had me wishing elinor were my own fabulous auntie and that she 'd lend me some magic items from her closet . ew grade : b click here to try 2 risk free issues of entertainment weekly copyright 2009 entertainment weekly and time inc. all rights reserved .
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entertainment weekly reviews iain softley 's adaptation of inkheart '
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armstrong <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lance armstrong , who for years vehemently denied cheating while winning a record seven tours de france , told oprah winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to advance his cycling career , according to media reports . abc news , the new york times and usa today , citing unnamed sources , reported monday night that the former cyclist finally admitted to using steroids during an interview he and winfrey taped monday night in armstrong 's hometown of austin , texas . armstrong was emotional at times during the session , a source , who was familiar with the interview , told cnn . the person refused to discuss the specifics of what armstrong said , including whether he confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs as abc and usa today reported . armstrong also might pay back part of the money he received from the u.s . postal service , which sponsored the cyclist and his team while he was winning six of his tours de france , the source said . the source said armstrong was in negotiations to repay some of the money . espn reported in 2011 that the agency -- which is not taxpayer funded -- paid more that $ 31 million to sponsor the team during the final four years of its agreement . a spokeswoman for the postal service said : we are not in a position now to discuss any of the legal issues associated with these developments and the prior relationship between the u.s . postal service and mr. armstrong , but we will do so at an appropriate time . ' armstrong won the tour de france a record seven straight years , beginning in 1999 . the postal service sponsored the team from 1996 to 2004 . tim herman , one of armstrong 's lawyers , had no comment about the interview . winfrey tweeted after the interview : just wrapped with @ lancearmstrong more than 2 1/2 hours . he came ready ! ' the interview will be edited down to 90 minutes , winfrey has said . we are not confirming any specific details regarding the interview at this time , ' a spokesperson for own said monday night . the disgraced cycling legend earlier apologized to the staff of the cancer charity he started , a publicist for livestrong foundation said . armstrong was tearful during the 15-minute meeting and did n't address the issue of steroid use in cycling , rae bazzarre , director of communications for the foundation , said . bazzarre added that armstrong offered to the staff a sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they 've endured because of him . ' he urged them to keep working hard to help cancer survivors and their families . armstrong 's sit-down in his hometown of austin , texas , with winfrey was his first interview since he was stripped of his seven tour de france titles in october in a blood-doping scandal . read more : oprah interview with lance armstrong airs january 17 for more than a decade , armstrong has denied he used performance-enhancing drugs , but he was linked to a doping scandal by nearly a dozen other former cyclists who have admitted to doping . what armstrong said or did not say to winfrey could have ramifications . some media outlets have reported that armstrong has been strongly considering the possibility of a confession , possibly as a way to stem the tide of fleeing sponsors and as part of a long-term redemptive comeback plan . but such a confession might lend weight to the lawsuits that could await him . the interview will air at 9 p.m . et thursday on the oprah winfrey network . winfrey has promised a no-holds-barred ' interview , with no conditions and no payment made to armstrong . but the speculations swirled monday . i do n't think we 're going to get an out-and-out confession , ' says cnn sports anchor patrick snell . i think we 're going to get something like ,'this is what went on during this era of trying to compete at the highest level .'' livestrong bracelet : to wear or not to wear ? armstrong , 41 , has repeatedly and vehemently denied that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs as well as illegal blood transfusions during his cycling career . winfrey will ask armstrong to address the u.s. anti-doping agency 's october report , which said there was overwhelming evidence he was directly involved in a sophisticated doping program , a statement from her network said last week . the international cycling union , which chose not to appeal the usada 's lifetime ban , stripped armstrong of his record seven tour victories . the world anti-doping agency also agreed with the sanctions , which means armstrong may not compete in sports governed by that agency 's code . before the ban , he was competing in ironman triathlons and had won two of the five events he had entered . since the ban he has entered two non-sanctioned events . report : armstrong offered to donate $ 250,000 to anti-doping agency why now ? so , why would armstrong choose to make a confession now ? i would suspect that he sees this as certainly his best way forward , ' snell says . he would have taken strong legal advice , of course . when you look at the kind of stuff that oprah 's done over the years , it 's a chance to get ... heartfelt emotions across . ' the new york times has reported that armstrong was contemplating publicly admitting he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs . such an admission might lead toward armstrong regaining his eligibility . one of his attorneys denied armstrong was in discussion with the two anti-doping agencies . herman , in a recent e-mail to cnn sports , did not address whether armstrong told associates -- as reported by the newspaper -- that he was considering an admission . but such an admission could open him up to lawsuits , something armstrong is likely well aware of . he is surrounded by the best legal advice , the best legal team , ' snell says . it 's very hard for anyone to imagine him going into this without having been fully briefed , made aware of absolutely every scenario . ' share your view on armstrong drug tests in the past , armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed . in its 202-page report that detailed armstrong 's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions , the usada said it had tested armstrong less than 60 times and the international cycling union conducted about 215 tests . the agency did not say that armstrong ever failed a test , but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the tests altogether . the new york times , citing unnamed associates and anti-doping officials , said armstrong has been in discussions with usada officials and hopes to meet with david howman , chief of the world anti-doping agency . the newspaper said none of the people with knowledge of armstrong 's situation wanted to be identified because it would jeopardize their access to information on the matter . awaiting armstrong 's'last word' armstrong : the legend and the fall armstrong has been an icon for his cycling feats and celebrity , bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition , big money and mass appeal in the united states . he fought back from testicular cancer to win the tour from 1999 to 2005 . he raised millions via his lance armstrong foundation to help cancer victims and survivors , an effort illustrated by trendy yellow livestrong ' wristbands that helped bring in the money . but armstrong has long been dogged by doping allegations , with compatriot floyd landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 tour de france title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims in 2011 . armstrong sued the usada last year to stop its investigation of him , arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him . but after a federal judge dismissed the case , armstrong said he would no longer participate in the investigation . in october 2012 , armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from cycling . weeks later , he stepped down from the board of his foundation , livestrong . kurtz : can even oprah save lance armstrong ? cnn 's ed lavandera , kevin bohn , joe sutton , ed payne , jillian martin and chelsea j. carter contributed to this report .
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armstrong apologizes to cancer foundation workers for their stress
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armstrong <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lance armstrong , who for years vehemently denied cheating while winning a record seven tours de france , told oprah winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to advance his cycling career , according to media reports . abc news , the new york times and usa today , citing unnamed sources , reported monday night that the former cyclist finally admitted to using steroids during an interview he and winfrey taped monday night in armstrong 's hometown of austin , texas . armstrong was emotional at times during the session , a source , who was familiar with the interview , told cnn . the person refused to discuss the specifics of what armstrong said , including whether he confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs as abc and usa today reported . armstrong also might pay back part of the money he received from the u.s . postal service , which sponsored the cyclist and his team while he was winning six of his tours de france , the source said . the source said armstrong was in negotiations to repay some of the money . espn reported in 2011 that the agency -- which is not taxpayer funded -- paid more that $ 31 million to sponsor the team during the final four years of its agreement . a spokeswoman for the postal service said : we are not in a position now to discuss any of the legal issues associated with these developments and the prior relationship between the u.s . postal service and mr. armstrong , but we will do so at an appropriate time . ' armstrong won the tour de france a record seven straight years , beginning in 1999 . the postal service sponsored the team from 1996 to 2004 . tim herman , one of armstrong 's lawyers , had no comment about the interview . winfrey tweeted after the interview : just wrapped with @ lancearmstrong more than 2 1/2 hours . he came ready ! ' the interview will be edited down to 90 minutes , winfrey has said . we are not confirming any specific details regarding the interview at this time , ' a spokesperson for own said monday night . the disgraced cycling legend earlier apologized to the staff of the cancer charity he started , a publicist for livestrong foundation said . armstrong was tearful during the 15-minute meeting and did n't address the issue of steroid use in cycling , rae bazzarre , director of communications for the foundation , said . bazzarre added that armstrong offered to the staff a sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they 've endured because of him . ' he urged them to keep working hard to help cancer survivors and their families . armstrong 's sit-down in his hometown of austin , texas , with winfrey was his first interview since he was stripped of his seven tour de france titles in october in a blood-doping scandal . read more : oprah interview with lance armstrong airs january 17 for more than a decade , armstrong has denied he used performance-enhancing drugs , but he was linked to a doping scandal by nearly a dozen other former cyclists who have admitted to doping . what armstrong said or did not say to winfrey could have ramifications . some media outlets have reported that armstrong has been strongly considering the possibility of a confession , possibly as a way to stem the tide of fleeing sponsors and as part of a long-term redemptive comeback plan . but such a confession might lend weight to the lawsuits that could await him . the interview will air at 9 p.m . et thursday on the oprah winfrey network . winfrey has promised a no-holds-barred ' interview , with no conditions and no payment made to armstrong . but the speculations swirled monday . i do n't think we 're going to get an out-and-out confession , ' says cnn sports anchor patrick snell . i think we 're going to get something like ,'this is what went on during this era of trying to compete at the highest level .'' livestrong bracelet : to wear or not to wear ? armstrong , 41 , has repeatedly and vehemently denied that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs as well as illegal blood transfusions during his cycling career . winfrey will ask armstrong to address the u.s. anti-doping agency 's october report , which said there was overwhelming evidence he was directly involved in a sophisticated doping program , a statement from her network said last week . the international cycling union , which chose not to appeal the usada 's lifetime ban , stripped armstrong of his record seven tour victories . the world anti-doping agency also agreed with the sanctions , which means armstrong may not compete in sports governed by that agency 's code . before the ban , he was competing in ironman triathlons and had won two of the five events he had entered . since the ban he has entered two non-sanctioned events . report : armstrong offered to donate $ 250,000 to anti-doping agency why now ? so , why would armstrong choose to make a confession now ? i would suspect that he sees this as certainly his best way forward , ' snell says . he would have taken strong legal advice , of course . when you look at the kind of stuff that oprah 's done over the years , it 's a chance to get ... heartfelt emotions across . ' the new york times has reported that armstrong was contemplating publicly admitting he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs . such an admission might lead toward armstrong regaining his eligibility . one of his attorneys denied armstrong was in discussion with the two anti-doping agencies . herman , in a recent e-mail to cnn sports , did not address whether armstrong told associates -- as reported by the newspaper -- that he was considering an admission . but such an admission could open him up to lawsuits , something armstrong is likely well aware of . he is surrounded by the best legal advice , the best legal team , ' snell says . it 's very hard for anyone to imagine him going into this without having been fully briefed , made aware of absolutely every scenario . ' share your view on armstrong drug tests in the past , armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed . in its 202-page report that detailed armstrong 's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions , the usada said it had tested armstrong less than 60 times and the international cycling union conducted about 215 tests . the agency did not say that armstrong ever failed a test , but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the tests altogether . the new york times , citing unnamed associates and anti-doping officials , said armstrong has been in discussions with usada officials and hopes to meet with david howman , chief of the world anti-doping agency . the newspaper said none of the people with knowledge of armstrong 's situation wanted to be identified because it would jeopardize their access to information on the matter . awaiting armstrong 's'last word' armstrong : the legend and the fall armstrong has been an icon for his cycling feats and celebrity , bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition , big money and mass appeal in the united states . he fought back from testicular cancer to win the tour from 1999 to 2005 . he raised millions via his lance armstrong foundation to help cancer victims and survivors , an effort illustrated by trendy yellow livestrong ' wristbands that helped bring in the money . but armstrong has long been dogged by doping allegations , with compatriot floyd landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 tour de france title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims in 2011 . armstrong sued the usada last year to stop its investigation of him , arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him . but after a federal judge dismissed the case , armstrong said he would no longer participate in the investigation . in october 2012 , armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from cycling . weeks later , he stepped down from the board of his foundation , livestrong . kurtz : can even oprah save lance armstrong ? cnn 's ed lavandera , kevin bohn , joe sutton , ed payne , jillian martin and chelsea j. carter contributed to this report .
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new : media reports say armstrong admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs
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cnn <tsp> ( cnn ) -- lance armstrong , who for years vehemently denied cheating while winning a record seven tours de france , told oprah winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs to advance his cycling career , according to media reports . abc news , the new york times and usa today , citing unnamed sources , reported monday night that the former cyclist finally admitted to using steroids during an interview he and winfrey taped monday night in armstrong 's hometown of austin , texas . armstrong was emotional at times during the session , a source , who was familiar with the interview , told cnn . the person refused to discuss the specifics of what armstrong said , including whether he confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs as abc and usa today reported . armstrong also might pay back part of the money he received from the u.s . postal service , which sponsored the cyclist and his team while he was winning six of his tours de france , the source said . the source said armstrong was in negotiations to repay some of the money . espn reported in 2011 that the agency -- which is not taxpayer funded -- paid more that $ 31 million to sponsor the team during the final four years of its agreement . a spokeswoman for the postal service said : we are not in a position now to discuss any of the legal issues associated with these developments and the prior relationship between the u.s . postal service and mr. armstrong , but we will do so at an appropriate time . ' armstrong won the tour de france a record seven straight years , beginning in 1999 . the postal service sponsored the team from 1996 to 2004 . tim herman , one of armstrong 's lawyers , had no comment about the interview . winfrey tweeted after the interview : just wrapped with @ lancearmstrong more than 2 1/2 hours . he came ready ! ' the interview will be edited down to 90 minutes , winfrey has said . we are not confirming any specific details regarding the interview at this time , ' a spokesperson for own said monday night . the disgraced cycling legend earlier apologized to the staff of the cancer charity he started , a publicist for livestrong foundation said . armstrong was tearful during the 15-minute meeting and did n't address the issue of steroid use in cycling , rae bazzarre , director of communications for the foundation , said . bazzarre added that armstrong offered to the staff a sincere and heartfelt apology for the stress they 've endured because of him . ' he urged them to keep working hard to help cancer survivors and their families . armstrong 's sit-down in his hometown of austin , texas , with winfrey was his first interview since he was stripped of his seven tour de france titles in october in a blood-doping scandal . read more : oprah interview with lance armstrong airs january 17 for more than a decade , armstrong has denied he used performance-enhancing drugs , but he was linked to a doping scandal by nearly a dozen other former cyclists who have admitted to doping . what armstrong said or did not say to winfrey could have ramifications . some media outlets have reported that armstrong has been strongly considering the possibility of a confession , possibly as a way to stem the tide of fleeing sponsors and as part of a long-term redemptive comeback plan . but such a confession might lend weight to the lawsuits that could await him . the interview will air at 9 p.m . et thursday on the oprah winfrey network . winfrey has promised a no-holds-barred ' interview , with no conditions and no payment made to armstrong . but the speculations swirled monday . i do n't think we 're going to get an out-and-out confession , ' says cnn sports anchor patrick snell . i think we 're going to get something like ,'this is what went on during this era of trying to compete at the highest level .'' livestrong bracelet : to wear or not to wear ? armstrong , 41 , has repeatedly and vehemently denied that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs as well as illegal blood transfusions during his cycling career . winfrey will ask armstrong to address the u.s. anti-doping agency 's october report , which said there was overwhelming evidence he was directly involved in a sophisticated doping program , a statement from her network said last week . the international cycling union , which chose not to appeal the usada 's lifetime ban , stripped armstrong of his record seven tour victories . the world anti-doping agency also agreed with the sanctions , which means armstrong may not compete in sports governed by that agency 's code . before the ban , he was competing in ironman triathlons and had won two of the five events he had entered . since the ban he has entered two non-sanctioned events . report : armstrong offered to donate $ 250,000 to anti-doping agency why now ? so , why would armstrong choose to make a confession now ? i would suspect that he sees this as certainly his best way forward , ' snell says . he would have taken strong legal advice , of course . when you look at the kind of stuff that oprah 's done over the years , it 's a chance to get ... heartfelt emotions across . ' the new york times has reported that armstrong was contemplating publicly admitting he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs . such an admission might lead toward armstrong regaining his eligibility . one of his attorneys denied armstrong was in discussion with the two anti-doping agencies . herman , in a recent e-mail to cnn sports , did not address whether armstrong told associates -- as reported by the newspaper -- that he was considering an admission . but such an admission could open him up to lawsuits , something armstrong is likely well aware of . he is surrounded by the best legal advice , the best legal team , ' snell says . it 's very hard for anyone to imagine him going into this without having been fully briefed , made aware of absolutely every scenario . ' share your view on armstrong drug tests in the past , armstrong has argued that he took more than 500 drug tests and never failed . in its 202-page report that detailed armstrong 's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs and blood transfusions , the usada said it had tested armstrong less than 60 times and the international cycling union conducted about 215 tests . the agency did not say that armstrong ever failed a test , but his former teammates testified as to how they beat tests or avoided the tests altogether . the new york times , citing unnamed associates and anti-doping officials , said armstrong has been in discussions with usada officials and hopes to meet with david howman , chief of the world anti-doping agency . the newspaper said none of the people with knowledge of armstrong 's situation wanted to be identified because it would jeopardize their access to information on the matter . awaiting armstrong 's'last word' armstrong : the legend and the fall armstrong has been an icon for his cycling feats and celebrity , bringing more status to a sport wildly popular in some nations but lacking big-name recognition , big money and mass appeal in the united states . he fought back from testicular cancer to win the tour from 1999 to 2005 . he raised millions via his lance armstrong foundation to help cancer victims and survivors , an effort illustrated by trendy yellow livestrong ' wristbands that helped bring in the money . but armstrong has long been dogged by doping allegations , with compatriot floyd landis -- who was stripped of his 2006 tour de france title after failing a drug test -- making a series of claims in 2011 . armstrong sued the usada last year to stop its investigation of him , arguing it did not have the right to prosecute him . but after a federal judge dismissed the case , armstrong said he would no longer participate in the investigation . in october 2012 , armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from cycling . weeks later , he stepped down from the board of his foundation , livestrong . kurtz : can even oprah save lance armstrong ? cnn 's ed lavandera , kevin bohn , joe sutton , ed payne , jillian martin and chelsea j. carter contributed to this report .
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source tells cnn the former cyclist in talks to repay some sponsorship money
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yoda <tsp> ( cnn ) -- you and i got pranked on april fools'day . b. raymond buxton got paid . the california man picked up a giant check for $ 425 million tuesday after turning in the winning ticket for the february 19 powerball drawing . after choosing the cash option , burton will actually deposit a $ 242.2 million lump sum ( before taxes ) in whatever accounts he uses for his funds . the retiree ( the news release did n't say whether he was already retired or retired as of april 1 ) said he was going to use some of the money to start a charitable foundation for pediatric health , child hunger and education . ' he will also travel , he said . buxton , who bought the ticket in milpitas , north of san jose , said he had n't told a soul he had won during the six weeks he took to get his legal and financial team in place . sitting on a ticket of this value was very scary , ' he said , according to lottery officials . it 's amazing how a little slip of paper can change your life . ' apparently , it did n't change him that much . he showed up at lottery headquarters wearing a yoda t-shirt with the slogan luck of the jedi i have . ' new york woman credits fortune cookie for $ 2m lottery prize you won the big one -- now what ? sudden lottery fortune no panacea
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he sports a yoda t-shirt at lottery headquarters
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konias <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two big piles of cash , one at a grave site and another at a home , have been recovered by pittsburgh police and are believed to be part of the $ 2 million an armored truck driver allegedly stole after killing his partner . kenneth konias jr. remains on the run after he allegedly shot michael haines in the head last month , according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation who declined to be named . about $ 24,000 was found at konias'grandmother 's grave site on wednesday , the source said . more than $ 200,000 was found at his home tuesday . konias is believed to be in possession of at least three handguns and is thought to be within the united states , said pittsburgh police commander thomas stangrecki . an fbi task force is participating in the hunt , employing social media to tap into a wider audience and gather information . according to the criminal complaint , a witness heard a gunshot coming from an armored truck carrying deposits around 1 p.m . et on february 28 . surveillance video shows the vehicle in the parking lot where the shot was overheard . the truck was later discovered under a pittsburgh bridge by the company 's employees and two police detectives . haines was found dead inside , authorities said . authorities say konias called a friend and his mother in the minutes after the shooting . i f * * * ed up , ' konias told his friend , according to the criminal complaint . my life is over . ' pressed to explain , konias admitted he had killed someone , according to the complaint . cnn can not independently verify the account . his mother , renee konias , told police that she had received a strange call ' from her son , less than an hour after the shooting , asking to speak to his father , but she informed him that he would have to call the house to reach him . police said that when his mother attempted to call him back , konias answered once and hung up abruptly and then did not answer at all . his cell phone was later recovered by police . according to the complaint , konias'father said he saw his son drop off a blood-spattered work jacket at his home . konias is accused of criminal homicide , theft of the victim 's gun and robbery of the cash inside the armored vehicle . the armored truck company , garda cash logistics , is offering a reward of up to $ 100,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of konias . he was last seen driving a champagne-colored 2006 ford explorer with pennsylvania license plate gzw-4572 . police say the man should be considered armed and dangerous and are asking anyone with information to call the pittsburgh homicide office at 412-323-7161 or to call 911 . cnn 's mary snow contributed to this report
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konias , who drove an armored truck , is accused of shooting his partner
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konias <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two big piles of cash , one at a grave site and another at a home , have been recovered by pittsburgh police and are believed to be part of the $ 2 million an armored truck driver allegedly stole after killing his partner . kenneth konias jr. remains on the run after he allegedly shot michael haines in the head last month , according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation who declined to be named . about $ 24,000 was found at konias'grandmother 's grave site on wednesday , the source said . more than $ 200,000 was found at his home tuesday . konias is believed to be in possession of at least three handguns and is thought to be within the united states , said pittsburgh police commander thomas stangrecki . an fbi task force is participating in the hunt , employing social media to tap into a wider audience and gather information . according to the criminal complaint , a witness heard a gunshot coming from an armored truck carrying deposits around 1 p.m . et on february 28 . surveillance video shows the vehicle in the parking lot where the shot was overheard . the truck was later discovered under a pittsburgh bridge by the company 's employees and two police detectives . haines was found dead inside , authorities said . authorities say konias called a friend and his mother in the minutes after the shooting . i f * * * ed up , ' konias told his friend , according to the criminal complaint . my life is over . ' pressed to explain , konias admitted he had killed someone , according to the complaint . cnn can not independently verify the account . his mother , renee konias , told police that she had received a strange call ' from her son , less than an hour after the shooting , asking to speak to his father , but she informed him that he would have to call the house to reach him . police said that when his mother attempted to call him back , konias answered once and hung up abruptly and then did not answer at all . his cell phone was later recovered by police . according to the complaint , konias'father said he saw his son drop off a blood-spattered work jacket at his home . konias is accused of criminal homicide , theft of the victim 's gun and robbery of the cash inside the armored vehicle . the armored truck company , garda cash logistics , is offering a reward of up to $ 100,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of konias . he was last seen driving a champagne-colored 2006 ford explorer with pennsylvania license plate gzw-4572 . police say the man should be considered armed and dangerous and are asking anyone with information to call the pittsburgh homicide office at 412-323-7161 or to call 911 . cnn 's mary snow contributed to this report
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about $ 24,000 was found at konias'grandmother 's grave site
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konias <tsp> ( cnn ) -- two big piles of cash , one at a grave site and another at a home , have been recovered by pittsburgh police and are believed to be part of the $ 2 million an armored truck driver allegedly stole after killing his partner . kenneth konias jr. remains on the run after he allegedly shot michael haines in the head last month , according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation who declined to be named . about $ 24,000 was found at konias'grandmother 's grave site on wednesday , the source said . more than $ 200,000 was found at his home tuesday . konias is believed to be in possession of at least three handguns and is thought to be within the united states , said pittsburgh police commander thomas stangrecki . an fbi task force is participating in the hunt , employing social media to tap into a wider audience and gather information . according to the criminal complaint , a witness heard a gunshot coming from an armored truck carrying deposits around 1 p.m . et on february 28 . surveillance video shows the vehicle in the parking lot where the shot was overheard . the truck was later discovered under a pittsburgh bridge by the company 's employees and two police detectives . haines was found dead inside , authorities said . authorities say konias called a friend and his mother in the minutes after the shooting . i f * * * ed up , ' konias told his friend , according to the criminal complaint . my life is over . ' pressed to explain , konias admitted he had killed someone , according to the complaint . cnn can not independently verify the account . his mother , renee konias , told police that she had received a strange call ' from her son , less than an hour after the shooting , asking to speak to his father , but she informed him that he would have to call the house to reach him . police said that when his mother attempted to call him back , konias answered once and hung up abruptly and then did not answer at all . his cell phone was later recovered by police . according to the complaint , konias'father said he saw his son drop off a blood-spattered work jacket at his home . konias is accused of criminal homicide , theft of the victim 's gun and robbery of the cash inside the armored vehicle . the armored truck company , garda cash logistics , is offering a reward of up to $ 100,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of konias . he was last seen driving a champagne-colored 2006 ford explorer with pennsylvania license plate gzw-4572 . police say the man should be considered armed and dangerous and are asking anyone with information to call the pittsburgh homicide office at 412-323-7161 or to call 911 . cnn 's mary snow contributed to this report
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kenneth konias jr. remains on the run , suspected in slaying
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italian <tsp> rome , italy ( cnn ) -- four english football fans were attacked in italy on the eve of a game thursday between liverpool and naples , naples police told cnn . two were stabbed and have been hospitalized with serious but not life-threatening conditions , police said . two were beaten with sticks and one is hospitalized in serious condition , they said . the other one , who was attacked in a different incident , is not badly hurt . three men have been arrested . police blamed the attacks on football fanaticism ' and are looking for the other attackers , they said . an italian restaurant owner also was attacked wednesday night after confronting masked men who were harassing british tourists eating in his restaurant , police said thursday . tempers already were running high in naples because tons of uncollected garbage is piling up , a result of landfills in the region being full . police said security for thursday 's match pitting liverpool against serie a side napoli is tighter than usual because of the garbage crisis . liverpool football club warned supporters traveling to italy for the europa league match to be careful , stick together and heed the safety advice printed on your ticket . '
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an italian man is injured defending british tourists
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british <tsp> rome , italy ( cnn ) -- four english football fans were attacked in italy on the eve of a game thursday between liverpool and naples , naples police told cnn . two were stabbed and have been hospitalized with serious but not life-threatening conditions , police said . two were beaten with sticks and one is hospitalized in serious condition , they said . the other one , who was attacked in a different incident , is not badly hurt . three men have been arrested . police blamed the attacks on football fanaticism ' and are looking for the other attackers , they said . an italian restaurant owner also was attacked wednesday night after confronting masked men who were harassing british tourists eating in his restaurant , police said thursday . tempers already were running high in naples because tons of uncollected garbage is piling up , a result of landfills in the region being full . police said security for thursday 's match pitting liverpool against serie a side napoli is tighter than usual because of the garbage crisis . liverpool football club warned supporters traveling to italy for the europa league match to be careful , stick together and heed the safety advice printed on your ticket . '
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an italian man is injured defending british tourists
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anish kapoor <tsp> london ( cnn ) -- it may look more amusement park than olympic park , but the twisting red metal tower at the heart of the london 2012 games site is no helter-skelter -- it 's a massive piece of contemporary art named the orbit . the sculpture , created by artist anish kapoor and designer cecil balmond , has become a common sight on televisions across the globe in recent days , snaking up through the sky alongside the olympic stadium . but while many visitors to the park have been happy to study the swirling structure from the ground , or to ride to the top and enjoy the sweeping views it offers across london , others are n't so sure . i think it 's amazing , it looks like a roller coaster , ' raven , an 11-year-old local schoolgirl , told cnn on her first visit to the tower . it 's so ugly it becomes interesting , ' another olympics fan said this week after visiting the sculpture . earlier this year when the orbit was first unveiled , london 's mayor claimed it was better than the eiffel tower . boris johnson said the artwork , which rises up next to the olympic stadium at stratford in the city 's east end was a masterpiece of design and engineering . ' it endlessly repays the viewer , it is a very rewarding thing to look at . the eiffel tower is very simple , the shard , behind me , is a piece of cake -- any child of two could do that -- this is much more elaborate , more sophisticated , more intriguing and complex , ' he told cnn . the tower stands 114.5 meters ( 375 feet ) tall , making it britain 's biggest sculpture , more than twice the height of nelson 's column , almost six times the height of the angel of the north , and 22 meters taller than the statue of liberty . visitors climb 455 steps -- or ride one of two elevators -- to two observation decks offering expansive vistas across london . johnson and lakshmi mittal , ceo of steelmaker arcelormittal , joined forces to champion the creation of a large-scale sculpture at the olympic park -- after meeting in a cloakroom at davos . it started as a small project , a casual discussion . ' mittal told cnn in may . it was just a scribble on a piece of paper . but it expanded and expanded into this exciting project . ' mittal 's company stumped up more than £19 million ( $ 30 million ) of the £24 million cost of the structure , providing steel from their plants across the globe . the olympics are a global games -- the whole world participates , 202 countries . arcelormittal has businesses in so many countries around the world and so i wanted every one to participate , ' he said . kapoor and balmond won a competition to design the piece , and have watched it rise from the one-time wasteland , as the olympic venues around it have also taken shape . kapoor said the initial brief called for a tower on the olympic site , 100 meters tall , or more , and we 've done more , ' explaining that the work questions the concept of what towers can be . ' as you walk up , around and through it , it 's as if the object is happening around you , ' he said when the sculpture was completed , adding that the orbit demands , requires , needs public participation . ' it 's all about being here , being involved , ' he told cnn . the artist conceded that the £15 entry fee ( £7 for children ) was high , but said it had been an expensive project , and that he hoped it would eventually be free , allowing more people to visit . designer balmond said the pair intended the sculpture to last far longer than the few weeks of the olympic games . we hope it will be a monument for london , that will stand for 50 years -- though it might need a paint job by then -- and that it will be a beacon , drawing people to the area . ' kapoor said he was ready for criticism : when you add such a big edifice to london 's skyline , necessarily , people will scrutinize it , and some will be critical , and that 's part of the process . we will see ... '
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orbit , designed by anish kapoor and cecil balmond , at heart of olympic park
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romney <tsp> manchester , new hampshire ( cnn ) -- republican presidential candidates faced off twice in 11 hours on saturday and sunday in debates ahead of tuesday 's new hampshire primary . while both debates were staged in the granite state , it was clear that the rivals intended for their messages to go beyond new hampshire . here are five things we learned from the weekend . romney 's debating skills on display neither debate did much to change the state of play in new hampshire . front-runner mitt romney 's rivals went after him in both debates . even when other candidates slighted romney -- rick perry referred to an insider from wall street , ' and gingrich went after romney 's private-sector record by repeatedly citing an article by the new york times -- the jabs were either veiled or dispassionate . and using the new york times to back up an argument probably wo n't excite the conservative base . romney 's opponents did step up their attacks between saturday and sunday , but then they seemed to back off . cnn.com opinion contributor todd graham , an award-winning college debating coach , speculated that romney 's rivals dropped the direct attacks because they were worried about overcorrecting , appearing rude , and alienating voters ( gingrich came close when he told romney to'drop the pious baloney') -- or in the heat of the moment , they forgot their coaching once the second debate was under way . ' graham concluded that between romney 's polished debating skills and sometimes poor debating by his rivals , he has only solidified his position . looking ahead to the general election ? over the past few years , the lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender rights movement has made strides , and many question whether someone who is not a supporter of the movement could win a general election in 2012 . such rights played a role in both debates . rick santorum , who has run on a predominantly social values platform , offered perhaps his strongest statement of homosexual support to date , saying he would not repudiate a son who told him he was gay . he was careful , however , not to say that he would fight for gay individuals , instead saying he would be an advocate for every person in america ' and would make sure people are treated with respect and dignity . ' on the same topic , romney said he has hired gay staffers in the past and would never discriminate against gays or attempt to take away their rights . are these two men looking ahead to a general election , where strong social conservative values may not play as well ? social issues played a big role in iowa and will do so again in south carolina . santorum 's answer may have been a good middle-of-the-road response and a reminder of a phrase often used by christian conservatives : love the sinner , hate the sin . that may be a message to which conservative voters in south carolina can relate . message received ? americans have made clear their disdain for congress , partisan politics and theatrics bringing government to a standstill . both gingrich and romney touted their records of working with democrats to hammer out legislative deals . gingrich , who is best known for battling president bill clinton in the 1990s , highlighted that he struck deals with the democratic president even though he wanted to make him a one-term president . ' and romney noted that when he was running massachusetts , the state legislature was 85 % democratic but that he found common ground , ' adding that he 's proved he can work with republicans and democrats who are willing to work together . ' santorum touted his ability to gain support among voters of both parties in his former pennsylvania district , and huntsman said that serving one 's country should always trump party loyalty . but before candidates can work on uniting the party , they will have to triumph over their rivals as the bruising gop primary plays out this winter . huntsman 's last stand ? since former utah gov . jon huntsman is placing all his chips on a strong finish in new hampshire 's tuesday primary , the debates were his last , best chance to make his case . saturday 's lukewarm performance was followed by a stronger delivery on sunday morning . after coming under attack saturday night by romney for his service as u.s. ambassador to china during the first two years of president barack obama 's term , huntsman strongly defended his time in beijing on sunday . but he also highlighted his fiscal plans as in tune with conservative republican principles . and in a state where independent voters hold sway , huntsman made his pitch , saying , the american people are tired of the partisan division . they have had enough . and i say , we 've had enough , and we have to change our direction in terms of coming together as americans first and foremost and finding solutions to our problems . ' ron paul punches hard -- in person the candidates have let super political action committees that support them do their dirty work on the campaign trail , spending millions on attack ads . but ron paul was one of the few candidates to repeat to his rivals'faces the same harsh criticism he 's unleashed in ads or on the campaign trail . paul stood firm in calling santorum corrupt ' and gingrich a chicken hawk ' for not having served in the military . would you use that phrase ( chicken hawk ) again ? ' moderator diane sawyer asked paul on saturday . yeah , ' paul responded . i think people who do n't serve when they could and they get three or four or even five deferments are n't -- they have no right to send our kids off to war . i 'm trying to stop the wars , ' he said . but at least , you know , i went when they called me up . ' gingrich responded with anger . dr. paul has a long history of saying things that are inaccurate and false , ' he said , denying that he had asked for a deferment and pointing out that his father had served overseas . i think i have a pretty good idea of what it 's like as a family to worry about your father getting killed , and i personally resent the kinds of comments and aspersions ( paul ) routinely makes without accurate information and then just slurs people . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , shawna shepherd , paul steinhauser , rachel streitfeld , shannon travis and chris welch contributed to this report .
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gingrich , romney tout their bipartisan efforts
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romney <tsp> manchester , new hampshire ( cnn ) -- republican presidential candidates faced off twice in 11 hours on saturday and sunday in debates ahead of tuesday 's new hampshire primary . while both debates were staged in the granite state , it was clear that the rivals intended for their messages to go beyond new hampshire . here are five things we learned from the weekend . romney 's debating skills on display neither debate did much to change the state of play in new hampshire . front-runner mitt romney 's rivals went after him in both debates . even when other candidates slighted romney -- rick perry referred to an insider from wall street , ' and gingrich went after romney 's private-sector record by repeatedly citing an article by the new york times -- the jabs were either veiled or dispassionate . and using the new york times to back up an argument probably wo n't excite the conservative base . romney 's opponents did step up their attacks between saturday and sunday , but then they seemed to back off . cnn.com opinion contributor todd graham , an award-winning college debating coach , speculated that romney 's rivals dropped the direct attacks because they were worried about overcorrecting , appearing rude , and alienating voters ( gingrich came close when he told romney to'drop the pious baloney') -- or in the heat of the moment , they forgot their coaching once the second debate was under way . ' graham concluded that between romney 's polished debating skills and sometimes poor debating by his rivals , he has only solidified his position . looking ahead to the general election ? over the past few years , the lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender rights movement has made strides , and many question whether someone who is not a supporter of the movement could win a general election in 2012 . such rights played a role in both debates . rick santorum , who has run on a predominantly social values platform , offered perhaps his strongest statement of homosexual support to date , saying he would not repudiate a son who told him he was gay . he was careful , however , not to say that he would fight for gay individuals , instead saying he would be an advocate for every person in america ' and would make sure people are treated with respect and dignity . ' on the same topic , romney said he has hired gay staffers in the past and would never discriminate against gays or attempt to take away their rights . are these two men looking ahead to a general election , where strong social conservative values may not play as well ? social issues played a big role in iowa and will do so again in south carolina . santorum 's answer may have been a good middle-of-the-road response and a reminder of a phrase often used by christian conservatives : love the sinner , hate the sin . that may be a message to which conservative voters in south carolina can relate . message received ? americans have made clear their disdain for congress , partisan politics and theatrics bringing government to a standstill . both gingrich and romney touted their records of working with democrats to hammer out legislative deals . gingrich , who is best known for battling president bill clinton in the 1990s , highlighted that he struck deals with the democratic president even though he wanted to make him a one-term president . ' and romney noted that when he was running massachusetts , the state legislature was 85 % democratic but that he found common ground , ' adding that he 's proved he can work with republicans and democrats who are willing to work together . ' santorum touted his ability to gain support among voters of both parties in his former pennsylvania district , and huntsman said that serving one 's country should always trump party loyalty . but before candidates can work on uniting the party , they will have to triumph over their rivals as the bruising gop primary plays out this winter . huntsman 's last stand ? since former utah gov . jon huntsman is placing all his chips on a strong finish in new hampshire 's tuesday primary , the debates were his last , best chance to make his case . saturday 's lukewarm performance was followed by a stronger delivery on sunday morning . after coming under attack saturday night by romney for his service as u.s. ambassador to china during the first two years of president barack obama 's term , huntsman strongly defended his time in beijing on sunday . but he also highlighted his fiscal plans as in tune with conservative republican principles . and in a state where independent voters hold sway , huntsman made his pitch , saying , the american people are tired of the partisan division . they have had enough . and i say , we 've had enough , and we have to change our direction in terms of coming together as americans first and foremost and finding solutions to our problems . ' ron paul punches hard -- in person the candidates have let super political action committees that support them do their dirty work on the campaign trail , spending millions on attack ads . but ron paul was one of the few candidates to repeat to his rivals'faces the same harsh criticism he 's unleashed in ads or on the campaign trail . paul stood firm in calling santorum corrupt ' and gingrich a chicken hawk ' for not having served in the military . would you use that phrase ( chicken hawk ) again ? ' moderator diane sawyer asked paul on saturday . yeah , ' paul responded . i think people who do n't serve when they could and they get three or four or even five deferments are n't -- they have no right to send our kids off to war . i 'm trying to stop the wars , ' he said . but at least , you know , i went when they called me up . ' gingrich responded with anger . dr. paul has a long history of saying things that are inaccurate and false , ' he said , denying that he had asked for a deferment and pointing out that his father had served overseas . i think i have a pretty good idea of what it 's like as a family to worry about your father getting killed , and i personally resent the kinds of comments and aspersions ( paul ) routinely makes without accurate information and then just slurs people . ' cnn 's gabriella schwarz , shawna shepherd , paul steinhauser , rachel streitfeld , shannon travis and chris welch contributed to this report .
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romney 's opponents step up their attacks over the weekend
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mikaela shiffrin <tsp> ( cnn ) -- marcel hirscher may have come away from sochi without a winter olympics gold medal , but the austrian has confirmed his reputation as the most consistent men 's skier on the world cup circuit . the 25-year-old clinched his third successive overall title on saturday at the season-ending meeting in switzerland , finishing fourth in the giant slalom . it was enough to put him 131 points clear of closest rival aksel svindal lund , who did not complete his first run . however , hirscher was overhauled in the giant slalom standings by olympic champion ted ligety , who came from 50 points back to win the discipline for the fifth season , this time on a countback of most wins after they finished level . i need some time to process everything that happened today , it was a crazy race , ' said hirscher , who was denied a double success when germany 's felix neureuther clinched third place on the final run by just 0.01 seconds . i 'm really happy about the overall and am not really thinking about the gs cup at this point . the overall was my big goal this season and i could n't be happier that i was able to defend it . i have to thank my team , i might have not been the easiest to deal with sometimes during the season but they have supported me all along . ' hirscher , whose only medal at sochi was silver in the slalom , has the chance to win the world cup title in that event on sunday -- he trails neureuther by five points . lund , who won the super-g and downhill titles , will not compete on sunday in lenzerheide . i am not as good now as i was earlier this winter and it 's something to look at and make sure it does n't happen next year . with the two speed titles i had a good season that could have been a great season , ' said the norwegian , who left sochi early after failing to win a medal , citing allergy problems . meanwhile , olympic women 's slalom champion mikaela shiffrin capped her fine season by winning the world cup globe as well on saturday , retaining her title in the discipline . the american , who turned 19 on thursday , claimed her fifth victory this season by a stunning 1.44 seconds to become the youngest woman to win it twice and the first from outside europe . it put her sixth in the overall standings , where the title was sewn up by anna fenninger on thursday when the austrian finished second in the super-g. ' i guess my secret is not letting people tell me i ca n't do it , ' shiffrin said . everybody thinks that this is impossible ; you ca n't win a race by 1.4 anymore . you ca n't win the olympics at 18 . people say you ca n't a lot and i never listen to them . ' fenninger , who won gold in super-g at sochi and silver in giant slalom , will seek to add another world cup globe in the latter on sunday . the 24-year-old is 14 points behind gs leader jessica lindell-vikarby of sweden .
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american teen mikaela shiffrin confirms women 's slalom dominance with victory
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international telecommunications <tsp> ( cnn ) -- modern communications are an essential foundation for the social and economic opportunities that everyone deserves . the world conference on international telecommunications ( wcit ) , currently taking place in dubai , is a golden opportunity to provide affordable connectivity for all , including the billions of people worldwide who can not yet go online . it is our chance to chart a globally-agreed roadmap to connect the unconnected , while ensuring there is investment to create the infrastructure needed for the exponential growth in voice , video and data traffic . the conference is a landmark because , for the first time in a quarter-century , it is reviewing the international telecommunication regulations ( itrs ) that govern international connectivity . not surprisingly , there are many differing ideas about how this might be done , as well as hot debate on some proposals that have been put forward . there are 193 member countries of itu , and all are free to express their views . however , no proposal to wcit will be accepted unless it has very broad support . but there are more voices at wcit than just those of government . the ceo of icann , fadi chehade , addressed the opening ceremony and emphasized the growing cooperation between his organization and itu . and included among national delegations are dozens of representatives from industry and civil society . read more :'father of the internet :'why we must fight for its freedom as the neutral convener of the conference and in an effort to engage opinion worldwide , itu has encouraged all its membership ( including over 700 private-sector entities ) , as well as civil society organizations and the press and public at large , to contribute their views . much of the conference itself is webcast . wcit is not a closed-door ' event . in fact , compared with other intergovernmental meetings of such importance , wcit is as open as it possibly can be . itu has always sought a multi-stakeholder approach . in 2003 and 2005 we led the way with the world summit on the information society , which -- for the first time -- brought all sides together to debate how transformational information and communication technologies ( icts ) should shape the future . we expect the same kind of constructive cooperation to occur at wcit . it is crucial that the internet is not only kept open for business , but is also opened for everyone . we can then continue to innovate and gain the vast benefits that result from access to knowledge . read more : why are n't robots doing my dishes yet ? in all countries there are circumstances when authorities intercept or block communications that are viewed as criminal or dangerous . this is permitted under articles in the international covenant on civil and political rights , which is part of the universal declaration of human rights , and in the itu constitution . however , these are exceptions to the basic principle enshrined in those documents : the right to freedom of expression and communication . the itrs must conform to the itu constitution , and nothing in the revised treaty can diminish that fundamental right to free speech . read more : lockitron : the app that unlocked crowd-funding success but you need a means of communication to exercise that right . at present , two-thirds of people globally have no internet access , and far fewer benefit from broadband . this is often forgotten by the other third , but the stark truth is that internet is still a privilege of the minority . i spoke out recently when internet access was shut down in syria amid understandable outcry . what mostly went unreported is that 80 % of syrians never had access to the internet in the first place . this underscores our need to prioritize giving people access to icts . the solution requires partnership between the public and private sectors , within frameworks that encourage innovation alongside investment in areas where it is needed most . considering measures to achieve this is one of the most important items on wcit 's agenda . more details of all major topics are available via the itu website . itu 's development of technical standards , alongside the work of others , has played a key role in enabling connectivity and interoperability in today 's powerful technologies of mobile including optical fiber , television , video compression , mobile , broadband and internet . i believe that broadband in particular can be the engine that drives progress , but without itu standards on , for example , transport mechanisms to carry information around the world , broadband services simply would not work . the telecommunications system that enables our networked society is global , and solutions to issues such as cybersecurity must be global too . we must meet the challenge posed by the massive growth in data traffic that is not yet matched by infrastructure development . and many believe there should be a level playing field at national and international levels , to avoid abuse of power by dominant players . wcit is where such questions can start to be openly discussed and answered . it is a world conference and a unique meeting place where issues can be debated that will have an immense impact on our lives . what is at stake is whether we advance together towards a truly connected world , or instead contemplate a deepening digital divide with all its consequences . we can not afford to miss the opportunities presented by wcit . through dialogue , compromise and cooperation , the conference can help lead us towards a knowledge society in which people everywhere , whatever their circumstances , can access , use , share and create data in an affordable and secure manner . that is what wcit is about .
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the world conference on international telecommunications is currently taking place in dubai
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gop <tsp> washington ( cnn ) -- the republican party risks further alienating hispanic voters if it challenges the nomination of sonia sotomayor , who would become the first hispanic , and the third woman , on the supreme court , political analysts say . judge sonia sotomayor would be the first hispanic u.s. supreme court justice if confirmed . on tuesday , president obama nominated 54-year-old sotomayor -- who is of puerto rican descent -- to replace the retiring justice david souter . sotomayor is a judge on the 2nd u.s . circuit court of appeals , named to that post by president bill clinton when she was a u.s. district court judge , nominated by president george h.w . bush in 1992 . the barbed comments about sotomayor began almost as soon as the announcement was made at the white house on tuesday . conservative radio personality rush limbaugh called sotomayor a reverse racist ' on his show . limbaugh , who is known for stirring up controversy , said he hopes obama 's nominee fails . do i want her to fail ? yeah . do i want her to fail to get on the court ? yes . she 'd be a disaster on the court , ' he said . do i still want to obama to fail as president ? yeah . ... he 's going to fail anyway , but the sooner the better here so that as little damage can be done to the country . ' limbaugh 's attacks aside , many influential hispanic leaders were optimistic and warned the gop against rushing to conclusions before she pleads her case before the senate , which must confirm her . i do think republicans have to be very careful and not oppose this nomination just for the sake of it , ' said brent wilkes , executive director of the league of united latin american citizens . because when you think about that the length of time the latino community has waited for this nomination , it 's been a long time . ' if they just out of sheer ill-will ... try to block the nomination , that 's going to have a big backlash in the hispanic population , ' wilkes warned . and we wo n't have to do anything except sit back and watch them destroy themselves , because it 's really going to be that bad . ' watch sotomayor discuss her nomination » ruben navarrette , a syndicated columnist and cnn contributor , said latinos are simply running out of patience . ' for 20 years i 've been hearing the drumbeat from latinos they been waiting for a latino on the supreme court . ... they 're ready and they 're due -- not because of what happened in the last election but because what 's been going in the past 50 years and what will happen in the next 50 , ' he said , referring to the projected rise in the latino population . according to exit polling from the 2008 general election , obama received 67 percent of the hispanic vote and republican sen. john mccain received 31 percent -- down significantly from the number of hispanics who voted for former president george w. bush in 2000 and 2004 . but republican strategist leslie sanchez , who is also a cnn contributor , said senators should n't feel obligated to vote for sotomayor because of the potential for hispanic outreach , but rather on her qualifications . i think many in the hispanic community are excited about this nomination . there 's no doubt about that . as a latina and as someone who was raised by a single mom i get that , ' she said . i think , with all due respect to this confirmation and this process , the fairer we are , the better it is for all people . ' former attorney general alberto gonzalez , a mexican- american agrees . i do n't think any gender group or ethnic group is entitled to representation on our courts , ' he said . alex castellanos , a gop strategist and cnn contributor , said obama may be taking the country back to the era of identity politics . he did n't play that card in the campaign , he fought against that . and he said we 're now at a new place , ' he said . and now the question is ... is he taking us back to identity politics saying that someone is a better judge because of their race or their gender or their ethnicity ? paul begala , a democratic strategist and cnn contributor , however says it 's extremely likely that sotomayor will be confirmed based on her qualifications and not her ethnicity . not only does she have the compelling personal story , she has the highest qualifications that you can imagine . ... so she has the qualifications of a chief justice [ john ] roberts , whose life story is about as interesting as a mayonaise sandwich on white bread ... and she has this compelling personal story . ' when asked about the risk of alienating hispanic voters , republican national committee chairman michael steele said , you have to be careful , you do n't want to be seen as a bully in this situation . ' watch more on the potential battle brewing » ' i think our party will right now avoid the partisan knee-jerks that come with some of these things , ' he added . we 're not in the business of pillorying someone ... we do have some reservations and concerns on her views on the second amendment , her views on abortion , her views on ... property rights . ' potential 2012 presidential candidate mike huckabee -- who mistakenly referred to her as maria ' in a press release -- said the pick is the clearest indication yet that president obama 's campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bipartisan way were mere rhetoric . ' if she is confirmed , then we need to take the blindfold off lady justice , ' he added . another potential 2012 gop candidate , mitt romney , also weighed in , calling her nomination troubling . ' her public statements make it clear she has an expansive view of the role of the judiciary . historically , the court is where judges interpret the constitution and apply the law . ... what the american public deserves is a judge who will put the law above her own personal political philosophy . '
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potential gop 2012 nominees harsh ; gop head warns about being seen as a bully '
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thaksin <tsp> bangkok ( cnn ) -- the woman set to become thailand 's first female prime minister , yingluck shinawatra , said monday that authorities will reopen an investigation into her brother , former thai prime minister thaksin shinawatra , who was convicted of corruption after being forced from office . yingluck shinawatra 's pheu thai party dominated the country 's general election on sunday , winning 265 seats in the 500-member parliament . it was a major victory for the party once headed by her brother , who was exiled after a military coup threw him from power in 2006 . he left the country two years later , after he was convicted of conflict of interest charges . he was sentenced in absentia to two years'imprisonment . in her first one-on-one interview with an international media organization after all the votes had been counted , shinawatra told cnn 's sara sidner she would not encourage her brother , who lives in dubai , to return to thailand to serve his sentence . she said she did not know whether her brother was wrongly convicted but that a truth and reconciliation commission plans to review the case against him and several others . thaksin shinawatra , meanwhile , spoke monday about his sister 's status as the country 's next prime minister . i 'm proud of her and i trust her , ' he told reporters in the united arab emirates . when asked whether he expects his sister to clear the way for his return , the former prime minister said , going back home is not a major concern . it 's not a top priority . the priority is to bring back reconciliation . ' many hope that sunday 's general election -- the first since 2007 -- will bring an end to years of unrest between two political factions that climaxed last year with deadly protests . yingluck won : what 's next for thailand ? tensions between the democratic party and the pheu thai party , which reflect deep divisions within thai society , erupted in 2010 , with protests against prime minister abhisit vejjajiva 's government leading to a military crackdown . more than 90 people were killed and hundreds were injured . after the riots , the thai government pledged to work toward a process of national reconciliation to heal class and political divisions , though the divide between the two groups remains wide . the other coalition parties include chart thai pattana , chart pattana puea pandin , palang chon and mahachon . now we have a good number of 299 representatives , ' yingluck shinawatra said . it is enough to have stability to serve ( the ) thai people . ' thailand 's democratic party won 159 of the seats , the country 's electoral commission said monday , though the final , official results have not been released . abhisit , the prime minister , announced he is stepping down as the head of the democratic party after its loss at the polls . when compared with the result of ( the ) election in 2007 with this year 's election , we have less mps , ' abhisit said via the thai news agency mcot . i think that i need to take this responsibility , so today i decided to resign from the leader position of the ( democratic ) party , and i will let the party choose a new leader in 90 days . ' yingluck shinawatra said monday that reconciliation is the urgent task ahead . ' she has also vowed that her first priority would be to help people on their economic situation . ' can election promises be kept in thailand ? thai stocks jumped more than 3 % , or 33 points , at opening on monday . the election had more than a 70 % turnout rate , the country 's election commission said . we congratulate the people of the kingdom of thailand , our long-time friend and ally , for their robust participation in the july 3rd parliamentary elections , ' u.s. state department spokeswoman victoria nuland said in a statement . thaksin remains one of thailand 's most polarizing political figures . even from afar , he has been a topic of discussion during the election and its aftermath . he still denies the accusations that led to his 2008 corruption conviction . yingluck shinawatra 's critics worry she will simply do her brother 's bidding -- something she has denied . before she even gave a victory speech , her brother shared his comments from exile in dubai . well , i would tell them that i really want to go back , but i will wait for the right moment and the right situation , ' he told reporters . but on monday , thaksin shinawatra said his return would be contingent on reconciliation . if i were to go back , i should be part of the solution , ' he told reporters . i should not be part of the problems . ' he stressed that he is no longer head of the party ; his sister is . the pheu thai party remains fiercely behind the former prime minister and wants him to return . but the so-called yellow shirts , ' a group that formed to oust him from power , has said it will do whatever it can to stop that from happening . yingluck shinawatra said she wo n't give her brother favorable treatment . i ca n't do anything special for my brother , ' she said , adding she will follow the rule of law . ' thaksin said the incoming prime minister 's relative lack of political experience might help with reconciliation efforts . sometimes , he said , you need ( a ) clean slate . if you were to have the people with a lot of political baggage come to reconciliation , it may be difficult . ' but many thai voters were more concerned with economic issues , wanting their leaders to shrink the gap between what they earn and the skyrocketing cost of living . free education is good , care for ( the ) elderly is also good . in fact every parties'policies are all good , the question is if they would ever implement them , ' banorn achriyawatkul said as she worked outside a polling station . after being laid off from her job as a secretary , the mother of four is now trying to make ends meet as a food vendor in the streets . despite the animosity between them , the two major parties have made very similar promises to the people : a better economy , free education , and a major increase in the minimum wage -- exactly what many voters wanted to hear . but analysts say the extravagant programs will cost more than thailand can afford . supong limtanakool of bangkok university 's center for strategic studies said both parties made big promises they just ca n't keep . he said thailand will have to spend somewhere between an additional 1.5 trillion baht to 7.5 trillion baht ( $ 49 billion to $ 244 billion ) with all the extravagant programs , which is five times the national budget . ... i mean , we 'll be broke in one year , ' he said . cnn 's sara sidner , leone lakhani and benjamin gottlieb contributed to this report .
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former prime minister thaksin : i should not be part of the problems '
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saudi <tsp> jeddah , saudi arabia ( cnn ) -- the woman in the photograph 's face is almost entirely covered by an ornate mask-like piece of traditional saudi jewelry . almost like a niqab , it leaves only her eyes showing . perhaps surprisingly , she is also wearing an industrial hard hat and safety jacket , and the photo is called i am a petroleum engineer . ' it is one of a series by the saudi artist manal al-dowayan commenting on the jobs that saudi women do . we have this debate in saudi about women 's employment , and some people say women should only work in jobs that'suit their nature ,'' said al-dowayan . it 's a completely irrational discussion because who decides what suits their nature ? i started photographing amazing women working in all kinds of jobs to show that the argument is invalid . ' other photos in the i am ' series feature a saudi woman doctor , computer engineer , tv producer , scuba diver , architect and interior decorator , all in similar poses with their faces partly covered . al-dowayan challenges saudi customs in other works too . for esmi ( my name ) , ' she asked hundreds of women to write their names on wooden balls , which she strung from the ceiling . it was her way of breaking taboo that prevents men from saying the names of women in their lives . despite the controversial nature of her work , al-dowayan says she has had very little negative reaction at home . whenever i do a work , people around me and my galleries get very worried , but in reality there 's incredible room for dialogue in saudi arabia . these are issues that have been discussed many times , and i 'm just bringing them into contemporary art , ' she said . al-dowayan is one of 17 saudi artists featured in the edge of arabia exhibition , which this year was shown in jeddah for the first time after appearing in cities around the world since 2008 . it is the first major contemporary art exhibition ever shown in saudi arabia . saudi art is absolutely booming , ' she said . many artists are gently pushing at boundaries and limits of expression in the socially conservative country . at edge of arabia , ahmed angawi built a giant ball from 3,600 microphones . he wants to place the microphones out on the streets of jeddah , his home city , for a year to collect people 's random thoughts . in my mind , i was thinking , if i gave a microphone to jeddah , what would jeddah say ? ' he said . what would it express ? ' you need to talk and engage to get people involved to evolve as a society . people are afraid of talk . much more , we should be afraid of silence . ' but , he says , freer expression in saudi will come as part of a gradual change . i firmly believe in change . but i firmly believe ( in ) change with an essence . you want it to be very natural . sometimes fast change will affect people wrongly in the region . ' the edge of arabia show came under the banner we need to talk , and was aimed at encouraging dialogue between artists and the community . our aim is to deliver a message , ' said curator mohammed hafiz , 36 . we want to let the world know what saudi arabia is all about , through the eyes of its artists . we know that we have a voice that we want people to listen to . we have thoughts and experiences to share . ' beyond edge of arabia , there are signs that the art scene is on the up and not afraid to say what it thinks . more on inside the middle east : gaza music students find smart ways around travel ban alaa balkhy , a 23-year-old designer running a business called fyunka , selling bags , t-shirts and notebooks , believes that saudis are finally becoming proud of their own arts and culture . people are starting to appreciate each other within saudi society and the art scene , ' she said . if you see something made in saudi people relate to it now . it 's very new . it 's growing and it 's amazing how fast it 's growing . we are trying to put a positive saudi on the map . we really want to change the stereotype , and step by step we are doing it . ' balkhy 's first design was a bag called daddy i want a birkin , ' an ironic nod to saudi 's love of shopping for luxury goods , such as the expensive hermes birkin bag . her designs are now sold through an online boutique in london , as well as in nine gulf countries . she said : people are pushing the limits , but doing it step-by-step so people do n't get a big shock at once . we do n't have much freedom of expression or freedom of speech , but it 's amazing how people are saying what they want to say through social media and blogs , whether it 's a video , a youtube show , an article , a design piece or an artwork . people will always find a way to express themselves . it 's human nature to want to say what 's on your mind . if people ca n't express themselves directly , they will do it indirectly . ' more on inside the middle east : my syria , by'greatest living'arab poet in addition to the limits to expression , balkhy faces practical restrictions through the ban on women driving and the guardianship laws , which means she must get permission from her father to travel and for many other daily activities . there are a lot of challenges to running a business when you are a girl in saudi , ' she said . i imagine it would be easier if i could drive , but i 'm proud that i 've achieved so much without . my dad gives me all the permission to travel i need , but it saddens me that some girls have so much potential to creating something , but their families and society are so limiting . i 'm 23 and my little brother is 18 , but in saudi he is a grownup and i 'm not . '
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edge of arabia show in saudi arabia for the first time after three years touring the world
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saudi <tsp> jeddah , saudi arabia ( cnn ) -- the woman in the photograph 's face is almost entirely covered by an ornate mask-like piece of traditional saudi jewelry . almost like a niqab , it leaves only her eyes showing . perhaps surprisingly , she is also wearing an industrial hard hat and safety jacket , and the photo is called i am a petroleum engineer . ' it is one of a series by the saudi artist manal al-dowayan commenting on the jobs that saudi women do . we have this debate in saudi about women 's employment , and some people say women should only work in jobs that'suit their nature ,'' said al-dowayan . it 's a completely irrational discussion because who decides what suits their nature ? i started photographing amazing women working in all kinds of jobs to show that the argument is invalid . ' other photos in the i am ' series feature a saudi woman doctor , computer engineer , tv producer , scuba diver , architect and interior decorator , all in similar poses with their faces partly covered . al-dowayan challenges saudi customs in other works too . for esmi ( my name ) , ' she asked hundreds of women to write their names on wooden balls , which she strung from the ceiling . it was her way of breaking taboo that prevents men from saying the names of women in their lives . despite the controversial nature of her work , al-dowayan says she has had very little negative reaction at home . whenever i do a work , people around me and my galleries get very worried , but in reality there 's incredible room for dialogue in saudi arabia . these are issues that have been discussed many times , and i 'm just bringing them into contemporary art , ' she said . al-dowayan is one of 17 saudi artists featured in the edge of arabia exhibition , which this year was shown in jeddah for the first time after appearing in cities around the world since 2008 . it is the first major contemporary art exhibition ever shown in saudi arabia . saudi art is absolutely booming , ' she said . many artists are gently pushing at boundaries and limits of expression in the socially conservative country . at edge of arabia , ahmed angawi built a giant ball from 3,600 microphones . he wants to place the microphones out on the streets of jeddah , his home city , for a year to collect people 's random thoughts . in my mind , i was thinking , if i gave a microphone to jeddah , what would jeddah say ? ' he said . what would it express ? ' you need to talk and engage to get people involved to evolve as a society . people are afraid of talk . much more , we should be afraid of silence . ' but , he says , freer expression in saudi will come as part of a gradual change . i firmly believe in change . but i firmly believe ( in ) change with an essence . you want it to be very natural . sometimes fast change will affect people wrongly in the region . ' the edge of arabia show came under the banner we need to talk , and was aimed at encouraging dialogue between artists and the community . our aim is to deliver a message , ' said curator mohammed hafiz , 36 . we want to let the world know what saudi arabia is all about , through the eyes of its artists . we know that we have a voice that we want people to listen to . we have thoughts and experiences to share . ' beyond edge of arabia , there are signs that the art scene is on the up and not afraid to say what it thinks . more on inside the middle east : gaza music students find smart ways around travel ban alaa balkhy , a 23-year-old designer running a business called fyunka , selling bags , t-shirts and notebooks , believes that saudis are finally becoming proud of their own arts and culture . people are starting to appreciate each other within saudi society and the art scene , ' she said . if you see something made in saudi people relate to it now . it 's very new . it 's growing and it 's amazing how fast it 's growing . we are trying to put a positive saudi on the map . we really want to change the stereotype , and step by step we are doing it . ' balkhy 's first design was a bag called daddy i want a birkin , ' an ironic nod to saudi 's love of shopping for luxury goods , such as the expensive hermes birkin bag . her designs are now sold through an online boutique in london , as well as in nine gulf countries . she said : people are pushing the limits , but doing it step-by-step so people do n't get a big shock at once . we do n't have much freedom of expression or freedom of speech , but it 's amazing how people are saying what they want to say through social media and blogs , whether it 's a video , a youtube show , an article , a design piece or an artwork . people will always find a way to express themselves . it 's human nature to want to say what 's on your mind . if people ca n't express themselves directly , they will do it indirectly . ' more on inside the middle east : my syria , by'greatest living'arab poet in addition to the limits to expression , balkhy faces practical restrictions through the ban on women driving and the guardianship laws , which means she must get permission from her father to travel and for many other daily activities . there are a lot of challenges to running a business when you are a girl in saudi , ' she said . i imagine it would be easier if i could drive , but i 'm proud that i 've achieved so much without . my dad gives me all the permission to travel i need , but it saddens me that some girls have so much potential to creating something , but their families and society are so limiting . i 'm 23 and my little brother is 18 , but in saudi he is a grownup and i 'm not . '
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art is booming in saudi and reflects a new national pride , say artists
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cristina fernandez de kirchner <tsp> buenos aires , argentina ( cnn ) -- president cristina fernandez de kirchner repeated her call this week to decriminalize personal drug use and crack down on traffickers and dealers . president cristina fernandez de kirchner says she does n't like to condemn someone who has an addiction . ' i do n't like it when people easily condemn someone who has an addiction as if he were a criminal , as if he were a person who should be persecuted , ' she told a meeting of the national investigation into the consumption of alcohol , tobacco , psychopharmaceuticals and illegal drugs . those who should be persecuted are those who sell the substances , those who give it away , those who traffic in it . ' a poll shows 2 percent of argentines have tried cocaine , but some people believe decriminalization of drugs could result in wider drug use . regardless , the argentine government is pushing congress to pass the decriminalization legislation by the end of the year . decriminalization of the consumer should include what are called second-generation human rights , but at the same time there should be a strong policy of prevention , so that no one falls in the situation of consuming any substance , ' said anibal fernandez , the minister of security and justice . ethan nadelmann , founder and executive director of the new york-based drug policy alliance , said such policies have been adopted throughout europe and other parts of latin america . the evidence generally shows that the decriminalization of possession is not clearly associated with any increase in illicit drug use , ' he said . a few years ago , then-mexican president vicente fox proposed decriminalizing possession of drugs combined with a crackdown on traffickers , but a harsh reaction from the bush administration caused him to retreat , nadelmann said . brazil and colombia have passed laws decriminalizing drug use in an effort to combat the spread of hiv among injecting drug users , he said . politicians recognize that you basically need to get those people out of the underground and into health systems , ' nadelmann said . this would be part of a growing number of countries in latin america where there is , either for political or judicial reasons , a push toward decriminalization of personal possession , sometimes combined with initiatives to crack down harder on bigger drug traffickers , ' he said . it typically involves both lessening the criminal sanction for possession of cannabis while also providing for alternatives to incarceration for people addicted to drugs who are arrested for drug possession or other minor offenses . ' the concept has gained followers in the united states , too , he said , citing statistics that show two-thirds of americans support drug treatment instead of jail time for first-time drug offenders . on wednesday , rep. barney frank announced a proposal to end federal penalties for americans carrying fewer than 100 grams , or almost a quarter-pound , of marijuana . the vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government 's business , ' frank said on capitol hill . i do n't think it is the government 's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time . ' cnn 's javier doberti contributed to this story .
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president cristina fernandez de kirchner says addicts should not be persecuted
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argentine <tsp> buenos aires , argentina ( cnn ) -- president cristina fernandez de kirchner repeated her call this week to decriminalize personal drug use and crack down on traffickers and dealers . president cristina fernandez de kirchner says she does n't like to condemn someone who has an addiction . ' i do n't like it when people easily condemn someone who has an addiction as if he were a criminal , as if he were a person who should be persecuted , ' she told a meeting of the national investigation into the consumption of alcohol , tobacco , psychopharmaceuticals and illegal drugs . those who should be persecuted are those who sell the substances , those who give it away , those who traffic in it . ' a poll shows 2 percent of argentines have tried cocaine , but some people believe decriminalization of drugs could result in wider drug use . regardless , the argentine government is pushing congress to pass the decriminalization legislation by the end of the year . decriminalization of the consumer should include what are called second-generation human rights , but at the same time there should be a strong policy of prevention , so that no one falls in the situation of consuming any substance , ' said anibal fernandez , the minister of security and justice . ethan nadelmann , founder and executive director of the new york-based drug policy alliance , said such policies have been adopted throughout europe and other parts of latin america . the evidence generally shows that the decriminalization of possession is not clearly associated with any increase in illicit drug use , ' he said . a few years ago , then-mexican president vicente fox proposed decriminalizing possession of drugs combined with a crackdown on traffickers , but a harsh reaction from the bush administration caused him to retreat , nadelmann said . brazil and colombia have passed laws decriminalizing drug use in an effort to combat the spread of hiv among injecting drug users , he said . politicians recognize that you basically need to get those people out of the underground and into health systems , ' nadelmann said . this would be part of a growing number of countries in latin america where there is , either for political or judicial reasons , a push toward decriminalization of personal possession , sometimes combined with initiatives to crack down harder on bigger drug traffickers , ' he said . it typically involves both lessening the criminal sanction for possession of cannabis while also providing for alternatives to incarceration for people addicted to drugs who are arrested for drug possession or other minor offenses . ' the concept has gained followers in the united states , too , he said , citing statistics that show two-thirds of americans support drug treatment instead of jail time for first-time drug offenders . on wednesday , rep. barney frank announced a proposal to end federal penalties for americans carrying fewer than 100 grams , or almost a quarter-pound , of marijuana . the vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government 's business , ' frank said on capitol hill . i do n't think it is the government 's business to tell you how to spend your leisure time . ' cnn 's javier doberti contributed to this story .
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argentine government wants congress to pass legislation by end of year
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white house <tsp> ( cnn ) -- man-made climate change threatens to stress water resources , challenge crops and livestock , raise sea levels and adversely affect human health , according to a report released by the obama administration on tuesday . farmers and workers in central california are suffering through the third year of a worsening drought . the nearly 200-page document on global climate change -- released by the white house science adviser and mandated by congress -- does not include new research , but encompasses several recent studies on the effects of global warming over the last half century . among the report 's key findings are an unequivocal and primarily human-induced ' rise in the earth 's temperature of 2 degrees fahrenheit over the last 50 years , and a projection of more rapidly changing temperatures over the next several decades . it 's not just a problem for the future , ' said jane lubchenco , administrator of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration . we 're beginning to see the impact on our daily lives . ' the continuing temperature rise is likely to spur a series of negative consequences for the earth 's energy supply , water , transportation , ecosystems and health , the study said . [ the report ] tells us why remedial action is needed sooner rather than later , as well as showing why that action must include both global emissions reductions to reduce the extent of climate change and local adaptation measures to reduce the damage from the changes that are no longer avoidable , ' said john p. holdren , the white house science adviser . among the study 's specific predictions : longer and more intense heat waves ; increased heavy downpours likely to cause widespread complications such as flooding and waterborne diseases ; reduced summer runoff , creating greater competition for water , especially in the west ; rising ocean water temperatures that will threaten coral reefs ; an increase in wildfires and insect infestations ; and more frequent coastal flooding caused by rising seas . the report is the first in almost a decade to break down impacts of climate change on regions and economic sectors of the united states . for example , warming trends in coming decades are expected to reduce the lobster catch in the waters of the northeast , increase the intensity of hurricanes in the southeast and accelerate drought in the southwest , it said . authors of the comprehensive report said they hope it can serve as a valuable tool for policymakers and other americans , such as farmers making crop decisions or local governments passing zoning restrictions in coastal areas . the report comes as congress debates a white house-backed climate change bill that seeks to reduce the united state 's greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050 through a so-called cap and trade ' program . the bill cleared a key house committee vote in may and could be considered by the entire chamber within the next two weeks , house majority leader steny hoyer said tuesday . the bill 's future remains unclear in the senate , where leaders are holding off advancing their own version of the legislation until it clears the lower chamber .
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document is released by white house science adviser and mandated by congress
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clinton <tsp> munich , germany ( cnn ) -- the ongoing unrest in egypt cast a long shadow saturday over the munich security conference , a gathering set up to address global security issues . while other items -- including terrorism and the new start treaty between the united states and russia -- were on the agenda , it was impossible for leaders at the conference to ignore the crisis . u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton signaled that the united states is backing a transition led by newly appointed egyptian vice president . i think it 's important to follow the transition process announced by the egyptian government , actually headed by vice president omar suleiman , ' she said . however , the envoy who delivered a message from u.s. president barack obama to egypt 's leaders this week , frank wisner , told the conference via videolink that mubarak must remain in office , despite protesters'call for his resignation . u.s. officials emphasized that wisner was speaking for himself , as an expert on the region , and not for the obama administration . president mubarak remains utterly critical in the days ahead as we sort our way toward the future , ' said wisner , a former u.s. ambassador to egypt . the middle east is being battered by a perfect storm of powerful trends , ' clinton said at the annual conference . a growing majority in the region are under the age of 30 , and many are unable to find work , she said . they are connected with each other and with events around them by technology . and this generation is rightly demanding that their governments become more effective , more responsive and more open , ' clinton said . meanwhile , resources such as water and oil are running out , she added . leaders in the region may be able to hold back the tide for a little while , but not for long , ' she said . this is what has driven demonstrators into the streets of tunis , cairo and cities throughout the region . the status quo is simply not sustainable . ' the conference , attended by leaders from united states , europe and asia , found cooperation on various issues , including preventing violence during the recent referendum in southern sudan and curbing piracy off the coast of somalia . clinton and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov signed and exchanged instruments of ratification for the new start treaty saturday , meaning it takes effect . clinton called it a milestone ' in the u.s.-russian partnership ; lavrov said the u.s. and russian teams worked as one team ' to get the treaty negotiated and adopted . the agreement , formally known as the new strategic arms reduction treaty , replaces start 1 , which expired in december 2009 . the u.s. senate approved the new start pact last december , while the russian parliament ratified it in january . it is designed to slash the stockpile of strategic nuclear weapons in both countries to 1,550 warheads -- down from a current cap of 2,200 -- and 700 launchers . it also calls for a resumption of inspections of nuclear arsenals that ended when start 1 expired and helps move forward white house efforts to reset ' u.s.-russian relations . while leaders could not ignore the tumult in egypt , they stopped short saturday of endorsing protesters'demands for egyptian president hosni mubarak to step down . instead , they indicated mubarak should be given time to implement changes . while it 's important to push for reform , we should n't in the west say this leader should go or that leader should go , ' said british prime minister david cameron . there is no stability in egypt today , ' cameron said . we need change and reform and transition to get greater stability . ... the more it is put off , the more it would create an egypt that we would n't welcome , the more that case will be strengthened . ' german chancellor angela merkel also said stability should be restored before the next steps are taken . early elections at the beginning of the democratization process is probably the wrong approach , ' she said . right now , there is no leadership to transition to , she added . we need to give people the chance to set up the right structures . ' wisner , however , went further , noting that the egyptian constitution is clear -- if the presidency is vacated , then the speaker of parliament takes over and in a couple of months , you have elections . those elections would take place under the current dispositions . those dispositions are currently unacceptable to those protesting in the streets of cairo today . ' changes are needed , he said , and the president must say in office in order to steer those changes through . ... it 's his opportunity to write his own legacy . ' he said the present situation is an ideal moment for ( mubarak ) to show the way forward . ' he said commentary from outside egypt should be restrained , as calls for mubarak to go create a negative force ' inside egypt . wisner was sent to egypt early this week to deliver a message from obama to mubarak and suleiman , state department spokesman p.j . crowley said . clinton also noted that there are risks with the transition to democracy . it can be chaotic . it can cause short-term instability , ' she said , and in some cases , demonstrators have overthrown dictators only to have the election process hijacked . chaos and uncertainty ' arises in the absence of security , u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said . we see this across a diverse geography of troubled places , most recently in tunisia , egypt and other countries of the middle east . we do not know how these events will end , ' ban said . but this much we do know : they are driven , at bottom , by human insecurity : poverty , diminished or disappointed expectations ; the lack of good governance : corruption , ineffective public institutions , a deficit of democracy . ' cameron spoke on islamist extremism and the threat it poses to security , noting that it differs from islam -- and that the ideology of extremism is the problem . islam , emphatically , is not . ' those who say the west should cut itself off from the muslim world should look to recent events in tunisia and egypt , he said , for an example of how western values and islam can be compatible . he seemed to suggest in his speech that britain has been too tolerant of extremism , however . when a white person holds objectionable views -- racism , for example -- we rightly condemn them , ' cameron said . but when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who is n't white , we 've been too cautious , frankly even fearful , to stand up to them . ... this hands-off tolerance has only served to reinforce the sense that not enough is shared . all this leaves some young muslims feeling rootless , ' he said . and the search for something to belong to and believe in can lead them to this extremist ideology . ' he said that instead of ignoring extremist ideology , we -- as governments and societies -- have got to confront it , in all its forms . and second , instead of encouraging people to live apart , we need a clear sense of shared national identity , open to everyone . ' also on the agenda is the struggle between israelis and palestinians . the middle east quartet , composed of the united states , the european union , russia and the united nations , met in munich on the matter -- but noted in a statement the effect the egyptian upheaval could have on the peace process . the quartet members considered the implications of these events for arab-israeli peace and agreed to discuss this further in upcoming meetings as a matter of high priority , ' the statement said . the group said it strongly urged ' israel and the palestinians to overcome current obstacles in the peace process . ... in view of the developments in the middle east , the quartet expressed its belief that further delay in the resumption of negotiations is detrimental to prospects for regional peace and security . ' and it said it regrets the discontinuation of israel 's 10-month moratorium on settlement activity ' -- a hot-button issue for the palestinians . the quartet will meet again in march , said catherine ashton , eu foreign affairs chief . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with quartet representative tony blair on friday , and afterward the two announced what netanyahu called a series of steps ' aimed at boosting economic prosperity and living standards for the palestinians . those steps include helping the gaza strip develop plants for electricity , water and sewage treatment , as well as diversifying gas supplies in the future . i do n't delude myself for a second that an economic peace is a substitute for political peace , ' netanyahu said . we need both . ' he said he hoped the palestinians would enter direct negotiations . blair said he was pleased by the measures , and said they should result in a radical overhaul of gaza 's infrastructure . ' however , he also noted , none of this is a substitute for a credible political process . ' but chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat on friday scoffed at the measures , saying , the only thing that will build palestinian confidence is mr. netanyahu saying ,'i will stop building settlements .'' until israeli construction in the west bank and east jerusalem stops , and the netanyahu government accepted a two-state solution , negotiations -- which broke down in september -- will not resume , he said . cnn 's elise labott , antonia mortensen and kevin flower contributed to this report .
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start takes effect after clinton , lavrov exchange instruments of ratification
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egypt <tsp> munich , germany ( cnn ) -- the ongoing unrest in egypt cast a long shadow saturday over the munich security conference , a gathering set up to address global security issues . while other items -- including terrorism and the new start treaty between the united states and russia -- were on the agenda , it was impossible for leaders at the conference to ignore the crisis . u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton signaled that the united states is backing a transition led by newly appointed egyptian vice president . i think it 's important to follow the transition process announced by the egyptian government , actually headed by vice president omar suleiman , ' she said . however , the envoy who delivered a message from u.s. president barack obama to egypt 's leaders this week , frank wisner , told the conference via videolink that mubarak must remain in office , despite protesters'call for his resignation . u.s. officials emphasized that wisner was speaking for himself , as an expert on the region , and not for the obama administration . president mubarak remains utterly critical in the days ahead as we sort our way toward the future , ' said wisner , a former u.s. ambassador to egypt . the middle east is being battered by a perfect storm of powerful trends , ' clinton said at the annual conference . a growing majority in the region are under the age of 30 , and many are unable to find work , she said . they are connected with each other and with events around them by technology . and this generation is rightly demanding that their governments become more effective , more responsive and more open , ' clinton said . meanwhile , resources such as water and oil are running out , she added . leaders in the region may be able to hold back the tide for a little while , but not for long , ' she said . this is what has driven demonstrators into the streets of tunis , cairo and cities throughout the region . the status quo is simply not sustainable . ' the conference , attended by leaders from united states , europe and asia , found cooperation on various issues , including preventing violence during the recent referendum in southern sudan and curbing piracy off the coast of somalia . clinton and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov signed and exchanged instruments of ratification for the new start treaty saturday , meaning it takes effect . clinton called it a milestone ' in the u.s.-russian partnership ; lavrov said the u.s. and russian teams worked as one team ' to get the treaty negotiated and adopted . the agreement , formally known as the new strategic arms reduction treaty , replaces start 1 , which expired in december 2009 . the u.s. senate approved the new start pact last december , while the russian parliament ratified it in january . it is designed to slash the stockpile of strategic nuclear weapons in both countries to 1,550 warheads -- down from a current cap of 2,200 -- and 700 launchers . it also calls for a resumption of inspections of nuclear arsenals that ended when start 1 expired and helps move forward white house efforts to reset ' u.s.-russian relations . while leaders could not ignore the tumult in egypt , they stopped short saturday of endorsing protesters'demands for egyptian president hosni mubarak to step down . instead , they indicated mubarak should be given time to implement changes . while it 's important to push for reform , we should n't in the west say this leader should go or that leader should go , ' said british prime minister david cameron . there is no stability in egypt today , ' cameron said . we need change and reform and transition to get greater stability . ... the more it is put off , the more it would create an egypt that we would n't welcome , the more that case will be strengthened . ' german chancellor angela merkel also said stability should be restored before the next steps are taken . early elections at the beginning of the democratization process is probably the wrong approach , ' she said . right now , there is no leadership to transition to , she added . we need to give people the chance to set up the right structures . ' wisner , however , went further , noting that the egyptian constitution is clear -- if the presidency is vacated , then the speaker of parliament takes over and in a couple of months , you have elections . those elections would take place under the current dispositions . those dispositions are currently unacceptable to those protesting in the streets of cairo today . ' changes are needed , he said , and the president must say in office in order to steer those changes through . ... it 's his opportunity to write his own legacy . ' he said the present situation is an ideal moment for ( mubarak ) to show the way forward . ' he said commentary from outside egypt should be restrained , as calls for mubarak to go create a negative force ' inside egypt . wisner was sent to egypt early this week to deliver a message from obama to mubarak and suleiman , state department spokesman p.j . crowley said . clinton also noted that there are risks with the transition to democracy . it can be chaotic . it can cause short-term instability , ' she said , and in some cases , demonstrators have overthrown dictators only to have the election process hijacked . chaos and uncertainty ' arises in the absence of security , u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon said . we see this across a diverse geography of troubled places , most recently in tunisia , egypt and other countries of the middle east . we do not know how these events will end , ' ban said . but this much we do know : they are driven , at bottom , by human insecurity : poverty , diminished or disappointed expectations ; the lack of good governance : corruption , ineffective public institutions , a deficit of democracy . ' cameron spoke on islamist extremism and the threat it poses to security , noting that it differs from islam -- and that the ideology of extremism is the problem . islam , emphatically , is not . ' those who say the west should cut itself off from the muslim world should look to recent events in tunisia and egypt , he said , for an example of how western values and islam can be compatible . he seemed to suggest in his speech that britain has been too tolerant of extremism , however . when a white person holds objectionable views -- racism , for example -- we rightly condemn them , ' cameron said . but when equally unacceptable views or practices have come from someone who is n't white , we 've been too cautious , frankly even fearful , to stand up to them . ... this hands-off tolerance has only served to reinforce the sense that not enough is shared . all this leaves some young muslims feeling rootless , ' he said . and the search for something to belong to and believe in can lead them to this extremist ideology . ' he said that instead of ignoring extremist ideology , we -- as governments and societies -- have got to confront it , in all its forms . and second , instead of encouraging people to live apart , we need a clear sense of shared national identity , open to everyone . ' also on the agenda is the struggle between israelis and palestinians . the middle east quartet , composed of the united states , the european union , russia and the united nations , met in munich on the matter -- but noted in a statement the effect the egyptian upheaval could have on the peace process . the quartet members considered the implications of these events for arab-israeli peace and agreed to discuss this further in upcoming meetings as a matter of high priority , ' the statement said . the group said it strongly urged ' israel and the palestinians to overcome current obstacles in the peace process . ... in view of the developments in the middle east , the quartet expressed its belief that further delay in the resumption of negotiations is detrimental to prospects for regional peace and security . ' and it said it regrets the discontinuation of israel 's 10-month moratorium on settlement activity ' -- a hot-button issue for the palestinians . the quartet will meet again in march , said catherine ashton , eu foreign affairs chief . israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with quartet representative tony blair on friday , and afterward the two announced what netanyahu called a series of steps ' aimed at boosting economic prosperity and living standards for the palestinians . those steps include helping the gaza strip develop plants for electricity , water and sewage treatment , as well as diversifying gas supplies in the future . i do n't delude myself for a second that an economic peace is a substitute for political peace , ' netanyahu said . we need both . ' he said he hoped the palestinians would enter direct negotiations . blair said he was pleased by the measures , and said they should result in a radical overhaul of gaza 's infrastructure . ' however , he also noted , none of this is a substitute for a credible political process . ' but chief palestinian negotiator saeb erakat on friday scoffed at the measures , saying , the only thing that will build palestinian confidence is mr. netanyahu saying ,'i will stop building settlements .'' until israeli construction in the west bank and east jerusalem stops , and the netanyahu government accepted a two-state solution , negotiations -- which broke down in september -- will not resume , he said . cnn 's elise labott , antonia mortensen and kevin flower contributed to this report .
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the quartet notes the effect of egypt 's unrest on mideast peace process
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muslim <tsp> ( cnn ) -- when a man with hands drenched in blood stands just feet away from the body of a person he just hacked to death , still holding the murder weapons , we want to believe he must be crazy . how else can our minds grasp the evidence that someone would carry out an act of such inconceivable brutality ? we do n't yet know all the details surrounding wednesday 's killing in london . but the fact is we have seen this type of attack before , and even before one of the suspects started ranting to passers-by , we had a pretty good idea what to expect . this killing of a young british soldier was not an act of insanity . it was part of a pattern that has struck in many parts of the world before . this was the product of extreme islamist radicalism we have all come to recognize . some will rush to blame muslims or islam for what happened , but it 's important to be clear and not to mince words . islam is not the enemy . muslims are not the enemy . terrorism is not the enemy . the enemy is the radical islamist ideology that justifies any atrocity committed for political motives . the enemies are the people who promote this dogma and encourage others to engage in actions that offend and assault our humanity -- and theirs . as information started trickling in from london , the familiar phrases started emerging , confirming our initial suspicions and no doubt disheartening muslims who would like to see their religion stop having any association with these atrocities . witnesses said they heard the two men shouting allahu akbar ' as they worked to dismember their victim . they say one of them breathlessly declared by almighty allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone . ' a similar attack happened a few years ago in amsterdam . the dutch filmmaker and columnist theo van gogh was assassinated and nearly decapitated by a muslim radical angered by van gogh 's work criticizing islam . the london murderers apparently justified their butchery as resentment over western troops fighting in muslim lands . muslims are dying daily , ' the man with the bloody hands said . but before accepting that argument at face value , consider that radical islamists have found other reasons to slaughter those who offend them . and the threshold for triggering brutality seems rather movable . the islamist radical who murdered van gogh , mohammed bouyeri , used a knife to pin a letter to his victim 's body , explaining his actions and threatening to kill ayaan hirsi ali , an ex-muslim and friend of the director , who remains a fierce critic of islam . the letter is a screed against jews and an attempt to intimidate anyone who speaks critically of islam . islamist radicalism provided the twisted justification for the boston marathon bombings , for the videotaped decapitation of journalist daniel pearl , for the shooting rampage of maj. nidal hassan , who killed 13 people in fort hood , texas . and let 's not forget 9/11 , the crown jewel of murderous achievements . their political/religious ideology has motivated killers in madrid , london , jerusalem , tel aviv , as well as syria , nigeria , indonesia and iraq . the creed that demands murder , sometimes murder-suicide , for perceived offenses against islam and against muslims constitutes a threat to societies at large , not just to westerners and non-muslims . in fact , a study finds that muslims are its most numerous victims . while police were still working the crime scene in london , british prime minister david cameron said the attack was probably an act of terrorism . the question of whether this particular incident falls under the label of terrorism is not particularly useful . we will hear discussions about whether the perpetrators belonged to a larger organization or were , instead , lone wolves ' or self-radicalized . ' in the end , the purpose was political intimidation , and inciting fear was its political objective . for what it 's worth , that 's terrorism . but that does not identify the enemy that must be fought . the killing in broad daylight in london 's woolwich neighborhood belongs in the category of islamist radical attacks , the same that brought 9/11 , the boko haram massacres in nigeria , restaurant bombings in tel aviv , night club killings in bali , street explosions in baghdad , hotel bombings in amman and many other massacres in many countries . each incident has its own peculiarities , its own list of grievances . but they all contain the same explosive ideology . most muslims strongly oppose this kind of brutality . but a recent pew poll showed significant minorities favor actions such as suicide bombings in defense of islam . ' a troubling 29 % of egyptian muslims say suicide bombings can be justified , so do 40 % of muslims in the palestinian territories , 15 % in jordan and 18 % in malaysia . the defense of islam ' means different things to different people . extremists have killed to defend islam from modern westernized culture . they have killed women for daring to go to school . the victims often have nothing to do with the alleged offense . the tsarnaev brothers'victims in boston had nothing to do with the offenses that angered their killers . an important element in the fight against this pernicious , callous enemy is a campaign to undermine the ideology 's appeal within muslim communities everywhere . there is much work to do , particularly by the vast majority of muslims who reject extremism , by their leaders who must be pressured by all of us to make the ironclad case that nothing , nothing in the world , justifies the kind of viciousness that assaulted our senses in london and has done so in too many places for too many years . the opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of frida ghitis .
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ghitis : we need campaigns in muslim communities everywhere against its appeal
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lauren sandler <tsp> one of the most common questions a pregnant woman gets asked : is this your first ? —suggesting there were more or will be more . but how many children you choose to have has a fundamental influence on your capacity to juggle the 21st century work-life balance . more kids simply demand more resources : energy , money and time . this is an aspect of family life that does n't get discussed much . if our increasingly wired lives leave us starved for time and more scattered in our attention , having an only child can be a path to freedom . according to the national center for health statistics , single-child families have almost doubled in number since the 1960s . and yet , our public conversation has n't caught up to this increasingly common reality . those who choose to have one child are often confronted with not so subtle snooping on the part of neighbors and friends . infertility problems ? marriage on the rocks ? too career focused ? we simply assume people are having multiple children unless we learn otherwise . in some ways , multiple children are the american dream ' story of the work/family debate . just as the horatio alger tale urges us that no matter where we come from , we can work our way up the ladder one rung at a time ( ignoring systemic and structural factors ) , the superwoman tale pretends that there are no limits to a mother 's resources ( ignoring , well , the realities of the space-time continuum . ) there 's always more room in the womb and more time in the day ; as long as she 's got a smartphone and a big heart . but in a new book , one and only : why having an only child , and being one , is better than you think , ' journalist lauren sandler is n't buying it . she writes , one of the central myths of america is that we can engineer a life without tradeoffs . ' she counters all the stereotypes of only children—selfish , lonely , maladjusted—with a range of convincing research , explores the environmental arguments for keeping families small , and also looks at the evidence that children from one-child families tend to achieve more and , as a result , can contribute more to society . just a few examples : condi rice , alicia keys and chelsea clinton are all only children . the important questions center around our assumptions about family , what makes us happy , fulfilled and loved . in other words , how do we recognize our full range of choices as parents ? is happiness the result of finding purpose and meaning ? is it the absence of depression ? ' sandler contends that it has a lot to do with having the freedom to live the life you want to live , whether that means five kids , or one , or none at all . ' it is what we know in our heart of hearts , even when we 're fully ensconced in the myth—sucking down a smoothie while driving our kid to school , rescheduling a doctor 's appointment , and trying to read the notes for the morning 's meeting all at the same miserable moment . it is related to the work-life balance issues that anne-marie slaughter and sheryl sandberg touched on . we are human , and as such , we have limits . whether you scale back your job , scale back your social time , scale back your self-care , scale back your child care assistance , or scale back your family size—something 's got ta give . admitting that is n't just a smart strategy for a saner life . it cuts at the core of one of modern women 's most stubborn , self-defeating beliefs -- that unless we are everything to all people , we are nothing , that our worth is tied up in our limitless capacity ( at least when it comes to caring for others ) , that we do n't actually deserve to live a selective life and take or leave a number of energy-sucking pursuits . it 's not that we have to choose to parent just one child if we want to be sane in contemporary society , but that we owe it to ourselves , our partners and even our potential progeny , to consider other possibilities . women , in particular , need to slough off socialized norms and think in a fresh , free , way about the kind of life that will really make our families -- and ourselves -- healthy and fulfilled .
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she says a new book by lauren sandler presents good reasons for having just one child
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illinois <tsp> ( cnn ) -- anyone who doubts roland burris'qualifications to serve as the next senator from illinois may want to head to chicago 's oak woods cemetery . roland burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in chicago 's oak woods cemetery . there , burris , whom embattled illinois gov . rod blagojevich appointed to succeed president-elect barack obama in the senate on tuesday , has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments . under the seal of the state of illinois and the words trail blazer , ' burris , 71 , has listed his many firsts in granite , including being the state 's first african-american attorney general and the state 's first african-american comptroller . the memorial also notes that burris was the first african-american exchange student to hamburg university in germany from southern illinois university in 1959 . there appears to be enough room to add u.s. senator ' to the memorial , but burris may never get a chance to serve in washington . a senate democratic aide told cnn on wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent burris from being seated in the senate . after blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint obama 's successor , senate democrats praised burris but said they could not accept any appointment by blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month . federal prosecutors say he conspired to sell ' obama 's senate seat for campaign donations and other favors .
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memorial lists firsts , including being the first black attorney general for illinois
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